Terms of Service

1. Introduction

These Terms of Service (hereinafter "these Terms") set forth the conditions for using Litra.ai (hereinafter "the Service"). The Service is operated by Hiroaki Nishimine (hereinafter "we" or "us"). Please read these Terms carefully before using the Service. By using the Service, you are deemed to have agreed to these Terms.

In addition to these Terms, our Privacy Policy and Legal Notice (Commercial Disclosure under Japanese Law) also apply to your use of the Service.

2. Service Overview

The Service is an AI-powered academic paper search and research assistance service. Users can search for relevant academic papers by entering natural language search queries and obtain AI-generated summaries and reports.

The Service is intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice or academic judgment.

3. Use of AI and Accuracy

Measures to Ensure Service Reliability

Unlike general AI chat services, the Service minimizes hallucinations (AI-generated information that differs from facts) through the following mechanisms.

• Direct Academic Database Access: Data is retrieved directly from paper APIs such as OpenAlex. The AI does not generate or fabricate paper data.
• Large-Scale Vector Search: Semantic search using a vector database (Vespa) of 110 million papers enables discovery of related papers that keyword searches alone cannot find.
• Existence Verification: Papers displayed in search results are programmatically verified for existence beforehand.
• Source Attribution: All search results are displayed with associated paper information including title, authors, and DOI.
• Limited AI Role: AI is used for search query optimization, relevance scoring, and summary generation. The paper data itself is not generated by AI.

Disclaimer Regarding Accuracy

While the above mechanisms achieve high reliability, please note the following.

• AI outputs (including summaries, analyses, and recommendations) are not guaranteed for accuracy, completeness, or currency. Due to the nature of AI technology, information that differs from facts may be included.
• Due to the timing of academic database information updates, the latest information may not always be reflected.
• Paper information displayed in search results (titles, authors, abstracts, citation counts, etc.) is obtained from external academic databases, and we do not guarantee its accuracy.
• When making important academic judgments, please always verify the original text (full paper).

Please use the Service's outputs as reference information only. Final verification and judgment should be made at your own responsibility. Please refrain from using the Service's AI outputs as the sole basis for your decisions.

4. Accounts and Authentication

Registration may be required to use certain features of the Service. Users are responsible for providing accurate and current information and for properly managing their account information.

Users are responsible for all activities conducted under their accounts. If you discover unauthorized use of your account, please contact us immediately.

5. Fees and Payment

Pricing Structure

The Service offers a free tier and paid plans. Paid plan pricing is listed on the pricing page. Prices may be changed with 30 days' prior notice to users.

Automatic Renewal

Paid plans are automatically renewed under the same conditions at the end of the contract period unless the user cancels. If you do not wish to auto-renew, please cancel through the prescribed procedure before the end of the contract period.

Payment

Payment processing is handled through a third-party payment service provider (Stripe, Inc.). Credit card information is not stored on our servers and is securely managed by Stripe. Stripe's terms of service also apply to payment transactions.

Refunds

As the Service provides digital content, refunds are generally not available after service use has begun. However, exceptions apply in the following cases.

• 14-Day Refund for Annual Plans: If you purchased an annual plan within the last 14 days, you can request a refund from your account page. The refund amount is calculated as "payment amount × (remaining credits ÷ granted credits)," with used credits deducted. Processing fees (3.6%) may be deducted from the refund amount.
• When the Service was unusable due to a critical defect
• When double billing occurred due to our error
• Other cases where we approve a refund

6. Prohibited Activities

Users must not engage in the following activities.

• Activities that violate laws or public order and morals
• Activities that interfere with the operation of the Service
• Activities that infringe on the rights of other users or third parties
• Unauthorized commercial use of the Service
• Sending large volumes of requests through automated tools
• Circumventing or disabling security features of the Service
• Reverse engineering, decompiling, or disassembling the Service

7. Intellectual Property Rights and Copyright

Intellectual property rights related to the Service (including software, design, logos, etc.) belong to us or their rightful owners.

Copyright of papers included in search results belongs to their respective copyright holders. The display of paper information (titles, author names, abstracts, etc.) in the Service constitutes fair use for quotation under Article 32 of the Japanese Copyright Act, with sources clearly attributed and within the legitimate scope of research purposes.

The attribution of copyright for AI-generated content (summaries, analysis reports, etc.) shall be governed by the laws of Japan. We do not guarantee that AI-generated content does not infringe on the copyright or other intellectual property rights of third parties.

8. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

Service Provision Conditions

The Service is provided "as is." Except in cases of our willful misconduct or gross negligence, we make no warranties, express or implied, regarding the merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, completeness, reliability, or timeliness of the Service.

Limitation of Damages

Except in cases of our willful misconduct or gross negligence, our liability for damages incurred by users in connection with the Service shall be limited to actual ordinary damages, up to the total amount of usage fees paid by the user to us in the 12 months immediately preceding the occurrence of damages.

However, this limitation does not apply to damages caused by our willful misconduct or gross negligence.

Exclusion of Indirect Damages

Except in cases of our willful misconduct or gross negligence, we shall not be liable for indirect, special, incidental, consequential damages, lost profits, or damages from data loss arising in connection with the Service, regardless of whether such damages were foreseeable.

Disclaimer for Actions Based on AI Output

We are not responsible for decisions, actions, or their consequences made by users based on the AI output of the Service. The Service is intended for informational purposes and is not a substitute for academic judgment or professional advice.

Disclaimer Regarding Data

Except in cases of our willful misconduct or gross negligence, we shall not be liable for the loss or corruption of data stored in the Service (including search history, etc.). Users shall back up important data at their own responsibility.

9. Use of Third-Party Services

The Service integrates with the following third-party services (hereinafter "External Services").

• Google: Account authentication (login via OAuth 2.0)
• OpenAlex / arXiv: Retrieval of academic paper data
• OpenAI / Anthropic: AI processing (paper summarization and analysis)
• Stripe, Inc.: Payment processing

We make no guarantees regarding the availability, accuracy, timeliness, completeness, or reliability of External Services. Except in cases of our willful misconduct or gross negligence, we shall not be liable for damages incurred by users due to failures, specification changes, or discontinuation of External Services.

Each External Service has its own terms of service and privacy policy.

10. Force Majeure

We shall not be liable for damages incurred by users when the provision of the Service is delayed or interrupted due to any of the following events.

• Natural disasters (earthquakes, typhoons, floods, etc.)
• Fire, power outages
• War, terrorism, riots
• Epidemic outbreaks (pandemics, etc.)
• Enactment, amendment, or repeal of laws; orders or dispositions by government agencies
• Failures or malfunctions in communication lines or equipment managed by telecommunications carriers
• Cyber attacks (DDoS attacks, unauthorized access, etc.)
• Other events beyond our reasonable control

11. Service Changes, Suspension, and Termination

We may change, temporarily suspend, or terminate the Service in the following cases.

• When performing system maintenance or inspection of the Service
• When necessary for improvement or security measures of the Service
• When a force majeure event as defined in Article 10 occurs
• Other cases where we reasonably determine it necessary

We will make reasonable efforts to notify users in advance of any planned maintenance that temporarily suspends the Service.

We will endeavor to notify users at least 30 days prior to the termination of the Service. If there is a remaining period on a paid plan at the time of service termination, we will refund the usage fee corresponding to the unused period.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may change these Terms in the following cases.

• When the change to these Terms serves the general interest of users
• When the change to these Terms does not conflict with the purpose of the contract and is reasonable in light of the necessity of the change, the appropriateness of the changed content, and other circumstances related to the change

When changing these Terms, we will notify users of the changes and the effective date at least 30 days before the effective date through posting on the Service or by email.

If a user uses the Service after the effective date of the changes, the user shall be deemed to have agreed to the revised Terms.

13. Severability

Even if any provision or part of these Terms is determined to be invalid or unenforceable under the Japanese Consumer Contract Act or other laws, the remaining provisions of these Terms shall continue in full force and effect. Any provision determined to be invalid or unenforceable shall be replaced with a valid provision that most closely reflects the intent of the original provision.

14. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms shall be governed by the laws of Japan. The Osaka District Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction as the court of first instance over any disputes arising in connection with the Service.

15. Contact Us

For inquiries regarding these Terms, please contact us at the email address below.

[email protected]