Terms & Conditions

1.1 About LegalScout

LegalScout® is an AI-powered legal research and document analysis platform operated by NextAISolutions Pty Ltd ACN 684131208 (trading as LegalScout) ("LegalScout", "we", "us", "our"). We provide access to our platform through legalscout.com.au and associated subdomains (the "Platform" or "Services").

1.2 Acceptance of terms

By creating an account, accessing, or using any part of our Platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions ("Terms"), our Privacy Policy, and all applicable laws and regulations. If you do not agree with these Terms, you must immediately cease using our Platform.

1.3 Modifications

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes by email or through the Platform. Your continued use of the Platform after modifications constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. We recommend reviewing these Terms regularly.

2.1 Limited licence grant

Subject to your compliance with these Terms, LegalScout grants you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable licence to access and use the Platform for your internal business purposes only.

2.2 LegalScout intellectual property

All intellectual property rights in the Platform, including but not limited to software, algorithms, AI models, database structures, user interface designs, branding, and documentation, are and remain the exclusive property of LegalScout and its licensors. Nothing in these Terms transfers any such rights to you.

2.3 Your data and content

You retain all ownership rights in any documents, data, or content you upload to or generate through the Platform ("User Content"). However, you grant LegalScout a worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, copy, transmit, and process your User Content solely to the extent necessary to provide the Services to you.

2.4 Restrictions

You must not:

• reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the Platform or any portion thereof;
• copy, modify, adapt, or create derivative works based on the Platform;
• sublicense, resell, distribute, or otherwise commercially exploit the Platform;
• use the Platform to develop competing products or services;
• remove, obscure, or alter any proprietary notices on the Platform;
• use automated tools to extract data from the Platform without our prior written consent.

3.1 Nature of AI-generated content

The Platform uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to generate research results, document summaries, clause suggestions, and other outputs ("AI Output"). You acknowledge and agree that:

• AI Output is generated by automated systems and may contain errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or outdated information;
• AI Output does not constitute legal advice or professional advice of any kind;
• You are solely responsible for verifying the accuracy and suitability of any AI Output before relying upon it or providing it to clients or third parties;
• LegalScout makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or fitness for purpose of any AI Output.

3.2 No professional relationship

LegalScout is a software provider only. Use of the Platform does not create a solicitor-client, attorney-client, or any other professional advisory relationship between you and LegalScout. We do not provide legal advice, accounting advice, financial advice, or any other professional advice through the Platform.

3.3 Professional obligations

If you are a solicitor, barrister, or legal practitioner subject to professional regulation in Australia or any other jurisdiction, you acknowledge that:

• You remain subject to all professional obligations, ethical rules, and regulatory requirements applicable to your practice;
• You are responsible for exercising independent professional judgement and conducting appropriate due diligence before relying on any AI Output;
• You must comply with all client confidentiality, conflicts of interest, and professional conduct requirements;
• You are solely responsible for ensuring that your use of the Platform complies with all professional rules and regulations in your jurisdiction.

3.4 Independent verification required

Before acting on, or advising others based on, any AI Output, you must:

• Undertake your own independent research and verification;
• Exercise your own professional judgement based on your knowledge, experience, and skills;
• Seek independent professional advice from appropriately qualified advisers where necessary;
• Verify all citations, case law references, and legislative provisions against authoritative sources.

4.1 Account creation

To access the Platform, you must create an account by providing accurate and complete information. You agree to:

• Provide truthful, current, and complete information during registration;
• Maintain and promptly update your account information;
• Create only one account per individual user;
• Keep your account credentials confidential and secure;
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorised access or security breach.

4.2 Account responsibility

You are responsible for all activities that occur under your account. You must not:

• Share your account credentials with any other person;
• Allow any other person to access or use your account;
• Use another person's account without authorisation.

4.3 Multi-factor authentication

We may require you to enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for your account. You agree to maintain active MFA using one of our supported methods.

4.4 Account suspension or termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account immediately, without prior notice, if:

• You breach any provision of these Terms;
• You engage in fraudulent, illegal, or inappropriate conduct;
• You use the Platform in a manner that causes harm to LegalScout, our systems, or other users;
• Payment for your subscription fails or becomes overdue;
• We are required to do so by law or regulatory authority.

4.5 Effect of termination

Upon termination of your account:

• Your access to the Platform will cease immediately;
• All unused account credits (including top-up credits) will be forfeited without refund;
• We will retain your data in accordance with our data retention policies;
• All provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination shall remain in effect.

5.1 Subscription plans

We offer various subscription plans with different features, usage limits, and pricing structures. Current subscription options and pricing are available on our website at legalscout.com.au/pricing or as otherwise communicated to you.

5.2 Fees and currency

All fees are:

• Quoted in Australian dollars (AUD) unless otherwise specified;
• Exclusive of applicable goods and services tax (GST), which will be added to your invoice in accordance with Australian tax law.

5.3 Pricing changes

We reserve the right to modify our pricing at any time. We will provide you with at least 30 days' prior written notice of any price increases affecting your current subscription. Price increases will take effect at the start of your next billing cycle following the notice period. If you do not agree to a price increase, you may cancel your subscription before the new pricing takes effect (see Section 5.8).

5.4 Payment methods

We accept payment by credit card, direct debit, or other methods as specified on the Platform. All payments are processed through third-party payment processors (including Stripe) and are subject to the processor's terms and conditions.

5.5 Payment authorisation

By providing payment information, you authorise LegalScout to:

• Automatically charge your payment method for all subscription fees, account credit purchases, and other amounts due;
• Store your payment information securely with our payment processor;
• Update your payment information as provided by your financial institution or payment processor.

5.6 Automatic subscription renewal

Unless you cancel your subscription before the end of the current billing period, your subscription will automatically renew for successive periods of the same duration (e.g., monthly subscriptions renew monthly; annual subscriptions renew annually). You authorise us to charge your payment method for the renewal fees.

5.7 Account credits

Certain subscription plans include a specified number of account credits per billing period. Credits are consumed when you use Platform features (e.g., document analysis, research queries). Credit consumption rates vary by feature and are specified on the Platform. Account credit terms:

• Subscription credits: Allocated credits expire at the end of each billing period and do not roll over unless you have an annual prepaid subscription;
• Top-up credits: Additional credits purchased separately do not expire and roll over to subsequent billing periods until fully consumed;
• No cash value: Credits have no cash value and are not redeemable or refundable;
• Forfeiture: Upon cancellation or termination, all unused credits (including top-up credits) are forfeited without refund.

5.8 Cancellation and refunds

You may cancel your subscription at any time by accessing your account settings or contacting our support team at help@legalscout.com.au.

• Cancellation effect: Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. You will retain access to the Platform until that date.
• No partial refunds: We do not provide refunds or credits for partial billing periods, unused credits, or any other circumstances except as required by Australian Consumer Law.
• Minimum term contracts: If you have agreed to a minimum subscription term, early cancellation fees may apply as specified in your subscription agreement.

5.9 Overdue payments

If payment for your subscription fails or becomes overdue:

• We will suspend your access to the Platform immediately;
• We reserve the right to charge interest at 10% per annum (calculated daily) on overdue amounts;
• We may refer your account to a debt collection agency, and you will be responsible for all collection costs (including legal fees) incurred.

5.10 Set-off

We may set off any amounts you owe us against any amounts we owe you (including refunds or credits).

6.1 Permitted use

You may use the Platform only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. Permitted uses include:

• Legal research and document analysis for your practice or business;
• Drafting, reviewing, and managing legal documents;
• Other purposes explicitly authorised by LegalScout.

6.2 Prohibited uses

You must not use the Platform to:

• Violate any applicable laws, regulations, or third-party rights;
• Engage in fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading conduct;
• Transmit unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, or otherwise objectionable material;
• Infringe intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or confidentiality obligations;
• Transmit viruses, malware, or other harmful code;
• Interfere with or disrupt the Platform, servers, or networks;
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Platform or other users' accounts;
• Use the Platform for purposes of competitive analysis, benchmarking, or developing competing products;
• Scrape, harvest, or collect data from the Platform using automated means without our consent;
• Circumvent usage limits, access controls, or other Platform restrictions.

6.3 Fair use of credits

Your use of account credits must be reasonable and proportionate to the legitimate needs of your practice or business. We reserve the right to investigate and restrict accounts that engage in excessive or abnormal usage patterns, including but not limited to:

• Submitting repetitive or spurious queries;
• Uploading unusually large volumes of documents within short timeframes;
• Sharing account credentials with multiple users;
• Using automated scripts or bots to consume credits.

If we determine that you have violated this fair use policy, we may suspend or limit your account access, charge additional fees for excessive usage, or terminate your account without refund.

6.4 Reporting violations

If you become aware of any violation of these Terms by another user, please report it immediately to legalteam@legalscout.com.au.

7.1 Privacy Act compliance

LegalScout is committed to protecting your privacy and complying with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). Our collection, use, storage, and disclosure of your personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy, available at legalscout.com.au/privacy-policy. For detailed information about our privacy and data security practices, please visit our Trust Centre at legalscout.com.au/trust-centre.

7.2 Data security and Australian hosting

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data, including:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest;
• Secure authentication and access controls;
• Regular security assessments and penetration testing;
• Employee training on data security and confidentiality.

All customer data is hosted on secure servers located in Australia. We do not transfer, store, or process your data outside Australia, ensuring full compliance with Australian data sovereignty requirements.

7.3 Data processing and sub-processors

You acknowledge and consent to LegalScout engaging trusted third-party sub-processors to assist in providing the Services, including but not limited to cloud hosting providers (Australian-based), payment processors, analytics and monitoring services, and customer support platforms. All sub-processors are contractually obligated to handle your data in accordance with applicable privacy laws and our privacy standards. A current list of sub-processors is available upon request or in our Trust Centre.

7.4 No AI model training on customer data

LegalScout does not use your User Content, documents, queries, or any customer data to train, improve, or develop our AI models. Your data is used solely to provide the Services to you and is not shared with third parties for AI training purposes.

7.5 Data retention and deletion

We retain your data for as long as your account remains active and for a reasonable period thereafter to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Data retention periods:

• Active accounts: Data retained indefinitely while your account is active;
• After account deletion: Data retained for 90 days to facilitate account reactivation, after which it is permanently deleted;
• Legal compliance: Certain data may be retained for longer periods as required by law (e.g., tax records, audit logs).

You may request deletion of your data at any time by contacting team@legalscout.com.au. We will delete your data within a reasonable timeframe, subject to legal retention requirements. Our full data retention and deletion policies are available at legalscout.com.au/trust-centre.

7.6 Data breach notification

In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to affected individuals, we will notify affected users as soon as practicable, notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as required by law, and take reasonable steps to remediate the breach and prevent future incidents.

7.7 Your rights

Under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), you have the right to:

• Access your personal information held by us;
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information;
• Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal retention requirements);
• Lodge a complaint with the OAIC if you believe we have breached your privacy rights.

To exercise these rights, contact our Privacy Officer at legalteam@legalscout.com.au.

8.1 Mutual confidentiality

Each party agrees to keep confidential all non-public information disclosed by the other party ("Confidential Information") and to use such information only for purposes of performing obligations under these Terms.

8.2 Exceptions

Confidential Information does not include information that:

• Is or becomes publicly available through no breach of these Terms;
• Was lawfully possessed by the receiving party prior to disclosure;
• Is independently developed by the receiving party without reference to the disclosing party's Confidential Information;
• Is disclosed with the written consent of the disclosing party;
• Must be disclosed by law or court order (provided the receiving party gives prompt notice to the disclosing party).

9.1 "As is" basis

The Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory.

9.2 No warranties

To the maximum extent permitted by law, LegalScout disclaims all warranties, including but not limited to:

• Merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement;
• That the Platform will be error-free, uninterrupted, secure, or free from viruses or harmful components;
• That AI Output will be accurate, complete, reliable, or suitable for your intended use;
• That the Platform will meet your requirements or expectations.

9.3 No guarantee of results

LegalScout does not guarantee any specific results, outcomes, or benefits from your use of the Platform. You use the Platform at your own discretion and risk.

9.4 Australian Consumer Law

Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts, or modifies any rights or remedies you may have under the Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth)) or other consumer protection laws that cannot lawfully be excluded. Where the Australian Consumer Law applies and LegalScout is liable for a failure to comply with a consumer guarantee, our liability is limited (at our option) to: in the case of services, supplying the services again or paying the cost of having the services supplied again; in the case of goods, replacing the goods, supplying equivalent goods, repairing the goods, paying the cost of replacing or repairing the goods, or refunding the purchase price.

10.1 Liability cap

To the maximum extent permitted by law, LegalScout's total aggregate liability to you for any and all claims arising out of or related to these Terms or your use of the Platform, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), statute, or otherwise, shall not exceed the total amount of fees paid by you to LegalScout in the 12 months immediately preceding the event giving rise to liability.

10.2 Exclusion of consequential damages

To the maximum extent permitted by law, LegalScout shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages; loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or business opportunities; business interruption or loss of anticipated savings; or costs of procurement of substitute services - whether or not LegalScout has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

10.3 Third-party claims

LegalScout is not liable for any loss, damage, or liability arising from:

• Your use of AI Output without proper verification;
• Professional negligence or malpractice claims brought against you by your clients;
• Third-party claims arising from your breach of confidentiality, privacy, or intellectual property rights;
• Decisions made by you or your clients based on AI Output or Platform use.

10.4 Force majeure

LegalScout is not liable for any failure or delay in performing obligations under these Terms to the extent caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, riots, embargoes, acts of civil or military authorities, fire, floods, accidents, pandemics, network infrastructure failures, strikes, or shortages of transportation facilities, fuel, energy, labour, or materials.

10.5 Australian Consumer Law

Nothing in this Section 10 excludes, restricts, or modifies any rights or remedies you may have under the Australian Consumer Law or other consumer protection laws that cannot lawfully be excluded.

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless LegalScout, NextAISolutions Pty Ltd, and their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, and service providers (collectively, "LegalScout Parties") from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to:

• Your use or misuse of the Platform;
• Your breach of these Terms;
• Your violation of any applicable laws or regulations;
• Your infringement of any third-party intellectual property, privacy, or other rights;
• Your provision of advice or services to clients based on AI Output without proper verification;
• Any professional negligence, malpractice, or misconduct in connection with your use of the Platform.

This indemnity obligation survives termination of these Terms.

12.1 Termination by you

You may terminate your account at any time by following the cancellation process described in Section 5.8.

12.2 Termination by LegalScout

We may suspend or terminate your account immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason, including but not limited to breach of these Terms; fraudulent, illegal, or abusive conduct; non-payment of fees; excessive or abnormal usage patterns; or request by law enforcement or regulatory authority.

12.3 Effect of termination

Upon termination, your licence to use the Platform terminates immediately; you must cease all use of the Platform; we will retain or delete your data in accordance with Section 7.5; and all provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive (including Sections 2, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 13) shall remain in effect.

13.1 Entire agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any other policies incorporated by reference, constitute the entire agreement between you and LegalScout regarding your use of the Platform and supersede all prior agreements, representations, and understandings.

13.2 Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Victoria, Australia, without regard to conflict of law principles. You irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Victoria for the resolution of any dispute arising out of or related to these Terms.

13.3 Dispute resolution

Before commencing legal proceedings, the parties agree to attempt to resolve any dispute through good-faith negotiations. Either party may initiate negotiations by providing written notice to the other party describing the dispute.

13.4 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect. The invalid provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid and enforceable.

13.5 Waiver

No waiver of any provision of these Terms shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of that provision or any other provision. LegalScout's failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

13.6 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms or any rights or obligations hereunder without LegalScout's prior written consent. LegalScout may assign these Terms at any time without notice or consent, including in connection with a merger, acquisition, corporate reorganisation, or sale of assets.

13.7 Third-party rights

Nothing in these Terms confers any right or benefit on any third party. These Terms are not intended to create any third-party beneficiary rights.

13.8 Notices

All notices under these Terms must be in writing and sent to LegalScout: NextAISolutions Pty Ltd, PO BOX 7159, Geelong West VIC 3218, email legalteam@legalscout.com.au - or to you at the email address associated with your account. Notices are deemed received: if sent by email, upon transmission (provided no delivery failure notification is received); if sent by post, three (3) business days after posting.

13.9 Relationship of parties

Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, employment, agency, or fiduciary relationship between you and LegalScout. Neither party has authority to bind the other or incur obligations on the other's behalf.

13.10 Headings

Section headings are for convenience only and do not affect the interpretation of these Terms.

13.11 Interpretation

In these Terms: "including" means "including without limitation"; singular includes plural and vice versa; references to sections are to sections of these Terms; and references to any statute or regulation include amendments, re-enactments, or replacements.

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

• NextAISolutions Pty Ltd (trading as LegalScout), 793 Burke Rd, Camberwell, Victoria 3124
• Email: help@legalscout.com.au
• Website: https://legalscout.com.au
• Privacy Officer: legalteam@legalscout.com.au
• Abuse Reports: legalteam@legalscout.com.au

By creating an account or using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.