Terms of Use

1. Acceptance of these terms

ChineseReads (chinesereads.com) is a web application for learning to read Chinese through graded texts. Its core features are free to use; an optional paid PREMIUM subscription unlocks higher usage limits. By creating an account or using the site, you agree to these Terms of Use. If you do not agree with them, please do not use ChineseReads.

2. The service

ChineseReads lets you:

• Read the public HSK1–6 graded texts — no account needed — with word-by-word pinyin and translations (audio requires a free account).
• Save words into personal vocabulary collections and study them as flashcards.
• Create your own texts from typed text or from images (OCR).
• Listen to text, sentences and words with text-to-speech audio.
• Ask the AI tutor about any word in the context where you are reading it (requires a free account and has a monthly quota on the free plan).
• Track your reading streaks and progress, and review saved words with spaced repetition.
• Take the free level test and learn from scratch with the pinyin, tones and characters tutorial.
• Read the blog and meet our collaborators in the Hall of Fame and their profile pages.

3. Your account

You are responsible for keeping your password safe and for all activity under your account. Please provide accurate information when you register. You must be old enough to consent to the processing of your personal data in your country (in the EU, generally 16, or the age set by your member state). If you forget your password you can reset it yourself via "Forgot your password?": we will email you a single-use link valid for 60 minutes — do not share it with anyone. Some service emails (welcome and password reset) are sent even if you did not opt into optional communications, because they are needed to run your account.

4. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Use the service for any unlawful purpose or in breach of these terms.
• Upload content that is illegal or infringes the rights of others.
• Attempt to break, overload or gain unauthorized access to the service or its infrastructure.
• Abuse the AI, OCR or audio features, for example through automated or mass requests.
• Resell or redistribute the service without permission.
• Abuse discount or referral codes, for example by creating multiple accounts or redeeming codes through self-referral.

5. Your content

The texts and images you upload remain yours. They are kept private to your account, and you grant ChineseReads only the permission needed to process and display them back to you — including sending them to the third-party AI, OCR and speech providers listed in the Privacy Policy. You are responsible for having the right to upload whatever you submit. Your texts are kept for as long as you keep them; they are removed when you delete them or delete your account.

6. Intellectual property

The ChineseReads name, its design, its code, the curated graded texts, the learning materials of the tutorial and the blog articles belong to its creator and are protected by law. You may only use them for your personal, non-commercial language learning. The photos and bios shown in the Hall of Fame belong to their respective collaborators and are published with their permission.

7. Third-party services and privacy

ChineseReads relies on third-party providers for AI generation, OCR and audio, and processes your personal data as described in our Privacy Policy.

8. Subscriptions and payments

ChineseReads offers optional paid PREMIUM subscription plans that raise your usage limits. The current prices and limits of each plan are those published on the Premium page, which forms part of these terms. If you subscribe, the following terms apply:

• Plans are billed on a recurring basis (monthly or yearly) at the prices shown on the pricing page, in euros. Any applicable taxes are shown or added at checkout.
• Payments are handled by Stripe, our payment provider. ChineseReads never receives or stores your full card details — they are processed directly by Stripe. See the Privacy Policy for how payment data is handled.
• Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing period, charged to your payment method on file, until you cancel.
• You can cancel at any time from the billing portal ("Manage subscription"). Your premium access stays active until the end of the period already paid and is simply not renewed afterwards.
• Consumers in the EU/EEA normally have a 14-day right of withdrawal for online purchases. Because premium features are digital content made available to you immediately, by subscribing you expressly request immediate access and acknowledge that you lose this right of withdrawal once your premium access has started.
• Except where the law requires otherwise, payments for a period that has already started are non-refundable. If you believe you were charged in error, contact us at the address below.
• We may change the plans, their prices or their limits. Changes apply to future billing periods and, where legally required, you will be notified in advance.
• If a renewal payment fails or a charge is disputed with your bank (a chargeback), we may suspend your premium access while the issue is being resolved.

9. Discount codes and referrals

We sometimes run promotions through discount codes or referral links, often together with collaborators. Codes have no cash value, cannot be exchanged for money and may be modified or deactivated at any time; unless stated otherwise, each code can be used once per customer and applies only to the charges it describes. If we detect fraudulent use of a code or referral link (for example multiple accounts, self-referrals or automated redemptions), we may withdraw the discount or the premium access obtained with it and close the accounts involved. The terms of each collaboration with creators (commissions and settlements) are agreed separately with each collaborator and are not part of these consumer terms.

10. Availability and changes to the service

The service is provided "as is", without warranties of any kind beyond those that cannot be excluded by law. Free and premium features, usage limits and availability may change or be interrupted at any time (paid subscriptions are governed by the section above). AI-generated translations and descriptions may contain errors and should not be relied upon as professional translation. ChineseReads also depends on third-party providers (payments, AI, OCR, audio and email); we are not responsible for interruptions caused by those providers or by other events beyond our reasonable control.

11. Suspension and termination

• We may suspend or close an account, with immediate effect where justified, if it breaches these terms or if we have reasonable grounds to suspect fraud or a breach (for example payment fraud or abuse of usage limits or promotional codes).
• We may also stop offering the service, or close accounts, for operational reasons. In that case no further payments will be charged, and any premium period already paid will either remain usable until its end date or be refunded in proportion to the unused time.
• We reserve the right to delete free accounts that have been inactive for more than 24 months, always with prior notice by email.
• You can delete your own account at any time from your profile. Doing so automatically cancels any active subscription, so no further charges are made.

12. Limitation of liability

To the extent permitted by law, the creator of ChineseReads is not liable for indirect or incidental damages arising from your use of the service, and total liability for any claim related to the service is limited to the greater of the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim or €50. Nothing in these terms limits the rights that consumer law grants you or any liability that cannot be excluded by law.

13. Governing law

These terms are governed by Spanish law. If you use ChineseReads as a consumer, you also keep the protection of the mandatory consumer rules of your country of residence, and you may bring any dispute before the courts of your own domicile.

14. Changes and contact

We may update these terms; the "last updated" date above will change, and material changes will be announced on the site or by email before they take effect. Continued use of the service after that means you accept the new version. If you have questions about these terms, contact us at: victorgarciallorente20@gmail.com