Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using Pivotal at playpivotal.com (“the Service”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, please do not use the Service.

2. Description of Service

Pivotal is a free interactive decision game. You read the setup of a real historical crossroads moment, make a choice, and then see what actually happened. The Service includes:

• Free story player: Accessible without an account or payment.
• Newsletter (“The Pivotal Moment”): Optional email subscription delivering stories to your inbox.
• Optional account: For tracking progress and personalizing your experience.

3. User Conduct

When using Pivotal, you agree not to:

• Use automated tools, bots, or scrapers to access or extract content from the Service.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Service, its servers, or connected systems.
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or impose an unreasonable load on our infrastructure.
• Reproduce, redistribute, or republish our story content without written permission.
• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable laws or regulations.
• Submit false information when subscribing to the newsletter or creating an account.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate access for users who violate these terms.

4. Intellectual Property

All content on Pivotal — including story text, choice scenarios, reveal narratives, takeaway analysis, illustrations, design elements, and the Pivotal brand — is owned by Pivotal and protected by copyright and intellectual property laws.

You may:

• Share links to stories on social media or in personal communications.
• Quote brief excerpts (under 100 words) with attribution to Pivotal and a link to the original story.

You may not:

• Copy, reproduce, or republish full stories or substantial portions of story content.
• Create derivative works based on our content without written permission.
• Use our brand, logo, or design elements without written permission.

5. User Content

When you make choices within stories, those decisions are stored anonymously to generate aggregate statistics (e.g., “72% of players chose Option A”). By using the Service, you grant us permission to use your anonymized choice data for these aggregate insights.

6. Historical Content Disclaimer

Pivotal stories are based on real historical events, but they are presented in a narrative format designed for engagement and learning. While we strive for historical accuracy and cite our sources, some details may be simplified, condensed, or dramatized for the interactive format.

Pivotal is an educational entertainment product, not an academic reference. For authoritative historical research, we encourage you to consult primary sources and scholarly works.

7. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not guarantee that:

• The Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free.
• Any specific content will remain available at any particular URL.
• The results or insights from stories will be applicable to your personal decisions.

Pivotal is designed for entertainment and general learning. Nothing in our stories constitutes professional, financial, legal, or medical advice.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Pivotal and its operators shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Service. This includes, but is not limited to, damages for loss of data, goodwill, or other intangible losses.

Our total liability for any claim related to the Service shall not exceed the amount you have paid us in the 12 months prior to the claim (which, for free users, is zero).

9. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, for any reason, without prior notice. You may stop using the Service at any time. If you have a newsletter subscription, you can unsubscribe using the link in any email. If you have an account, you can request deletion by emailing us.

10. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we'll update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

For significant changes, we will make reasonable efforts to notify users — for example, through a banner on the site or a notice to newsletter subscribers.

11. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, United States, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising from these Terms or the Service shall be resolved in the courts of California.

12. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be limited or removed to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

13. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Reach us at legal@playpivotal.com.