Terms of Use

1. Agreement to Terms

These Terms of Use ("Terms") govern your access to and use of BootStepper (the "Service"), including our website, applications, Public API, and related services operated by BootStepper ("we," "us," or "our").

By accessing, browsing, creating an account, or otherwise using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms and all applicable laws and regulations, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for users in the European Economic Area (EEA). If you do not agree, you must not use or access the Service.

You must be at least 16 years old to use this Service. If you are under 16, you may not use BootStepper or provide any personal information to us.

We may update these Terms from time to time. The "Last updated" date above reflects the current version. Continued use of the Service after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. Material changes may also be communicated by notice on the Service or by email where appropriate.

2. Use License

Subject to these Terms, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Service for personal, non-commercial, transitory viewing and for other uses expressly permitted by the Service (such as creating playlists or contributing content you are authorized to submit). This is a license, not a transfer of title. Except as expressly permitted, you may not:

• Modify, copy, or create derivative works of the Service materials except as the Service expressly allows
• Use the materials for any commercial purpose without our prior written consent, except as permitted under the Public API Terms below
• Attempt to decompile or reverse engineer any software contained on BootStepper
• Remove any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices from the materials
• Transfer the materials to another person or "mirror" the materials on any other server
• Scrape, crawl, harvest, or systematically extract data from the Service except through the Public API under its terms and rate limits

3. Accounts and Accuracy

If you create an account, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete registration information
• Not impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your identity, affiliation, or authority
• Maintain the security of your credentials and not share your account
• Promptly update information so that it remains accurate and complete
• Accept responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account

We may refuse registration, require identity verification, or suspend or terminate accounts that we reasonably believe are fraudulent, abusive, or in violation of these Terms.

4. Content Ownership and Retention

By submitting choreography or other content to BootStepper, you grant us a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable license to host, store, reproduce, display, distribute, and otherwise use that content on and in connection with the Service. This license survives account deletion or removal of content from your profile to the extent needed to operate the Service, preserve community resources, comply with law, and resolve disputes. We retain the right to keep and display choreography contributed to our platform as part of our collective knowledge base and community resources, subject to applicable law and these Terms.

You represent and warrant that you have all rights necessary to submit content and to grant the licenses above, and that your content does not infringe any third-party intellectual property or other rights.

Choreographer Profile Linking: By linking your user account to a choreographer profile (claiming a choreographer profile), you explicitly grant BootStepper the perpetual, irrevocable right to publicly display, distribute, and make available all step sheets, dances, and choreography content associated with that choreographer profile on our platform. This includes, but is not limited to, step-by-step instructions, dance descriptions, and related choreographic materials. This grant of rights applies to all past, present, and future content associated with the choreographer profile, and survives even if you later unlink your account or delete your user profile. By claiming a choreographer profile, you represent and warrant that you are the rightful owner or have the legal authority to grant these rights for all content associated with that choreographer profile.

Third-party and community content: Much of the material on BootStepper is contributed by users, choreographers, or sourced from publicly available community resources. Except where we expressly state otherwise, we do not claim ownership of third-party choreography. Display on the Service does not by itself mean we assert copyright ownership of that choreography.

GDPR Rights: For users in the European Economic Area (EEA), your rights under GDPR apply to any personal data associated with your content. You retain the right to request deletion, correction, or restriction of processing of your personal data (such as your name, profile information, and contact details) even if the choreography content itself remains on the platform. The choreography content may be anonymized upon your request, removing your personal identification while preserving the educational value for the community. See our Privacy Policy and Data Deletion Request page for more details.

5. Intellectual Property; Facts, Ideas, and Choreography

BootStepper is an informational and community platform about line dancing and related topics. Under U.S. copyright law (including guidance published by the U.S. Copyright Office), copyright protects original works of authorship; it does not protect every element that may appear on the Service. Without limiting any defense available to us or to users, complainants should understand that:

• Ideas, procedures, processes, systems, methods of operation, concepts, principles, and discoveries are not protected by copyright, regardless of how they are described or illustrated (see, e.g., 17 U.S.C. § 102(b); U.S. Copyright Office Circular 33).
• Facts and other non-original information are not protected by copyright. Compiling or displaying factual dance metadata (such as titles, counts, walls, or similar catalog information) is not, by itself, copyright infringement.
• Names, titles, and short phrases (including dance titles) are not protected by copyright (Circular 33).
• Individual dance steps and commonplace movements (for example, a grapevine, hustle step, or similar basic steps) are not copyrightable by themselves. Short routines consisting of only a few movements or steps with minor variations generally lack sufficient authorship for copyright protection (Circular 52).
• Social dances—including ballroom, folk, line dances, square dances, and swing dances—are categories the U.S. Copyright Office describes as outside copyrightable choreographic subject matter for registration purposes. Social dances are generally intended to be performed by members of the public for their own enjoyment, as distinct from protectable choreographic works typically intended for skilled performers before an audience (Circular 52).

Nothing in this section is a warranty that any particular work is or is not copyrightable, or that any particular use is authorized. Copyrightability and ownership are fact-specific. If you believe you own a protectable choreographic or literary work that appears on the Service without authorization, use the copyright complaint process in our Copyright Complaints page and identify with specificity the protectable expression you claim—not merely a dance title, idea, step name, or social/line dance as such. U.S. Copyright Office circulars are available at copyright.gov/circs.

6. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any illegal, fraudulent, or unauthorized purpose
• Interfere with, disrupt, overload, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service, accounts, or related systems
• Harass, threaten, defame, or abuse BootStepper, our team, our users, or third parties in connection with the Service
• Submit false, misleading, or incomplete information, including under a false name or identity
• Make, send, or cause to be sent any copyright, trademark, DMCA, privacy, or other legal complaint, notice, or demand that you know is false, misleading, incomplete, or made in bad faith
• Use legal process, platform abuse reports, host/provider complaints, or similar mechanisms primarily to harass, intimidate, impose cost, or disrupt BootStepper's operations
• Misrepresent that you own or control rights in content when you do not
• Circumvent security, rate limits, access controls, or enforcement measures

Violations may result in suspension or termination of access, preservation of logs and evidence, reporting to authorities or service providers, and pursuit of civil remedies, including claims for costs incurred responding to bad-faith complaints (such as legal fees), to the fullest extent permitted by law.

7. Copyright Complaints and DMCA

Copyright complaints are handled as described on our Copyright Complaints page, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. Incomplete, false, or abusive notices are prohibited under Section 6. Principles regarding facts, ideas, titles, steps, and social/line dances are in Section 5.

8. User Responsibilities

As a user of BootStepper, you agree to:

• Provide accurate and complete information when required
• Maintain the security of your account credentials
• Comply with these Terms and all applicable laws when using the Service
• Not interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers
• Not attempt to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the Service

9. Public API Terms of Use

BootStepper provides a Public API (Application Programming Interface) that allows developers to access certain data and functionality from BootStepper. By using the BootStepper Public API, you agree to the following additional terms:

9.1. API Access and Authentication

Access to the BootStepper Public API requires authentication using an API key. API keys are generated through your BootStepper account settings and are personal to your account. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security of your API keys. You must not share, publish, or expose your API keys in publicly accessible areas such as client-side code, public repositories, or public forums.

9.2. Acceptable Use

When using the BootStepper Public API, you agree to:

• Use the API only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms of Use
• Not attempt to abuse, overload, or disrupt the API or our infrastructure
• Not use the API to scrape, crawl, or systematically extract data beyond reasonable use for your application
• Not use the API to create a service that competes directly with BootStepper
• Not reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract the source code of the API
• Respect the intellectual property rights of BootStepper and third parties

9.3. Data Usage Rights

Data accessed through the BootStepper Public API is provided for use in your applications and services. You may use this data to:

• Build applications that enhance the line dance community experience
• Display dance information, choreographer profiles, songs, and playlists in your applications
• Create tools and services that complement BootStepper's mission

However, you may not:

• Redistribute or resell the data as a standalone product or service
• Use the data to create a database or repository that mirrors or competes with BootStepper
• Remove attribution or metadata that identifies the source of the data

9.4. API Availability and Changes

BootStepper reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Public API or any part thereof at any time with or without notice. We may update the API, change endpoints, or modify response formats. While we strive to maintain backward compatibility, we are not obligated to do so. You are responsible for ensuring your applications remain compatible with the current version of the API.

9.5. Attribution

When displaying data obtained through the BootStepper Public API, you should provide appropriate attribution to BootStepper. While not required, we encourage you to include a link back to BootStepper or the original content when displaying dance information, choreographer profiles, or other data.

9.6. API Key Revocation

BootStepper reserves the right to revoke or suspend API keys at any time if we determine that you have violated these Terms of Use, engaged in abusive behavior, or if your use of the API poses a risk to our service or other users. We may also revoke API keys for security reasons or to prevent unauthorized access.

9.7. No Warranty for API

The BootStepper Public API is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. BootStepper does not guarantee that the API will be available at all times, error-free, or that it will meet your specific requirements. You use the API at your own risk.

10. Enforcement and Termination

We may investigate suspected violations of these Terms. We may suspend, restrict, or terminate your access to the Service, remove content, preserve logs and related evidence, and take other action we deem appropriate, with or without prior notice, where we reasonably believe it is necessary to protect the Service, our users, our rights, or to comply with law. Termination does not limit our other rights or remedies.

11. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless BootStepper and its operators, officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your use of the Service; (b) your content; (c) your breach of these Terms; (d) your violation of any law or third-party right; or (e) any false, misleading, or bad-faith complaint, notice, or legal claim you make or cause to be made concerning BootStepper or content on the Service.

12. Disclaimer

The materials on BootStepper are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. BootStepper makes no warranties, expressed or implied, and hereby disclaims and negates all other warranties including, without limitation, implied warranties or conditions of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, or non-infringement of intellectual property or other violation of rights. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free, or that content is complete, accurate, or current.

13. Limitations

To the maximum extent permitted by law, in no event shall BootStepper or its suppliers be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or any damages for loss of data, profits, goodwill, or business interruption, arising out of the use or inability to use the Service or materials on BootStepper, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. The Service is provided free of charge. Our aggregate liability arising out of or relating to the Service shall not exceed one hundred U.S. dollars (USD $100). Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations; in those cases, our liability is limited to the fullest extent permitted by law.

14. Revisions and Errata

The materials appearing on BootStepper could include technical, typographical, or photographic errors. BootStepper does not warrant that any of the materials on its website are accurate, complete, or current. BootStepper may make changes to the materials contained on its website at any time without notice.

15. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware and the applicable federal laws of the United States, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. This includes the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act and other federal copyright provisions that apply to the Service as an online service offered via U.S. providers (including Cloudflare).

Subject to mandatory consumer protections that cannot be waived, you agree that the state and federal courts located in the State of Delaware have exclusive jurisdiction over disputes arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service, and you consent to personal jurisdiction and venue in those courts. Nothing in these Terms limits either party's ability to seek injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction, or to pursue or respond to DMCA or other copyright procedures under U.S. law.

16. General

If any provision of these Terms is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any additional terms presented for specific features, constitute the entire agreement between you and BootStepper regarding the Service. You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

17. Contact Information

Questions about these Terms of Use:

Email: terms@bootstepper.com

Copyright complaints: /dmca or dmca@bootstepper.com.