⚖️ Governing Law

1 Overview

This Governing Law document outlines the legal framework that applies to the Aevum Encyclopedia platform, including the jurisdiction, applicable statutes, and procedures that govern the relationship between Aevum Encyclopedia Ltd. ("we," "us," or "our") and the users, contributors, and third-party partners ("you," "your," or "User") who access, contribute to, or interact with our services.

By accessing or using the Aevum Encyclopedia platform — whether through our website, mobile applications, API, or any associated services — you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Governing Law document in conjunction with our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Aevum Encyclopedia operates as a global knowledge platform with users across multiple jurisdictions. While our primary legal domicile is specified below, we are committed to complying with all applicable local, national, and international laws that pertain to our operations and our users' rights.

2 Applicable Jurisdiction

2.1 Corporate Domicile

Aevum Encyclopedia Ltd. is a corporation incorporated and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, United States of America, with its principal place of business and registered office located at:

2.2 Primary Governing Law

The terms, conditions, policies, and all relationships between Aevum Encyclopedia and its Users shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict of law principles or provisions that would apply the laws of another jurisdiction.

2.3 Venue and Forum

Any legal action, proceeding, or dispute arising out of or related to your use of the Aevum Encyclopedia platform or this Governing Law document shall be brought exclusively in the federal or state courts located in New Castle County, Delaware, and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts for the purpose of any such action or proceeding.

3 International Compliance

As a global platform serving users in over 140 countries, Aevum Encyclopedia recognizes that certain local laws may impose requirements that differ from our primary governing law. In such cases:

• Supremacy of Local Mandatory Law: Where mandatory provisions of local law (laws that cannot be contracted out of) apply to Users in a particular jurisdiction, those provisions shall take precedence to the extent required by such law.
• Good Faith Compliance: Aevum Encyclopedia operates in good faith to comply with applicable laws in all jurisdictions where we operate, including but not limited to data protection regulations, consumer rights statutes, and intellectual property frameworks.
• Severability: If any provision of this Governing Law document is found to be invalid or unenforceable under a particular jurisdiction's law, that provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, while preserving its original intent. The remaining provisions shall continue in full force.

3.1 Regional Compliance Frameworks

4 Dispute Resolution

4.1 Mandatory Binding Arbitration

Except as described below, any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to this Governing Law, the Terms of Service, or the use of the Aevum Encyclopedia platform shall be determined by binding arbitration in Wilmington, Delaware, in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association (AAA).

The arbitration shall be conducted by a single neutral arbitrator. Judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. The arbitrator shall have the authority to grant whatever relief would otherwise be available in a court of law, including monetary damages, injunctive relief, and declaratory relief.

4.2 Class Action Waiver

You agree that any arbitration under this section shall be conducted solely on an individual basis and not in a class action, consolidated action, private attorney general action, or other representative proceeding. If a determination is made that this class action waiver is inapplicable or unenforceable as to a particular claim, then such claim shall be arbitrated individually, and the remainder of the arbitration provisions shall remain in effect.

4.3 Exceptions to Arbitration

The following disputes are not subject to mandatory arbitration and may be brought in court:

1. Claims involving intellectual property infringement, misappropriation, or violation of intellectual property rights;
2. Claims for injunctive or equitable relief related to intellectual property or proprietary rights;
3. Individual claims in small claims court, provided the claims qualify and are brought within the applicable small claims jurisdiction;
4. Claims brought by Aevum Encyclopedia to enforce its intellectual property rights or the confidentiality provisions of this agreement;
5. Individual claims where arbitration is deemed unlawful or prohibited under applicable local law.

4.4 Waiver of Jury Trial

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, YOU AND AEVUM ENCYCLOPEDIA HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LITIGATION ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS GOVERNING LAW DOCUMENT, THE TERMS OF SERVICE, OR YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM.

5 Intellectual Property Law

5.1 Ownership of Content

Aevum Encyclopedia operates under a hybrid intellectual property framework designed to balance open knowledge with contributor rights:

• Platform Content: All original editorial content, platform architecture, design elements, user interface components, branding, and proprietary algorithms are the exclusive intellectual property of Aevum Encyclopedia Ltd., protected under 17 U.S.C. § 101 et seq. (Copyright Act) and applicable international conventions including the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.
• Contributor Content: Content submitted by verified contributors remains subject to the contributor's original rights, but by contributing to the platform, contributors grant Aevum Encyclopedia a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable license to use, reproduce, distribute, modify, display, and perform the contributed content for the purpose of operating and improving the encyclopedia platform.
• Open Licensing: Encyclopedia articles are made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license, unless otherwise noted, permitting free use and adaptation subject to attribution and share-alike requirements.

5.2 Fair Use and Research

Aevum Encyclopedia respects and supports fair use as defined under 17 U.S.C. § 107, which permits limited use of copyrighted material for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Users may rely on fair use provisions when citing or referencing encyclopedia content in academic or research contexts.

5.3 DMCA Compliance

Aevum Encyclopedia complies with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), 17 U.S.C. § 512. If you believe your copyrighted work has been infringed upon through our platform, you may submit a DMCA takedown notice to our designated agent:

6 Data Protection Law

6.1 General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

For Users residing in the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, Aevum Encyclopedia processes personal data in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679, the UK Data Protection Act 2018, and applicable national implementing legislation.

As a data controller, Aevum Encyclopedia ensures that:

• All personal data is collected for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes;
• Data subjects have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing, and port their data;
• Consent is obtained where required, and may be withdrawn at any time;
• Data protection by design and by default principles are implemented throughout our systems;
• Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) are conducted for high-risk processing activities.

6.2 Data Transfer Mechanisms

Personal data collected from EEA and UK users may be transferred to the United States and other jurisdictions. Such transfers are safeguarded by:

• EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework: Aevum Encyclopedia has self-certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework.
• Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs): EU Commission Standard Contractual Clauses are in place for all international data transfers not covered by an adequacy decision.
• Supplementary Measures: Technical and organizational measures including encryption, pseudonymization, and access controls are implemented.

6.3 California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

For California residents, Aevum Encyclopedia complies with the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), providing California residents with rights to know, delete, correct, and opt out of the sale or sharing of their personal information, as well as rights regarding sensitive personal information and limitations on use and retention.

7 Consumer Protection

Aevum Encyclopedia is committed to fair and transparent practices in compliance with applicable consumer protection laws, including but not limited to:

• Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC Act), 15 U.S.C. § 41 et seq. — Prohibiting unfair or deceptive trade practices in the United States;
• Consumer Rights Act 2015 — Governing digital content contracts in the United Kingdom;
• EU Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU — Providing rights of information, withdrawal, and fair contractual terms for EU consumers;
• Country-specific consumer protection statutes — Including but not limited to the Australian Consumer Law, Canadian Competition Act, and Brazil's Consumer Defense Code (Código de Defesa do Consumidor).

7.1 Right of Withdrawal

For users in jurisdictions that provide a statutory right of withdrawal (e.g., EU consumers), the right to withdraw from a contract for digital content is forfeited if the performance has begun with the consumer's prior express consent and acknowledgment that they thereby lose their right of withdrawal. By creating a premium account, users acknowledge this principle.

8 Liability Limitations

8.1 Disclaimer of Warranties

THE AEVUM ENCYCLOPEDIA PLATFORM, INCLUDING ALL CONTENT, ARTICLES, DATA, AND SERVICES, IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, AEVUM ENCYCLOPEDIA DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ACCURACY.

8.2 Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL AEVUM ENCYCLOPEDIA, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, CONTRIBUTORS, OR AFFILIATES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESULTING FROM:

1. Your access to or use of (or inability to access or use) the platform;
2. Any conduct or content of any third party on the platform;
3. Any content obtained from the platform;
4. Unauthorized access, use, or alteration of your transmissions or content;
5. Inaccuracies, errors, or omissions in encyclopedia content, despite our best-effort verification processes.

Aevum Encyclopedia's total aggregate liability to you for all claims arising out of or relating to the platform shall not exceed $1,000 USD or the amount you have paid to Aevum Encyclopedia in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, whichever is greater.

8.3 Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Aevum Encyclopedia and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents, and contributors from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses arising from: (a) your use of the platform; (b) your contributed content; (c) your violation of this Governing Law document or the Terms of Service; or (d) your violation of any rights of any third party.

9 Modifications and Amendments

Aevum Encyclopedia reserves the right to modify, amend, or update this Governing Law document at any time. When we make material changes:

• We will provide notice via the website and, where required by applicable law, by email to registered users;
• A revised effective date will be displayed at the top of this page;
• Users will have the opportunity to review the changes before they become effective;
• Continued use of the platform after the effective date of any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

If you disagree with any modifications, your sole recourse is to discontinue use of the Aevum Encyclopedia platform. Any disputes arising from modifications made while you are a user will be subject to the terms of this Governing Law document as they existed at the time the disputed action occurred.

9.1 Severability

If any provision of this Governing Law document is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, such provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect. The invalidity of any provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions.

9.2 Entire Agreement

This Governing Law document, together with our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, constitutes the entire agreement between you and Aevum Encyclopedia regarding the matters addressed herein and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous agreements, representations, warranties, and understandings, whether written or oral.

9.3 No Waiver

No failure or delay by Aevum Encyclopedia in exercising any right or remedy under this Governing Law document shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or remedy prevent any further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or remedy.

10 Contact & Legal Inquiries

If you have any questions, concerns, or legal inquiries regarding this Governing Law document, our platform, or your rights as a User, please contact us through the following channels:

We aim to respond to all legal inquiries within five (5) business days. For urgent matters, please indicate "URGENT" in the subject line of your communication.

10.1 Regulatory Authorities

If you believe your rights have been violated and cannot resolve the matter through our internal channels, you may also contact the appropriate regulatory authority in your jurisdiction:

• EEA: Your national data protection authority
• United States: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or your state Attorney General
• United Kingdom: Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
• Canada: Privacy Commissioner of Canada