# Worked Example — ToS Decoder

## The brief

A freelance illustrator is about to join "Artfolio Plus," a portfolio-hosting service ($9/mo), and pastes the 6,000-word Terms of Service: "I upload my client work there — what am I agreeing to?"

## The output

### ToS Decode: Artfolio Plus — as of the pasted version

**The verdict:** Two clauses genuinely matter for a working illustrator; one is a leave-the-service problem. The rest is standard SaaS boilerplate you can stop worrying about.

**Findings, ranked by real-world impact**

| # | Clause | What it actually says | Should you care? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | §7 Content License | "…perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, and *distribute* your content *in any media*" | 🔴 **Yes.** This exceeds what hosting requires ("display on the service" would suffice). "Sublicensable + any media" can mean your client's artwork in their marketing, forever, even after you delete it ("perpetual, irrevocable"). For client work you may not even *have* the right to grant this. |
| 2 | §12 Arbitration + class waiver | Disputes go to individual binding arbitration in their home state; no class actions; 30-day opt-out window by email | 🟡 **Somewhat.** Standard in US consumer ToS — but the 30-day **opt-out** is real and free: send the email now, keep your options. |
| 3 | §9 Termination | They may terminate "for any reason, without notice," with content deleted after 14 days | 🟡 Pair this with your own backups; 14 days is a short recovery window for a portfolio. |
| 4 | §4 Unilateral changes | Terms may change "at any time; continued use constitutes acceptance" | 🟡 Standard but note: the §7 license could get *worse* silently. Calendar a quarterly skim. |
| 5 | §15 Data | Usage analytics shared with "partners"; portfolio *images* excluded from ad-training "at this time" | 🟡 "At this time" is doing heavy lifting — see §4. |
| 6 | §3, §5, §11 | Account rules, payment terms, acceptable use | 🟢 Boilerplate; matches every competitor. |

**The one thing to do before subscribing:** email the §12 opt-out (address is in the clause; a two-line email preserves your right to sue in small claims). **The one question to ask support:** "Will you amend §7 to a non-exclusive display-only license, or confirm in writing that content is only used to operate the service?" Their answer — or non-answer — tells you what §7 is for.

**Walk-away line:** if client contracts forbid sublicensing (most do), §7 as written is incompatible with hosting client work. Host personal work only, or use a service whose license reads "solely to display and operate."

*This is a plain-language reading, not legal advice — laws vary by jurisdiction; confirm anything load-bearing with a qualified professional.*

## Why it's shaped this way

- **Ranked by impact on THIS user** (an illustrator hosting client work) — §7 leads because content licensing is her livelihood; the same ToS decoded for a hobbyist would rank differently.
- **Every finding gets a "should you care?" verdict** — the skill's core promise; findings without verdicts are just quotation.
- **The 30-day arbitration opt-out is surfaced as an action** — the rare ToS clause where a concrete cheap act preserves rights; decoders hunt for those.
- **"At this time" and "perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable" are quoted verbatim** — the load-bearing words, per the quality checks.
- **Boilerplate is affirmatively marked 🟢** — an all-alarm decode teaches the reader to ignore decodes.
- **The walk-away condition is stated** — honest decoders name when no negotiation fixes the mismatch.