Terms of Service
Effective date: September 22, 2025
These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of The American Compendium website, datasets, and related materials (collectively, the “Service”). By accessing or using the Service, you agree to these Terms. This Service republishes and re-formats public data. The originating government agency is the official source of truth for all records.
No Warranties
The Service and all content (including data “shards,” indices, documentation, and code samples) are provided on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis, without warranties of any kind, express or implied. Without limiting the foregoing, we disclaim any warranties of accuracy, completeness, reliability, timeliness, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, or quiet enjoyment.
Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, The American Compendium and its owners, contributors, and affiliates will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, revenues, data, goodwill, or other intangible losses, arising out of or related to your use of or inability to use the Service—even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.
Our total liability for any claim arising from or relating to the Service shall not exceed one hundred U.S. dollars (US $100).
Agency as the Source of Truth
We aggregate, standardize, and re-publish public records from U.S. government agencies to improve accessibility and comparability. However, the originating agency remains the authoritative source for those records. You should verify any critical facts directly with the relevant agency.
Records may be incomplete, transformed, standardized, de-duplicated, or otherwise processed for usability. These steps can introduce discrepancies when compared to the original source. Always consult the agency’s official publication for definitive information.
No Professional Advice
The Service does not provide legal, medical, financial, safety, compliance, or other professional advice. Content is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional judgment. You are solely responsible for your decisions and outcomes.
Acceptable Use
- Do not attempt to breach, probe, or circumvent any security or access control on the Service.
- Do not use automated scraping that degrades service availability. Where possible, use the provided downloadable shards or caches.
- Do not misrepresent transformed data as the official agency publication; attribute the underlying source appropriately.
- Do not upload or transmit malicious code, conduct abusive requests, or engage in unlawful use.
Downloads and Data “Shards”
Certain datasets may be exposed as client-downloadable JSON shards or static indexes. You may download these for your own use, subject to these Terms and any applicable third-party or agency licenses. You understand that local copies can become outdated and should be refreshed against the latest agency releases when accuracy matters.
Intellectual Property
The American Compendium’s website design, compilation, organization, schema, documentation, and original code are protected by copyright and other laws. Government-origin data may be in the public domain, but our formatting, standardization, indexing, and presentation constitute a separate compilation. You may cite and link our pages; for reuse of code or schemas, follow the license(s) indicated in our repository or on-page notices.
Third-Party Services and Links
The Service may reference or link to third-party sites, tools, or content (including government portals). We do not control and are not responsible for any third-party content, policies, or practices. Your interactions with third parties are solely between you and those third parties.
Changes to the Service or Terms
We may update the Service and these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be noted by updating the effective date above. Continued use of the Service after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
Termination
We may suspend or terminate access to the Service (in whole or part) at any time, with or without notice, if we believe you have violated these Terms or to protect the integrity of the Service. Upon termination, the sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive will continue to apply, including “No Warranties,” “Limitation of Liability,” “Agency as the Source of Truth,” “Intellectual Property,” and “Governing Law.”
Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless The American Compendium, its owners, contributors, and affiliates from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or in any way connected with your access to or use of the Service, your violation of these Terms, or your infringement of any third-party right.
Governing Law and Venue
These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the State of New York, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. You agree to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state and federal courts located in New York County, New York for any dispute arising out of or relating to the Service or these Terms.