Terms of Use
1. Acceptance and contracting party
These Terms of Use (the “Terms”) apply when you access or use StoryBee.ca, StoryBee.Space, the books and educational material made available through them, and their related features (together, the “Services”). The Services are operated and provided by StoryBee Inc. (“StoryBee”, “we”, “us”, or “our”). StoryBee Inc., West Solution Consulting Corp., and The National Research Institute for Democratized Learning may each publish or provide particular books or content available through the Services.
By accessing or using the Services, or by selecting “Agree and continue” where that option is presented, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Services. The Legal Notices, Fair Use Notice, Disclaimers, and Refund Policy form part of these Terms where applicable. The Privacy Policy and Cookies and Local Storage Notice explain our information practices and do not limit rights that cannot legally be waived.
If these documents conflict, these Terms control contractual matters, the Privacy Policy controls the description of personal-information practices, and a book-specific rights or credit notice controls the identification of that book’s publisher and rights holders.
2. Public access and member accounts
StoryBee.ca currently makes its free illustrated books available to read without charge and without sign-up. Free reading access is not a promise that every book, feature, or period of access will always remain available or free of charge.
StoryBee.ca also offers member accounts. Members sign in with a code sent to their email address, can save their progress, and can buy Subject Passes for certain subjects. StoryBee.Space may provide separate account features using Squarespace authentication. Any new eligibility requirements, account terms, or charges will be presented before they apply.
3. Accounts are held by adults
You must be 18 or over to create a StoryBee account or to buy anything from StoryBee. By creating an account you confirm that you are 18 or over. All purchases are made by the adult who holds the account. Children may not independently create or manage a StoryBee account.
An adult account holder may let a learner aged 13 to 17 use the account under the holder’s supervision, for example a parent, guardian, or teacher studying alongside a student. The holder is responsible for that use and for making sure it follows these Terms. The holder keeps the sign in email and access to the account to themselves and must not hand the account over to the learner or anyone else.
No one under 13 may use member features or AP Learning. Younger children may still read public books under adult selection and supervision.
If StoryBee learns that an account is held by a person under 18, StoryBee may close that account.
Our books are created or curated for children’s knowledge and enjoyment, but an adult is responsible for selecting appropriate material and supervising a child’s use. We do not ask readers to submit their age merely to read the free illustrated books.
4. Account responsibility and security
You are responsible for all use of your account, including use by anyone you let study with it. Keep access to your email inbox secure, because sign in codes are sent there.
Provide accurate information and contact us promptly if you believe your account has been accessed without permission. You are not responsible for unauthorized activity caused by StoryBee’s breach of these Terms or failure to use reasonable safeguards.
5. Subject Passes
A Subject Pass gives 16 months of access to one subject, starting on the day of purchase. A pass covers only the subject named at checkout.
Payments are processed by Stripe, our payment processor. Stripe sends your receipt by email. StoryBee does not see or store your full card details.
A Subject Pass is digital content that is available as soon as payment is made, so all sales are final and no refunds are given, except where the law of the place where you live requires one. If a payment is refunded in full or a payment dispute is decided against StoryBee, the pass bought with that payment ends. If you have questions, contact [email protected] before you buy. See the Refund Policy.
When a pass ends, your progress, study plan, and reading history stay in your account. You can see them again, and pick up where you left off, if you buy a new pass for that subject.
Deleting your account ends any active passes, and no refund is given.
6. Limited permission to use the Services
Subject to these Terms, StoryBee grants you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and revocable permission to access the Services for personal, non-commercial reading and viewing. Unless a download is expressly offered, the Services are intended for online reading and viewing.
You must not copy, reproduce, republish, distribute, sell, license, mirror, scrape, data-mine, reverse engineer, circumvent technical protections, create derivative works from, or otherwise exploit the Services or their content except with written permission from the applicable rights holder or as permitted by applicable law.
7. Lawful and respectful use
You must not interfere with the Services, attempt unauthorized access, introduce malicious code, impersonate another person or StoryBee, use automated means in a harmful or excessive manner, or use the Services for fraud, abuse, infringement, or another unlawful purpose. This section does not prohibit assistive technologies, ordinary search-engine indexing, security research authorized by StoryBee, or another use protected by applicable law.
We may restrict or end access where reasonably necessary to address a violation, protect the Services or another person, comply with law, or respond to a security or rights concern.
8. AI-assisted and automated material
StoryBee may use software automation, machine-learning systems, or large-language-model tools to assist with website development, editorial preparation, classification, summaries, educational metadata, and related features. We use reasonable review and validation processes, but automated or AI-assisted material may contain errors, omissions, outdated information, bias, or unsuitable suggestions. The use of such tools does not mean that every StoryBee book, illustration, or statement was generated by AI.
You are responsible for evaluating information before relying on it. AI-assisted material does not replace the judgment of a parent, teacher, librarian, or qualified professional.
9. Providers and third-party services
We use service providers to host, secure, authenticate, display, and support the Services. These currently include Cloudflare for StoryBee.ca infrastructure and security, Cloudflare Email Service for sign in codes and account email, Stripe for payments, Squarespace for StoryBee.Space, and FlipHTML5 for certain book displays. Third-party services and links may have separate terms and privacy practices, and their availability is outside our complete control.
10. Educational purpose and suitability
The Services are for general educational, informational, and reading purposes. They do not provide legal, medical, financial, psychological, educational-assessment, or other professional advice, and they do not guarantee a learning outcome, reading level, curriculum result, or suitability for a particular child.
Adults are responsible for reviewing material for a child’s needs, circumstances, maturity, and local educational requirements.
11. Availability and changes
We may correct, update, replace, withdraw, suspend, or discontinue content or features. Availability and display quality can depend on your device, browser, internet connection, location, and third-party providers. Free reading access and features may change as StoryBee develops.
12. Disclaimers
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Services are provided “as is” and “as available.” We do not guarantee uninterrupted operation or that every book, feature, classification, recommendation, or other item will be complete, accurate, current, secure, error-free, or suitable for every user. Additional explanations appear in our Disclaimers.
Nothing in these Terms excludes a warranty, condition, right, or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded.
13. Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, StoryBee and the StoryBee Publishers will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages arising from or related to the Services.
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the total aggregate liability of StoryBee and the StoryBee Publishers for direct damages arising from or related to the Services will not exceed the greater of the amount you paid directly to StoryBee for the Services during the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim or CAD $100.
These limitations do not apply to liability that cannot legally be limited or excluded, including liability for fraud or wilful misconduct where applicable law so requires.
14. Indemnity for user-caused claims
To the extent permitted by applicable law, you will indemnify and hold harmless StoryBee, the StoryBee Publishers, and their directors, officers, employees, and authorized representatives from third-party claims, losses, liabilities, and reasonable legal costs arising directly from your deliberate unlawful use of the Services, unauthorized commercial redistribution or infringement, circumvention of security controls, or material breach of these Terms.
This indemnity does not apply to the extent a claim was caused by StoryBee’s or a StoryBee Publisher’s own breach, infringement, negligence, fraud, or wilful misconduct. We will provide reasonably prompt notice of a covered claim and reasonable cooperation. You may not settle a claim in a way that admits fault by, imposes an obligation on, or restricts StoryBee or a StoryBee Publisher without that party’s written consent.
15. Governing law and courts
These Terms are governed by the laws of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable in Ontario. Subject to any mandatory consumer-protection or other law that gives you rights in another jurisdiction, the courts of Ontario have exclusive jurisdiction over disputes arising from these Terms or the Services.
16. Changes, termination, and survival
We may update these Terms to reflect changes to the Services, our practices, or legal requirements. Updated Terms take effect when posted unless a different date is stated. Where reasonably practicable, we will provide additional notice of a material change. If you do not agree to an update, stop using the Services.
Provisions concerning ownership, permitted use, disclaimers, liability, indemnity, disputes, and any provision that by its nature should survive will continue after access ends.
17. General terms and contact
If a provision is invalid or unenforceable, it will be limited to the minimum extent necessary and the remaining provisions will continue. A failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. StoryBee may assign these Terms as part of a corporate reorganization, financing, or transfer of the Services, subject to applicable law. You may not assign your rights under these Terms without our written consent.
These Terms and the documents expressly incorporated into them are the entire agreement concerning use of the Services, except for a separate written agreement that applies to a contributor, publisher, partner, or particular feature.
Questions and formal notices may be sent to StoryBee Inc. at [email protected].