Terms of Service

Terms of Service

Effective 2026-05-02 · Tessera (https://tessera.study)

These Terms govern your use of Tessera (the "Service"), the desktop application, the cloud sync platform at https://tessera.study, and any related browser extensions or APIs. By creating an account or otherwise using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1. Who can use the Service

You must be at least 13 years old to create an account, and at least the age of majority in your jurisdiction to enter into a binding contract on your own behalf. If you use the Service on behalf of an organization, you represent that you are authorized to bind that organization to these Terms.

2. Your account

You are responsible for keeping your password and access tokens confidential, and for any activity that occurs through your account. Notify us immediately at support@tessera.study if you suspect unauthorized access. We are not liable for losses arising from unauthorized account use that you could have prevented with reasonable care.

3. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Use the Service to violate any law or the rights of any third party.
• Upload, share, or sync content you do not have the right to use, including copyrighted works distributed without permission.
• Attempt to disrupt, probe, or compromise the Service, our infrastructure, or other users' accounts and data, except to the extent permitted by a coordinated security disclosure to support@tessera.study.
• Use the Service to send spam, distribute malware, or harass other users.
• Resell, sublicense, or commercially redistribute the hosted Service without our written agreement.

4. Your content

You retain ownership of all content you create or upload to the Service ("Your Content"), including notes, annotations, citations, knowledge graphs, and uploaded documents. You grant us a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide license to host, store, transmit, encrypt, decrypt, render, and back up Your Content solely for the purpose of operating the Service for you and your invited collaborators.

If you choose to publish a graph publicly or share it with another user, you grant the recipients of that share the rights described in the visibility you select (read-only viewing, group membership, etc.). You can revoke shares and delete published content at any time from your account.

5. Third-party research APIs

The Service queries third-party academic metadata sources, including Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, arXiv, PubMed, Crossref, and others. The metadata returned by those services is supplied by the originating provider; we do not warrant its accuracy or completeness, and your use of that data is also subject to those providers' terms.

6. Authentication via Bluesky / AT Protocol

If you choose to link a Bluesky / AT Protocol account, the Service will store the access and refresh tokens necessary to act on your behalf for the scopes you authorize. You can revoke this link at any time from your profile, and you should also revoke the application authorization on your PDS for full effect.

7. Subscriptions and pricing

Some features may be offered free of charge, and others may require a paid subscription. Pricing, billing terms, and refund policies will be presented to you before you incur a charge, and your paid use is governed by those terms in addition to these Terms.

8. Termination and account deletion

You may delete your account at any time from your profile. Deletion takes effect after a 24-hour grace period during which the request can be cancelled, after which your personal data is wiped from our production database (see the Privacy Policy for details). Backups containing data prior to deletion may persist for up to 30 days before they roll off.

We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, that we are required to terminate to comply with the law, or that pose a security risk to other users or to the Service. Where reasonable, we will give you notice and an opportunity to export your data before termination.

9. Warranty disclaimer

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, 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 OR ERROR-FREE. TESSERA IS A RESEARCH TOOL — IT IS NOT A SYSTEM OF RECORD. KEEP YOUR OWN BACKUPS OF ANY WORK YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE.

10. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Tessera and its operators are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of data, lost profits, or business interruption, arising from your use of the Service, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. Our aggregate liability for any claim shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (b) USD 100.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Tessera and its operators from any claim, loss, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your use of the Service in violation of these Terms or any law.

12. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated by email or by an in-product notice prior to taking effect. Continued use of the Service after the effective date of an update constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.

13. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. The federal and state courts located in New Castle County, Delaware have exclusive jurisdiction over any disputes arising under these Terms, except that either party may seek injunctive relief in any court of competent jurisdiction.

14. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email support@tessera.study.

By creating an account you also agree to our Privacy Policy.