Terms & Conditions

Service Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years of age (or the minimum age of digital consent in your jurisdiction) to use the Service. By accessing or using Gladness, you represent that you meet this age requirement and have the legal capacity to enter into this Agreement. If you are using the Service on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

1. Use of the Service

Gladness provides spiritual, devotional, and creative tools including journaling, prayer lists, VerseVisions, and AI-assisted experiences. You are solely responsible for the content you input, create, or share.

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for unlawful, harmful, misleading, or disruptive purposes;
• Upload or distribute content that is obscene, defamatory, infringing, or violates the rights of others;
• Interfere with, hack, or disrupt the Service or its infrastructure;
• Circumvent access or security measures.

We may suspend or terminate your account for any conduct we determine violates these Terms or threatens the integrity of Gladness or its users.

2. Disclaimer of Spiritual, Psychological, or Medical Advice

Gladness provides spiritual and reflective content for personal enrichment only. It does not constitute counseling, psychological advice, medical guidance, or pastoral care. You acknowledge that any actions you take based on content from Gladness are at your own discretion and risk. Gladness disclaims all responsibility for outcomes or decisions influenced by content generated through the platform.

3. No Warranties

The Service is provided “as is” and “as available”, without any warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee that Gladness will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free. All AI-generated or user-created content is provided for informational and inspirational purposes only.

4. AI-Generated Content Disclaimer

Gladness may use artificial-intelligence systems to assist in generating devotionals, VerseVisions, spiritual insights, or other creative materials. AI-generated content is produced algorithmically and may contain inaccuracies, incompleteness, outdated references, or interpretations of scripture that should be reviewed by the user. Gladness does not warrant, verify, or endorse AI outputs and makes no representation as to their accuracy, reliability, or suitability for any purpose. You are solely responsible for evaluating and using any AI-generated content, and you agree that Gladness is not liable for any reliance on, or actions taken based on, AI-generated content.

5. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Gladness, its owners, officers, affiliates, employees, contractors, and licensors shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, punitive, or exemplary damages arising from or relating to:

• Your use or inability to use the Service;
• Errors or omissions in AI or user-generated content;
• Unauthorized access, security breaches, or hacking;
• Data loss, corruption, or downtime;
• Any act or omission of third-party providers.

By using the Service, you expressly waive any right to pursue damages, claims, or compensation from Gladness or its representatives in any form.

6. User Responsibility & Community Conduct

You are responsible for all content you post, upload, or generate. Gladness does not pre-screen user content and is not responsible for inaccuracies, offensive materials, or third-party content. We reserve the right to remove or disable access to any content that violates these Terms or applicable laws.

By submitting, uploading, or creating content on Gladness (including devotionals, prayer requests, VerseVisions, comments, or any other user-generated content), you grant Gladness a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, display, reproduce, and distribute that content solely for the purpose of providing, operating, promoting, and improving the Service. You retain ownership of your content. You also represent and warrant that you have all rights needed to grant this license and that your content does not infringe the rights of any third party.

7. Copyright and DMCA Policy

Gladness respects intellectual property rights. If you believe your copyrighted material appears on Gladness without authorization, please send a DMCA-compliant notice to support@gladness.com including:

• Identification of the copyrighted work;
• URL or specific location of the infringing content;
• Contact information and a statement of good faith belief.

Upon valid notice, Gladness will act in accordance with the DMCA (17 U.S.C. § 512).

8. Payment, Subscriptions, and Refunds

If paid features or subscriptions are offered:

• Fees are non-refundable except as required by law;
• Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled before the next billing cycle;
• Gladness reserves the right to change pricing or features with reasonable notice.

We are not responsible for overdraft fees, card declines, or processing delays from payment providers.

9. Force Majeure

Gladness shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance due to causes beyond its control, including but not limited to acts of God, natural disasters, war, cyberattacks, network outages, or government restrictions.

10. Data Processing and Privacy

Gladness acts as a data controller for personal data and may rely on compliant third-party processors (e.g., Firebase, Stripe, analytics). See our Privacy Policy for details on data collection and security.

11. Data Security and Breach Limitation

Gladness implements reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect user information against unauthorized access, alteration, loss, or misuse. These measures may include encrypted storage for sensitive content, secure authentication, and restricted access to production systems.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure, and Gladness cannot guarantee absolute security. By using the Service, you acknowledge and agree that:

• data transmission over the internet carries inherent risk;
• Gladness and its owners, affiliates, and representatives shall not be liable for any damages resulting from hacking, security breaches, malware, data interception, or failures of third-party providers (including hosting, authentication, analytics, or payment processors);
• you are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.

If Gladness becomes aware of a data security incident affecting personal information, Gladness will investigate promptly and, where legally required, will notify affected users and/or regulators.

12. Termination and Survival

We may terminate or suspend any user account at any time for violations of these Terms or suspected abuse. Sections regarding intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, governing law, and dispute resolution will survive termination.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Gladness and its affiliates from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from:

• Your use or misuse of the Service;
• Your violation of these Terms;
• Any content you submit or create;
• Your infringement of third-party rights.

14. Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

To the fullest extent permitted by law, any dispute, claim, or controversy arising from or relating to these Terms or the use of Gladness shall be exclusively resolved by binding arbitration conducted in Pennsylvania, USA, under the rules of the American Arbitration Association. You and Gladness waive any right to a jury trial or to participate in a class action.

All claims must be brought individually and confidentially. The arbitrator’s decision shall be final and binding.

15. Limitation on Claims

Any claim or cause of action arising from your use of the Service must be filed within one (1) year of the event giving rise to it. After that, all claims are permanently barred.

16. No Class Actions; No Public Lawsuits

By using Gladness, you waive any right to:

• Participate in class-action or representative suits;
• Bring claims in court;
• Seek injunctive or punitive damages.

All disputes must be settled through private, individual arbitration.

17. Changes to Terms

We may update or modify these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal obligations. Updated versions will be posted on this page with a new “Last Updated” date. Continued use of the Service after any update constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If material changes are made, we may also provide additional notice by email or in-app message.

18. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, without regard to conflicts of law.

19. Absolute Limitation of Claims (“No Lawsuit” Provision)

To the maximum extent allowed by law, you agree that you will not bring or join any claim, action, or proceeding against Gladness, its owners, affiliates, or representatives for any reason arising from your use of the Service. If any such claim is brought despite this provision, you agree to reimburse Gladness for all associated legal costs, fees, and damages.

This clause is intended to fully shield Gladness from all forms of civil, equitable, or legal liability, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

20. Severability and Waiver

If any provision of these Terms is deemed invalid, the remaining provisions will continue in effect. No waiver of any term shall constitute a further or continuing waiver.

21. Scripture Attribution

Scripture quotations on this website are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® (NIV®). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The New International Version (NIV) is used under guidelines permitting non-commercial use of fewer than 500 verses, not constituting more than 25% of total content, with proper attribution. This website is freely accessible and intended for personal spiritual growth and devotional use only.

22. Entire Agreement

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Gladness and supersede all prior agreements or understandings.

23. Headings

Section and paragraph headings in this Agreement are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation or enforceability.