Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing our website (https://maroonpixel.website), using our free diagnostic utilities, or entering into a contractual engagement with Maroon Pixel ("we," "our," or "us"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, you must discontinue use of our site and services immediately.

2. Scope of Services & Engagements

Maroon Pixel delivers strategic digital services, including web engineering (Next.js, Headless CMS, Shopify), technical SEO, brand identity design, website management, and conversion rate optimization:

• Project Contracts: Fixed-scope projects require milestone approval and formal sign-offs. Additional requests outside the agreed Statement of Work (SOW) are quoted separately as change orders.
• Monthly Retainers: Ongoing management, maintenance, or marketing retainers renew automatically each monthly billing cycle unless canceled with a 30-day written notice.
• Client Responsibilities: Timely delivery of credentials, brand assets, and feedback is required. Delays caused by lack of client input may extend project delivery timelines.

3. Intellectual Property Rights & Ownership

We believe in complete client empowerment and zero proprietary vendor lock-in:

• Client Ownership: Upon full and final settlement of all invoices, all custom deliverables (including custom code, graphic designs, copy, and layout assets) belong exclusively to the client.
• Pre-Existing Tools & Libraries: Open-source software (e.g., React, Next.js, Tailwind CSS) and our proprietary pre-existing starter frameworks remain licensed under their respective open-source licenses or retained as agency tooling.
• Portfolio Demonstration: Unless explicitly restricted by an executed Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), Maroon Pixel reserves the right to display completed, publicly accessible work in our design portfolio and case studies.

4. Fees, Billing, & Cancellation

Professional fees are set forth in individual project estimates or master service agreements:

• Payment Schedules: Project milestones typically require a deposit prior to sprint commencement, with balance due upon production launch or milestone sign-off.
• Late Payments: Overdue invoices may incur a late interest fee of 1.5% per month or the statutory maximum, whichever is lower, and may cause temporary pause on active development.
• Cancellation & Refunds: Deposits for custom engineering and creative sprints are non-refundable once work has commenced. For monthly retainers, service concludes 30 days after receipt of written cancellation.

5. Search Engine & Marketing Disclaimers

6. Free Tools & Website Graders ("As-Is")

Our automated diagnostic utilities (Free Audit, Website Grader, and Meta Tag Checker) are provided on an "as-is" and "as-available" basis for educational and informational purposes. While we strive for absolute accuracy in our lighthouse and telemetry metrics, we make no warranties regarding automated diagnostic assessments.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Maroon Pixel, its directors, employees, or contractors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, data, goodwill, or business interruption, arising out of or in connection with the use of our website or services.

In all cases, Maroon Pixel's aggregate liability under any agreement or claim shall be strictly limited to the total fees paid by the client to Maroon Pixel during the three (3) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

8. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the applicable laws of our operating jurisdiction, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any dispute arising from these terms shall first be attempted to be resolved amicably through good-faith informal negotiation before initiating binding legal action.

9. Contact & Inquiries