Last updated: [date]
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of Top Shelf List (the "Service"), operated by Top Shelf List ("we," "us"). By creating an account or otherwise using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you don't agree, don't use the Service.
You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service (or the minimum age of digital consent in your jurisdiction, if higher). You're responsible for the accuracy of the information you register with and for all activity under your account, including anything done using your credentials. Tell us immediately if you suspect unauthorized access to your account.
Your username is unique and permanent once created — it can't be transferred or reused by someone else. Your display name is separate and can be changed at any time; it doesn't need to match your legal name and isn't verified. One account per person; we may terminate duplicate or automated accounts at our discretion.
You retain ownership of the reviews, comments, tags, and any other content you submit ("User Content"). By posting User Content, you grant Top Shelf List a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive, sublicensable license to host, store, reproduce, display, and distribute it in connection with operating and promoting the Service — for as long as it remains posted, and for a reasonable period after removal for backups, caching, and legal-compliance purposes.
You represent that you own or have the necessary rights to post your User Content, and that it doesn't infringe anyone else's rights or violate any law. You're solely responsible for what you post.
Without limiting anything else in these Terms, you agree not to:
We may investigate and take any action we deem appropriate for suspected violations, including those below.
Karma, trust levels, activity levels, and badges are informational reputation signals with no cash or exchange value. They're computed automatically from activity on the Service and may be recalculated, reset, capped, or adjusted at our discretion — including to correct manipulation — without notice or liability to you.
We may, but aren't obligated to, monitor, review, remove, or restrict access to any User Content or account, with or without notice, for any reason including a suspected violation of these Terms. We may suspend or terminate accounts for violations, repeat infringement notices, or at our discretion for conduct we determine is harmful to the Service or its users.
Top Shelf List is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program — see our Affiliate Disclosure. Product pricing, availability, and ratings displayed on the Service are supplied by Amazon's Product Advertising API and reflect a point-in-time snapshot; they may be stale, inaccurate, or no longer honored by Amazon by the time you view or act on them. Purchases you make on Amazon are governed entirely by Amazon's own terms and policies — we're not a party to that transaction and aren't responsible for order fulfillment, pricing errors, or product quality.
The Service's design, code, and branding (excluding User Content and third-party data) belong to Top Shelf List or its licensors. If you believe content on the Service infringes your copyright, send a notice meeting the requirements of 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3) to our designated agent at dmca@topshelflist.com. We'll remove or disable access to material we determine, in good faith, is infringing, and may terminate accounts of repeat infringers.
THE SERVICE AND ALL CONTENT ON IT ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. We don't warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that product/pricing data will be accurate or current. Reviews, comments, and community rankings reflect the opinions of individual users, not Top Shelf List's endorsement of any product.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, TOP SHELF LIST AND ITS OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS WON'T BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE OR ANY PURCHASE MADE ON A THIRD-PARTY SITE LINKED FROM IT — EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM RELATING TO THE SERVICE WON'T EXCEED [USD 100 / the amount you've paid us in the past 12 months, whichever is greater — Top Shelf List doesn't currently charge for accounts, so specify a fixed cap here].
You agree to indemnify and hold Top Shelf List harmless from any claim, damages, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your User Content, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any law or third-party right.
You may stop using the Service and request account deletion at any time (see our Privacy Policy). We may suspend or terminate your access for any reason, including violation of these Terms, with or without notice. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination — content licensing already granted, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification — do survive.
We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make a material change, we'll update the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, post a notice on the Service. Continuing to use the Service after a change takes effect means you accept the updated Terms.
These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. [Pin this to a specific state once Top Shelf List is actually incorporated/operated somewhere — governing law is normally the state of incorporation or principal place of business, not just "the United States" at large. Add the actual forum/arbitration clause your counsel recommends here too; small-scale community sites often use small-claims-or-binding-arbitration language, deliberately left unfilled rather than guessed at.]
Questions about these Terms: support@topshelflist.com.