Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account, connecting a cryptocurrency wallet, or otherwise accessing or using the Zoryxon Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you are using the Platform on behalf of an organization, you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that organization to these Terms, and references to "you" and "your" herein shall refer to both you individually and the organization you represent. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the Platform.

You represent and warrant that you are at least eighteen (18) years of age and have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms. If you are under 18, you may not use the Platform. Students under the age of 18 may only access the Platform through institutional Education accounts administered by their school or educational institution — they may not create individual accounts. See Section 2(d) for additional details regarding the Education vertical.

2. Description of Service

Zoryxon is blockchain-based trust infrastructure for content verification and intellectual property protection. The Platform provides the following product lines and services:

(a) Core Platform. The Core Platform provides cryptographic proof of existence, origin, humanity, substance, consent, lineage, terms, integrity, provenance, and context for digital content via the 10 Pillars of Trust, deployed on Arbitrum One (Ethereum Layer 2). Zoryxon functions as a digital notary — it timestamps, hashes, and proves. Zoryxon does not evaluate the truth or falsity of any content registered on the Platform. The Platform operates on a non-custodial architecture, meaning users hold their own cryptographic keys and maintain sole control over their encrypted content at all times.

(b) Asset Shield. Asset Shield is a financial asset protection product that uses cryptographic mechanisms deployed on Arbitrum One to protect digital assets through on-chain shield deployments. Zoryxon is not a bank, investment advisor, broker-dealer, custodian, or insurance provider. Asset Shield does not hold, custody, or manage user funds in any capacity. Users maintain full control of their assets at all times. Asset Shield provides protection infrastructure but is not a financial service, bank, or insurance product. Additional terms governing the use of Asset Shield are set forth in the Asset Shield Terms.

(c) Marketplace. The Marketplace enables users to list, license, and sell verified content. Transaction fees are tier-based: Verify tier at 5%, Creator Pro tier at 2%, and Enterprise tier at 1%. Users on the Starter (Free) tier are not permitted to sell on the Marketplace. The maximum platform fee is capped at 10% and enforced by smart contract.

(d) Education. The Education vertical provides an academic integrity system using blockchain-timestamped draft checkpoints. Zoryxon contracts with educational institutions, not with individual students. Students access the Platform through institutional accounts provisioned by their school. When processing student data on behalf of an educational institution, Zoryxon acts as a "school official" under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) with a legitimate educational interest.

(e) Zora AI Assistant. Zora is an AI-powered chat assistant available on the Platform, powered by third-party artificial intelligence technology. Conversations with Zora may be logged for service improvement and lead follow-up purposes. Zora provides general information only and is not a substitute for professional, legal, or financial advice. Zoryxon is not liable for any reliance on AI-generated responses provided by Zora.

(f) Verified Badge. The Verified Badge is an embeddable verification badge that is gated by subscription tier. Zoryxon reserves the right to revoke badges at any time and for any reason, including but not limited to violation of these Terms. Badges must not be modified, used deceptively, or displayed on or in connection with unverified content.

(g) General. The Platform is provided as software infrastructure and does not constitute a legal service or create a fiduciary relationship between Zoryxon and any user. Zoryxon does not provide legal advice regarding intellectual property rights. Asset Shield provides protection infrastructure but is not a financial service, bank, or insurance product.

3. Account Registration

Access to the Platform requires connection of a compatible Ethereum wallet through the Sign-In with Ethereum (SIWE) authentication protocol. Compatible wallets include MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, and WalletConnect-compatible wallets. By connecting your wallet and creating an account, you acknowledge and agree to the following:

• You accept full responsibility for the security of your wallet, private keys, and seed phrases. Zoryxon does not store, manage, or have access to your private keys or seed phrases at any time.
• You agree to maintain only one account per individual or entity. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions, manipulate the Platform, or for any other purpose is prohibited.
• You acknowledge that your wallet address will be publicly visible on the blockchain in connection with on-chain transactions conducted through the Platform.
• You agree to provide accurate and current information for any optional profile data you choose to submit.

If you lose access to your wallet, Zoryxon cannot recover your account or any assets associated with it. You are solely responsible for maintaining secure backups of your wallet credentials, seed phrases, and private keys.

4. Intellectual Property Rights

Your Content. You retain all rights, title, and interest in and to any intellectual property you register on the Platform ("Your Content"). Zoryxon does not claim ownership of Your Content. By using the Platform, you grant Zoryxon a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license solely to store encrypted metadata, display public proof records, and operate the Service as reasonably necessary to provide the Platform's functionality. This license does not grant Zoryxon any right to decrypt, access, use, or sublicense Your Content beyond what is strictly necessary to operate the Service.

Non-Custodial Architecture. All content is encrypted client-side using AES-256-GCM encryption before upload to the Platform. Encryption keys are generated and stored exclusively on your device. Zoryxon servers never receive, process, or store your unencrypted content. Only you can decrypt and access your original files.

Platform IP. The Zoryxon name, logo, smart contracts, user interface, documentation, and all other Platform materials are the property of Zoryxon LLC and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws, including copyright, trademark, and patent laws (patents pending). You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of the Platform or its intellectual property without Zoryxon's prior written consent.

5. Acceptable Use

Your use of the Platform is subject to the Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP"), which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. You agree to comply with the AUP at all times when accessing or using the Platform. Without limiting the generality of the AUP, the following high-level prohibitions apply:

• No fraudulent intellectual property claims — you may not register, upload, or claim ownership of content that you do not own or have authorization to register
• No false attestations — you may not submit fraudulent proofs, false identity attestations, or misleading verification data
• No impersonation — you may not impersonate another person, entity, or wallet address
• No illegal content — you may not upload content that is illegal, obscene, defamatory, or that infringes on the rights of any third party
• No system manipulation — you may not attempt to manipulate the Origin Challenge system, stake resolution mechanisms, pillar verification processes, or any other Platform functionality
• No unauthorized automation — you may not use automated tools or bots to interact with the Platform except through the official Agent Registry and SDK
• No circumvention of security measures — you may not circumvent, disable, or interfere with security features, access controls, or rate limits implemented on the Platform

Violation of these Terms or the AUP may result in immediate suspension or termination of your account, forfeiture of staked assets, and referral to appropriate legal authorities.

6. Fees and Payments

The Platform charges the following fees for its services:

• Marketplace Transaction Fees: Transaction fees are tier-based and collected automatically by smart contract. Verify tier: 5% per transaction. Creator Pro tier: 2% per transaction. Enterprise tier: 1% per transaction. Users on the Starter (Free) tier are not permitted to sell on the Marketplace. The maximum platform fee is capped at 10% and enforced by smart contract — this cap cannot be exceeded regardless of any future fee changes.
• Blockchain Gas Fees — Hybrid Model: Zoryxon currently subsidizes gas fees for verification and registration actions via an ERC-2771 meta-transaction relayer. This subsidization is provided at Zoryxon's sole discretion and is subject to tier-based rate limits: Starter tier (50 registrations per month), Verify tier (500 registrations per month), Creator Pro tier (2,000 registrations per month), and Enterprise tier (unlimited). This gas subsidization may be modified, reduced, or discontinued at any time without prior notice. Marketplace buyers are responsible for paying their own ETH gas fees for purchase transactions.
• SaaS Subscription Fees: Zoryxon offers subscription tiers with fees collected in fiat currency via third-party payment processors. Subscription pricing is published on the Platform's pricing page and is subject to change with thirty (30) days prior notice to active subscribers.

On-chain payments made in ETH are non-refundable after blockchain confirmation. Zoryxon reserves the right to modify the fee structure with thirty (30) days prior notice to active users. Changes to fees will be communicated through the Platform interface and, where possible, via email.

7. Blockchain Transactions

You acknowledge and agree that:

• Blockchain transactions are irreversible. Once a transaction is confirmed on the network, it cannot be reversed, canceled, or modified by Zoryxon or any other party. Neither Zoryxon nor any third party has the ability to undo a confirmed blockchain transaction.
• Proof hashes, license records, ownership transfers, and other on-chain data are permanent and publicly visible on the blockchain. This data cannot be deleted or modified after confirmation.
• Transaction confirmation times depend on network conditions, including congestion and gas prices, and are outside Zoryxon's control.
• You are solely responsible for verifying the accuracy of all transaction details — including recipient addresses, amounts, and terms — before confirming any transaction.
• Smart contracts deployed by Zoryxon use the UUPS (Universal Upgradeable Proxy Standard) upgradeable pattern and are controlled by authorized platform administrators. Upgrades follow internal security procedures including testing and review. Zoryxon does not use DAO-style governance for contract upgrades at this time. Zoryxon reserves the right to upgrade smart contracts as necessary to maintain security, fix vulnerabilities, or improve functionality.

8. Content Verification

The Zoryxon Platform provides tools for establishing and verifying trust signals through the 10-Pillar Trust Stack (Existence, Origin, Humanity, Substance, Consent, Lineage, Terms, Integrity, Provenance, and Context). You acknowledge and agree that:

• Blockchain timestamps provide cryptographic evidence that content existed at a specific point in time. This constitutes strong evidence but is not a legal adjudication of intellectual property rights.
• Pillar verification results are based on available data and automated analysis. They do not constitute legal opinions or guarantees of authenticity, ownership, or originality.
• Origin Challenge results are determined through an economic staking mechanism and arbiter resolution, not judicial proceedings. The outcome of an Origin Challenge does not constitute a legal determination of intellectual property ownership.
• Zoryxon does not guarantee that registered content will be enforceable in any particular jurisdiction. Registration on the Platform does not create, expand, or substitute for legal intellectual property protections available under applicable law.
• Users should consult qualified legal counsel for intellectual property disputes, enforcement actions, or any situation requiring legal advice.

9. Platform Neutrality and Section 230

Zoryxon provides neutral technology infrastructure for content registration and verification. In accordance with Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (47 U.S.C. § 230), the following provisions apply:

• Zoryxon does not evaluate, endorse, verify the truth of, or assume responsibility for user-submitted content. The Platform provides tools for cryptographic registration and verification — it does not make determinations regarding the accuracy, legality, or ownership of user content.
• Registration of content on the Platform does not constitute Zoryxon's endorsement or validation of any ownership claims, authenticity claims, or other representations made by users.
• Zoryxon is not the publisher or speaker of any user-registered content. Users are solely responsible for the content they register, upload, list, or otherwise make available through the Platform.
• Zoryxon's verification tools provide cryptographic evidence — including timestamps, hashes, and provenance data — not legal adjudication or editorial judgment. The presence of verification data on the Platform does not imply that Zoryxon has reviewed, approved, or confirmed the veracity of the underlying content.
• Zoryxon may, in its sole discretion, remove or restrict access to content that violates these Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy. However, such actions do not create an obligation to monitor all content on the Platform, nor do they create a duty to remove any particular content. Good-faith content moderation actions shall not be construed as creating publisher liability under 47 U.S.C. § 230(c)(2).

10. Agent Services

The Platform provides an Agent Registry that allows users to register and manage automated AI agents that can perform marketplace operations on their behalf. By using Agent Services, you acknowledge and agree that:

• You are solely responsible for the configuration of your agents, including their permissions, spending limits, and allowed actions. Zoryxon does not review, approve, or validate individual agent configurations.
• All transactions executed by your agents are binding and treated as if you performed them personally. You may not disclaim liability for actions taken by agents operating within their configured permissions.
• Agents are subject to mandatory kill switch provisions that can be triggered by the agent owner, platform governance mechanisms, or automatic heartbeat timeout.
• Zoryxon is not liable for any losses, damages, or costs resulting from agent actions within their configured permissions, including but not limited to unauthorized purchases, incorrect licensing terms, spending beyond intended limits, or any other unintended agent behavior.
• Agents that miss consecutive heartbeats beyond their configured interval may be automatically deactivated by the Platform as a safety measure. Zoryxon is not liable for any losses resulting from automatic agent deactivation.

11. User Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Zoryxon LLC, its officers, members, employees, agents, and affiliates (collectively, the "Indemnified Parties") from and against all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees and court costs) arising out of or relating to:

• Your Content and any intellectual property claims related thereto, including but not limited to claims of infringement, misappropriation, or unauthorized registration
• Your violation of these Terms, the Acceptable Use Policy, or any applicable law, rule, or regulation
• Your violation of any rights of any third party, including intellectual property rights, privacy rights, and publicity rights
• Your use of Agent Services, including any actions taken by agents you have configured or deployed through the Platform
• Your use of Asset Shield, including any claims arising from the protection or failure to protect digital assets
• Any third-party claim related to your marketplace listings, transactions, or licensing activities conducted through the Platform
• Your use of the Education vertical tools in a manner inconsistent with institutional agreements or applicable education privacy laws

This indemnification obligation shall survive the termination or expiration of these Terms and your use of the Platform.

12. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Platform is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement. Zoryxon makes no warranty that the Platform will meet your requirements or expectations.

We do not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components, or that the Platform will operate in a secure manner at all times. Features may be modified, suspended, or removed at any time. Smart contracts, while built using industry-standard security libraries and best practices, may contain undiscovered vulnerabilities despite rigorous testing and security review. Zoryxon disclaims all liability arising from any such vulnerabilities to the fullest extent permitted by law.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Zoryxon LLC and its officers, members, employees, agents, and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, loss of data, loss of digital assets, loss of goodwill, business interruption, or any other intangible losses, arising out of or related to your use of or inability to use the Platform, regardless of the cause of action or the theory of liability.

Zoryxon's total aggregate liability for any and all claims arising under or in connection with these Terms shall not exceed the greater of (a) the total fees you have paid to Zoryxon in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred U.S. dollars ($100). This limitation of liability applies regardless of the legal theory upon which the claim is based, including breach of contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability, or any other legal or equitable theory.

14. Force Majeure

Zoryxon shall not be liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations under these Terms to the extent such failure or delay is caused by circumstances beyond Zoryxon's reasonable control, including but not limited to:

• Blockchain network outages, congestion, forks, or other disruptions to the Arbitrum One, Ethereum, or other blockchain networks utilized by the Platform
• Gas price volatility that renders transactions economically impractical or causes unexpected costs
• Smart contract vulnerabilities or exploits discovered after deployment, despite security best practices having been followed during development
• Third-party infrastructure failures, including hosting providers, RPC providers, database providers, IPFS pinning services, and other external dependencies
• Regulatory changes, government actions, sanctions, embargoes, or other legal requirements that affect Zoryxon's ability to provide the Platform
• Cyberattacks, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, security incidents, or other malicious activities targeting the Platform or its infrastructure
• Natural disasters, pandemics, epidemics, acts of God, war, terrorism, civil unrest, or other events of similar magnitude
• Any other cause beyond Zoryxon's reasonable control

In the event of a force majeure occurrence, Zoryxon's obligations under these Terms shall be suspended for the duration of the force majeure event, and Zoryxon shall use commercially reasonable efforts to resume performance as promptly as practicable.

15. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Ohio, without regard to its conflict of laws principles. The parties acknowledge the applicability of the Ohio Revised Code and relevant federal statutes to blockchain-based transactions and smart contracts executed through the Platform, including Ohio SB 220 (2018), which recognizes blockchain records and electronic signatures as legally valid under Ohio law.

16. Dispute Resolution

Mandatory Informal Resolution Period. Before initiating any formal proceedings, the complaining party must send written notice to the other party describing the nature of the dispute and the proposed resolution. The parties shall attempt to resolve the dispute in good faith for a period of thirty (30) days from the date of receipt of such notice. Notice to Zoryxon shall be sent to legal@zoryxon.com. Notice to users shall be sent to the email address on file or via Platform notification.

Binding Arbitration. If the dispute is not resolved through the informal resolution process, any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Platform shall be resolved through binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") under its Commercial Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall be conducted before a single arbitrator. The default location for arbitration proceedings shall be Mahoning County, Ohio, unless the parties mutually agree to an alternative location.

Class Action Waiver. You agree that any dispute resolution proceedings will be conducted on an individual basis only. You waive any right to participate in any class action, consolidated action, or representative action. All disputes shall be resolved individually and not as part of a class, consolidated, or representative proceeding.

Small Claims Court Exception. Notwithstanding the foregoing arbitration provision, either party may bring qualifying claims in the small claims court of competent jurisdiction as an alternative to arbitration.

Intellectual Property Injunctive Relief Exception. Either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to protect its intellectual property rights, including but not limited to patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets, without first complying with the informal resolution or arbitration procedures set forth above.

17. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated through the Platform interface and, where possible, via email to users who have provided an email address. Changes become effective thirty (30) days after posting unless otherwise specified. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms. If you do not agree with the changes, you must discontinue use of the Platform before the effective date.

18. Security & Responsible Disclosure

If you discover a security vulnerability in the Zoryxon Platform, smart contracts, or any related infrastructure, please report it responsibly to security@zoryxon.com. We take all vulnerability reports seriously and commit to responding within forty-eight (48) hours of receipt. Please do not publicly disclose vulnerabilities until Zoryxon has had a reasonable opportunity to investigate and address them.

19. General Provisions

Severability. If any provision of these Terms is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect. The invalid or unenforceable provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid and enforceable while preserving the original intent of the parties.

Entire Agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, Acceptable Use Policy, DMCA Policy, Cookie Policy, Asset Shield Terms, and Disclaimers, constitute the entire agreement between you and Zoryxon with respect to your use of the Platform and supersede all prior and contemporaneous understandings, agreements, representations, and warranties.

Assignment. Zoryxon may assign or transfer these Terms, in whole or in part, without restriction and without your consent, including in connection with a merger, acquisition, corporate reorganization, or sale of all or substantially all of its assets. You may not assign or transfer these Terms or any rights or obligations hereunder without Zoryxon's prior written consent.

Waiver. The failure of Zoryxon to enforce any provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that provision or any other provision. No waiver of any term shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or any other term.

Notices. Notices to Zoryxon shall be sent to legal@zoryxon.com. Notices to users shall be sent to the email address on file with the Platform or delivered via Platform notification. Notice shall be deemed given upon receipt.

20. Contact Information

For questions or concerns regarding these Terms, please contact: