Scrolls – Terms of Service
DRAFT – NOT LEGAL ADVICE – REQUIRES SOLICITOR REVIEW BEFORE PUBLICATION
Prepared: 16 October 2026 · Version 0.1 (draft) Operator: The Founders Ltd
1. Who we are and what this document covers
1.1 These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of Scrolls, an iOS reading application (bundle ID co.uk.thefoundersgroup.scrolls), operated by The Founders Ltd, a private limited company registered in England and Wales (company number 17035648), registered office at 22 Villiers Gardens, London, England, E20 1GW.
1.2 These Terms apply to the iOS app, the Scrolls marketing website, and (where you are a reader rather than a publisher) the reader-facing features of the publisher portal. Publisher-specific terms are set out in a separate Publisher Agreement [TO CONFIRM – publisher agreement not yet drafted].
1.3 If you use Scrolls, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the service.
1.4 Legal contact for any question, complaint, or claim under these Terms: [email protected].
2. Eligibility
2.1 You must be 13 years of age or older to create an account or use Scrolls.
2.2 By signing up you represent and warrant that you meet this minimum age requirement. We rely on your self-declaration and do not independently verify age.
2.3 [TO CONFIRM – whether users aged 13–17 need parental consent. Not in any source document; solicitor to advise under the UK Age Appropriate Design Code.]
2.4 If we become aware that a user does not meet the age requirement, we may suspend or terminate the account and delete associated data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
3. Accounts
3.1 You may sign in using Apple, Google, or an email verification code. Your account is personal and may not be shared.
3.2 You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your sign-in credentials and for all activity under your account.
3.3 You may delete your account at any time from within the app (Settings → Delete Account) or by visiting the delete-account page on our website. After deletion, personal data is retained for up to 12 months before being purged, as described in our Privacy Policy.
3.4 We may suspend or terminate an account that we reasonably believe breaches these Terms, the Acceptable Use policy (clause 9), or applicable law. [TO CONFIRM – refunds on termination for breach; solicitor to check against UK consumer law. Apple handles subscription refunds.]
4. The Service and Content
4.1 Scrolls presents books as vertical-swipe "scrolls." The catalogue includes:
- (a) Free public-domain titles – texts in the public domain, sourced from public-domain collections. [TO CONFIRM – do not name Project Gutenberg unless its licence notice is shown with each text; see audit L3.]
- (b) Licensed titles – works for which we hold a licence from the rights-holder or publisher.
- (c) Original titles – works authored or commissioned by us or our contributors.
4.2 Each title carries an access mode: free, subscription, paid (one-off), or subscription_or_paid. The applicable mode is shown before you begin reading.
4.3 Free titles. Available at no cost. No subscription or purchase is required.
4.4 Subscription titles. Available to active subscribers (see clause 5).
4.5 Paid (one-off) titles. Available after a one-time purchase through the App Store (see clause 6).
4.6 Subscription_or_paid titles. Available to subscribers or after a one-time purchase.
4.7 Samples. If you do not hold the required entitlement, the app provides a server-cut sample (default: chapter 1). This sample is provided for preview purposes only and does not confer any licence to the full text.
4.8 We may add, remove, or alter titles in the catalogue at any time. Removing a title does not entitle you to a refund of any subscription or one-off purchase already made for that title.
4.9 Short stories. Individual short stories are available as one-off purchases at GBP 1.39 (or Apple's localised equivalent in your App Store region).
5. Subscription
5.1 Scrolls offers a subscription at GBP 3.99 per month (or Apple's localised equivalent in your App Store region), with a 14-day free trial (Apple product ID: scrollsmain.sub).
5.2 Free trial. The 14-day free trial begins when you first activate the subscription. Unless you cancel during the trial period or before the trial ends, the subscription automatically converts to a paid subscription at the end of the trial.
5.3 Auto-renewal. The subscription renews automatically at the end of each billing period unless you cancel in your Apple ID settings (Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions → Scrolls) at least 24 hours before the current period ends.
5.4 Cancellation. You may cancel auto-renewal at any time through your Apple ID settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period; you retain access until that date.
5.5 Price changes. We may change the subscription price with reasonable notice. Any price increase applies only to renewal periods after the change; it does not apply to the period you have already paid for.
5.6 Offer codes. Promotional or offer codes are redeemed through Apple's IAP system and are subject to the terms Apple displays at redemption.
5.7 Subscription content scope. The subscription entitles you to read all titles marked subscription or subscription_or_paid while your subscription is active. It does not grant ownership, the right to redistribute, or the right to access titles after the subscription lapses.
6. One-off Purchases
6.1 One-off purchases (short stories, individual titles) are non-consumable digital items. Once purchased, they are tied to your Apple ID and are available to restore at any time via Restore Purchases within the app.
6.2 One-off purchases are not refundable by us. If you believe a purchase was made in error, contact Apple Support. Apple handles all refunds under its own terms (see clause 7).
6.3 The price you see is the Apple localised price for your App Store region. We do not set or control regional pricing.
7. Payments, Billing, and Refunds
7.1 All payments are processed by Apple through the App Store. The Founders Ltd does not take, store, or process your payment details.
7.2 RevenueCat is used as a backend entitlement-management processor to verify and enforce purchase status. RevenueCat does not charge you directly.
7.3 Refunds. Any request for a refund must be directed to Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com or via Apple Support. We do not issue refunds. Apple's refund policy and criteria apply.
7.4 Failed or duplicate charges. If you are charged more than once for the same item, contact Apple Support. We will not be able to issue a direct refund.
7.5 Tax. [TO CONFIRM – Apple determines, collects and remits VAT/sales tax on App Store sales; confirm wording and the company's own VAT position.]
8. Intellectual Property
8.1 Our IP. The Scrolls app, its design, code, branding, and original content are the property of The Founders Ltd or its licensors. All rights reserved.
8.2 Content IP.
- (a) Public-domain texts are free of copyright but may be subject to the terms of the source (e.g., the Project Gutenberg Licence). Where we display the Project Gutenberg mark, the associated licence notice applies as set out in the source document.
- (b) Licensed and original titles remain the intellectual property of their respective rights-holders. Our licence to display them in Scrolls does not transfer ownership to you.
- (c) Cover art, typography, and other design elements may be separately licensed. A licence to read the text does not necessarily include a licence to the cover image.
8.3 Your licence. Subject to these Terms and your entitlement, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and read content within the Scrolls app for personal, non-commercial use.
8.4 No other rights. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, create derivative works from, scrape, or otherwise exploit any content except as expressly permitted by these Terms, applicable copyright law (including fair dealing / fair use), or the specific licence of the content.
8.5 User-generated content. See clause 10 for the licence you grant us with respect to content you post.
9. Acceptable Use
9.1 You agree not to use Scrolls or the Service to:
- (a) violate any applicable law or regulation;
- (b) infringe the intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of any person or entity;
- (c) upload, post, or transmit malicious code, viruses, or exploitative material;
- (d) attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Service, its infrastructure, or another user's account;
- (e) scrape, crawl, or use automated means to access content beyond normal personal reading;
- (f) resell, sublicense, or commercially exploit content without our written consent;
- (g) use the Service for any purpose that is unlawful, abusive, or that we reasonably determine interferes with other users' enjoyment;
- (h) remove, obscure, or alter any copyright notice, licence information, or content identifier embedded in the material.
9.2 We reserve the right to monitor usage, investigate reported violations, and take action (including account suspension or termination, removal of content, or referral to authorities) as we deem necessary or appropriate.
9.3 We are not obligated to monitor all content but may do so at our discretion and are not liable for content we fail to detect.
10. User-Generated Content, Clubs, and Social Features
10.1 Scrolls provides social features including book clubs, friend connections, profiles (username, display name, avatar, reading stats), club posts, and reporting/blocking tools.
10.2 Your licence to us. By posting content (text, images, links) in clubs or on your profile, you grant The Founders Ltd a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, revocable licence to host, display, and distribute that content solely for the purpose of operating the Service. You retain ownership of your content.
10.3 Your responsibilities. You are solely responsible for the content you post. You represent that you have the right to post it and that it does not infringe the rights of others or violate applicable law.
10.4 Moderation. We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to remove, edit, or restrict any user-generated content that:
- (a) violates these Terms or the Acceptable Use policy (clause 9);
- (b) contains content that is illegal, harmful, or that we reasonably determine is inappropriate;
- (c) is flagged by sufficient user reports.
10.5 Reporting. Any user may report content or other users. Reports are processed through our moderation queue. We will review reports in good faith and respond within a reasonable timeframe. We are not required to act on every report.
10.6 Blocking. Users may block other users. Blocked users cannot view the blocker's profile, post in the blocker's clubs, or send friend requests.
10.7 Club management. Club creators and admins may set rules, ban members, and remove posts within their club. Their moderation decisions are not decisions of The Founders Ltd.
10.8 Safe harbour. To the extent permitted by law (including the UK Online Safety Act 2023 and the EU DSA), [TO CONFIRM – solicitor to advise which hosting defences apply in the UK (E-Commerce Regulations 2002) and the US (17 USC 512); no safe harbour is asserted until an agent is registered.] We will act to remove or disable access to infringing content upon receipt of a valid notice. Designated agent and takedown details: [TO CONFIRM – DMCA / OSA designated agent details not yet registered].
10.9 No professional advice. Content posted in clubs, including reading recommendations and discussions, does not constitute professional, legal, medical, or financial advice.
11. Third-Party Services and Content
11.1 Scrolls may reference or link to third-party websites, services, or content (e.g., PoetryDB, dictionary services, Project Gutenberg). We are not responsible for the content, accuracy, or availability of third-party services.
11.2 Where we display third-party content (poems, dictionary definitions, text-to-speech voices), we do so in reliance on the applicable open licence (e.g., CC BY 4.0, CC BY-SA). Attribution is provided in-app where required by the licence.
11.3 The inclusion of third-party content does not imply endorsement by the third party of Scrolls or by us of the third party.
12. Disclaimers
12.1 The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, to the fullest extent permitted by law.
12.2 Exclusions that do not apply to UK consumers. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, certain rights and implied terms (including the right to receive services that conform to contract, are of satisfactory quality, and are fit for purpose, and the right to remedies for breach of those terms) cannot be excluded or limited. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits those rights.
12.3 To the extent permitted by law, we do not warrant that:
- (a) the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure;
- (b) the content is error-free or suitable for any particular purpose;
- (c) third-party links or services will remain available;
- (d) the Service will be compatible with future versions of iOS or other software.
12.4 No liability for third-party content. We are not liable for the content of user-generated posts, third-party services, or content we do not author or control.
13. Limitation of Liability
13.1 To the maximum extent permitted by law, The Founders Ltd shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, revenue, data, or goodwill, arising out of or in connection with the Service, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
13.2 Aggregate liability cap. To the extent permitted by law, our total aggregate liability arising out of or in connection with the Service in any 12-month period shall not exceed the amount you have paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim, [TO CONFIRM – solicitor to decide whether any cap applies and its amount; no figure has been agreed].
13.3 Non-excludable liability. The following cannot and are not excluded or limited:
- (a) liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence;
- (b) liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation;
- (c) rights and remedies under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 that cannot be contracted out of;
- (d) liability that cannot be excluded under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977.
13.4 Content accuracy. We make no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any information, including book metadata, reading statistics, or social data.
13.5 Force majeure. We are not liable for failure or delay in performance caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to infrastructure outages, Apple App Store downtime, or acts of government.
14. Changes to These Terms
14.1 We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated to you in-app and/or by email at least [TO CONFIRM – proposed 14 days] before they take effect.
14.2 If you continue to use the Service after changes take effect, you accept the revised Terms. If you do not agree, you may delete your account and cease use.
14.3 The "Last updated" date at the foot of these Terms indicates the most recent revision.
15. Complaints
15.1 If you are dissatisfied with the Service or with how we have handled a matter, please contact us first at [email protected]. We aim to respond within [TO CONFIRM – proposed 15 working days].
15.2 If you are a consumer in the UK and we are unable to resolve your complaint, you may refer the matter to:
- the Money Claims Online service or the Small Claims Court (for claims up to £10,000);
- an alternative dispute resolution scheme, if applicable;
- the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for data-protection complaints (https://ico.org.uk);
- the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for consumer-contract concerns.
15.3 These rights are in addition to, and do not replace, your statutory rights.
16. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
16.1 These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.
16.2 Subject to clause 15.2, any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
16.3 Consumer rights. Nothing in this clause deprives a consumer of the right to bring proceedings in the courts of their country of habitual residence, or limits any mandatory consumer protection that applies by virtue of their place of residence.
17. Severability and Entire Agreement
17.1 If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force.
17.2 These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and (where applicable) the Publisher Agreement, constitute the entire agreement between you and The Founders Ltd regarding the Service.
17.3 Our failure to enforce any right or provision does not constitute a waiver.
18. Contact
The Founders Ltd
22 Villiers Gardens, London, England, E20 1GW
Company number: 17035648
Email: [email protected]
Last updated: 16 October 2026 · Version 0.1 (draft)
Appendix A – Where These Terms Must Be Linked and Accepted (Finding L1 Remediation)
The audit finding L1 records that the app currently displays the text "By signing in you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy" at Scrolls Flutter App/lib/screens/auth_screen.dart:443 as a static Text widget with no links, no url_launcher dependency, and no resolvable URL. The marketing site has no /terms page, and Layout.astro (lines 50, 64) links only the Privacy Policy. The in-app Settings screen has no Terms or Privacy entry.
The following changes are required before these Terms may be relied on:
A.1 Marketing site (Astro)
| Location | Change |
|---|---|
New page Scrolls Marketing Site/src/pages/terms.astro | Create the /terms route. Render the full text of these Terms (or a link to the canonical hosted copy). Include the DRAFT banner until solicitor sign-off. |
Scrolls Marketing Site/src/layouts/Layout.astro nav bar (near line 50) | Add a "Terms" link alongside the existing "Privacy Policy" link. |
Scrolls Marketing Site/src/layouts/Layout.astro footer (near line 64) | Add a "Terms of Service" link alongside "Privacy Policy". |
Scrolls Marketing Site/src/pages/index.astro App Store / download CTA area | Add a line: "Available for purchase via the App Store. Terms of Service · Privacy Policy." |
Scrolls Marketing Site/src/pages/delete-account.astro | In the footer or related-links area, add a link to /terms. |
A.2 iOS app (Flutter)
| Location | Change |
|---|---|
pubspec.yaml | Add url_launcher (or url_launcher_web + url_launcher_ios) dependency. |
lib/screens/auth_screen.dart line 443 | Replace the static Text widget with a RichText or Text.rich widget containing tappable links to the Terms (https://[TO CONFIRM – production domain]/terms) and Privacy Policy (https://[TO CONFIRM – production domain]/privacy). Use url_launcher's launchUrl to open in the external browser. The acceptance text must read: |
"By creating your account you agree to the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy. Both are also available in-app under Settings → Legal."
(The links must be interactive, not static text.)
| lib/screens/settings_screen.dart | Add a "Legal" section (tile or group) containing: | | - "Terms of Service" – launches the external browser to /terms | | - "Privacy Policy" – launches the external browser to /privacy | | - "Open-Source Licences" – calls showLicensePage() (also addresses audit L8) |
| lib/screens/onboarding_screen.dart (if a separate onboarding flow exists) | Ensure the same linked acceptance text appears before the first "Continue" / "Get Started" tap. | | First launch / upgrade prompt | If a material Terms change is pushed, show a modal or in-app screen with: a summary of changes, a link to the full Terms, and a single "I Agree" button (no dark pattern). Log the acceptance version and timestamp in the user's profile. |
A.3 Publisher portal
| Location | Change |
|---|---|
Scrolls Publisher Website/src/screens/AuthScreen.tsx | Add linked Terms and Privacy acceptance (same wording as A.2). Publisher-specific terms link per L2. |
Scrolls Publisher Website/src/screens/Upload.tsx | Before publish(), require a checkbox: "I confirm I hold the rights to upload this title and agree to the Publisher Agreement. [TO CONFIRM – publisher agreement URL]" |
A.4 App Store Connect
| Location | Change |
|---|---|
| App Store Connect → App Information → Legal → Terms of Use URL | Enter the production URL of /terms. Apple requires this for apps with UGC and paid content (Guideline 5.1.1 / 5.1.3). |
| App Store Connect → App Information → Legal → Privacy Policy URL | Enter the production URL of /privacy (already present per audit). |
| App Store Connect → App Information → Legal → EULA URL | Enter the URL of the Scrolls EULA (document 2 below) if you elect to present a custom EULA in addition to Apple's standard. See Apple Guideline 3.1.2 and the App Store Review Guidelines on EULAs. |
A.5 Acceptance flow summary
- Sign-up: User taps "Create Account" → sees linked Terms + Privacy text (A.2) → taps "Agree & Continue." Acceptance is recorded (version + timestamp + account ID).
- In-app: Terms always reachable via Settings → Legal → Terms of Service.
- Paywall / subscription activation: Before the Apple IAP sheet is presented, the one-page Subscription & Purchase Terms (document 3) is visible in the footer or a "Details" expander. The Apple IAP sheet itself displays Apple's standard subscription disclosure (price, renewal, cancellation).
- Material change: In-app modal with summary, full link, and explicit "I Agree" (A.2, upgrade prompt row).