Terms of Service
# TERMS OF USE
Effective Date: October 23, 2026
These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of joinanimus.com, ai.joinanimus.com, Animus AI, and other websites, products, digital services, and materials operated by Mark Derian LLC d/b/a Animus (“Mark Derian LLC,” “Animus,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).
By accessing or using our websites or services, creating an account, starting a free trial, purchasing a subscription, or otherwise indicating your agreement to these Terms, you agree to be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, and any additional terms that apply to a particular product or service.
If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the applicable website or service.
## 1. OUR SERVICES
Mark Derian LLC provides educational content, books, courses, events, psychological and philosophical material, and other products and services.
We also operate Animus AI, an artificial-intelligence-guided reflection tool designed to help users bring emotional and psychological material into conscious awareness and put it into words.
Different products or professional services offered by Mark Derian LLC may be subject to additional agreements, informed-consent documents, payment terms, or other conditions. If additional terms conflict with these Terms, the more specific terms governing that particular service will control.
## 2. ANIMUS AI IS NOT PSYCHOTHERAPY OR MEDICAL CARE
Animus AI is not psychotherapy, medical care, psychiatric care, diagnosis, treatment, or emergency or crisis care.
Animus AI is an automated reflection and emotional-processing tool. Its purpose is to help users examine and articulate psychological or emotional material.
Use of Animus AI does not create a therapist-client, psychologist-patient, physician-patient, fiduciary, or other professional healthcare relationship with Mark Derian LLC, Mark Derian, or any other person.
Mark Derian LLC may separately offer psychotherapy or other professional services. Those services are distinct from Animus AI and, where applicable, are governed by separate professional agreements or informed-consent documents.
Nothing generated by Animus AI should be understood as a professional diagnosis, treatment recommendation, medical instruction, or substitute for individualized professional care.
## 3. EMERGENCIES AND CRISIS SITUATIONS
Animus AI is not designed to respond to emergencies or situations involving immediate danger.
If you believe that you or another person is in immediate danger, may harm yourself or another person, or requires urgent medical or psychiatric assistance, do not rely on Animus AI.
Contact emergency services or an appropriate crisis resource in your location.
In the United States, you may call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or call 911 for an immediate emergency.
## 4. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LIMITATIONS
Animus AI uses artificial intelligence to generate responses.
Artificial intelligence is probabilistic and may produce information that is inaccurate, incomplete, inconsistent, inappropriate, or simply wrong.
Animus AI does not independently know whether statements you make are factually correct, whether another person's behavior has been accurately described, whether an interpretation is true, or whether an AI-generated response is suitable for your circumstances.
You are responsible for evaluating information generated by the service and deciding what significance, if any, to give it.
You should not rely on Animus AI as the sole basis for medical, psychiatric, legal, financial, safety-critical, or other high-stakes decisions.
## 5. NO GUARANTEE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOME
We make no guarantee that use of Animus AI or any other Animus material will produce a particular emotional, psychological, interpersonal, behavioral, professional, or other outcome.
Reflection on psychological material may sometimes be uncomfortable, upsetting, confusing, or emotionally intense.
You remain responsible for deciding whether and how to use the service and whether additional professional or personal support is appropriate for you.
## 6. AGE REQUIREMENTS
Animus AI accounts are intended for adults age 18 and older.
You may not create or use an Animus AI account if you are under 18.
Other publicly available material on joinanimus.com may be accessible without an account, but nothing on the website is intended to circumvent legal requirements concerning minors.
## 7. ACCOUNTS
Certain features require an account.
You agree to provide accurate information when creating or maintaining an account and to keep your login credentials confidential.
You are responsible for activity occurring through your account to the extent permitted by law.
You must notify us promptly if you believe your account has been accessed without authorization.
You may not impersonate another person, create an account using information you are not authorized to use, or attempt to gain access to another user's account.
## 8. PRIVACY
Our collection and use of personal information are described in our Privacy Policy, available at:
https://joinanimus.com/privacy
Because Animus AI may process information concerning emotional or psychological experiences, certain information may also constitute consumer health data under applicable law.
Additional disclosures and rights concerning such information are described in our separate Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy, available at:
https://joinanimus.com/health-data-privacy
Your use of the service is also subject to those policies.
## 9. CONTENT YOU PROVIDE TO ANIMUS AI
You retain whatever rights you otherwise have in the original content that you submit to Animus AI.
We do not take ownership of your private reflections merely because you enter them into the service.
You grant Mark Derian LLC a limited, non-exclusive license to host, store, transmit, reproduce, process, and otherwise use content you submit only as reasonably necessary to:
provide Animus AI to you;
generate AI responses;
maintain your active and completed reflections;
create and display summaries;
allow you to review and edit saved information;
operate, secure, troubleshoot, and maintain the service;
comply with law; and
exercise rights or obligations described in these Terms or our privacy policies.
This license does not authorize us to publicly publish your private Animus AI content, sell it as content, or use it for targeted advertising.
The license ends when the information is deleted from our systems, except to the extent limited retention is permitted or required for backups, security, fraud prevention, legal compliance, dispute resolution, or other purposes described in our Privacy Policy.
## 10. AI-GENERATED OUTPUT
Animus AI may generate questions, summaries, formulations, reflections, or other output in response to information you provide.
You may use output generated specifically for you for your personal purposes, subject to applicable law and third-party rights.
AI-generated output may not be unique. Other users may receive similar or identical language.
We do not guarantee that AI-generated material is original, copyrightable, accurate, or free from third-party claims.
## 11. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OWNED BY MARK DERIAN LLC
Except for content owned by users or third parties, the websites and services and the materials made available through them are owned by or licensed to Mark Derian LLC and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual-property laws.
This includes, where applicable, our books, articles, videos, courses, written materials, frameworks, terminology, software, interface content, graphics, branding, and other original material.
Unless expressly permitted by us or by law, you may not reproduce, republish, distribute, sell, sublicense, publicly display, commercially exploit, or create derivative products from our proprietary materials.
You may download or print reasonable portions of publicly available material for your own personal, noncommercial use provided that you do not remove copyright or proprietary notices.
Use of Animus AI does not give you ownership of the underlying software, prompts, system instructions, proprietary frameworks, reference materials, databases, or other technology used to operate the service.
## 12. LINKS AND FRAMING
You may link to publicly accessible portions of joinanimus.com so long as the link does not falsely imply that Mark Derian LLC sponsors, endorses, or is affiliated with you.
You may not frame, mirror, embed, or reproduce substantial portions of our websites or proprietary content in another product or service without our written permission.
## 13. ACCEPTABLE USE
You may use our services only for lawful purposes.
You may not use the websites or services to violate the law or the rights of another person; obtain unauthorized access to accounts, systems, networks, databases, prompts, credentials, or information; interfere with the operation or security of the service; introduce malware or harmful code; attempt to circumvent authentication, subscription, payment, usage, or security restrictions; scrape or systematically extract protected service content except as permitted by law; use another person's account without authorization; falsely impersonate another person or organization; exploit the service to harass, threaten, defraud, or unlawfully injure another person; or use our proprietary materials commercially without authorization.
You also may not attempt to obtain hidden system instructions, confidential credentials, private user information, or other information that the service does not intentionally make available to you.
We may take reasonable measures to detect or prevent abuse, fraud, security threats, and unauthorized access.
## 14. PURCHASES GENERALLY
Some products and services are available for purchase through our websites or through third-party payment processors.
You agree that information you provide in connection with a purchase is accurate and that you are authorized to use the payment method provided.
Product-specific descriptions, prices, refund terms, event terms, or other conditions displayed at the time of purchase may supplement these Terms.
You are financially responsible for purchases made through your account or by a person you authorize to act on your behalf.
## 15. ANIMUS AI FREE TRIAL AND SUBSCRIPTION
Animus AI currently offers eligible first-time users a 7-day free trial, followed by a subscription of $10 per month unless canceled.
A valid payment method may be required when starting the free trial.
Unless you cancel before the free trial expires, the subscription automatically converts to a paid monthly subscription and your payment method will be charged the then-applicable monthly subscription price.
After conversion to a paid subscription, the subscription automatically renews each month until canceled.
Only one free trial is available per eligible user/email address unless we expressly state otherwise.
We may use limited account or pseudonymous information to prevent repeated use of introductory free trials.
Before beginning a subscription, you will be shown the material price and renewal terms applicable to the offer.
By completing the subscription enrollment process, you authorize the recurring charges described to you at checkout until you cancel.
## 16. CANCELING AN ANIMUS AI SUBSCRIPTION
You may cancel an Animus AI subscription through the Manage Billing option in your Animus AI account.
If you cancel during the free trial, your access ordinarily continues until the end of the trial, after which the subscription ends and you will not be charged the monthly subscription fee.
If you cancel an active paid monthly subscription, cancellation ordinarily takes effect at the end of the current paid billing period, and you retain access through that period.
Deleting your Animus AI account is designed to cancel any active subscription as part of the account-deletion process and may end access immediately.
We will provide subscription, renewal, cancellation, and price-change notices required by applicable law.
## 17. CHANGES TO SUBSCRIPTION PRICING
We may change subscription prices in the future.
Any price change will apply in accordance with applicable law and any notice or consent requirements that apply to your subscription.
A change in price will not authorize us to charge an amount that applicable law requires us to disclose or obtain your consent for without satisfying those requirements.
## 18. REFUNDS
Unless a specific product or service states otherwise, purchases are nonrefundable except where a refund is required by law.
For Animus AI, canceling a subscription stops future renewal charges but does not ordinarily create a right to a refund for a billing period that has already begun.
If you believe you were charged in error, contact us promptly at privacy@joinanimus.com.
Nothing in this section limits refund rights that cannot lawfully be waived.
Other products, courses, events, professional services, or offerings may have their own refund or cancellation policies, which will control for those purchases.
## 19. ACCOUNT DELETION
Animus AI allows you to permanently delete your account through the Account page.
Account deletion is designed to delete your active Animus AI authentication account and stored application data associated with the account, including saved reflections, messages, and summaries.
Account deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.
Certain limited records may remain where permitted or required for security, fraud prevention, backup integrity, payment processing, legal compliance, dispute resolution, or the one-free-trial-per-user policy, as explained in our Privacy Policy.
Payment processors and other service providers may separately retain information they are legally permitted or required to retain.
## 20. THIRD-PARTY SERVICES
Our websites and services rely on or link to third-party products and services.
These may include, among others, OpenAI, Supabase, Render, Stripe, Resend, Squarespace, and other service providers.
We do not control third-party websites or services and are not responsible for their independent acts, content, availability, security, or privacy practices except to the extent responsibility cannot lawfully be disclaimed.
Your use of third-party services may also be governed by their own terms and policies.
## 21. PROFESSIONAL SERVICES OFFERED SEPARATELY
Mark Derian LLC or individuals associated with it may separately offer psychotherapy, consultation, education, groups, courses, or other professional or educational services.
Purchasing or using Animus AI does not establish a professional therapeutic relationship.
If you separately enter into a psychotherapy or other professional relationship, that relationship may be governed by a separate agreement, informed-consent document, confidentiality rules, professional obligations, and applicable law.
Those separate obligations are not replaced by these Terms.
## 22. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, OUR WEBSITES, ANIMUS AI, CONTENT, PRODUCTS, AND DIGITAL SERVICES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.”
MARK DERIAN LLC DISCLAIMS WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, TO THE EXTENT SUCH WARRANTIES MAY LAWFULLY BE DISCLAIMED.
WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR FREE FROM HARMFUL COMPONENTS, OR THAT EVERY DEFECT WILL BE CORRECTED.
WE DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, RELIABILITY, OR SUITABILITY OF AI-GENERATED OUTPUT OR OTHER INFORMATION PROVIDED THROUGH THE SERVICE.
SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT PERMIT CERTAIN WARRANTY DISCLAIMERS, SO SOME OF THESE DISCLAIMERS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
## 23. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, MARK DERIAN LLC AND ITS OWNERS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AFFILIATES, LICENSORS, AND SERVICE PROVIDERS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL, OR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICES.
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF MARK DERIAN LLC ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICES OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO MARK DERIAN LLC FOR THE APPLICABLE SERVICE DURING THE TWELVE MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM OR $100.
THESE LIMITATIONS DO NOT APPLY WHERE APPLICABLE LAW PROHIBITS THEIR APPLICATION, INCLUDING TO LIABILITY THAT CANNOT LAWFULLY BE LIMITED OR EXCLUDED.
## 24. INDEMNIFICATION
To the extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Mark Derian LLC and its owners, officers, employees, contractors, and affiliates from third-party claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and reasonable costs arising from your unlawful misuse of the services, your material violation of these Terms, or content you submit that unlawfully infringes the rights of another person.
This obligation does not require you to indemnify us for claims caused by our own conduct where such indemnification would be prohibited by law.
## 25. SUSPENSION AND TERMINATION
We may suspend or terminate access to a service where reasonably necessary because of a violation of these Terms, fraud, nonpayment, security concerns, unlawful activity, abuse of the service, or circumstances that make continued operation impracticable or unlawful.
You may discontinue use of our services at any time and may delete an Animus AI account as described above.
Sections that by their nature should survive termination—including intellectual-property provisions, disclaimers, liability limitations, dispute provisions, and obligations concerning past conduct—will survive termination.
## 26. COPYRIGHT COMPLAINTS
We respect intellectual-property rights.
If you believe material available through a website operated by Mark Derian LLC infringes a copyright you own or are authorized to enforce, you may send a written copyright complaint to:
Your notice should identify the copyrighted work, identify the allegedly infringing material with enough information for us to locate it, provide your contact information, state your good-faith belief that the disputed use is unauthorized, and include any other information required by applicable law.
If Mark Derian LLC registers a designated agent under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the applicable designated-agent information may also be published or registered as required by law.
## 27. CHANGES TO THE SERVICES
We may modify, update, discontinue, or replace features of our websites or services.
Animus AI is an evolving product, and its interface, functionality, AI models, processes, pricing, and available features may change over time.
We do not guarantee that a particular feature will remain available indefinitely.
## 28. CHANGES TO THESE TERMS
We may update these Terms from time to time.
When we do, we will post the updated Terms and revise the Effective Date.
If a change materially affects existing users and applicable law requires additional notice or consent, we will provide that notice or obtain that consent as required.
Continued use after an effective change constitutes acceptance only to the extent permitted by applicable law.
## 29. GOVERNING LAW
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, except where federal law or another jurisdiction's mandatory consumer-protection law applies.
## 30. DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND ARBITRATION
Please read this section carefully because it affects legal rights.
Except for claims eligible for small-claims court and claims seeking injunctive or equitable relief concerning intellectual-property rights, unauthorized access, or misuse of systems, disputes arising out of or relating to these Terms or the applicable services will, to the extent permitted by law, be resolved through individual binding arbitration rather than a trial in court.
Arbitration will be administered by the American Arbitration Association under its applicable Consumer Arbitration Rules unless the parties agree otherwise.
The arbitration may be conducted remotely where permitted by the applicable rules or in California at a location reasonably convenient to the parties.
The arbitrator may award any individual remedy that a court could award to the extent permitted by law.
To the extent permitted by law, disputes will be resolved on an individual basis and not as a plaintiff or class member in a purported class, collective, consolidated, or representative proceeding.
You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by sending written notice to privacy@joinanimus.com within 30 days after first accepting these Terms. Your notice must identify the email address associated with your account and clearly state that you are opting out of the arbitration provision.
Nothing in this section prevents either party from bringing an eligible individual claim in small-claims court.
Nothing in this section waives rights or remedies that applicable law does not permit to be waived.
## 31. SEVERABILITY
If any provision of these Terms is found unlawful, invalid, or unenforceable, that provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted by law or severed where necessary, and the remaining provisions will remain in effect.
## 32. ASSIGNMENT
You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without our written consent.
Mark Derian LLC may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, restructuring, affiliate reorganization, or similar transaction, subject to applicable law.
## 33. ENTIRE AGREEMENT
These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy, and any additional terms expressly applicable to a particular service, constitute the agreement governing your use of the applicable websites and services.
A failure by us to enforce a provision does not waive our right to enforce it later.
## 34. CONTACT
Questions about these Terms may be directed to:
Mark Derian LLC