Terms of Service

Effective Date: May 9, 2025

Welcome to The Grotto. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of our website, products, services, and applications (collectively, the "Service"). By accessing or using The Grotto, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

1. Using The Grotto

You must comply with these Terms and all applicable laws and regulations. You may use the Service only if you are at least 13 years old and are not barred from using the Service under applicable law. If you are under the age of 18, you may only use the Service under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian.

2. Your Account

To use certain features of The Grotto, you may be required to create an account. You agree to provide accurate, complete, and current information during the registration process and to keep your account information up to date. You are responsible for safeguarding your account and agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized use.

3. User Content

You retain ownership of any content you submit, post, upload, or otherwise make available through The Grotto ("User Content"). By submitting User Content, you grant The Grotto a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, and perform the User Content in connection with the Service.

You are solely responsible for your User Content. Do not post content that infringes on others' rights, is unlawful, harmful, misleading, or otherwise violates these Terms.

4. Prohibited Conduct

Use the Service for unlawful purposes;
Interfere with or disrupt the operation of the Service;
Post or transmit content that is infringing, defamatory, obscene, or otherwise objectionable;
Use automated systems to access the Service without prior permission.

5. Intellectual Property

The Grotto and its licensors retain all rights in the Service and its content (excluding User Content). You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of the Service without our written permission.

6. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE GROTTO, ITS AFFILIATES, DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND LICENSORS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUES, WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESULTING FROM:

(a) Your access to or use of, or inability to access or use, the Service;
(b) Any conduct or content of any third party on the Service, including without limitation any defamatory, offensive, or unlawful conduct or content;
(c) Any content posted, uploaded, or otherwise made available through the Service by users, including content that infringes or is alleged to infringe the intellectual property rights of others;
(d) Any content obtained from the Service; or
(e) Unauthorized access, use, or alteration of your content, account, or transmissions.

YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT USERS OF THE GROTTO ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT THEY SUBMIT. THE GROTTO DOES NOT MONITOR OR CONTROL CONTENT UPLOADED BY USERS AND DISCLAIMS ALL LIABILITY ARISING FROM SUCH CONTENT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO CLAIMS OF COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT REQUIRED BY U.S. LAW. THE GROTTO RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REMOVE CONTENT THAT IT BELIEVES MAY INFRINGE THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS, IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS DMCA POLICY.

IN NO EVENT SHALL THE GROTTO’S TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SERVICE EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID BY YOU, IF ANY, TO THE GROTTO IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS FOR ACCESSING OR USING THE SERVICE.

SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

7. DMCA Takedown Policy

The Grotto respects the intellectual property rights of others and expects its users to do the same. In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”), The Grotto will respond promptly to claims of copyright infringement committed using our services if such claims are reported to our designated copyright agent in writing as outlined below.

If you believe that your copyrighted work has been infringed, please provide a written notice containing the following information:

A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or a person authorized to act on their behalf;
Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed;
Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material (e.g., URLs or user account names);
Your contact information, including name, address, telephone number, and email address;
A statement that you have a good faith belief that the use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law;
A statement that the information in the notification is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

Please send DMCA notices to:

DMCA Agent
The Grotto
Provo, Utah US
Email: [email protected]
(Please include “DMCA Takedown Request” in the subject line)

Upon receipt of a valid DMCA notice, The Grotto will remove or disable access to the allegedly infringing material and notify the user who posted it. We may also, in appropriate circumstances, terminate the accounts of repeat infringers.

8. Repeat Infringer Policy

In accordance with the DMCA and other applicable law, The Grotto has adopted a policy of terminating, in appropriate circumstances and at our sole discretion, users who are deemed to be repeat infringers. We may also, at our discretion, limit access to the Service and/or terminate the accounts of any users who infringe the intellectual property rights of others, whether or not there is any repeat infringement.

Users who believe their content was removed in error may file a counter-notification. To be effective, the counter-notification must include:

The user’s physical or electronic signature;
Identification of the material that has been removed or to which access has been disabled and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or disabled;
A statement under penalty of perjury that the user has a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification;
The user’s name, address, and telephone number, and a statement that the user consents to the jurisdiction of the federal court in their district (or, if outside the U.S., in the Northern District of California), and that they will accept service of process from the person who provided the original DMCA notice or their agent.

We may reinstate the removed content if we receive a valid counter-notification, unless the original complainant files a court action against the user within 10 business days of receiving the copy of the counter-notice.

9. Changes to These Terms

We may modify these Terms from time to time. We will provide reasonable advance notice of material changes, either through the Service or via other communication methods. By continuing to use the Service after the changes become effective, you agree to be bound by the updated Terms.

10. Contact

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at:

The Grotto Legal Team
Email: [email protected]

Thank you for using The Grotto.