Terms and Conditions

1. Scope

These terms govern the provision and use of PatentFlow ("the Software") by Solev UG (haftungsbeschränkt), Rienzistraße 18, 70597 Stuttgart, Germany ("Solev UG", "we"). PatentFlow is offered exclusively to businesses within the meaning of § 14 of the German Civil Code (BGB), in particular patent and law firms and corporate IP departments ("Customer"). Conflicting terms of the Customer apply only if we agree to them in writing. An individual offer or a licence and maintenance agreement takes precedence over these terms.

2. Licence

The Software is licensed, not sold. We grant the Customer a non-exclusive, non-transferable right to install the Software on infrastructure it owns or has commissioned and to use it for the purposes of its own organisation. Scope (number of installations and users, functionality with or without AI), term and fees follow from the offer or order. Passing the Software on, renting it out or sublicensing it to third parties outside the Customer's organisation is not permitted.

3. Updates and support

Where agreed, we provide updates during the term and support to the extent described in the offer. Installing updates is the Customer's responsibility. If we need access to an installation for support, this only happens with the Customer's consent and under a data processing agreement pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR.

4. Operation and data

The Customer operates the Software itself and is responsible for the infrastructure, access management, the security of the environment and regular backups of its data; the Software includes a backup function whose setup and testing are the Customer's responsibility. All data stored in the Software remains with the Customer. The Software sends no usage data or telemetry to us. For personal data processed in the Software, the Customer is the controller within the meaning of the GDPR.

5. Use at your own risk

The Software is a working tool. The Customer uses it at its own risk and under its own professional responsibility. Everything the Software computes, suggests, reads in or generates must be checked by qualified persons of the Customer before it is used. The Software neither replaces the diligence of the patent attorneys and lawyers working for the Customer nor their professional obligations, and it does not constitute legal advice by Solev UG.

6. AI functions (language models)

The use of large language models is optional; the Software can be run entirely without AI. AI can produce drafts at most: descriptions, claims, revisions, translations, feature analyses and other suggestions may be wrong, incomplete or unsuitable. Whether and in which form a result is used, filed or passed on to clients is decided by the Customer alone; responsibility for the results and their use lies with the firm.

A local language model is not required: the Software can be run with a local model on the application's server or on a separate server of the Customer, with external providers only, or without any AI. If a local model is set up, it processes the data on the Customer's infrastructure by default; an external model is only used when the Customer has chosen it and allowed it for the client concerned. If the Customer connects external AI providers, it does so under its own responsibility, including checking whether this is permissible, keeping professional secrecy, obtaining any consent required from its clients and concluding the contracts with the provider. Processing there is governed by that provider's terms and privacy policy, over which we have no influence.

7. Deadlines, fees, calculators and conflict checks

Computed deadlines and pre-deadlines, official fees, fee calculators, remuneration calculations, planning dates and conflict-check hits are aids based on the data entered and the rules stored. The Customer must not rely on them being correct, complete or up to date: the law, fees and office practice change, special cases are not always covered, and the results depend on the accuracy of the data entered. The Customer checks them against the applicable rules and official sources and remains responsible for meeting deadlines, for the accuracy of fees and for complying with its professional obligations. The fee tables are compared with the offices' data; the Customer takes over changes after its own review.

8. Interfaces

Interfaces and automatic evaluations - such as reading in office mail, retrieving register and publication data (e.g. via EPO Open Patent Services), comparing the fee tables, importing documents and sending e-mail - may be faulty, incomplete, delayed or temporarily unavailable, in particular when offices or other providers change their services or formats. Recognised data such as application numbers, dates, types of office action and time limits must be checked before they are taken over; the receipt and content of office mail must be monitored independently of the Software. We are not responsible for the availability and accuracy of third-party services.

9. Restrictions

Except as permitted by mandatory law (e.g. § 69e of the German Copyright Act), the Customer may not reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble the Software or circumvent licence restrictions.

10. Warranty and liability

We are liable without limitation for intent and gross negligence, for injury to life, body or health and under the German Product Liability Act. For slightly negligent breaches of essential contractual obligations, liability is limited to the typical, foreseeable damage; otherwise liability for slight negligence is excluded. For loss of data we are only liable to the extent that would have arisen had the Customer made proper, regular backups.

As the results under sections 5 to 8 are to be checked by the Customer, we are - subject to the preceding paragraph - not liable for damage resulting from the Customer using results of the Software, in particular AI drafts, deadlines, fees or data read in, without its own review. We are not liable for the services of external AI providers and other third parties the Customer connects.

11. Termination

The licence ends when the agreed term expires, unless it is renewed, or upon a material breach of these terms. The Customer's data remains with the Customer after termination; the Software stores it in a documented PostgreSQL database and a file directory and offers exports (including Word and CSV).

12. Governing law

German law applies, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. The exclusive place of jurisdiction is Stuttgart, Germany.

13. Contact

Questions about these terms: [email protected].