Terms of Service

1. Who we are

Jote (the “Service”) is operated by E55 Publishing LLC, a New Mexico limited liability company (“Jote,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). You can reach us at legal@e55publishing.com or by mail at 1209 Mountain Road Pl, Ste N, Albuquerque, NM 87110.

2. Acceptance of these terms

By creating an account, accessing, or using Jote you agree to these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

3. What Jote is

Jote is a story-first creator platform. Each post is a single story that can be offered in up to three formats: Read (a written version), Listen (an audio narration), and Watch (a video version). A post may include any one, two, or all three of these formats — creators choose which formats to publish, and readers and listeners pick how to experience the story. Users can discover, follow, and tip creators.

4. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to create an account or use Jote. If you are under the age of majority where you live, you may only use the Service with the involvement of a parent or legal guardian.

You must be at least 18 years old to (a) send tips to creators, or (b) register as a creator and receive payouts through Stripe Connect. By using these features you confirm that you are 18 or older.

5. Your account

You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure and for any activity on your account. Notify us at help@e55publishing.com if you believe your account has been compromised.

6. Your content and the license you give us

You keep all rights you already have in the writing, audio, video, images, and other materials you upload (“Your Content”). You grant Jote a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, transcode, stream, distribute, and display Your Content for the purpose of operating and promoting the Service. This license ends when you delete Your Content, except for copies cached or backed up in the ordinary course.

You represent that you have all rights necessary to grant the license above and that Your Content does not infringe anyone else’s rights or violate any law.

7. Acceptable use

You agree not to use Jote to:

• post content that infringes copyright, trademark, or other rights;
• post content that is illegal, defamatory, harassing, or hateful;
• post sexual content involving minors, or any content that exploits or endangers a minor;
• impersonate anyone, or misrepresent your affiliation with a person or organization;
• upload malware, scrape the Service, or interfere with its operation;
• circumvent any access, age, or paywall controls.

We may remove content and suspend or terminate accounts that violate these rules.

8. Tips and creator payouts

Readers may tip creators through the Service. You must be at least 18 years old to send a tip or to receive payouts as a creator. Payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. and are subject to Stripe’s terms, including their identity-verification and payout requirements. Jote retains a platform fee (currently 10%) from each tip; the remainder is paid to the creator’s connected Stripe account. Tips are generally non-refundable except where required by law or in our sole discretion.

9. Copyright (DMCA)

We respect the rights of copyright holders. If you believe content on Jote infringes your copyright, send a notice to legal@e55publishing.com that includes (a) your contact information, (b) identification of the copyrighted work, (c) the URL of the allegedly infringing content, (d) a statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is not authorized, (e) a statement under penalty of perjury that the notice is accurate and you are authorized to act, and (f) your physical or electronic signature. We will respond to valid notices consistent with the DMCA.

10. Third-party services and ads

Jote relies on third-party services including Stripe (payments), Supabase (database and auth), Mux (media), and Vercel (hosting). We may also display ads served by third-party ad networks. Those networks may set cookies or collect device information in accordance with their own policies; see our Privacy Policy for details.

11. Termination

You can stop using Jote at any time and request account deletion by emailing help@e55publishing.com. We can suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms or where required by law.

12. Disclaimers

The Service is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure.

13. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, E55 Publishing LLC and its officers, members, employees, and contractors will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits or revenues, arising out of or related to your use of the Service. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Service will not exceed the greater of $100 USD or the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim.

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless E55 Publishing LLC from any claims, damages, and expenses arising out of your use of the Service, Your Content, or your violation of these terms.

15. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of New Mexico, without regard to its conflict of laws rules. You and we agree to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Bernalillo County, New Mexico.

16. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will update the “Effective date” above and take reasonable steps to notify you. Your continued use of the Service after a change means you accept the new terms.

17. Contact

General questions: help@e55publishing.com. Legal, privacy, DMCA, or abuse: legal@e55publishing.com. Or write to E55 Publishing LLC, 1209 Mountain Road Pl, Ste N, Albuquerque, NM 87110.