Legal Document

End User License Agreement

SteelScribe: Founders Edition (Version 1.x)

The Forge Software LLC

1Grant of License & Definitions

Subject to the terms of this Agreement, The Forge Software LLC ("Licensor") grants you ("Licensee") a perpetual, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the compiled SteelScribe application ("Software") for your internal professional or personal use.

Hardware Instance Definition

A "Hardware Instance" is defined as a unique physical motherboard and CPU combination housed within a single, individual physical chassis. This strictly excludes HPC clusters, multi-node grids, or configurations executing across more than one physical motherboard. VMs, Docker containers, and cloud-hosted instances remain strictly prohibited.

Activation Limit

This license is strictly limited to two (2) concurrent active hardware instances. You may deactivate an instance via the Software or customer portal to migrate the license to new hardware.

Quench Period

Licensor reserves the right to impose a mandatory 90-day wait between license migrations to prevent unauthorized distribution.

Migration Cap

Limited to two (2) transfers per rolling 12-month period. Excess transfers trigger a security audit.

Hardware Failure Exception: Quench Period may be waived upon submission of a valid repair invoice for catastrophic hardware failure.

2Data Sovereignty & Privacy

The Software operates as a "local-first" engine. The Forge Software LLC does not collect, transmit, store, or have access to the documents, transcripts, or data you process. All processing occurs locally on your hardware. You retain complete ownership and confidentiality of your data.

Third-Party API Integrations

Integrations (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic) are disabled by default. Enabling these features requires an explicit "Opt-In." By enabling, the User acknowledges they are initiating an outbound data flow subject to the respective provider's privacy policies.

3Restrictions

You agree not to, and you will not permit others to:

✕Reverse engineer, decompile, decrypt, or disassemble the Software, including any compiled binaries or proprietary logic engines.
✕Rent, lease, lend, sell, sublicense, or otherwise distribute the Software or your unique License Key.
✕Bypass or attempt to bypass the hardware activation fingerprinting or licensing APIs.

ANTI-PIRACY NOTICE

Distribution via P2P networks or bypass scripts is strictly prohibited. Any License Key detected on public sharing networks will be globally blacklisted without notice or refund.

4Maintenance and Updates

As a "Founders Edition" license holder, you are entitled to all minor updates, bug fixes, and patches within the Version 1.x lifecycle at no additional cost.

Version Definitions

A "Major Upgrade" is defined by a change in the leading integer (e.g., v1.x to v2.x). Major Upgrades are not included and may require a separate "Legacy-to-Current" bridge fee. Your Version 1.x license will remain permanently active regardless of future Major releases.

5Liability & Hardware Stress

The Software is provided "AS IS," without warranty of any kind. Licensor's total aggregate liability shall not exceed $649.00.

Operational Stress Acknowledgement

Software performs intensive AI inference placing sustained, high-torque loads on hardware. Licensor shall have ZERO liability ($0.00) for thermal damage, component degradation, or catastrophic hardware failure.

Bypassing or falsifying Hardware Audit results immediately voids all liability protections.

6Governing Law

This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee, excluding its conflicts of law rules.

7Termination & Due Process

This license is effective until terminated. Upon termination, you must cease use and destroy all copies.

Due Process:In the event of a detected breach, Licensor will issue a "Notice of Intent to Terminate." The User has 48 hours to appeal before deactivation. Immediate deactivation is reserved for active piracy or malicious security attacks.

8Export Compliance & VPNs

Subject to US export control laws (EAR). You represent you are not in an embargoed region or on a prohibited parties list.

Regional Bypass Prohibition: VPN use for privacy is permitted. Use to circumvent Export Controls or bypass regional activation locks results in immediate, non-refundable revocation.

9Severability

If any provision is held unenforceable, it shall be modified by the minimum amount necessary to preserve original intent. The remainder of the Agreement remains in full effect.