The agreement between you and the people who make Sown.
These Terms of Service (the "Terms") are a legal agreement between you and Monsevais, LLC ("Sown", "we", "us") covering the Sown app for iPhone, its widget, the website at sownbibleapp.com, and the content and services available through them (together, the "Service"). By downloading, installing or using the Service you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
The short version
Sown is free to use. Supporter is an optional weekly subscription billed by Apple that renews until you cancel it in your iPhone's Settings.
You get a personal license to use the App. The App, its artwork, its name and its code belong to us; the Bible texts inside it are public domain.
Use Sown honestly: don't copy it, break it, abuse our servers or try to get around the subscription.
Sown is provided as is. It is a tool for memorizing Scripture, not a replacement for a church, a pastor or professional advice.
If something goes wrong, our liability is limited as set out below, and we'll try to sort problems out with you directly first.
You must be at least 13 years old (or the minimum age at which you can agree to terms like these where you live) to use the Service on your own. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must review these Terms with you and agree to them on your behalf, and they are responsible for your use. A parent who sets up a family profile for a child is using the Service on that child's behalf and accepts these Terms for that use. By using the Service you confirm that you meet these requirements and that you are not barred from using it under any applicable law.
2. Your license to use the App
Subject to these Terms, we grant you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to install and use the App on Apple-branded devices that you own or control, as permitted by the App Store Terms of Service and its usage rules, including Family Sharing where Apple allows it. The App is licensed to you, not sold. We and our licensors keep all rights not expressly granted.
3. Profiles and your device
Sown has no accounts. Profiles, saved verses, progress and settings are stored on your device only, and you are responsible for keeping your device secure and backed up. We cannot recover data that is lost when a device is erased, lost or replaced, because we never had a copy. Using the App with a passcode-protected device and iCloud device backup is the way to protect your progress.
4. Free and Supporter plans
The Free plan includes the complete Bible in the bundled translations, all practice modes, the Verse widget, one profile, and up to ten saved verses at a time. The Supporter plan removes the saved-verse limit and allows up to four profiles on the device. We may change what each plan includes, add plans or change prices for future periods; we will not reduce what your current paid period includes without notice, and any price change takes effect only when you next renew, after Apple has notified you as its rules require.
5. Subscription terms
Billing. Supporter is an auto-renewing subscription sold and billed by Apple through the App Store, at the price shown in the App for your storefront. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase.
Renewal. The subscription renews automatically for the same period (one week) unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your Apple Account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the current period ends.
Cancelling. You can manage or cancel at any time in your iPhone's Settings under your Apple Account, then Subscriptions, or from the Manage subscription button in the App. Cancelling stops future renewals; it does not refund the current period. When a paid period ends, verses and profiles beyond the Free limits stay on the device but no further verses or profiles can be added until you are back within those limits or subscribe again.
Refunds. Because Apple handles payment, refund requests are made to Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com and decided under Apple's policies. We cannot issue refunds ourselves.
Free trials and offers. If we offer a free trial or introductory price in future, its length and the price after it ends will be shown before you subscribe. Unused trial time is forfeited when you buy a subscription.
Restoring. Use Restore purchases in the App to re-activate an existing subscription on a new or reinstalled device signed in with the same Apple Account.
6. Scripture, audio and other content
Bible texts. The App includes the Berean Standard Bible (released to the public domain under CC0 by Bible Hub and the Berean Bible project), the World English Bible (public domain; "World English Bible" is a trademark of eBible.org) and the King James Version (public domain in the United States; in the United Kingdom, rights are held under Crown letters patent). These texts are provided as published; we make no claim to them, and we may add, update or remove translations. You may quote Scripture from the App freely, subject to any conditions their publishers attach.
Narration. Spoken verses are generated from the Bible text with synthetic voices, not recorded by the people pictured as narrators. They are provided for personal listening within the App and may not be extracted, redistributed or used to train other systems.
The Scroll. Verse selections in the Scroll are curated by us. They are an invitation to read, not a theological endorsement, and you should read any verse in its context in the Bible.
Our content. The App's design, artwork, icon, copy, sound, code and the Sown name and logo are owned by Monsevais, LLC or its licensors and protected by copyright, trademark and other laws. Fonts are used under the SIL Open Font License.
7. Acceptable use
You agree not to, and not to help anyone else to:
copy, modify, distribute, sell, rent, sublicense or create derivative works of the App or any part of it, except as these Terms or the law expressly allow;
reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble or otherwise try to obtain the source code of the App, except to the extent the law allows this despite a contractual restriction;
circumvent, disable or interfere with the subscription, plan limits, security or content protections of the Service;
access our servers other than through the App as we provide it, including scraping, bulk-downloading content or audio, probing or overloading the service, or using our APIs in your own product without written permission;
use the Service to break the law, infringe anyone's rights, or send us anything unlawful or harmful;
remove or alter any copyright, trademark or other notice;
misrepresent your affiliation with Sown, or use the Sown name, icon or artwork in a way that suggests we endorse you.
8. Intellectual property and feedback
All intellectual property in the Service belongs to Monsevais, LLC and its licensors. "Sown" and the Sown leaf and sprout marks are our trademarks; you may not use them without our written permission other than to refer to the App by name. If you send us ideas, suggestions or feedback, you agree we may use them without restriction or payment to you, and you confirm you have the right to give them.
9. Third-party services
The Service depends on services we do not control, including the App Store, Apple's speech-recognition and notification frameworks, and the hosting providers that run our servers. Their availability and terms are outside our control, and your use of them is governed by their own terms. Links to other websites (for example our social profiles) are provided for convenience; we are not responsible for their content.
10. Changes to the Service
We are a small team and we improve Sown often. We may add, change or remove features, translations, voices or content at any time, and we may suspend or discontinue the Service or any part of it. Where a change materially reduces a paid feature during a period you have already paid for, your remedy is to contact Apple for a refund under its policies. Content stored on your device remains yours to export or delete as the App allows.
11. Disclaimers
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE", WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT THE LAW ALLOWS. We do not promise that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure or free of harmful components, that Scripture texts, translations or narration are free of errors, or that scores, speech recognition or progress tracking will be accurate. Sown is a tool for learning Scripture. It is not a substitute for the counsel of a church, pastor or qualified professional, and nothing in the Service is medical, legal, financial or pastoral advice. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties, so parts of this section may not apply to you.
12. Limitation of liability
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT THE LAW ALLOWS, MONSEVAIS, LLC AND ITS MEMBERS, MANAGERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS AND LICENSORS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF DATA, PROFITS, GOODWILL OR USE, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE OR THESE TERMS, HOWEVER CAUSED AND UNDER ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US THROUGH THE APP STORE IN THE TWELVE MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM AND (B) FIFTY U.S. DOLLARS (US$50). These limits do not apply to liability that cannot be limited by law, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or willful misconduct. Where the law does not allow some of these limits, they apply to the maximum extent permitted.
13. Your responsibility for misuse
If a third party brings a claim against us because you used the Service in breach of these Terms or the law, you agree to defend and indemnify Monsevais, LLC and the people listed in section 12 against that claim, including reasonable legal fees, to the extent the law permits. We will notify you of the claim and may take over its defense at our own cost.
14. Ending the agreement
You can end this agreement at any time by deleting the App; cancel any subscription first so it does not renew. We may suspend or end your license if you breach these Terms, if we must for legal reasons, or if we discontinue the Service. Sections that by their nature should survive (including 6, 8, 11 to 13, 15, 16 and 18) continue after termination.
15. Terms required by Apple
Because the App is distributed through the App Store, Apple requires the following, which applies in addition to the rest of these Terms:
Acknowledgement. These Terms are between you and Monsevais, LLC only, not Apple. Apple is not responsible for the App or its content. If these Terms conflict with the App Store Terms of Service, the App Store Terms govern for the matter in question.
Scope of license. The license in section 2 is limited to a non-transferable license to use the App on Apple-branded products that you own or control, as permitted by the usage rules in the App Store Terms of Service, except that the App may be accessed and used by other accounts associated with you through Family Sharing or volume purchasing.
Maintenance and support. We are solely responsible for providing any maintenance and support for the App. Apple has no obligation to furnish any maintenance or support services for it.
Warranty. We are solely responsible for any product warranties, whether express or implied by law, to the extent not effectively disclaimed. If the App fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price for the App to you. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Apple has no other warranty obligation whatsoever with respect to the App, and any other claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs or expenses attributable to a failure to conform to a warranty are our responsibility.
Product claims. We, not Apple, are responsible for addressing any claims by you or any third party relating to the App or your possession or use of it, including (i) product liability claims, (ii) any claim that the App fails to conform to an applicable legal or regulatory requirement, and (iii) claims under consumer protection, privacy or similar legislation, including in connection with the App's use of the HealthKit and HomeKit frameworks (which Sown does not use).
Intellectual property claims. If a third party claims that the App or your possession and use of it infringes that party's intellectual property rights, we, not Apple, are solely responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement and discharge of that claim.
Legal compliance. You represent and warrant that (i) you are not located in a country subject to a U.S. Government embargo or designated by the U.S. Government as a "terrorist supporting" country, and (ii) you are not listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
Developer contact. Questions, complaints and claims about the App go to Monsevais, LLC at hello@sownbibleapp.com.
Third-party terms. You must comply with any applicable third-party terms when using the App, such as your wireless data service agreement.
Third-party beneficiary. Apple and Apple's subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms. Upon your acceptance of these Terms, Apple will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce these Terms against you as a third-party beneficiary.
16. Governing law and disputes
Talk to us first. If you have a problem with Sown, email hello@sownbibleapp.com. Most issues can be fixed quickly. Before starting any formal proceeding, you agree to give us a written description of the problem and 30 days to resolve it.
Governing law. These Terms and any dispute arising out of or relating to them or the Service are governed by the laws of the state in which Monsevais, LLC is organized and the federal laws of the United States, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. If you are a consumer in a country whose law gives you protections that cannot be waived by contract, you keep those protections.
Where disputes are heard. Any claim that cannot be resolved informally will be brought in the state or federal courts located in the county and state of Monsevais, LLC's principal place of business, and you consent to their jurisdiction, except that either party may bring an eligible claim in small-claims court, and we may seek an injunction in any court to protect our intellectual property.
Individual claims. To the extent the law allows, claims must be brought in your individual capacity and not as a plaintiff or class member in any class, consolidated or representative proceeding.
Time limit. To the extent the law allows, any claim relating to the Service must be filed within one year after it arose, or it is permanently barred.
17. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. The effective date at the top will change and the new version will be posted here. For material changes we will also show a notice in the App or on the Site before they take effect. If you keep using the Service after the effective date, the new Terms apply; if you do not agree, stop using the Service and cancel any subscription.
18. General
Entire agreement. These Terms, the Privacy Policy and any additional terms we present for a specific feature are the entire agreement between you and us about the Service and replace any earlier agreements.
Severability. If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, that part will be enforced to the extent permitted and the rest will remain in effect.
No waiver. If we do not enforce a provision, that is not a waiver of our right to do so later.
Assignment. You may not assign or transfer these Terms. We may assign them to an affiliate or a successor to the Service, and will post notice when we do.
Export. The App may be subject to U.S. export laws. You agree not to export or re-export it in violation of those laws.
Force majeure. We are not liable for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control.
Language. These Terms are written in English. Any translation is for convenience, and the English version controls.