Effective date: July 20, 2026
These Terms of Service (the "Terms") are an agreement between Mad Science Software B.V. ("Mad Science Software," "we," "us," or "our") and you, the customer, governing use of The Good Word — our crossword-creation platform, including its dashboard, crossword-generation system, and embeddable crosswords (together, the "Service").
By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you use the Service on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization, and "you" refers to that organization.
1. The Service
The Good Word analyzes content that you have published and generates crossword puzzles that reflect it, on a schedule you choose. Puzzles can be embedded on your website using the embed code provided in the dashboard.
2. Early Access
The Good Word is currently offered in early access. Features may change, be added, or be removed; availability is not guaranteed; and aspects of the Service, including pricing, may change as we move toward general availability. We will give you reasonable notice of material changes.
3. Your Account
You must provide accurate account information and keep it current. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials and for all activity under your account, and you should tell us promptly at the address below if you suspect unauthorized use. The Service is intended for businesses and professionals, and you must be at least 18 to use it.
4. Your Publications and Content
You may connect publications that you own or are authorized to connect. You represent and warrant that you have all rights necessary for us to access, crawl, and process the connected publication's content as described in these Terms.
You retain all ownership rights in your publication content. You grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide license to access, crawl, store, analyze, and process that content solely to provide, secure, and improve the Service, including generating crosswords for you.
5. Generated Crosswords
As between you and us, the crossword puzzles the Service generates for you are yours. To the extent we hold any rights in them, we assign those rights to you upon generation, and you grant us a license to host, store, display, and serve those puzzles as needed to operate the Service — for example, delivering an embedded puzzle to your readers.
Crosswords are generated automatically, including with the assistance of AI systems. You are responsible for reviewing puzzles before or promptly after publication and for what ultimately appears on your website. We do not guarantee that every generated clue or answer will be accurate, appropriate, or error-free.
6. Embedding
We grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to embed crosswords generated for you on websites and digital properties that you own or control. You may not resell, sublicense, or offer the Service to third parties as your own product, and you may not use the embed to serve puzzles on properties you do not control. Embedded crosswords may include a small attribution to The Good Word.
7. Fees and Billing
Where a paid plan applies, the fees, billing frequency, and plan details are shown in the dashboard or agreed with you in writing. Payments are processed by our payment processor. Fees are exclusive of taxes such as VAT, which will be added where applicable or accounted for under the reverse-charge mechanism for business customers in the EU. Except where required by law, fees are non-refundable. We may change our prices with at least 30 days' notice; changes take effect from your next billing cycle.
8. Acceptable Use
You agree not to: connect publications you do not have the right to connect; use the Service to infringe others' rights or violate the law; attempt to probe, disrupt, or overload the Service or circumvent usage limits; reverse engineer the Service except where such a restriction is prohibited by law; or use the Service to generate content that is unlawful or intended to deceive. We may suspend access where we reasonably believe these Terms are being violated, and will restore it once the issue is resolved.
9. Our Intellectual Property
The Service — including the software, systems, and design, and everything other than your content and your generated crosswords — is owned by Mad Science Software and its licensors. These Terms grant no rights in it beyond the limited rights expressly set out here. If you give us feedback, we may use it without restriction or obligation.
10. Privacy and Data Protection
Our Privacy Policy, available on our website, describes how we handle personal data, including our role as your service provider for connected publication content. Where the GDPR applies to publication content we process on your behalf, a data processing agreement is available on request and forms part of these Terms once executed.
11. Term and Termination
These Terms apply from the moment you first use the Service and remain in effect until terminated. You may stop using the Service and delete your account at any time. We may terminate or suspend the Service or your account with reasonable notice, or immediately in the case of material breach. Upon termination, embedded crosswords will stop being served. We will make your generated puzzles available for export for 30 days after termination, after which data is handled as described in the Privacy Policy. Sections that by their nature should survive termination — including Sections 5, 9, 13, 14, and 16 — survive.
12. Disclaimers
The Service is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement, to the maximum extent permitted by law. This is especially true during early access: we do not warrant uninterrupted or error-free operation.
13. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, neither party is liable for indirect or consequential damages, including lost profits, lost data, or business interruption. Our total aggregate liability under these Terms is limited to the amounts you paid us for the Service in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim, or €100 if you have not paid us anything. Nothing in these Terms limits liability for damage caused by intent or deliberate recklessness, or any other liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
14. Indemnification
You will defend and indemnify us against third-party claims arising from your publication content, your website, or your breach of Section 4 or Section 8, except to the extent caused by our own breach of these Terms.
15. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. For material changes, we will give you at least 30 days' notice by email or through the dashboard. If you continue using the Service after a change takes effect, the updated Terms apply; if you do not agree, you may terminate before the effective date.
16. Governing Law and Venue
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Netherlands. Disputes will be submitted to the competent court in Amsterdam, without prejudice to mandatory provisions of applicable law.
17. General
You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets. If any provision is found unenforceable, the remainder stays in effect. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any order or plan details, are the entire agreement between us regarding the Service. Neither party is liable for delay or failure caused by events beyond its reasonable control.
18. Contact
Mad Science Software B.V. Attn: James Youngquist james@madsciencesoftware.dev