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Studio-wide terms

Terms of Service

These terms are the agreement between you and Arbutus Investment LLC for using our website and apps. We've kept them as fair and readable as we can. Your privacy is governed separately by our Privacy Policy.

Effective: 30 May 2026 Last updated: 30 May 2026 Applies to: this website & all Arbutus apps

The short version

Use our apps for their intended purpose, don't abuse them or others, and keep your account secure.

You own everything you create — we just need a narrow permission to run the features you ask for. We do our honest best, but software comes "as is". Nothing here takes away rights you have under mandatory consumer or privacy law. If we ever part ways, you can take your data with you.

This summary is for orientation only; the full sections below are the binding terms.

1. Accepting these terms

By downloading, accessing, or using any Arbutus website or app, you agree to these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you don't agree, please don't use them. If you use Arbutus on behalf of an organisation, you confirm you're authorised to accept these Terms for it.

Individual apps may include short supplemental terms for features unique to them. Where a supplement and these Terms conflict, the supplement applies for that app only, and only to the extent of the conflict.

2. Who can use Arbutus

You must be at least 13 years old (or the minimum digital-consent age where you live) to use our apps. If you're under the age of majority in your region, you should have a parent or guardian's permission.

3. Your licence to use the apps

Subject to these Terms, we grant you a personal, worldwide, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to download and use our apps on devices you own or control, for your own non-commercial use (or internal business use, where an app is offered for that).

You agree not to copy, modify, reverse-engineer, decompile, resell, or create derivative works from the apps except where that restriction is prohibited by law or expressly permitted by us in writing.

4. Accounts

Many features work without an account. Where you do create one, you're responsible for keeping your credentials secure and for activity under your account. Tell us promptly at support@arbutus.studio if you suspect unauthorised use. We're not liable for losses arising from your failure to keep your account secure, to the extent the law allows.

5. Your content

You own your content. Journal entries, expenses, meals, notes, photos — anything you create or import stays yours. We claim no ownership of it.

You grant us only the limited licence we need to operate the features you actually use — for example, to store and sync your content across your devices if you enable that, or to display it back to you. This licence is limited to providing the service, ends when you delete the content or your account (except for residual backup copies cleared on our normal schedule), and does not let us sell your content or use it for advertising. We do not use your private content to train machine-learning models without your separate, explicit, revocable consent. How we handle personal data is set out in the Privacy Policy.

You're responsible for the content you create and confirm you have the rights to it.

6. Acceptable use

When using Arbutus, you agree not to:

  • break the law, or use the apps to harm, harass, or infringe the rights of others;
  • upload malware, or attempt to disrupt, overload, or gain unauthorised access to our systems or anyone's data;
  • probe, scan, or circumvent security or access controls except as part of a security-research process we've authorised in writing;
  • scrape or harvest data, or use the apps to build a competing dataset or service in violation of these Terms;
  • misrepresent your identity or impersonate others;
  • remove proprietary notices or use our brand without permission.

7. Purchases & subscriptions

Some apps or features may be paid, as one-time purchases or subscriptions. Where they are, prices and billing terms are shown before you buy. Purchases made through the Apple App Store or Google Play are also subject to that store's terms, and refunds and cancellations are generally handled through your store account according to its policies. Subscriptions renew until cancelled; you can cancel any time through your store, effective at the end of the current period. We'll give clear notice before any price change affecting you.

Nothing here limits any non-waivable refund or cancellation rights you have under consumer-protection law.

8. Our intellectual property

The apps, the Arbutus name and logo, the website, and their design, code, and content (excluding your content) belong to Arbutus and are protected by intellectual-property laws. These Terms don't grant you any rights in them beyond the licence in Section 3.

9. Third-party services

Our apps may interoperate with third-party services (such as your device's app store, mapping or weather data providers, or your own cloud storage). We're not responsible for those services, and your use of them is governed by their own terms and privacy practices.

10. Pre-release & beta apps

Because our apps haven't all launched yet, you may get access to early, preview, or beta versions. These are provided for evaluation, may be incomplete or change significantly, may contain bugs, and are offered without warranties of any kind. Don't rely on a pre-release app for anything critical, and keep your own copies of important data.

11. Availability & changes

We work hard to keep things running, but we don't promise the apps will always be available, uninterrupted, or error-free. We may add, change, suspend, or discontinue features. If we ever discontinue an app you've paid for in a way that materially reduces its value, we'll act reasonably — including, where appropriate, advance notice, a way to export your data, and a fair refund for any unused prepaid period.

12. Termination

You can stop using Arbutus and delete your account at any time. We may suspend or end your access if you materially breach these Terms or use the apps in a way that risks harm to others or to our systems — where practical and lawful, with notice and a chance to fix the problem first. On termination, the licences in these Terms end; sections meant to survive (such as content ownership, disclaimers, and limitation of liability) continue. You keep the right to export your data for a reasonable period around termination.

13. Disclaimers

Our apps are provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement, to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Some of our apps offer estimates and forecasts — for example, calorie estimates from a photo, or how vivid a sunset may be. These are informational aids, not professional advice. Don't rely on them for medical, dietary, financial, or safety decisions; consult a qualified professional where that matters.

Some jurisdictions don't allow certain warranty exclusions, so parts of this section may not apply to you.

14. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Arbutus and its team won't be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, data, or goodwill, arising from your use of (or inability to use) the apps.

Where liability can't be excluded, our total liability for any claim relating to the apps is limited to the greater of the amount you paid us for the relevant app in the 12 months before the claim, or CAD $50.

Nothing in these Terms limits liability that can't be limited by law — including for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any of your mandatory statutory consumer rights, which remain fully intact.

15. Indemnity

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to cover reasonable losses we incur from your misuse of the apps or your breach of these Terms or of someone else's rights. This won't apply to the extent the issue arose from our own fault.

16. Governing law & disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Province of British Columbia and the applicable laws of Canada, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. We'd always rather resolve a problem informally first — please contact us. If we can't, the courts of British Columbia will have jurisdiction. This choice of law and venue does not deprive you of the protection of mandatory consumer-protection laws of the country where you live, and you may also have the right to bring proceedings in your local courts.

17. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We'll change the "last updated" date above and, for material changes, give reasonable advance notice in the app or by email. Changes aren't retroactive, and if you keep using the apps after a change takes effect, that means you accept the updated Terms. If you don't agree, you can stop using the apps and, where applicable, cancel and request any fair refund due.

18. Contact us

Questions about these Terms? We're happy to help.