LEGAL

Terms of Service.

The rules for SyncTide licences, on-premises installations, the hosted service and this website.

Last updated: 2026-09-30 · Version 2.0

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern the SyncTide software, its licence files, the hosted SyncTide service, the supporting documentation and this website (together, the "Service"). By downloading, installing or using SyncTide, or by using the hosted service, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service. A written commercial agreement signed with a Customer prevails over these Terms where the two differ.

1. Parties and definitions

The Service is provided by Tiago Guimarães, established in Portugal (the "Vendor"). "Customer" means the legal entity or individual that acquires a SyncTide licence or subscribes to the hosted service.

  • On-premises installation — SyncTide installed by the Customer on a server it controls (Windows installer or Docker).
  • Hosted service — a SyncTide instance operated by the Vendor for the Customer, reachable at a <name>.synctide.app address.
  • Licence file — the signed .lic file that states the Customer, plan, tag limit, modules and dates.
  • Tag — an equipment signal mapped to a system tag with the mapping switched on. Columns a device sends that are not mapped, or whose mapping is switched off, do not count and are not stored.

2. Licence

Subject to payment and to these Terms, the Vendor grants the Customer a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use SyncTide within the limits of its licence file: on the server(s) identified in it (by network adapter MAC address) for an on-premises installation, or on the instance identified in it for the hosted service.

2.1 Subscription licence

Valid until the subscription end date in the licence file. Updates and support are included while it is active. There is no grace period: from the end date, until the subscription is renewed, data collection and outgoing messaging stop; historical data remains viewable and exportable, and the Customer's data is never deleted because a subscription lapsed. Renewal restores collection as soon as the new licence file is installed. Data a device could not deliver while collection was stopped is not recovered, except CSV files still present in the intake folder, which are read after renewal.

The software shows how many days remain before the end date. Renewing in time is the Customer's responsibility.

2.2 Perpetual licence

Valid indefinitely for the versions released during the maintenance period. After the maintenance end date the installed version keeps running; new versions and support require an active maintenance period.

3. Restrictions

The Customer shall not:

  • copy, sublicense, rent, lease or redistribute the software or licence files to third parties;
  • reverse-engineer, decompile or disassemble the compiled binaries, except to the extent expressly permitted by applicable law (e.g. Article 6 of Directive 2009/24/EC);
  • remove or alter the integrity manifest, signatures, copyright notices or licence-verification code;
  • use the Service to process data in breach of applicable law;
  • create, alter or drop database objects (tables, columns, indexes, hypertables, continuous aggregates, compression settings) in the SyncTide database, other than through SyncTide itself. SyncTide uses TimescaleDB features licensed under the Timescale License, which permits them only in products whose users cannot modify the database schema. Reading the database with the tools provided is permitted.

The tag limit and the licensed modules are enforced by the software.

4. Hosted service

  • Location. Hosted instances run on servers of Hetzner Online GmbH in Germany (EU). Each Customer has its own isolated application containers and database.
  • Backups. Each instance's database and files are backed up daily; backups are kept for 30 days on the same provider in the EU. The recovery point is therefore up to 24 hours.
  • Availability. The Vendor operates the service with reasonable care but does not guarantee uninterrupted availability. Any availability or response-time commitment applies only where stated in the commercial agreement.
  • Maintenance. Updates are applied by the Vendor; a restart may interrupt the web interface for up to a few minutes.
  • Data collection. Dataloggers deliver files by FTP or SFTP with credentials issued per Customer. Plain FTP is unencrypted; it is offered because many cellular dataloggers support nothing else. Customers whose devices support SFTP should use it.
  • Personal data. For personal data processed in a hosted instance, the Customer is the controller and the Vendor the processor, under the Data Processing Agreement, which forms part of these Terms for hosted Customers.

5. Updates, support and security

An active subscription (or maintenance period, for perpetual licences) gives access to new releases, security updates delivered as signed packages, and email support for installation and operation. Response times are agreed in the commercial offer.

Support period. Security updates for SyncTide 1.x are provided until at least 31 December 2031, for the latest release of that line. Vulnerabilities are handled as described in our Security Policy.

6. Fees and payment

Fees, currency and payment terms are stated in the commercial offer sent before the licence is issued. Invoices follow Portuguese tax law; VAT is added where applicable. Payment is due within 30 days of the invoice date unless agreed otherwise in writing. Unpaid invoices may lead to the subscription not being renewed or updates being withheld.

7. Ownership and Customer data

The Vendor retains all rights in the software, documentation and brand. Nothing in these Terms transfers intellectual-property rights beyond the licence in §2.

Customer data — measurements, alarm events, reports and the user accounts created in SyncTide — belongs to the Customer.

  • In an on-premises installation it stays on the Customer's server and the Vendor does not receive it. Optional features contact external services only when the Customer enables them (see the Privacy Policy, §5).
  • In the hosted service the Vendor processes it only to provide the service, as set out in the Data Processing Agreement.

8. Warranty disclaimer

THE SOFTWARE AND SERVICE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. SyncTide is a monitoring and alarm tool; it does not replace the Customer's own safety systems, procedures or on-site supervision.

9. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE VENDOR'S AGGREGATE LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO THE AMOUNTS PAID BY THE CUSTOMER IN THE 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM. THE VENDOR IS NOT LIABLE FOR INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, LOST PROFITS, LOST DATA OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION. Nothing in these Terms limits liability for wilful misconduct or gross negligence, or any liability that cannot be excluded by law.

10. Term, termination and return of data

These Terms apply from first installation or first use of the hosted service and continue while the Customer holds an active licence. Either party may terminate for a material breach not remedied within 30 days of written notice.

  • On-premises: the Customer uninstalls the software; its data stays on its own server (uninstalling SyncTide does not delete the database or collected files).
  • Hosted: on request made up to 30 days after the end of the contract, the Vendor provides a complete export of the Customer's data (database dump and collected files, or CSV). The instance is then deleted; backups containing it expire within a further 30 days.
  • Fees already paid are not refunded, except where the law requires it. Clauses on ownership, disclaimer, liability, data return and governing law survive termination.

11. Third-party components

SyncTide includes open-source components (among them PostgreSQL, TimescaleDB, Python and its libraries, LibreOffice and pgAdmin), each under its own licence. The full list with licence texts is installed as THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.txt and is available on request.

12. Force majeure

Neither party is liable for failure or delay caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including failures of telecommunications networks, hosting or cloud providers.

13. Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by Portuguese law. Disputes are submitted to the courts of Lisbon, Portugal, unless mandatory law provides otherwise.

14. Changes

The Vendor may update these Terms. Material changes affecting existing Customers are notified by email at least 30 days before they take effect.

15. Contact

support@synctide.app · security reports: Security Policy.