Filament Terms of Service

Last updated: [date]

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a binding agreement between OnebyNine Systems LLC, a Michigan limited liability company, doing business as Filament ("Filament," "we," "us"), and the church or ministry organization that creates an account ("Church," "you"). By accepting these Terms in the Staff Console, by signing an order form that references them, or by using the Service, the individual accepting these Terms represents that they are authorized to bind the Church.

1.1 Definitions

• "Service" means the Filament platform at filament.church, including the Staff Console, the Congregation Site, and all related software, processing, and support.
• "Staff Console" means the password-protected interface where Authorized Users manage the Church's account and review, edit, hide, and approve content.
• "Congregation Site" means the Church's public-facing pages on the Service where Published Content is displayed.
• "Authorized User" means any person the Church permits to access the Staff Console, including anyone the Church gives its staff password to.
• "Source Content" means sermon videos, audio, transcripts, and related material that the Church directs Filament to retrieve, including content on the Church's YouTube channel.
• "Generated Content" means any output produced by the Service's automated processing of Source Content. Generated Content has two tiers:
  • "Automated Content" means the sermon summary, themes, tags, and scripture reference list produced for each sermon. Automated Content is Published on the Church's standing instruction, without a per-item approval step, and may be edited or hidden by an Authorized User from the Staff Console at any time.
  • "Reviewed Content" means each sermon's study guide. Reviewed Content is Published only after an Authorized User approves it in the Staff Console.
• "Publish" means the Service's update of the Congregation Site, run on a schedule after new Source Content is processed or on demand by an Authorized User. A Publish places on the Congregation Site all current Automated Content that has not been hidden, all approved Reviewed Content, and any edits an Authorized User has made. "Published Content" means Generated Content, as edited or unedited by an Authorized User, that is displayed on the Congregation Site.
• "Church Content" means Source Content and Published Content, collectively.
• "Third-Party Services" means services not operated by Filament that the Service depends on or interacts with, including YouTube, transcription providers, and AI model providers.

1.2 The Service

Filament provides a hosted platform that (a) retrieves Source Content from the Church's YouTube channel, (b) transcribes it, (c) generates summaries, themes, scripture references, and study guides from the transcript, (d) provides the Staff Console for Authorized Users to review, edit, hide, and approve that material, and (e) displays Published Content on the Congregation Site alongside an embedded player linking to the Church's YouTube videos.

Generated Content is produced by automated systems, including AI models. Automated Content is Published without per-item human review, on the Church's standing instruction given by using the Service, and the Church may edit or hide any of it from the Staff Console. Reviewed Content is not Published until an Authorized User approves it.

1.3 Account, Credentials, and Authorized Users

The Church is responsible for all activity that occurs under its staff password, whether or not the Church authorized that activity. The Church will keep its staff password confidential, limit it to people who need Staff Console access, and notify Filament promptly at [security@filament.church] if it believes the password has been compromised. Filament may rely on any action taken with a valid staff password as an action of the Church.

1.4 Subscription, Fees, and Implementation

Implementation fee. A one-time implementation fee of $[450–700] is due before onboarding begins and covers account setup and processing of the Church's existing sermon library as agreed at signup. Implementation fees are non-refundable once processing has started.

Subscription. The subscription fee is $[40] per month, billed [monthly in advance] to the payment method on file, beginning on [the date the account is activated]. The subscription renews automatically each month until cancelled.

Failed payment. If a payment fails, Filament will notify the Church and retry. If payment is not received within 14 days, Filament may suspend Staff Console access. If payment is not received within 30 days, Filament may terminate the account under Section 1.15. The Congregation Site remains visible during suspension unless the account is terminated.

Price changes. Filament may change subscription pricing with at least 30 days' written notice. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the new price.

Taxes. Fees exclude taxes. The Church is responsible for any applicable taxes other than taxes on Filament's income. If the Church claims tax-exempt status, it will provide documentation on request.

1.5 Source Content and Retrieval

Ownership. The Church retains all right, title, and interest in its Source Content. Nothing in these Terms transfers ownership of Source Content to Filament.

License to Filament. The Church grants Filament a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to access, copy, store, transcribe, analyze, and process Source Content solely to provide, maintain, secure, and improve the Service for the Church.

Retrieval from the Church's YouTube channel. The Church directs Filament to retrieve Source Content from the Church's own YouTube channel. By providing a channel or video link, the Church:

• represents that it owns or controls that channel and the content on it;
• directs Filament, as the Church's agent and on the Church's behalf, to access and process that content for the purpose of providing the Service;
• acknowledges that this retrieval depends on YouTube, a Third-Party Service that Filament does not control, and that YouTube may change its platform or policies in ways that affect the Service.

1.6 Generated Content and Published Content

Generated Content. Generated Content is produced by automated processing of Source Content. Because it is machine-generated, it may not qualify for copyright protection on its own. Filament makes Generated Content available to the Church in the Staff Console, and the Church may edit, hide, approve, or revert it. Filament may retain and use Generated Content, in de-identified and aggregated form only, to improve the Service. Filament will not publish, share, or display any Generated Content outside the Church's account and Congregation Site.

Published Content. The Church owns everything displayed on its Congregation Site. Filament assigns to the Church any right, title, or interest Filament may have in Generated Content at the moment it is Published, whether Automated Content or Reviewed Content, to the extent such rights exist. The Church grants Filament a non-exclusive license to host, display, and distribute Published Content on the Congregation Site and as otherwise necessary to provide the Service.

Effect of Publishing. Publishing is done at the Church's direction. Automated Content is Published on the Church's standing instruction, and the Church takes responsibility for it, with the ability to edit or hide any item afterwards. Reviewed Content is Published only after an Authorized User approves it; by approving, the Church confirms that an Authorized User has reviewed the content, takes responsibility for it, and directs Filament to display it on the Congregation Site.

1.7 Scripture Quotations

The Service does not print, store, or reproduce scripture text. Each passage is cited by reference and linked to Biblia.com in the translation the Church has chosen for it; on screen, the passage text is fetched from Faithlife's servers as it is shown — in previews and in study guides — under Faithlife's own permissions, and longer passages are shown in part with a link to the rest on Biblia.com. Printed study guides carry references only.

The Church acknowledges that most modern translations are copyrighted by their publishers and that publishers set conditions on quotation. If an Authorized User adds the text of a copyrighted translation to any content in the Staff Console, the Church is responsible for staying within that publisher's permission terms and for obtaining publisher permission where its use exceeds them. Filament will provide reasonable assistance, including removing quoted text at the Church's request, but does not verify compliance on the Church's behalf.

1.8 Human Review

The Church acknowledges that Generated Content can contain errors, including inaccurate summaries, misattributed or incorrect scripture references, and content that does not reflect the Church's teaching. The Church is responsible for reviewing Automated Content after it is Published and for approving Reviewed Content only after an Authorized User has read it. The Staff Console provides controls to edit or hide any item. The Church is solely responsible for the accuracy, doctrinal content, and appropriateness of everything displayed on its Congregation Site.

1.9 Filament Intellectual Property

Filament owns the Service, including its software, models, prompts, templates, design, and documentation, and all improvements to them. Except for the license in Section 1.10, no rights in the Service are granted to the Church. Feedback the Church provides about the Service may be used by Filament without restriction or compensation.

1.10 License to the Church

Subject to these Terms, Filament grants the Church a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Service during the subscription term for the Church's own ministry purposes. The Church will not (a) resell, sublicense, or provide the Service to a third party; (b) copy, modify, or create derivative works of the Service; (c) reverse engineer or attempt to extract the Service's source code, models, or prompts; or (d) use the Service to build a competing product.

1.11 Third-Party Services and Subprocessors

The Service depends on Third-Party Services, including:

• YouTube (content retrieval, publish notifications, thumbnails, and embedded playback), subject to YouTube's terms. Retrieval is made on the Church's behalf through an outbound proxy operated by or for Filament;
• Transcription providers, which receive sermon audio to produce transcripts: ElevenLabs by default, with Groq, OpenAI or Deepgram as alternatives, under Filament's account;
• AI model provider, which receives transcripts to produce Generated Content: Anthropic, under Filament's account;
• Hosting: OVHcloud, where the Service and Church Content are stored, with a backup copy held on Filament-controlled equipment;
• Certificate authority: Let's Encrypt, which issues TLS certificates for the Church's Congregation Site and Staff Console.

Filament maintains a current list of subprocessors at https://filament.church/subprocessors/ and will provide at least 15 days' notice before adding a new subprocessor that will process Church Content. Filament requires subprocessors to maintain confidentiality and security obligations no less protective than these Terms. Filament is responsible for its subprocessors' handling of Church Content to the same extent as its own.

Filament does not control Third-Party Services and is not responsible for their availability, changes, or actions, including any action YouTube takes with respect to the Church's channel or Filament's access.

1.12 Privacy and Data

Filament's collection and use of personal information is described in the Filament Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms. Where the Church provides personal information about its staff or congregants to the Service, the Church represents that it has the right to do so.

Filament will maintain reasonable technical, physical, and organizational safeguards for Church Content, including encryption in transit, per-church operating-system isolation, access controls, and nightly backups. Filament will notify the Church without undue delay, and in any case within 72 hours, after confirming a security incident affecting Church Content.

1.13 Confidentiality

Each party will keep confidential any non-public information the other party discloses in connection with the Service, use it only to perform under these Terms, and protect it with at least reasonable care. This does not apply to information that is public through no fault of the receiving party, was already known to it, or was independently developed. Either party may disclose confidential information when required by law, with prompt notice to the other party where lawful. Published Content on the Congregation Site is not confidential. These obligations survive termination for three years.

1.14 Availability and Support

Filament will use commercially reasonable efforts to keep the Service available, but does not guarantee uninterrupted availability. Filament may perform maintenance, and will try to schedule planned maintenance outside Sunday morning, U.S. time zones. Support is available by email at [support@filament.church] during [business hours, Eastern Time], with a target initial response of [one business day]. Filament does not offer service credits.

1.15 Term, Termination, and Data Export

Term. These Terms begin on account activation and continue until terminated.

Termination by the Church. The Church may cancel at any time by written notice to [support@filament.church]. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. No refunds are provided for partial periods.

Termination by Filament. Filament may terminate or suspend the Church's account (a) for material breach of these Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy that is not cured within 14 days after notice; (b) immediately for a breach that cannot be cured, that creates legal risk for Filament, or that harms other customers; (c) for non-payment under Section 1.4; or (d) on 60 days' notice if Filament discontinues the Service.

Data export. The Church may download its backup archive, containing its database (transcripts, Generated Content, edits, and settings), logos, and vocabulary maps, from the Staff Console at any time during the subscription and for 30 days after termination. Filament does not retain audio or video; the Church's videos remain on its YouTube channel. After the 30-day export period, Filament will delete Church Content within 60 days, except for backups, which will be deleted in the ordinary rotation not to exceed 90 days, and except as required by law.

Survival. Sections 1.5 (ownership), 1.6 (ownership), 1.9, 1.13, 1.16 through 1.19, 1.22, and 1.23 survive termination.

1.16 Representations and Warranties

By the Church. The Church represents and warrants that (a) it owns or has all necessary rights to the Source Content it directs Filament to retrieve; (b) it has the right to grant the licenses in these Terms; (c) its use of the Service and its Published Content will not infringe or misappropriate any third party's rights, including copyright in Bible translations, or violate any law; and (d) the individual accepting these Terms is authorized to bind the Church.

By Filament. Filament represents and warrants that (a) it has the right to enter into these Terms; and (b) the Service, when used as permitted, will not infringe any third party's U.S. copyright, trademark, or trade secret.

1.17 Disclaimer

EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY STATED IN SECTION 1.16, THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." FILAMENT DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, FILAMENT DOES NOT WARRANT THAT (A) GENERATED CONTENT WILL BE ACCURATE, COMPLETE, OR FREE OF ERRORS, INCLUDING ERRORS IN SCRIPTURE REFERENCES OR QUOTATIONS; (B) THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE; OR (C) ANY THIRD-PARTY SERVICE, INCLUDING YOUTUBE, WILL REMAIN AVAILABLE OR COMPATIBLE WITH THE SERVICE. THE CHURCH ACKNOWLEDGES THAT GENERATED CONTENT IS PRODUCED BY AUTOMATED SYSTEMS, THAT AUTOMATED CONTENT IS PUBLISHED WITHOUT PER-ITEM HUMAN REVIEW, AND THAT THE CHURCH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEWING IT.

1.18 Indemnification

By Filament. Filament will defend the Church against any third-party claim alleging that the Service itself, as provided by Filament and used as permitted, infringes a U.S. copyright, trademark, or trade secret, and will pay damages and costs finally awarded or agreed in settlement. This does not apply to claims arising from Church Content, scripture text added by the Church, the Church's modifications, or combination of the Service with things Filament did not provide. If the Service is or may be enjoined, Filament may modify it, obtain a license, or terminate the account and refund prepaid fees for the remaining term.

By the Church. The Church will defend Filament and its members, employees, and contractors against any third-party claim arising from (a) Source Content, including any claim that the Church did not have the right to direct its retrieval; (b) Published Content, including scripture text the Church added that exceeds a publisher's permitted use; (c) the Church's breach of Section 1.16 or the Acceptable Use Policy; or (d) any action taken under the Church's staff password; and will pay damages and costs finally awarded or agreed in settlement.

Process. The indemnified party will promptly notify the indemnifying party of the claim, give it sole control of the defense and settlement (provided no settlement admits fault by or imposes obligations on the indemnified party without its consent), and cooperate reasonably at the indemnifying party's expense.

1.19 Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, NEITHER PARTY WILL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, LOST DATA, OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, ARISING OUT OF THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY.

EACH PARTY'S TOTAL LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE FEES PAID BY THE CHURCH TO FILAMENT IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.

THESE LIMITS DO NOT APPLY TO (A) A PARTY'S INDEMNIFICATION OBLIGATIONS UNDER SECTION 1.18; (B) A PARTY'S BREACH OF SECTION 1.13; (C) A PARTY'S GROSS NEGLIGENCE, FRAUD, OR WILLFUL MISCONDUCT; OR (D) THE CHURCH'S PAYMENT OBLIGATIONS.

1.20 Copyright Complaints

Filament responds to notices of alleged copyright infringement under its Copyright Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms. Filament may remove or disable access to content that is the subject of a valid notice, and may terminate the accounts of repeat infringers.

1.21 Changes to These Terms

Filament may update these Terms. For material changes, Filament will give at least 30 days' notice by email to the Church's account contact, and the Staff Console will ask an Authorized User to accept the updated Terms before continuing. Continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance. If the Church does not agree, it may cancel before the effective date. Non-material changes (such as clarifications or contact updates) take effect on posting.

1.22 Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Michigan, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. The parties will attempt in good faith to resolve any dispute informally for at least 30 days after written notice. Any dispute not so resolved will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in [county], Michigan, and each party consents to that jurisdiction. [Alternative: binding arbitration under the AAA Commercial Rules, with a small-claims carve-out.]

1.23 General

Entire agreement. These Terms, the Acceptable Use Policy, the Privacy Policy, the Copyright Policy, and any signed order form are the entire agreement and supersede prior discussions. If an order form conflicts with these Terms, the order form controls for that Church. Acceptance of these Terms may be recorded by signed order form or in the Staff Console; either is sufficient.

Assignment. The Church may not assign these Terms without Filament's consent. Filament may assign them to a successor in a merger, acquisition, or sale of substantially all assets, with notice.

Notices. Notices to Filament go to [legal@filament.church]. Notices to the Church go to the account contact email. Email notice is effective the next business day.

Force majeure. Neither party is liable for delay or failure caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including outages of Third-Party Services.

Relationship. The parties are independent contractors. Nothing creates a partnership, joint venture, or agency except as expressly stated in Section 1.5.

Waiver and severability. Failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. If a provision is unenforceable, it will be modified to the minimum extent necessary and the rest remains in effect.

Export and sanctions. The Church represents it is not on any U.S. sanctions list and will not use the Service in violation of U.S. export law.