Terms of Service

These Terms of Service form part of the Terms of Use and set out the specific rules for the academic resource access and membership services of ScholarKey VPN (the "App"). Please read them carefully before buying a membership, especially the auto-renewal and refund terms in bold. Where these Terms of Service conflict with the Terms of Use, these Terms of Service prevail with respect to paid services.

1. What the service includes

• Academic resource access: once you are a member, you can connect with one tap on the "Connect" tab and access websites on the academic resource whitelist through an encrypted connection, including academic paper databases, scholarly search engines, journal publishing platforms and university websites.
• Academic resources only: Only websites on the whitelist go through the encrypted connection; all other websites and apps connect directly as usual. The service does not provide access to websites outside the whitelist. We maintain the whitelist in accordance with laws and regulations and user needs, and it may change.
• Library: you do not need a membership to browse, search or add resources to your favorites, or to submit Wish Cards. Full text on resource websites may require a subscription from your institution or a separate payment, and the service does not provide accounts for these websites.
• How to use it: before you visit a resource, tap connect on the "Connect" tab. The App does not connect automatically when you visit a resource website.

2. Membership plans

• The price of each plan is as shown in the App and on the App Store at the time of purchase.
• Your membership takes effect as soon as Apple confirms payment. If you still have membership time remaining when you buy, the newly purchased time is added after your current expiration date.
• Membership benefits are limited to the App and cannot be transferred, sold or exchanged for cash.
• The App does not currently offer a free trial.

3. Guest purchases and accounts

• You can buy a membership as a guest without registering. A membership bought as a guest is tied to the current device.
• When you sign in to an account, the membership under your guest identity is merged into the account and can be used on all of the account's signed-in devices. To avoid losing your membership when you change devices, we recommend that you sign in to an account after purchasing.
• After changing devices or reinstalling the App, you can tap "Restore" on the "Membership" tab to restore your membership with the Apple Account used for the purchase. A purchase that is already linked to an account can only be used after you sign in to that account.

4. Number of devices

• A membership on one account can be used on up to 3 devices at the same time.
• If your account is already signed in on 3 devices, signing in on a new device automatically signs out the device that has gone unused the longest. The signed-out device is signed out immediately and loses access to member servers within about a minute.
• You can view and remove devices in "Me → Account & Security → Signed-in Devices".

5. Auto-renewal

The following rules apply to "Monthly Auto-Renew":

• Payment: payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase.
• Auto-renewal: Apple automatically renews the subscription and charges the then-current price within 24 hours before the subscription expires, unless you turn off auto-renewal at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. Each renewal lasts 1 month.
• Price changes: if the renewal price changes, Apple will notify you in advance according to its rules. Where your consent is required, you will not be charged the new price without your consent.
• How to cancel: on your iPhone or iPad, open "Settings → Apple Account → Subscriptions", select "ScholarKey" and tap "Cancel Subscription". You can also tap "Manage Auto-Renewal" on the App's "Membership" tab to go to the same page.
• After you cancel: you will not be charged again, and you can continue to use your membership benefits until the end of the current subscription period.
• Deleting your account does not cancel your subscription: to stop being charged, you must cancel auto-renewal as described above.

6. Refunds

• Memberships are paid for through Apple's In-App Purchase, and refunds are handled by Apple in accordance with its policies. You can request a refund at reportaproblem.apple.com.
• If Apple grants a refund, the corresponding membership time is deducted.
• If, for reasons attributable to us, you are unable to use a membership you have purchased for an extended period, please contact us. We will look into the situation and compensate you, for example by extending your membership; where the law provides otherwise, the law applies.

7. Service availability

• We do our best to keep our servers stable and fast, but because of factors such as network conditions and the status of the resource websites themselves, we do not guarantee that every resource website will be accessible at all times or on every network.
• We may adjust servers for maintenance or optimization, and the App automatically selects an available server for you.
• If you have connection problems, please check Help first. If that does not solve the problem, contact us in the App under "Me → Feedback".

8. Compliant use

• You must use the service only for lawful study and research purposes and comply with the rules of conduct in the Terms of Use and the terms of use of resource websites.
• You may not share your account or connection credential with others or resell the service. If you seriously violate these rules, we may suspend or terminate your membership service, and fees for the portion already used will not be refunded; where the law provides otherwise, the law applies.

9. Termination of the service

• If we decide to stop providing the membership service, we will notify you in the App and on our official website at least 30 days in advance and properly handle any unused membership benefits in accordance with the law.
• After you delete your account, any membership benefits remaining on the account are removed and cannot be restored.

10. Contact us

If you have any questions about these Terms of Service or the membership service, contact us in the App under "Me → Feedback" or by email at support@scholarkey.com.