Terms of Service

1 Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User") and Defend.ink ("Company", "we", "us", "our") governing your access to and use of the Defend.ink website and platform (collectively, the "Service").

By registering for an account, clicking "I agree", or otherwise accessing or using the Service, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, you must not access or use the Service.

2 Definitions

• "Platform" means the Defend.ink website, web application, APIs, and all related services.
• "Lawyer" / "Advocate" means a registered legal professional who uses Defend.ink to manage their practice.
• "Client" means any individual who seeks or books a legal consultation through the Platform.
• "Consultation" means a paid or unpaid legal consultation session facilitated through the Platform.
• "Content" means any text, files, documents, messages, or other materials uploaded to or transmitted through the Platform.
• "Subscription" means a paid plan purchased by a Lawyer to access premium Platform features.
• "Bot" means the AI-powered legal assistant feature that sends automated responses on behalf of a Lawyer.

3 Eligibility

To use the Service, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be legally capable of entering into a binding contract under Indian law
• Not be barred from receiving services under any applicable law

Lawyers additionally must hold a valid Certificate of Enrolment issued by a State Bar Council. By registering as a Lawyer, you represent and warrant that your enrolment is current and in good standing.

4 Accounts

You must register for an account to access most features of the Platform. When you register, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information
• Maintain and update your information to keep it accurate
• Keep your password confidential and not share it with any third party
• Be responsible for all activity that occurs under your account
• Notify us immediately at support@defend.ink if you suspect unauthorised access

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that provide false or misleading information or that are used in violation of these Terms.

You may not create more than one individual account. Shared or team accounts must be arranged through our enterprise offering.

5 Our Services

Defend.ink provides a technology platform that enables:

• Lawyers to manage consultations, client communications, documents, and scheduling
• Clients to discover lawyers and book consultations
• Automated intake and communication via AI-assisted chat bots
• Payment collection for consultation fees
• Document management and case notes

Defend.ink is a technology intermediary and is not a law firm. We do not provide legal advice, legal representation, or legal opinions. Any legal advice or professional guidance comes from the registered Advocate you engage with — not from Defend.ink or its AI features.

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any feature or the Service at any time, with reasonable notice where practicable.

6 Lawyer Obligations

As a registered Lawyer on Defend.ink, you agree to:

• Maintain valid enrolment with your State Bar Council for the duration of your use of the Platform
• Comply at all times with the Bar Council of India Rules on Professional Standards and the Advocates Act, 1961
• Honour consultation bookings confirmed through the Platform and provide the service you have advertised
• Not solicit any client for matters outside the Platform in a manner that violates Bar Council rules
• Ensure that fees displayed and charged through the Platform are accurate and do not misrepresent the service
• Keep client communications confidential in accordance with your professional obligations
• Supervise and take responsibility for all content sent through the AI bot on your behalf — you are responsible for reviewing, correcting, and approving bot messages
• Not use the Platform to engage in any act that violates the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, or any order of a court

7 Client Obligations

As a Client using the Platform, you agree to:

• Provide accurate and truthful information when booking a consultation
• Attend scheduled consultations on time or provide reasonable advance notice of cancellation
• Not use the Platform to harass, threaten, or abuse any Lawyer or other user
• Understand that the Platform facilitates access to legal professionals but does not guarantee any particular legal outcome
• Pay consultation fees as agreed before or at the time of booking

8 Payments & Subscriptions

Lawyer Subscriptions: Paid subscription plans are offered on monthly or annual billing cycles. Subscription fees are charged in advance. By subscribing, you authorise us to charge the applicable fee to your chosen payment method.

• Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the renewal date
• Subscription fees are non-refundable except as required by applicable law or as expressly stated in our refund policy
• We reserve the right to change subscription pricing with 30 days' advance notice to existing subscribers

Consultation Fees: Fees paid by Clients for consultations are collected by Defend.ink on behalf of the respective Lawyer. In the event of a dispute regarding a consultation, please contact us at support@defend.ink.

Payment Processing: All payments are processed through Razorpay. By making a payment, you also agree to Razorpay's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. We do not store your payment card details.

GST: Applicable Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be levied on subscription fees as required under Indian tax law. GST invoices will be provided upon request.

Refund Policy: Subscription refunds are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. If you experience a technical issue that prevents you from using the Service, contact us within 7 days of the charge and we will assess your claim. Consultation fee refunds are subject to agreement between the Client and the respective Lawyer.

9 Prohibited Conduct

You must not use the Service to:

• Violate any applicable law, regulation, or rule including those under the IT Act, 2000 and the Indian Penal Code
• Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your professional credentials
• Transmit spam, phishing messages, or unsolicited commercial communications
• Upload or share content that is defamatory, obscene, hateful, or infringes any third-party rights
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or extract source code from the Platform
• Use automated scripts, bots, or scrapers to extract data from the Platform (other than our own bot features)
• Circumvent any security feature, authentication system, or access control
• Interfere with the integrity or performance of the Service or its underlying infrastructure
• Use the Platform to facilitate money laundering, fraud, or any other financial crime

Violation of these prohibitions may result in immediate account termination and may be reported to law enforcement authorities.

10 Intellectual Property

All intellectual property rights in the Platform — including its design, software, logos, trademarks, and proprietary content — are owned by or licensed to Defend.ink. Nothing in these Terms grants you any right to use our trademarks or proprietary marks.

You retain ownership of the Content you upload to the Platform (documents, case notes, messages). By uploading Content, you grant Defend.ink a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to store, process, and display that Content solely as necessary to provide the Service to you.

You represent and warrant that you own or have the necessary rights to the Content you upload, and that it does not infringe the rights of any third party.

11 Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

We do not warrant that:

• The Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure at all times
• Any results obtained through the Service will be accurate or reliable
• The AI bot features will always produce correct, appropriate, or legally sound responses
• Any defects in the Service will be corrected within a specific timeframe

Use of the Service is at your own risk.

12 Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Defend.ink and its officers, directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any:

• Indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
• Loss of profits, revenue, goodwill, data, or business opportunity
• Damages arising from your reliance on any content provided by third-party Lawyers or AI-generated responses
• Damages resulting from unauthorised access to your account or data where you failed to maintain the security of your credentials

Our total aggregate liability to you for any claims arising from or related to the Service shall not exceed the greater of: (a) the total fees paid by you to Defend.ink in the three (3) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim; or (b) ₹1,000 (Indian Rupees One Thousand).

13 Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Defend.ink and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and licensors from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or relating to:

• Your use of or access to the Service
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any applicable law or the rights of any third party
• Content you upload or transmit through the Platform
• Any advice given or service rendered by you as a Lawyer through the Platform

14 Termination

By You: You may close your account at any time by contacting us at support@defend.ink. Closing your account does not entitle you to a refund of any prepaid subscription fees.

By Us: We may suspend or terminate your account and access to the Service at any time, with or without notice, if we believe you have violated these Terms, engaged in fraudulent activity, or for any other reason at our reasonable discretion. In cases of material breach, termination will be immediate.

Effect of Termination: Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination (including Intellectual Property, Disclaimer, Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, and Governing Law) shall survive.

15 Disputes & Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Dispute Resolution:

1. Informal Resolution: Before initiating any formal proceedings, you agree to first contact us at legal@defend.ink and attempt to resolve the dispute informally. We will attempt to respond and resolve the matter within 30 days.
2. Arbitration: If the dispute cannot be resolved informally, it shall be submitted to binding arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The seat and venue of arbitration shall be Hyderabad, Telangana. The arbitration shall be conducted in English by a sole arbitrator mutually agreed upon by the parties.
3. Jurisdiction: For matters not subject to arbitration (such as applications for injunctive relief), the courts of Hyderabad, Telangana shall have exclusive jurisdiction.

Nothing in this clause shall prevent either party from seeking urgent interim relief from a competent court.

16 Changes to Terms

We may revise these Terms at any time. When we make material changes, we will:

• Post the updated Terms on this page with a new effective date
• Send an email notification to registered users
• Show an in-app prompt asking you to review and acknowledge the updated Terms

Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree with the updated Terms, you must stop using the Service and close your account.

17 Contact Us

For any questions or concerns regarding these Terms of Service, please contact us: