Terms of Service

1. Introduction and Acceptance

Welcome to Velaris. Velaris ("we," "our," or "us") is an AI-powered mental wellness platform that provides informational and educational resources about mental health topics.

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a legal agreement between you and Velaris. By creating an account, accessing, or using any part of the Velaris platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, please do not use our platform.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario, Canada, and the federal laws of Canada that apply there.

2. Eligibility

You must be 18 years or older to create a Velaris account. By registering, you confirm that you meet this age requirement.

The public portal is available to anyone who meets the age requirement. There are no geographic restrictions for accessing public resources.

The professional portal is restricted to licensed mental health professionals in supported jurisdictions. To access professional features, you must verify your professional license during registration. We reserve the right to request additional proof of licensure at any time.

3. Account Terms

When you create an account, you agree to the following:

• Provide accurate, complete, and current information during registration.
• Keep your login credentials secure. You are responsible for all activity under your account.
• Notify us promptly if you believe your account has been compromised.
• Maintain only one account per person. Account sharing is not permitted.
• Keep your account information up to date, especially your email address and professional credentials (if applicable).

We may suspend or close accounts that violate these Terms or that we reasonably believe are being misused.

4. Platform Usage Rules

Public Portal

The public portal offers zero-footprint sessions. This means your conversations are ephemeral — they are not stored permanently and automatically expire. The public portal is for informational use only and does not create any professional or clinical relationship.

Professional Portal

The professional portal provides authenticated access to research tools, case consultation rooms, and practice management features. Professional users must log in with verified credentials and follow all applicable professional standards when using these tools.

All platform features are subject to usage limits based on your subscription tier. We may update these limits with reasonable notice.

5. Professional User Obligations

If you use the professional portal, you agree to the following additional obligations:

• Maintain a valid professional license. You must hold an active, unrestricted license to practice mental health services in your jurisdiction. If your license is suspended or revoked, you must notify us immediately and stop using professional features.
• Follow ethical standards. You must comply with the ethical codes and professional standards of your licensing body and applicable professional associations.
• Represent your credentials accurately. Do not misrepresent your qualifications, specializations, or experience on the platform.
• Exercise clinical judgment. Velaris tools are intended to support — not replace — your professional judgment. You remain solely responsible for all clinical decisions you make.
• Follow de-identification guidelines. When using Case Consultation Rooms or other collaborative features, you must de-identify client information in accordance with applicable privacy laws and professional standards.

6. Prohibited Uses

You may not use Velaris to:

• Misrepresent your identity, credentials, or professional status.
• Engage in abusive, harmful, harassing, or threatening behavior toward other users.
• Repost or distribute AI-generated content as your own professional clinical advice. AI responses from Velaris are informational only and must not be presented as licensed professional guidance.
• Attempt to extract personally identifiable information from other users.
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to discover the source code of any part of the platform.
• Use the platform for any illegal or unauthorized purpose.
• Use automated tools, bots, or scraping techniques to extract data from the platform.
• Interfere with or disrupt the platform, servers, or networks connected to Velaris.
• Attempt to bypass or circumvent any security measures, access controls, or usage limits.

We reserve the right to investigate suspected violations and take appropriate action, including account suspension or termination.

7. AI Disclaimer and Limitations

Velaris is not a therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, or medical professional. Velaris does not provide therapy, diagnosis, or treatment.

All AI-generated content on Velaris is for informational and educational purposes only. AI responses are not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

You should always consult a licensed mental health professional or other qualified healthcare provider for questions about your mental health or before making any changes to your care.

Velaris includes crisis detection features, but it is not an emergency service. If you are in immediate danger or experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact emergency services (911), the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or text HOME to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line.

AI systems may produce inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated information. We work to improve the quality of our AI responses, but we cannot guarantee their accuracy. Always verify important information with qualified professionals.

8. Intellectual Property

Platform Ownership

The Velaris platform, including its design, code, features, branding, and documentation, is owned by Velaris and protected by Canadian and international intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, or distribute any part of the platform without our written permission.

Your Content

You retain ownership of any content you create or upload to Velaris, including professional notes, uploaded documents, and other materials. We do not claim ownership of your data.

By using Velaris, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive license to process your content solely for the purpose of delivering and maintaining our services. This license ends when you delete your content or close your account, subject to our data retention policy.

9. Privacy and Data Protection

Your privacy is important to us. Our Privacy Policy explains in detail what personal information we collect, how we use it, and how we protect it.

Key privacy practices include:

• We collect only the information needed to provide our services.
• We never sell your personal information.
• Sensitive mental health data is encrypted at rest and in transit.
• Public portal sessions are ephemeral and are not stored permanently.
• You can access, correct, or delete your data at any time through your account settings or by contacting our Chief Privacy Officer.

By using Velaris, you also agree to our Privacy Policy. If there is a conflict between these Terms and the Privacy Policy regarding data handling, the Privacy Policy takes precedence.

10. Limitation of Liability

Velaris is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We do not guarantee that the platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that AI-generated content will be accurate or complete.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

• Velaris is not liable for any decisions you make based on information, content, or AI responses provided through the platform.
• Our total liability to you for any claims arising from your use of Velaris is limited to the amount you paid to us in the 12 months before the claim arose.
• We are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including lost profits, lost data, or interruption of service.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for gross negligence, willful misconduct, or any liability that cannot be excluded under applicable Canadian law.

We are not liable for events outside our reasonable control, including natural disasters, internet outages, government actions, or other force majeure events.

11. Dispute Resolution

We want to resolve disputes fairly and efficiently. If you have a concern, please follow these steps:

Step 1: Informal Resolution

Contact us at legal@velaris.app to discuss your concern. We will work in good faith to resolve the matter within 30 days.

Step 2: Binding Arbitration

If we cannot resolve the dispute informally, either party may submit the dispute to binding arbitration under the Canadian Arbitration Act and the rules of the ADR Institute of Canada. Arbitration will take place in the Province of Ontario, Canada.

Each party is responsible for their own costs related to arbitration. The arbitrator's decision is final and binding.

Class Action Waiver

You agree to resolve disputes with us on an individual basis. You waive the right to participate in any class action, collective action, or representative proceeding against Velaris.

Small Claims Exception

Either party may bring a claim in small claims court instead of arbitration, as long as the claim falls within the court's jurisdiction.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario, Canada, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

12. Changes and Termination

Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. For material changes, we will provide at least 30 days' notice through email and an in-app banner. If you continue to use Velaris after the notice period, you accept the updated Terms. If you do not agree with the changes, you may close your account before the new Terms take effect.

Account Termination by You

You may close your account at any time through your account settings. Upon deletion, your data will be removed in accordance with our Privacy Policy retention schedule.

Account Suspension or Termination by Us

We may suspend or terminate your account if you violate these Terms. We will provide reasonable notice before suspension, except where immediate action is needed to protect the safety of users or the integrity of the platform.

Inactive Accounts

Accounts that are inactive may be removed after a period of inactivity: 24 months for public accounts and 12 months for professional accounts. We will send a reminder email before removing an inactive account.