Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Gateway Architect platform, website, and related services (collectively, the “Service”) operated by Gateway Architect, LLC (“Gateway Architect,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), a Delaware limited liability company doing business in Virginia.

By accessing or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you are using the Service on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have the authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

1. Service Description

Gateway Architect is a decision intelligence platform for software architecture. The Service enables users to capture architectural decisions, collect structured implementation feedback, detect patterns using BrainDrop™ (our patent-pending knowledge engine), and build a searchable organizational knowledge base.

2. Account Registration

To use certain features of the Service, you must create an account. You agree to provide accurate and complete information, keep your credentials secure, and promptly update any changes to your information. You are responsible for all activity under your account. If you become aware of unauthorized use of your account, notify us immediately at support@gatewayarchitect.com.

3. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law or regulation
• Attempt to reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the Service
• Interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Service
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service or its related systems
• Use the Service to store or transmit malicious code or harmful content
• Use automated systems (bots, scrapers, crawlers) to access the Service without our written permission
• Resell, sublicense, or redistribute the Service without authorization
• Circumvent any usage limits, rate limits, or access controls
• Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Service without our written authorization
• Use the Service in violation of applicable export controls, sanctions, or embargoes

4. Your Data and Content

4.1 Ownership

You retain all rights to the content and data you submit to the Service, including architectural decisions, feedback entries, project data, and any other materials (“Your Content”). Gateway Architect does not claim ownership of Your Content.

4.2 License to us

By submitting Your Content to the Service, you grant Gateway Architect a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide license to use, process, store, and display Your Content solely for the purpose of providing and improving the Service to you and your organization. This includes processing Your Content through BrainDrop™ for pattern detection within your organization's scope only.

4.3 Organization-scoped isolation

Your Content is scoped exclusively to your organization. We do not share, expose, or use Your Content to generate insights, patterns, or knowledge for any other customer or organization. BrainDrop™ processes Your Content in isolation within your organizational boundary.

4.4 Data portability

You may export Your Content at any time in standard formats (Markdown, PDF, JSON) using the platform's built-in export features. Your data belongs to you.

5. AI-Generated Content

The Service uses artificial intelligence to generate architectural recommendations, decision documentation, and knowledge entries. AI-generated content is provided as a starting point and is subject to human review and approval. Gateway Architect does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of AI-generated content for any particular purpose. You are responsible for reviewing, validating, and approving all AI-generated content before relying on it in production systems.

6. Intellectual Property

The Service, including its design, features, software, algorithms, documentation, and BrainDrop™ technology (patent pending; details available upon request) is the exclusive property of Gateway Architect, LLC and is protected by United States and international intellectual property laws. BrainDrop™ is a trademark of Gateway Architect, LLC. Nothing in these Terms grants you any right, title, or interest in our intellectual property except the limited right to use the Service as described herein.

7. Payment and Billing

7.1 Pricing

Certain features of the Service require a paid subscription. Current pricing is available at gatewayarchitect.com/pricing. We may change pricing with at least 30 days' prior notice. Price changes will apply starting with your next renewal and will not affect your current billing cycle.

7.2 Billing

Subscriptions are billed in advance on a monthly or annual basis through our payment processor, Stripe. You authorize us to charge the payment method on file for all applicable fees. You are responsible for providing a valid and current payment method.

7.3 Refunds

We offer a 14-day money-back guarantee on new paid subscriptions. If you are not satisfied within the first 14 days, contact us for a full refund. After 14 days, payments are non-refundable except as required by applicable law. You may cancel your subscription at any time, and access will continue through the end of your current billing period.

7.4 Taxes

Prices are exclusive of applicable taxes. You are responsible for all taxes associated with your use of the Service, excluding taxes based on our net income.

7.5 Payment processor authorization

Payments are processed by third-party payment processors, including Stripe. By providing a payment method, you authorize Gateway Architect and its payment processors to charge your payment method for all applicable fees, taxes, and overages in accordance with your subscription and usage. Payment processing is subject to the terms, conditions, and privacy policies of the applicable payment processor. Gateway Architect does not store full payment card details and is not responsible for errors, interruptions, or security incidents caused by third-party payment processors.

7.6 Usage-based billing and overages

Certain features of the Service may be billed based on usage, including but not limited to AI processing, BrainDrop™ analysis, storage, or other metered resources (“Usage-Based Features”). You agree to pay all fees associated with your actual usage of such features as measured by Gateway Architect. Usage measurements are determined by our systems and are final and binding except in cases of demonstrable technical error.

If your usage exceeds the limits included in your subscription plan, you authorize Gateway Architect to charge your payment method for applicable overage fees at the rates in effect at the time of use. We may also offer the ability to pre-purchase credits or enable automatic billing for overages. You are responsible for monitoring your usage through the Service. Pre-purchased credits are non-refundable except as required by law and expire according to the terms specified at the time of purchase.

Gateway Architect may suspend or limit access to Usage-Based Features if payment cannot be successfully processed or if your account becomes delinquent.

7.7 Auto-renewal; cancellation effective end of term

Paid subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each billing period unless you cancel prior to renewal. If you cancel, your subscription will remain active through the end of your then-current billing period and will not renew. Except as expressly stated in these Terms or required by law, we do not provide prorated refunds or credits for partial billing periods.

7.8 Payment disputes

If you initiate a chargeback or payment dispute, we may suspend access to the Service while the dispute is pending. You agree to provide reasonable cooperation and information requested to resolve billing issues, including verifying account ownership and usage details, and to contact us first to attempt to resolve billing concerns before initiating a dispute.

7.9 Invoicing

If we agree in writing to invoice you instead of charging a payment method, invoice terms will be net fifteen (15) days from the invoice date unless otherwise specified. Late payments may result in suspension of access and may be subject to the maximum interest or late fees permitted by applicable law.

8. Free Tier

We offer a free tier of the Service with limited features and usage. The free tier is provided “as-is” without any service level commitments. We reserve the right to modify the features, limits, or availability of the free tier at any time. If you exceed the free tier limits, you will retain read-only access to your existing data until you upgrade to a paid plan.

9. Service Availability

We strive to maintain high availability of the Service but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. The Service may be temporarily unavailable due to scheduled maintenance (with reasonable advance notice), system upgrades, or circumstances beyond our reasonable control. Enterprise customers may have specific uptime commitments defined in a separate service level agreement.

10. Termination

10.1 By you

You may cancel your account at any time through the platform settings or by contacting us. Upon cancellation, your subscription will remain active through the end of the current billing period. You may export Your Content before the account is closed.

10.2 By us

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service if you materially breach these Terms, engage in fraudulent or abusive activity, or fail to pay applicable fees after reasonable notice. In such cases, we will provide you with 30 days' notice and the opportunity to export Your Content, except where immediate termination is necessary to prevent harm to the Service or other users.

10.3 Effect of termination

Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases. We will retain Your Content for 30 days following termination to allow for data export, after which it will be deleted or anonymized within a reasonable period, except to the extent we are required to retain it by law or for legitimate backup, security, and dispute-resolution purposes.

11. Disclaimers

The Service is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. Gateway Architect does not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, or that any defects will be corrected. AI-generated content is not a substitute for professional architectural judgment.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Gateway Architect, LLC and its officers, directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, revenue, data, or business opportunities arising out of or related to your use of the Service, whether based on warranty, contract, tort, or any other legal theory, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. Our total aggregate liability for all claims arising out of or related to these Terms or the Service shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts you paid to us in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, or (b) one hundred dollars ($100).

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Gateway Architect, LLC and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your use of the Service, (b) Your Content, (c) your violation of these Terms, or (d) your violation of any third-party rights.

14. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be brought exclusively in the state courts located in Loudoun County, Virginia, or the federal courts located in the Eastern District of Virginia, and you irrevocably consent to the personal jurisdiction and venue of such courts.

Before filing any claim, you agree to attempt to resolve the dispute informally by contacting us at legal@gatewayarchitect.com. We will attempt to resolve the dispute within 30 days.

15. Modifications to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes at least 30 days in advance by posting the updated Terms on our website and, for active users, by email. Your continued use of the Service after the updated Terms take effect constitutes acceptance of the changes. If you do not agree to the updated Terms, you must stop using the Service and may close your account.

16. General Provisions

Entire agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any applicable subscription agreement, constitute the entire agreement between you and Gateway Architect regarding the Service.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, with notice to you.

Force majeure

We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, acts of government, power failures, internet disruptions, or third-party service outages.

17. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, contact us at: