Terms of Service

1. Introduction & Acceptance

Welcome to Harmony ("we," "our," or "the Project"). By accessing or using the Harmony application, website, or any related services (collectively, the "Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms").

Harmony is an open-source, federated chat platform. These Terms apply to your use of the official Harmony instance at har.mony.lol and the official website at mony.lol. If you are using a self-hosted or third-party instance of Harmony, additional terms from that operator may apply.

If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the Service.

2. Trademark Disclaimers

Harmony is an independent open-source project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of the following companies or their products:

• Discord is a trademark of Discord Inc. Harmony's "Discord Bridge" feature is a community-developed plugin that enables interoperability. We are not affiliated with Discord Inc.
• Tencent and related trademarks belong to Tencent Holdings Limited. Any references to Tencent are made solely for comparative or informational purposes.
• Matrix and the Matrix protocol are trademarks of The Matrix.org Foundation. Harmony uses Matrix-compatible encryption (Megolm) but is not affiliated with The Matrix.org Foundation.
• Element is a trademark of New Vector Limited. Any references are made for comparative purposes only.
• Mastodon is a trademark of Mastodon gGmbH. Harmony implements the ActivityPub protocol for federation but is not affiliated with Mastodon.

All other trademarks, service marks, and company names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners. Their use does not imply any affiliation, endorsement, or sponsorship.

3. Open Source License

Harmony is open-source software released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0). This strong copyleft license ensures that:

• You can use, study, share, and modify the software freely
• Any derivative works must also be released under AGPL-3.0
• The source code must remain open and available
• You can self-host your own instance and monetize it however you want
• If you run a modified version as a network service, you must release the source
• Corporations cannot take our code and make it proprietary

The source code is available at github.com/harmony-chat. The AGPL-3.0 license applies to the software itself; these Terms of Service govern your use of the official hosted Service.

We chose AGPL-3.0 specifically because it closes the "SaaS loophole" - if anyone hosts a modified version of Harmony, they must release their source code. You can run a paid instance, add features, and monetize freely, but you can't close the source.

4. User Accounts

To use certain features of the Service, you must create an account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate and complete registration information
• Maintain the security of your account credentials
• Accept responsibility for all activities under your account
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use

You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service, or the minimum age required in your jurisdiction, whichever is higher.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to use the Service to:

• Violate any applicable laws or regulations
• Infringe on intellectual property rights of others
• Harass, abuse, threaten, or intimidate other users
• Distribute malware, spam, or phishing content
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to systems or accounts
• Interfere with the proper functioning of the Service
• Distribute content depicting the exploitation of minors
• Engage in any activity that could harm the Service or its users

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these guidelines.

6. User Content

You retain ownership of content you create and share through the Service. By posting content, you grant Harmony a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, display, and transmit your content as necessary to operate the Service.

For federated content (ActivityPub posts), your content may be distributed to other servers in the fediverse according to the visibility settings you choose. End-to-end encrypted content remains encrypted and cannot be accessed by us.

You are solely responsible for your content and any consequences of sharing it.

7. Federation & Third-Party Instances

Harmony supports federation via the ActivityPub protocol. This means your content may be transmitted to and stored on third-party servers that we do not control.

We are not responsible for:

• The privacy practices of federated instances
• Content hosted on third-party instances
• The availability or conduct of other instances in the network
• Data retention policies of federated servers

Users who self-host Harmony instances are responsible for their own compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

8. 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.

We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free. As an open-source project, the Service is maintained by volunteers and may experience downtime or bugs.

9. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, HARMONY AND ITS CONTRIBUTORS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, USE, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE.

Our total liability for any claims arising from your use of the Service shall not exceed the amount you paid to us (if any) in the twelve months preceding the claim.

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Harmony, its contributors, and affiliates from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your use of the Service, your content, or your violation of these Terms.

11. Modifications to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify users of material changes by posting the updated Terms on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms.

12. Termination

You may stop using the Service at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at our discretion, particularly for violations of these Terms.

Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination (such as disclaimers, limitations of liability, and indemnification) will remain in effect.

13. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with applicable laws, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Service shall be resolved through good-faith negotiation.

14. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us through our official channels on the Harmony platform or via our GitHub repository.