Brown & Associates Ledger LLC - Terms of Service for The Silence Tax
GROUP 1: SERVICE BASICS
1. Introduction and Acceptance of Terms
These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between Brown & Associates Ledger LLC ("Company," "we," "us," or "our") and any individual or entity ("User," "you," or "your") accessing or using The Silence Tax website, archive, or related services ("Service"). By accessing or using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
2. Definitions
"Agreement" - these Terms of Service, including all incorporated policies.
"Archive" - the paid digital repository of written Receipts and related materials.
"Content" - all materials available through the Service, including text, audio, graphics, and user submissions.
"Toll Submission" - any paid user submission offered for documentation or publication within the Archive.
"User" - any person or entity accessing or using the Service.
"Company" - Brown & Associates Ledger LLC, the legal operator of The Silence Tax.
3. Eligibility and Account Responsibilities
The Service is intended for users aged 18 or older. By using the Service, you represent that you meet this age requirement and have the capacity to enter into this Agreement. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account information and for all activity under your account.
4. Description of Services
The Silence Tax provides access to an online archive of written Receipts and the opportunity to submit Tolls for documentation. Access to the Archive requires a valid subscription. The Company reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the Service at its discretion.
5. Payments, Subscriptions, and Cancellations
Subscription payments for the Archive are billed automatically at the published rate of $5 USD per month. All payments are final and non-refundable except as described in the Refund Policy. Users may cancel their subscription at any time. Access will terminate immediately upon cancellation. No partial refunds will be issued for any unused portion of the billing period.
GROUP 2: CONTENT RIGHTS & PROTECTIONS
6. Intellectual Property Rights
All Content provided through the Service is owned by or licensed to the Company and protected under copyright and trademark law. Users are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access the Content for personal, non-commercial use. Reproduction, redistribution, or modification of any Content without written consent is prohibited.
6.1 Prohibition on AI Training and Data Mining
Users and third parties are expressly prohibited from using any Content from the Service for training artificial intelligence systems, machine learning models, or large language models without prior written consent from the Company. Automated scraping, data mining, or dataset compilation of Archive content is prohibited.
6.2 DMCA Agent
The Company's designated agent for copyright notifications under 17 U.S.C. ยง 512(c) is listed at dmca@thesilencetax.com and in the official Copyright Office database.
7. User Submissions and License Grant
By submitting a Toll, you grant the Company a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to archive, publish, distribute, and preserve your submission in anonymized or edited form. You retain ownership of your original work. Once accepted, a Toll Submission becomes part of the permanent record and cannot be removed. Users acknowledge that the right to deletion does not extend to published archival content, which serves a public interest archival purpose.
7.1 Permanent Archival
Once a Toll Submission is submitted (regardless of yet being incorporated into the Archive), it becomes part of a permanent documentary record. Removal, takedown, or editing requests from the original submitter will not be honored except where required by law or where the Company determines, in its sole discretion, that continued publication presents a material legal risk.
7.2 No Right to Rely on Removal
Users acknowledge and agree that the Service is an archival publication project. Users submit material with the understanding that publication is permanent and that later personal, family, employment, or relationship changes will not create a right to removal.
8. Submitter Warranties and Representations
8.1 Warranties by Submitter
You represent and warrant that your submission: (a) is your own experience or is provided with lawful authority to disclose; (b) does not intentionally identify a minor without consent from a parent or legal guardian; (c) does not violate the privacy, publicity, or intellectual property rights of any third party; and (d) does not contain information that would expose the Company to claims for defamation, harassment, or unlawful disclosure.
8.2 Indemnification for Submission Content
You agree to indemnify the Company for any claim that arises from your breach of the warranties in Section 8.1. This indemnity expressly includes claims brought by third parties who are identified, referenced, or reasonably infer that they are described in your Toll Submission. This indemnity includes claims alleging misrepresentation or false attribution arising from the Company's creation of composite editorial products.
9. Editorial Rights
9.1 Editorial Discretion
The Company may edit, anonymize, or redact submitted material for privacy, clarity, length, or voice alignment. Editing does not create any obligation to remove the original submission.
9.2 Composite Editorial Products
Certain Toll Submissions may be combined with other submissions to create composite editorial works ("Entries"). You acknowledge and agree that your submission may be edited, reordered, excerpted, or combined with other anonymized material in a manner that produces new editorial meaning or narrative structure. The Company retains full editorial control over how submissions are selected, combined, arranged, and contextualized. You expressly waive and release any claim that the resulting composite work misrepresents your individual submission, attributes statements to you, or creates false associations with other material or contributors.
9.3 Derivative and Anthology Use
The Company may reproduce, adapt, edit, excerpt, translate, distribute, or license individual Toll Submissions, composite Entries, or portions thereof for inclusion in derivative works, compilations, printed anthologies, audio productions, exhibitions, or other adaptations consistent with the archival and documentary purpose of The Silence Tax. Such use shall not require further consent or payment to the submitting User. All derivative works will credit The Silence Tax as the originating archive where appropriate.
9.4 Emergency Content Removal
The Company reserves the right to immediately remove, redact, or restrict access to any content that: (a) credibly threatens imminent physical harm; (b) unintentionally identifies a minor; (c) contains unredacted identifying information creating a documented safety risk; or (d) violates criminal law. Emergency removal does not establish precedent for other removal requests and does not constitute a waiver of the permanent archival policy.
10. Notice of Alleged Infringement or Defamation
If you believe material published in The Silence Tax Archive infringes your rights or is unlawful, send a written notice to legal@thesilencetax.com that includes: (a) your full name and contact information; (b) the exact URL or episode identifier; (c) a description of the material; and (d) the legal basis for the request. The Company will review the request and may remove, redact, or decline to remove the material in its discretion. The archival nature of the Service means that not all removal requests will be granted.
GROUP 3: USER CONDUCT & LEGAL PROTECTION
11. Prohibited Conduct
Users agree not to: - Use the Service for unlawful purposes; - Violate intellectual property rights; - Transmit harmful code; or - Attempt to disrupt system operations. The Company reserves the right to suspend or terminate access for violations of these Terms.
12. Disclaimer of Warranties
The Service and all Content are provided "as is" and "as available." The Company makes no warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. The Service documents patterns of exhaustion and related experiences. It does not provide medical, mental health, legal, financial, family, relationship, or employment advice. You are solely responsible for any actions or decisions you take or do not take based on the Content. The Company disclaims all liability for outcomes that result from a User's interpretation of a published Receipt, episode, or Toll Submission, including relationship, marital, employment, or family decisions.
13. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Service. The Company's total liability shall not exceed the amount paid by you in the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim. In no event shall the Company be liable for any indirect or consequential damages arising from a User's reliance on published archival content, including but not limited to divorce, separation, employment termination, or family disputes.
14. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Company and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, or expenses arising out of or related to your use of the Service or violation of these Terms.
GROUP 4: DISPUTE RESOLUTION
15. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution
15.1 Governing Law and Venue
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Wyoming, United States. Claims seeking removal of archival content shall also be brought in Wyoming and shall be subject to the permanent archival policy described in Section 7.
15.2 Binding Arbitration
Any dispute arising under or related to these Terms shall be resolved by confidential binding arbitration before an independent arbitrator located in Wyoming. Each party shall bear its own costs unless the arbitrator determines otherwise. Judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.
15.3 Foreign Jurisdiction Waiver
Users outside the United States agree that any disputes shall be governed solely by U.S. and Wyoming law, and waive any right to pursue claims under foreign law or in foreign courts.
15.4 Class Action Waiver
You agree that any dispute shall be resolved on an individual basis only. You waive any right to participate in a class action, collective action, or representative proceeding. The arbitrator may not consolidate claims of multiple parties without written consent from all parties.
15.5 Time Limitation on Claims
Regardless of any statute or law to the contrary, any claim or cause of action arising out of use of the Service must be filed within one (1) year after such claim arose, or be forever barred.
GROUP 5: ADMINISTRATIVE
16. Changes to Terms
The Company reserves the right to modify or update these Terms at any time. Revised Terms will be posted on the official website with an updated "Last Updated" date. Continued use of the Service after such changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
17. Force Majeure
The Company shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, riots, embargoes, acts of civil or military authorities, fire, floods, accidents, network infrastructure failures, strikes, or shortages of transportation, facilities, fuel, energy, labor, or materials.
The Company shall not be liable for delays in Toll Submission processing or publication resulting from circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to voice illness, equipment failure, third-party service interruptions, or unforeseen capacity constraints.
18. Assignment
The Company may assign or transfer its rights and obligations under these Terms, including ownership of the Archive, in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets. Users will be notified of any such transfer.
19. Severability
If any provision of these Terms is found to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision shall be deemed severable and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions.
20. Contact Information
Questions regarding these Terms should be directed to: Email: legal@thesilencetax.com