Terms of Service

1. INTRODUCTORY PROVISIONS

1.1 These Terms and Conditions constitute a contractual agreement between Literary Universe s.r.o., Company ID: 17397758, with its registered office at Barrandovská 158/14, Hlubočepy, 152 00 Prague 5, as the Operator of the platform www.literaryuniverse.com on one side, and the User on the other. Unless otherwise agreed in writing between the Contracting Parties or unless the validity of certain provisions of these Terms and Conditions is expressly excluded in writing, the relationship between the Operator and the User shall be governed by these Terms and Conditions.

1.2 Operator contact details:
Email: info@literaryuniverse.com
Phone number: +420 731 817 901
Data mailbox: zc9phcb

2. DEFINITIONS

2.1 "Copyright Act" means Act No. 121/2000 Coll., on Copyright and Rights Related to Copyright and on the Amendment of Certain Acts, as amended.

2.2 "Digital Content" means, in particular, literary works – books and their parts, texts, scripts, and other intangible materials made publicly available by the Operator through the Platform.

2.3 "Paid Digital Content" means Digital Content made available to the User by the Operator through the Platform for a fee.

2.4 "Free Digital Content" means Digital Content made available to the User by the Operator through the Platform free of charge, to which the User gains access upon registering on the Platform. The use of Free Products is governed mutatis mutandis by the provisions applicable to Products under these Terms and Conditions.

2.5 "Terms and Conditions" means these general terms and conditions, including any future amendments or additions made by the Operator.

2.6 "Author Terms" means the general terms and conditions applicable to Users who are also authors of Digital Content. The Author Terms are an integral part of the Terms and Conditions, including any future amendments or additions made by the Operator.

2.7 "Civil Code" means Act No. 89/2012 Coll., the Civil Code, as amended.

2.8 "Platform" means the Operator’s online platform operating at www.literaryuniverse.com, through which Digital Content is made available to Users.

2.9 "Operator" means Literary Universe s.r.o., Company ID: 17397758, with its registered office at Barrandovská 158/14, Hlubočepy, 152 00 Prague 5.

2.10 "Platform Use Agreement" means an agreement between the Operator and the User concerning the use of the Platform.

2.11 "Digital Content Provision Agreement" means an agreement between the Operator and the User concerning the provision of Digital Content to the User.

2.12 "Contracting Parties" means the Operator and/or the User.

2.13 "User" means any natural or legal person who has concluded a Platform Use Agreement with the Operator.

3. USER ACCOUNT

3.1 The Platform Use Agreement is concluded upon the User’s registration. Users may be natural persons over the age of 16 or legal persons registered in a public register.

3.2 Upon registration on the Platform, the User may access their User Account. Through their User Account, the User may access Digital Content online (“User Account”).

3.3 A Registered User, i.e., a User authorized to use Digital Content, is a User who completes and submits the relevant registration form on the Platform. A Registered User may also be a User who logs in via their account on other platforms or social networks (e.g., Google, X). After successfully logging in via such platform or social network, the User is informed which data will be transferred to the Operator for authentication purposes during the registration or login process. If the User agrees, the transferred data (name and email address) will be filled in only in the fields necessary for registration.

3.4 During registration and access to Digital Content, the User is obliged to provide accurate and truthful information. The User must update their account information whenever any changes occur. The data provided by the User in the User Account is considered accurate by the Operator.

3.5 Access to the User Account is secured by username and password. The User is obliged to maintain the confidentiality of the login credentials and must not disclose them to third parties.

3.6 The User is not authorized to allow third parties to use their User Account. Sharing of a User Account by multiple individuals is prohibited and constitutes a breach of these Terms and Conditions. In the event of such breach, the User is liable for all damages incurred by the Operator resulting from the use of their User Account by third parties.

3.7 The Operator is not liable for the loss of the username or password by the User, or for their use by a third party, nor for any damage or harm caused by such use.

3.8 The User acknowledges that the User Account may not be available continuously due to repairs, upgrades, modifications, or maintenance of the Platform’s software or hardware, without prior notice. The Operator is not liable for any damage or harm suffered by the User or third parties due to unavailability or interruption of access to the Products or performance of the Agreement.

3.9 The Operator is not obliged to compensate the User or any third party for any indirect, consequential, incidental, punitive, or special damages arising in connection with the use of Digital Content.

3.10 The User may at any time request deletion of their User Account via the Platform. The Operator shall delete the account without undue delay. Unless otherwise stated in these Terms or the Author Terms, the User shall not be entitled to any claims in connection with the deletion of their User Account.

4. USE OF THE PLATFORM

4.1 The User is authorized to use the Platform only in accordance with the conditions set out in these Terms and Conditions.

4.2 Within the Platform, the User is entitled in particular to:

• a) Use Free Digital Content;

• b) Purchase access to Paid Digital Content;

• c) Create communities/forums and post contributions therein;

• d) Add comments and ratings to Digital Content;

• e) Upload their own original Digital Content in accordance with the Author Terms.

4.3 The User may not store or disseminate content on the Platform that violates public morals or applicable law in the Czech Republic or in other countries where the Platform is accessible, especially content that:

• a) Infringes third-party copyrights or related rights;

• b) Violates personal rights of third parties;

• c) Breaches legal provisions protecting against hatred toward nations, ethnic groups, races, religions, social classes, or other groups, or restricting the rights and freedoms of their members.

4.4 The User acknowledges that under § 5 of Act No. 480/2004 Coll., on Certain Information Society Services and on Amendments to Certain Acts, as amended, the Operator is not liable for content stored by the User. The User further acknowledges that the Operator is not liable for any unlawful actions of the User.

4.5 The Operator is entitled (but not obliged) to perform preventive checks on information stored or disseminated by the User within the Platform. If such content may violate the Terms and Conditions, generally binding legal regulations, public morals, or the interests of the Operator, the Operator is entitled to delete such content or prevent its dissemination and to withdraw from the Agreement. If any third party asserts rights against the Operator in connection with content stored or disseminated by the User, the Operator may immediately remove such content without further notice.

4.6 The User must refrain from any activity that would disrupt the normal operation of the Platform, especially sending unsolicited commercial communications to other Users (spamming), publishing unauthorized offers of goods or services, or engaging in any conduct that may constitute unfair competition under § 2976 of the Civil Code, such as disparagement, bribery, breach of trade secrets, or persistent harassment. The User is obliged to uphold decency and good morals when using the Platform and comply with all applicable laws of the Czech Republic and those of the country from which they access the Platform.

4.7 The User agrees not to use any software, code, scripts, or commands that could disrupt the System's operation or circumvent its security mechanisms implemented by the Operator. The User also agrees not to attempt to alter the System’s behavior using any software, code, scripts, or commands; not to decompile the software forming the System; not to reverse-engineer it; not to replicate it; and not to obtain any unauthorized business advantage from using the System.

4.8 The User agrees to refrain from web scraping or extracting structured data from the Platform.

5. ACCESS TO PAID DIGITAL CONTENT

5.1 In addition to accessing Free Digital Content, the User may subscribe to Paid Digital Content through the Platform. Pricing information is listed alongside specific Paid Content offers and the final price is always shown on the Stripe payment gateway.

5.2 The User orders Paid Digital Content via the Platform after logging into their User Account. Unless stated otherwise on the Platform, the User may generally choose among several subscription options:

• a) A specific part of a Digital Content file;

• b) A full Digital Content file;

• c) A monthly subscription to all Digital Content files by one author.

5.3 The User submits the order through a form on the Platform, which the Operator is automatically notified of. By submitting the order, the User enters into a valid Digital Content Provision Agreement with the Operator and undertakes to pay the purchase price for the accessed Paid Digital Content (whether as a one-time purchase or a subscription). By submitting the order, the User also confirms they have checked the order content, particularly their personal and billing details, and that they have reviewed these Terms and Conditions available on the Platform. The data in the order is considered accurate by the Operator. The Operator or Stripe will automatically confirm the order to the User by email.

5.4 The User must provide the Operator with personal data necessary for identification in connection with the performance of the Digital Content Provision Agreement – namely name, surname, address, and email. The Operator must protect this data as described in Article 10 of these Terms and Conditions.

5.5 The Agreement is concluded only upon the Operator’s confirmation of the order. The confirmation is sent to the User’s email address provided in the order form.

6. ACCESS TO DIGITAL CONTENT

6.1 Free Digital Content is made available to the User on the Platform for personal use without restriction.

6.2 Paid Digital Content is made available to the User immediately after payment of the purchase price and confirmation of the order by the Operator. The Operator will send an order confirmation to the User’s email address, and the Paid Digital Content will be accessible within the User’s Account on the Platform, where the User can view the Digital Content.

6.3 The User agrees that the Digital Content is provided online and that access requires an internet connection unless the specific Digital Content allows offline access. To view the Digital Content, the User must have an electronic device such as a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone with an up-to-date version of a standard internet browser.

6.4 The delivery period is deemed fulfilled upon the Digital Content becoming available in the User Account section of the Platform.

6.5 The User agrees to the use of remote communication means when concluding the Digital Content Provision Agreement. Any costs incurred by the User in using such communication means (e.g., internet connection fees) are borne by the User.

7. PAYMENT TERMS

7.1 Access to Paid Digital Content may only be paid for online using a payment card via the Stripe payment gateway, which the User is redirected to after completing the order on the Platform. Prices in foreign currencies may be subject to exchange rate adjustments.

7.2 The User’s obligation to pay is fulfilled upon successful completion of the transaction through the Stripe gateway.

7.3 If customary in business practice or required by law, the Operator shall issue a tax document (invoice) to the User concerning payments made under the Digital Content Provision Agreement. The Operator is not a VAT payer. The tax document (invoice) will be issued after receipt of payment and sent electronically to the User’s email address.

7.4 Billing details cannot be changed after the order has been submitted.

7.5 If, for any reason, the User is to be refunded, the Operator shall return the funds using the same method by which they were received. The User is responsible for providing accurate refund information if the original payment method cannot be used or if the Operator, at its discretion, agrees to use a different method for the refund.

8. WITHDRAWAL FROM THE AGREEMENT AND RIGHTS FROM DEFECTIVE PERFORMANCE

8.1 The User – consumer acknowledges and expressly agrees that Paid Digital Content will be made available immediately upon the Operator’s acceptance of the order and receipt of payment, and thus may be delivered before the expiration of the withdrawal period under § 1829 of the Civil Code. Consequently, the User – consumer acknowledges that their right to withdraw from the contract pursuant to Article 8.3 of these Terms and Conditions shall expire in accordance with § 1837 letter l) of the Civil Code.

8.2 The rights and obligations of the Contracting Parties regarding defective performance are governed by applicable legal regulations, in particular §§ 1914–1925 of the Civil Code and Act No. 634/1992 Coll., on Consumer Protection, as amended.

8.3 The Operator is responsible for ensuring the defect-free nature of the Digital Content. The Operator guarantees that the Paid Digital Content will be provided in accordance with the order and in compliance with legal regulations.

8.4 For the purposes of these Terms and Conditions, defective performance shall only mean: incomplete access to Paid Digital Content, delivery of content not conforming to the order, or technical faults. Content to which the User objects on political, religious, or other moral grounds is not considered defective.

8.5 The User must immediately check, after gaining access to the Paid Digital Content, whether it has been delivered completely, without defects, and in accordance with the order. Any defects must be reported to the Operator without delay.

8.6 If the User identifies a defect in the Paid Digital Content, they must notify the Operator at the email address listed on the Platform or in these Terms and Conditions. The User is entitled to request rectification of the defect or a reasonable discount. The User agrees to cooperate as necessary to remove the defect. If the defect is not remedied, the User has the right to withdraw from the Digital Content Provision Agreement. Further liability for defects is governed by the Civil Code.

8.7 The period for exercising rights arising from defective performance is 24 months. This period does not run during the complaint handling process.

8.8 The Operator or an authorized representative shall decide on the complaint immediately, or within three business days in complex cases, from the date of receiving the complaint. This period does not include a reasonable time required for expert assessment of the defect. The Operator shall inform the User of the outcome or rejection of the complaint at the email address associated with their User Account.

9. PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION

9.1 The Operator processes the User’s personal data in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (General Data Protection Regulation – GDPR), and other relevant legislation.

9.2 Detailed information on the processing of the User’s personal data is provided in the Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy available on the Platform.

10. MEASURES TAKEN BY THE OPERATOR

10.1 The Operator reserves the right to restrict access to certain Platform features, deny access to Digital Content provided by the Operator, or block the User Account – either temporarily or permanently – in the case of:

• a User violating any provision of these Terms and Conditions;

• a User acting in a way that harms the good name of the Operator;

• or if the Operator has reasonable grounds to suspect that the User intends to breach these Terms and Conditions.

10.2 The Operator may refuse an order by the User, especially for the following reasons:

• a) The User has violated Article 13 of these Terms and Conditions (infringement of the Operator’s intellectual property rights);

• b) The User has breached their obligations under the Digital Content Provision Agreement or other duties arising from their participation or conduct on the Platform;

• c) The User has otherwise acted in a manner that makes it unjust to expect the Operator to continue enabling the User to use the Platform.

10.3 Access denial is generally imposed for an indefinite period. If imposed for a fixed term, the Operator shall inform the User of the duration in an appropriate manner.

11. DURATION OF THE AGREEMENT

11.1 The Digital Content Provision Agreement is concluded for an indefinite period unless otherwise specified in the order based on the selected subscription option.

11.2 The Operator is entitled to withdraw from the Digital Content Provision Agreement if the User materially breaches any provision of the Agreement or these Terms and Conditions, or engages in conduct that significantly harms the good name of the Operator.

12. PLATFORM OPERATION

12.1 The Operator performs regular maintenance of the Platform and, for this purpose, is entitled to restrict or completely suspend its operation for a certain period.

12.2 The User acknowledges that Platform operation may also be limited due to unforeseeable technical issues or force majeure events. In such cases, the Operator shall, to the best of its ability, ensure that the issue is resolved and the Platform is restored as quickly as possible.

12.3 The User is not entitled to any compensation or damages for any interruption or restriction of the Platform’s operation caused by the above-mentioned events.

13. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS RESERVATION

13.1 All content on the Platform, including Digital Content, constitutes the exclusive intellectual property of the Operator, its partners, or the individual authors of the Digital Content and is subject to copyright and other legal protections. Any reproduction, distribution, public communication, or other forms of use – especially in the course of business – is allowed only under the Author Terms or with an express written license or other authorization from the Operator, its partners, or the relevant authors (except for Digital Content explicitly marked as under a Creative Commons license).

The User is not authorized to use any part of the Digital Content within the meaning of the Copyright Act, modify, alter, reproduce, copy, combine it with other works, or allow its use by third parties – including, but not limited to, communicating, reselling, lending, or sublicensing it. Any use of Platform content without appropriate authorization constitutes a violation of intellectual property laws and may give rise to the Operator’s (or its partners’ or authors’) claim for damages, unjust enrichment, and potentially criminal liability.

14. OUT-OF-COURT CONSUMER DISPUTE RESOLUTION

14.1 Under § 14 of Act No. 634/1992 Coll., on Consumer Protection, the Operator informs Users – consumers of the possibility of out-of-court settlement of disputes that may arise in connection with exercising rights and obligations from the Digital Content Provision Agreement. The Czech Trade Inspection Authority is the relevant body for out-of-court consumer dispute resolution between the User and the Operator. Its website is: http://www.coi.cz/

14.2 Users residing in a state of the European Economic Area may also file for out-of-court resolution of consumer disputes through the European Consumer Centre in their country of residence. The list of European Consumer Centres is available at: https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/consumers/resolve-your-consumer-complaint/alternative-dispute-resolution-consumers_en

14.3 While negotiations on out-of-court settlement are ongoing, limitation and prescription periods under the Civil Code shall not run until one of the parties expressly refuses to continue.

15. FINAL PROVISIONS

15.1 These Terms and Conditions form an integral part of the Digital Content Provision Agreement between the Operator and the User. A copy, electronic version (e.g., PDF), or scanned version of these Terms and Conditions shall be considered as valid as the original unless proven otherwise.

15.2 The Operator may change, modify, or supplement these Terms and Conditions at any time. Any such amendment shall become effective upon delivery of the complete wording to the User. If the User disagrees with the amended Terms, they have the right to withdraw from the Agreement in writing. The User is deemed to have agreed to the amendment by either clicking the relevant confirmation button or by continuing to use the Products after the effective date specified by the Operator.

15.3 Legal relations between the Operator and the User not expressly covered by these Terms and Conditions shall be governed by the generally binding legal regulations of the Czech Republic.

15.4 If the relationship established by the Agreement involves an international element, the Contracting Parties agree that the relationship shall be governed by Czech law.

15.5 The Operator may assign or transfer its rights and obligations under the Digital Content Provision Agreement to a third party at any time. The User may not assign or transfer any rights or obligations under the Agreement without the prior written consent of the Operator.

15.6 The Operator and the User agree to resolve all disputes relating to or arising from the Digital Content Provision Agreement or these Terms and Conditions primarily through amicable negotiation. If no agreement is reached, the matter shall be decided by the competent court of the Czech Republic.

15.7 Each provision of these Terms and Conditions is enforceable independently. The invalidity or unenforceability of any one provision shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the remaining provisions, unless due to the importance, nature, or other circumstances it is clear that the provision in question cannot be separated from the rest.

15.8 These Terms and Conditions become valid and effective on 29 June 2025.

Completely new TOS that take into account all the changes from the past 2 years and future plans.