Terms of Service

Last updated: 16 July 2025

These Terms explain your rights and responsibilities when you use any product, website or service operated by North Column Partnership (ABN 28 682 355 183) (collectively “North Column”, “we”, “our”, “us”). By accessing northcolumn.com or interacting with our AI‑powered advisory tools— including the Atlas custom GPT agent (together, the “Services”)—you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you disagree, please do not use the Services.

1. About North Column Partnership

We are an Australian business partnership focused on providing technology‑enabled, always‑on strategic guidance for small and mid‑sized enterprises. Our mission is to democratise quality advice—safely and transparently.

2. Using the Services

  1. Minimum age & authority – You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a legally binding contract on behalf of yourself or your organisation.

  2. Account security – Keep your login credentials confidential; you are responsible for all activity under your account.

  3. Acceptable use – You agree not to:

    • Break any law or regulation;

    • Upload unlawful, defamatory, or infringing material;

    • Reverse‑engineer, scrape, or overload our systems;

    • Use outputs for disallowed or harmful purposes (e.g. disseminating misinformation, facilitating wrongdoing).

3. Paid Plans, Billing & Refunds

  1. Subscriptions – Access to Atlas is available on a monthly or annual subscription basis. Prices are stated in AUD and include GST where applicable.

  2. Auto‑renewal – Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each period unless cancelled at least 24 hours before renewal.

  3. Trial periods – If we offer a free trial, you will not be charged until the trial ends. You may cancel anytime during the trial to avoid fees.

  4. Refunds – Because our products are digital and delivered immediately upon purchase, fees are non‑refundable once access begins, except where required by the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) or other mandatory legislation.

  5. Consumer guarantees – Nothing in these Terms excludes the non‑excludable rights you have under the ACL. If our service has a major failure, you are entitled to a remedy under the ACL.

4. Intellectual Property

  1. Your inputs & outputs – You retain ownership of any content you enter into the Services (Inputs) and of the text or other material generated for you (Outputs). You grant us a limited, non‑exclusive licence to process, display and store Inputs/Outputs to operate and improve the Services.

  2. Our IP – We (or our licensors) own all intellectual‑property rights in the Services, including software, branding, and underlying AI models. You receive a personal, non‑transferable licence to use the Services as permitted by these Terms.

  3. Uniqueness – Because of the probabilistic nature of AI, Outputs may not be unique, and similar content may be provided to other users.

5. Data, Privacy & Security

  1. Privacy Policy – Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use and protect your personal information. By using the Services, you consent to those practices.

  2. CustomGPT.ai processing – We partner with CustomGPT.ai to power Atlas. Your Inputs and Outputs are stored on CustomGPT.ai’s secure servers and processed under their SOC 2‑compliant controls.

  3. Data residency – Data may be processed outside Australia; we implement contractual and technical measures to protect it.

  4. Your choices – You may request access, correction or deletion of personal data, subject to legal and technical limitations.

6. Important Information About AI‑Generated Content

We design Atlas to provide helpful, up‑to‑date information. However, AI technology is not infallible:

  • The model may occasionally produce inaccurate, incomplete or outdated responses.

  • Outputs are general information only and not professional, legal, financial or medical advice.

  • You should use your own judgement and, where appropriate, consult a qualified professional before acting on any Output.

We continually monitor and refine Atlas to improve quality, but you remain responsible for how you use the Outputs.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law:

  1. No consequential damages – North Column is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, punitive or consequential losses arising out of or in connection with the Services.

  2. Cap on liability – Our total liability for any claim is limited to the fees you paid us in the 6‑month period preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

  3. ACL carve‑out – If any consumer guarantee under the ACL applies and cannot be excluded, our liability is limited, at our option, to re‑supplying the Services or paying the cost of re‑supply.

8. Third‑Party Services

The Services rely on third‑party providers (including CustomGPT.ai and underlying large‑language‑model vendors). We do not guarantee their availability or accuracy and are not liable for issues originating from them. You must also comply with any applicable third‑party terms.

9. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold North Column, our partners and affiliates harmless from any claim arising out of: (a) your breach of these Terms; (b) your misuse of the Services; (c) your violation of any law or third‑party rights.

10. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be notified via email or a website banner. Continued use after changes signifies acceptance.

11. Suspension & Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access if you breach these Terms or if required by law. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (e.g. intellectual‑property, limitation of liability) will survive.

12. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia. You submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Victoria. Before commencing proceedings, the parties agree to attempt to resolve disputes in good faith via negotiation.

13. Contact

Questions? Email contact@northcolumn.com