This document outlines the Terms of Use ("Terms") governing your access to the Chomp API and the Chomp Database. By accessing the API, you consent to these Terms.

Executive Summary & Operational Policies

• Commercial Use: Allowed on Standard and Premium plans. Limited plans are restricted to personal/non-profit use without explicit authorization.
• Caching: Short-term caching (<24 hours) is permitted on Standard/Premium plans for performance.
• User Data: Storing specific food data logged explicitly by your end-users is permitted and survives termination.
• Derivative Works: You may aggregate data for application features (e.g., nutrition summaries or meal plans). You may not rebuild a competing database.
• Attribution: Required by default, but Premium subscribers may request a UI attribution waiver.

1. License Grant

Subject to these Terms, Chomp grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-assignable, non-transferable license to use the Chomp API to develop, test, and support your application, and to let your customers use your integration.

2. Commercial Use and Plan Restrictions

• Limited Plan: Intended for personal or not-for-profit use. You are prohibited from using the Limited version for a commercial or business purpose without Chomp’s express authorization.
• Standard & Premium Plans: You may use these versions for commercial or business purposes provided you adhere to the attribution requirements.
  
• Data Licensing: Annual data licenses are available for offline/commercial use with written consent from Chomp.

3. Usage Restrictions

You agree to abide by the following conditions:

• No Reselling: You may not sell or resell access to the Chomp Database.
• No Database Replication: You are prohibited from copying, archiving, or collecting data to rebuild or replicate the Chomp Database without prior written consent.
• Derivative Works: While aggregating data for application features (like meal plans or daily calorie counts) is fully permitted, you may not create derivative works intended to exploit or resell the raw database.
• Benchmarking: You may monitor API health and latency internally, but you are prohibited from publishing competitive benchmarks regarding performance or availability.

4. Proprietary Rights & Feedback

Chomp owns all rights, title, and interest in the Chomp API, the Chomp Database, and all associated branding. Chomp welcomes your feedback and suggestions, and you agree that Chomp is fully authorized to use such feedback without restriction or obligation.

5. Publicity and Attribution

• Attribution: You agree to include hyperlinks back to Chomp and feature required logos where data is displayed.
• Publicity: Chomp may publicly refer to you as a licensee and publish your name/logo. If you require pre-launch confidentiality or wish to opt out, please contact support.
• Third-Party Rights: Product photos are available under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike license and may contain elements subject to third-party copyright or trademark rights.

6. Service Modifications and Termination

• Updates: Chomp reserves the right to update or modify the API. We aim to provide up to 30 days notice for breaking changes.
• Termination: The agreement continues until you discontinue use or Chomp terminates access. Upon termination, you must delete all cached Chomp Database records. You are not required to delete user-generated records (e.g., historical meal logs) that happen to contain values originally sourced from the API.

7. Legal Terms

• Warranties: The Chomp API and materials are provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind.
• Liability: Chomp's aggregate liability under any theory shall not exceed $100 USD.
• Jurisdiction: Disputes shall be governed by the laws of the State of Minnesota and settled via binding arbitration in Duluth, Minnesota.

For the complete, unabridged legal terms, please review our official Terms of Service.