Terms of use

1. Who we are, and agreeing to these terms

"We", "us" and "our" mean ALUSOFT PTY LTD (ABN 21 654 141 296), which operates this website at its own discretion as an experimental, non-commercial project. "Bitcheque" means the website, the open-source software, any nodes, explorers or tools we run, and the Bitcheque network ("the network"). We maintain the website, the software and the Bitcheque name. The network itself is a public, open system: anyone may run a node, mine or send cheques, and it is kept running by independent participants we do not employ, direct or control. We may run nodes of our own, but we do not operate, own or control the network, and we cannot guarantee anything about its state, availability or future.

By visiting the website, running the software, or interacting with the network, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, do not use them. You must be at least 18 years old, or the age of majority where you live if that is higher, and able to enter a binding agreement.

2. Experimental network

1. The network is new and experimental, for research, education and software testing. It is not a production system and is not intended to store or transfer anything of value.
2. We may reset, roll back, fork, pause, change or permanently shut down the network, the website or any tool at any time, for any reason, without notice. Balances, accounts, cheque books, blocks and history may be deleted.
3. The network may contain bugs, security flaws or design errors. Features shown, including the cheque helper, explorer, onboarding guide and sample cheque book, are experimental or demonstrations and may not work as described.
4. There is no mainnet. We have not committed to launching one, and nothing on this site is a promise that one will exist.

3. Coins

1. "Coins" are units recorded on the network by an experimental system. They are not legal tender, are not redeemable from us for anything, and do not represent any right, claim, share, debt or interest in us or anyone else.
2. We do not sell coins. There is no premine, token sale, airdrop for value, or allocation to us. Coins come only from mining, or from a free faucet if one is offered.
3. We make no promise that coins have, keep or ever acquire any value. Whether anyone else is willing to buy, sell or exchange them is outside our control, and we take no responsibility for it.
4. If you choose to buy, sell, trade or otherwise exchange coins with anyone, you do so entirely at your own risk and on your own judgement. You are responsible for complying with the laws that apply to you, including any tax, consumer, financial-services or anti-money-laundering rules. A reset of the network, a bug, a fork or a change to the rules may make coins unusable or worthless, and no claim arises against us if it does.
5. Any coin, token or product that claims to be connected with Bitcheque is not offered, endorsed or vouched for by us unless we say so on this website.

4. No financial service, advice or custody

1. We do not provide any financial service, financial product, digital asset platform, custody, exchange, dealing, brokerage, remittance, transfer service or advice. We are not licensed to provide any of these, and nothing on the website should be read as doing so.
2. We never hold, control or have access to any network account, key, cheque, word or coin on your behalf. Cheque books, registrations and cheque pieces the website builds are created in your own browser, and are sent to a node only when you choose to send them.
3. Nothing on the website is financial, investment, legal, tax or security advice. Statements about security, quantum resistance or design are descriptions of an experiment, not guarantees. Do your own research and get independent professional advice before relying on any of it.

5. Your keys, words and paper

1. You alone are responsible for any seed, words, QR codes, printed cheque book, draft file or device you use with the network, and for keeping them safe.
2. Never enter a real secret, such as the seed or password of a real wallet, a bank detail or any personal information, into this website or the network. Sample words shown on the site, such as those in the sample cheque book, are public and must never be used for anything real.
3. Draft files and the information you type into the cheque tools stay in your browser. Anyone who obtains a draft file can broadcast the cheque it describes.
4. We cannot reverse transactions, recover lost words or books, or restore anything removed by a reset.

6. Acceptable use

You must not use Bitcheque, or help anyone else use it, to:

• break any law, or any sanctions, anti-money-laundering or counter-terrorism financing rule;
• claim or imply that we promise, back or guarantee any value, price or market for coins, or that we endorse any sale of them;
• deceive anyone, including by copying or imitating this website to collect anyone's real secrets (phishing);
• attack, overload, disrupt or gain unauthorised access to the website, our servers, the network or anyone else's systems, except through a responsible-disclosure process we publish;
• infringe anyone's rights, or upload or transmit anything unlawful, harmful or offensive;
• use our name, logo or the Bitcheque name in a way that suggests we endorse you or your product.

We may block access, remove content or reset the network if we reasonably believe these terms are being breached.

7. Software, licence and intellectual property

1. The Bitcheque node and related source code are released under the MIT licence. Your use of that code is governed by that licence, which provides the software "as is", without warranty of any kind.
2. The website design, text, illustrations, the Bitcheque name and logo are owned by us or our licensors. You may view and share pages for personal, non-commercial purposes, but not copy or reuse them in a way that could confuse anyone about who operates the project.
3. Other people may run their own nodes, websites or tools. We do not control them and are not responsible for them.

8. No warranty

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Bitcheque is provided "as is" and "as available", and we exclude all warranties, conditions and representations, whether express or implied, including any about accuracy, availability, security, fitness for a purpose, or that the software or network is free of errors.

Australian Consumer Law. Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies any consumer guarantee, right or remedy under the Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth)) or any other law that cannot lawfully be excluded. Where we are allowed to limit our liability for a breach of a non-excludable guarantee, our liability is limited, at our option, to supplying the services again or covering the cost of having them supplied again.

9. Limitation of liability

1. Bitcheque is free, experimental and provided as is, and its coins carry no promise of value. You use it, and you acquire or dispose of coins, at your own risk. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we, our directors, employees, contractors and contributors are not liable to you or anyone else for any loss or damage of any kind arising from or connected with Bitcheque, including loss of data, coins, keys, words or books, loss caused by a reset or bug, loss of profit, opportunity or reputation, or any indirect or consequential loss, however caused, including by negligence.
2. To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total liability for any claim connected with Bitcheque is limited to AUD 0, or where the law does not allow that, to resupplying the relevant service.
3. This section applies even if we were told such loss was possible, and survives the end of these terms.

10. Indemnity

To the maximum extent permitted by law, you indemnify us, our directors, employees, contractors and contributors against any claim, loss, liability, cost or expense (including reasonable legal costs) arising from your breach of these terms, your misuse of Bitcheque, any attempt by you to sell or trade coins, or your breach of any law or of anyone else's rights.

11. Privacy

1. The website does not ask you to create an account and does not collect your name, email address or other personal information.
2. The website talks to the node you choose, directly from your browser. That node can see your IP address and the accounts, lookup codes and cheques you ask it about. The blockchain itself is public, and an account number links all of that account's transfers. Use a node you trust, run your own, or connect through a VPN or Tor.
3. Your language choice, project acknowledgement, cookie notice, node address and the last account number you entered are stored only in your own browser's local storage. You can clear them at any time through your browser. Cheque drafts are saved only as files you choose to download.
4. The website sets no cookies and uses no analytics, advertising or tracking. Its fonts and icons are loaded from Google Fonts, so your browser shares your IP address with Google when it fetches them.
5. Web servers, including any node you connect to, may log technical information such as IP addresses for security and operation. Information broadcast to the network, including cheque pieces, is public and permanent until the network is reset.
6. If we ever collect personal information, we will handle it in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) where it applies, and will publish a privacy policy first.

12. Where it is offered

Bitcheque is not offered or directed to anyone in a place where using it would be unlawful, or where it would require us to hold a licence or registration, including mainland China. You are responsible for making sure your use is lawful where you are. We may restrict access from any location.

13. Changes and ending

1. We may change these terms at any time by publishing a new version on this page. The "last updated" date shows when they last changed. Continuing to use Bitcheque after a change means you accept the new terms.
2. We may suspend or end your access, or end the project entirely, at any time. Sections 3 to 5 and 7 to 15 survive.

14. Law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws in force in the State or Territory of Australia in which ALUSOFT PTY LTD has its registered office, and the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia. You and we submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts there. Before starting any proceedings, you agree to contact us first and try in good faith to resolve the matter informally for at least 30 days.

15. General

• If any part of these terms is invalid or unenforceable, it is read down or severed to the extent needed, and the rest continues in effect.
• If we do not enforce a right, that does not waive it.
• You may not transfer your rights under these terms. We may transfer ours to a related or successor entity.
• These terms are the whole agreement between you and us about Bitcheque, and replace any earlier statements.

16. Contact

ALUSOFT PTY LTD · ABN 21 654 141 296 · alusoft.com.au. Please contact us through that website for questions about these terms or to report a security issue.