Terms of Service

Last updated: 8 September 2026 · Applies to ParFocal 1.0.0 (beta)

The short version. Your licence to use ParFocal is Apple's standard licence, which comes with the app. This page adds only the four things that are specific to ParFocal: it is beta software, its books come from public catalogues we do not run, its music is used under attribution licences, and it is for personal reading.

1. The licence that governs your use of ParFocal

ParFocal is distributed through Apple. Unless a separate licence is presented to you, your use of the app is governed by Apple's Licensed Application End User Licence Agreement (the "Apple Standard EULA"), which applies automatically to apps distributed on the App Store.

The terms on this page are additional to the Apple Standard EULA and specific to ParFocal. Where the two conflict, the Apple Standard EULA prevails.

2. ParFocal is beta software

ParFocal 1.0.0 is a beta release distributed for testing and feedback. Features may change or be removed between builds, and locally stored data — your library, progress, and settings — may be lost when the app is updated, reinstalled, or deleted. ParFocal is not a backup service and keeps no copy of anything. Do not rely on it as the only record of your reading.

3. Books come from third-party catalogues

ParFocal does not host or publish books. It reads openly available catalogues operated by independent organisations: Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks, Bibliothèque Électronique du Québec / ebooksgratuits.com, and Open Library. We do not control these services and are not responsible for them.

This means, concretely:

We do not guarantee that any catalogue is available, that any title stays available, or that a text is complete, accurate, or faithfully transcribed.
Each catalogue has its own terms of use, which apply to you when ParFocal fetches a book on your behalf.
Public-domain status is territorial. A work in the public domain in the United States is not necessarily in the public domain in France or elsewhere, because copyright terms differ by country. Determining whether you may download and read a given work where you live is your responsibility.

If you believe a work is offered in a way that infringes your rights, write to the address in section 7 — but note that the remedy usually lies with the catalogue that hosts the file, not with ParFocal.

4. Books you import yourself

ParFocal lets you open EPUB files from your own device. You are responsible for holding the rights to any file you import. Imported files are processed on your device and are never uploaded anywhere.

5. Music and attribution

ParFocal's ambient tracks are licensed from their authors. One of them, the Deep Techno ambience, is used under a licence that requires attribution to SoundHelix and the song's artist; that credit is displayed in the app under Settings → Music Defaults. The other tracks are used under the Pixabay Content Licence or are in the public domain (CC0). The music is part of the app and may not be extracted or redistributed separately.

6. Acceptable use

ParFocal is for personal reading. Do not use it to redistribute books commercially, to make automated bulk requests to the catalogues it reads, or in any way that breaks those catalogues' own terms. Do not attempt to circumvent technical protections on any content.

7. Contact, changes, and governing law

Questions about these terms: contact@parfocal.fr.

These terms may be updated as ParFocal changes; the date at the top reflects the current version, and this page is versioned so its history is public. They are governed by French law, without prejudice to the mandatory consumer-protection rules of your country of residence.

Nothing on this page limits any right you have under the Apple Standard EULA or under applicable consumer law.