Verdikt Terms of Service

Last updated: June 8, 2026 Effective date: June 8, 2026

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a binding agreement between you ("you," "your," or "User") and Meridian Studios LLC ("Verdikt," "we," "us," or "our"), a Texas limited liability company, governing your access to and use of the Verdikt website at goverdikt.com, its subdomains, and the related services, features, and applications we provide (together, the "Service").

By creating an account, casting a vote, or otherwise using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1. Overview of the Service

Verdikt is a tool for making group decisions through quick, head-to-head comparisons. An organizer creates a "board," adds options (text and/or images), chooses a comparison format (Head-to-Head or Round Robin) and voting settings, and shares a link. Participants vote by picking between options, and Verdikt produces a ranked result with summary insights.

The Service is offered on a freemium basis, with a free tier and paid subscription tiers ("Standard" and "Pro") that unlock additional capabilities. Specific limits and features for each tier are described on our pricing page and may change over time.

A note on terminology: The Service's interface refers to boards as "Verdikts." These terms are used interchangeably throughout the product. For purposes of these Terms, "board" is the governing term and refers to any decision session created through the Service, regardless of how it is labeled in the interface.

2. Who Can Use Verdikt

You may use the Service only if you can form a binding contract with us and are not barred from doing so under any applicable laws. You must be at least 13 years old to create an account. If you use the Service on behalf of an organization, you represent that you are authorized to bind that organization to these Terms.

The Service is not directed at children under 13. If we learn that a user under 13 has provided personal information, we will delete it. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us at legal@goverdikt.com.

Jurisdictional note: The Service is operated from the United States and is intended for users in jurisdictions where its use is lawful. We do not target users in any particular country outside the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, you do so at your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with your local laws. We make no representation that the Service is appropriate or available in your jurisdiction.

3. Accounts and Access

Voting requires no account. Anyone with a valid board link may participate in voting, subject to the organizer's settings (for example, name requirements, one-vote-per-device limits, or password protection).
Organizing requires an account. To create and manage boards, you sign in using a one-time magic link sent to your email address. You are responsible for keeping access to your email account secure and for all activity that occurs under your account.
You agree to provide accurate information and to keep it current. We may suspend or terminate accounts that contain false information or are used in violation of these Terms.

4. Plans, Billing, and Subscriptions

Free Tier

The free tier is provided at no cost, as-is, with no service level agreement, no uptime guarantee, and no right to compensation or credit of any kind for downtime, feature changes, data loss, or service interruptions. By using the free tier, you acknowledge that you are not entitled to any remedy if the Service is unavailable, degraded, or discontinued. We may change free tier limits, features, or availability at any time without notice.

Paid Tiers

Standard and Pro are paid subscriptions billed on a recurring basis (monthly or annually) at the prices shown at checkout. Prices are stated in USD and are exclusive of applicable taxes unless stated otherwise.

Payment processor: Payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. We do not store your full payment card details. Your use of payment features is also subject to Stripe's terms and privacy policy.
Renewal: Paid subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each billing period until cancelled. By subscribing, you authorize us (through Stripe) to charge your payment method on each renewal.
Cancellation: You may cancel at any time through your account settings or the billing portal. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period; you retain paid features until then.
Refunds: Except where required by applicable law, payments are non-refundable. We do not provide refunds or credits for partial periods, unused features, or downgrades.
Changes to pricing: We may change subscription prices. For existing subscribers, price changes apply to the next billing period after we provide reasonable advance notice.
Downgrades and limits: If you downgrade or your subscription ends, features and limits revert to the applicable tier. Content that exceeds the new tier's limits may become read-only or inaccessible until you reduce usage or upgrade again. We will not delete your boards solely because of a downgrade, but archiving and certain capabilities may be restricted.
Taxes: You are responsible for any taxes associated with your purchase, other than taxes based on our net income.

5. Your Content

"Your Content" means anything you submit to the Service, including board names and descriptions, options, notes, uploaded images, logos, custom backgrounds, themes, templates, and participant or voting data you collect.

Ownership: You retain all rights you have in Your Content. We do not claim ownership of it.
License to us: You grant Verdikt a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, modify (for formatting and display), publish, and display Your Content solely to operate, provide, secure, and improve the Service. This license ends when you delete Your Content or close your account, except where it must persist briefly in backups and except for content others have copied or that was shared publicly.
Responsibility: You are solely responsible for Your Content and for having all rights necessary to submit it. You represent that Your Content does not infringe or violate the rights of any third party or any law.
Sharing: Boards are accessible to anyone with the link unless you restrict access. You are responsible for deciding how widely to share a board link.

6. Images and Third-Party Library Content

Verdikt lets you add images to options in two ways: (a) images you upload, and (b) stock images sourced through a third-party image provider (currently Pexels).

For images you upload, Section 5 applies and you confirm you have the rights to use them.
Stock images provided through in-app search are supplied by Pexels and are subject to the Pexels License. You are responsible for using such images within the bounds of that license.

7. Acceptable Use

You agree not to, and not to help others:

Use the Service for any unlawful, harmful, fraudulent, infringing, or deceptive purpose;
Upload or share content that is illegal, defamatory, harassing, hateful, sexually exploitative, or that violates the privacy or intellectual-property rights of others;
Collect votes or personal information in a way that is misleading, coercive, or unlawful, or use Verdikt to conduct binding elections or polls that require regulated election procedures;
Attempt to manipulate or rig results through automated voting, ballot stuffing, or circumventing dedup or access controls beyond the organizer's intended settings;
Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Service, or breach or circumvent any security or authentication measures;
Access the Service through automated means (bots, scrapers) except as expressly permitted by us;
Reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract source code, except where this restriction is prohibited by law;
Resell, sublicense, or commercially exploit the Service except as expressly permitted;
Introduce malware or interfere with the integrity or performance of the Service; or
Use the Service to send unsolicited communications (spam).

We may investigate and take appropriate action, including removing content, suspending or terminating accounts, and reporting to authorities, for any violation.

8. User-Generated Content — No Monitoring; Reporting

We do not pre-screen, monitor, or review content submitted by users. Verdikt is a self-service tool. Organizers create and manage their own boards, and we have no practical ability to review the billions of possible inputs users might submit.

We are not responsible for content created or shared by users, including content that is offensive, illegal, inaccurate, or otherwise objectionable. Your use of or reliance on any user-generated content is at your own risk.

If you encounter content that you believe violates these Terms or applicable law, please report it to legal@goverdikt.com. We will review reports and may take action at our sole discretion, but we are not obligated to remove any content or to respond within any particular timeframe.

9. Voting, Participants, and Data

Organizers control their boards and the settings that govern how votes are collected (such as whether participant names are requested, whether one vote per device is enforced, and whether a board is public, password-protected, or restricted).
Organizers are responsible for what they collect. If you collect participant names or other information through your boards, you are responsible for doing so lawfully, for informing participants as required, and for your use of that information. As between you and Verdikt, you are the controller of participant data you collect through your boards.
We process votes and related data on your behalf to provide the Service, as described in our Privacy Policy.
We may use aggregated, de-identified data (which does not identify any individual or board) to operate, secure, and improve the Service.

10. Copyright — DMCA Notice and Takedown

Verdikt respects intellectual property rights and complies with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 512) ("DMCA"). We have registered a designated copyright agent with the U.S. Copyright Office.

To submit a DMCA takedown notice, send the following to our designated agent:

A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or authorized representative;
Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed;
Identification of the material on the Service that you claim is infringing, with enough detail for us to locate it;
Your contact information (name, address, telephone, and email);
A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

Designated DMCA Agent: legal@goverdikt.com

We may also terminate the accounts of repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances.

11. Privacy

Our collection and use of personal information is described in our Privacy Policy at goverdikt.com/privacy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. The Service relies on third-party infrastructure and subprocessors, which currently include Supabase (database, authentication, and storage), Vercel (hosting), Stripe (payments), Pexels (stock images), Resend (transactional email), Sentry (error monitoring), and PostHog (product analytics).

12. Intellectual Property in the Service

The Service, including its software, design, text, graphics, logos, and the "Verdikt" name and marks, is owned by Meridian Studios LLC d/b/a Verdikt or its licensors and is protected by intellectual-property laws. Except for the rights expressly granted to you in these Terms, we reserve all rights in and to the Service. You may not use our name, logo, or branding without our prior written permission.

13. Feedback

If you send us suggestions or feedback, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use it for any purpose without obligation to you.

14. Third-Party Services and Links

The Service integrates with and may link to third-party services. We do not control and are not responsible for third-party services, their content, or their terms. Your use of them is at your own risk and subject to their terms.

15. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, ERROR-FREE, OR THAT RESULTS, RANKINGS, OR INSIGHTS WILL BE ACCURATE OR SUITABLE FOR ANY DECISION.

Verdikt is a decision-support tool, not a substitute for your own judgment. You are responsible for any decisions you make based on the Service.

16. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, VERDIKT AND ITS OWNERS, EMPLOYEES, AND SUPPLIERS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL, OR BUSINESS, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THE SERVICE, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Cap on liability: Our total liability for all claims relating to the Service will not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts you paid us for the Service in the six (6) months before the event giving rise to the liability, or (b) USD $100.

Free tier users acknowledge that no payments have been made and that our maximum liability to any free tier user is $0 (zero dollars), to the fullest extent permitted by law.

17. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Verdikt and its owners, employees, and suppliers from any claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to (a) Your Content, (b) your use of the Service, (c) your violation of these Terms, or (d) your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.

18. Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

Binding Arbitration

Except for disputes that qualify for small claims court, you and Verdikt agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service will be resolved by binding arbitration, rather than in court. Arbitration is less formal than a lawsuit in court. There is no judge or jury, and review of an arbitrator's decision is limited.

Arbitration will be conducted by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, which are available at adr.org. The arbitration will take place in Denton County, Texas, or, at your election, by video conference.

Class Action Waiver

You and Verdikt each waive the right to a trial by jury and to participate in a class action, class arbitration, or representative proceeding. All disputes must be brought in the parties' individual capacities, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, or representative proceeding.

30-Day Opt-Out

You may opt out of the arbitration agreement within 30 days of first agreeing to these Terms by sending written notice to legal@goverdikt.com with the subject line "Arbitration Opt-Out." Opting out does not affect any other part of these Terms.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. For any dispute not subject to arbitration, you and Verdikt consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Denton County, Texas.

19. Suspension and Termination

You may stop using the Service at any time and may delete your account.
We may suspend or terminate your access at any time if you violate these Terms, if required by law, or to protect the Service or other users. Where practical and lawful, we will provide notice.
Upon termination, your right to use the Service ends. Sections that by their nature should survive (including ownership, feedback, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, and dispute resolution) survive termination.
We may delete content associated with terminated or long-inactive accounts after a reasonable retention period.

20. Changes to the Service and These Terms

We may modify, suspend, or discontinue all or part of the Service at any time. We may also update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will provide reasonable notice by posting the updated Terms with a new "Last updated" date or by email. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

21. Miscellaneous

Entire agreement: These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any plan-specific terms, are the entire agreement between you and Verdikt regarding the Service.
Severability: If any provision is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect.
No waiver: Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it.
Assignment: You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
Force majeure: We are not liable for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control.

22. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Contact us at legal@goverdikt.com.

Meridian Studios LLC Texas, United States