Billing, Trial, Cancellation & Refund Policy

1. Purpose and relationship to the Terms

This Billing, Trial, Cancellation, and Refund Policy explains how charges, subscriptions, one-time deliverable purchases, cancellations, credits, and refunds work for the IP Craft software service. It forms part of the IP Craft Terms of Service (the “Terms”). Capitalized terms not defined here have the meanings given in the Terms.

If this policy conflicts with an executed Order Form or other written agreement signed by Pipcast, that signed agreement controls for the affected purchase. If this policy conflicts with the Terms, the Terms control unless the Terms expressly provide otherwise.

This policy distinguishes self-file software purchases from a separate “we file” professional-service option. Software charges are governed by this policy and the Terms. Professional fees, advance fees, USPTO fees, and professional-service refunds are governed by the separate Professional Engagement and the checkout disclosures for the identified Practitioner Provider.

2. Available purchase types

IP Craft may display these purchase types:

Free software access. Limited software access without charge.
Recurring software subscriptions. Seats, collaboration, or recurring software access.
One-time self-file software Deliverables. A software-generated draft that the customer or its own practitioner reviews, signs, and files. No practitioner review or government fee is included unless checkout expressly says otherwise.
Enterprise software arrangements. Governed by an executed Order.
Professional Services / done-for-you. When launched, a separate professional package accepted by an identified Registered Practitioner or Practitioner Provider under a Professional Engagement. Availability is subject to conflicts, scope, jurisdiction, capacity, and practitioner acceptance.

Checkout must identify the mode, provider/payee, price, currency, recurring/one-time nature, included items, excluded items, trial, taxes, cancellation, and refund rules. A roadmap price is not an offer unless the checkout is live and the provider is identified.

3. Payment processing

Pipcast uses Stripe to process payments. Customer authorizes Pipcast and Stripe to charge the payment method selected at checkout for:

the displayed purchase price;
applicable taxes;
recurring renewal charges, where applicable; and
any other amount Customer expressly authorizes.

Pipcast does not receive or store the full payment-card number. Stripe’s processing of payment information is governed by Stripe’s own terms and privacy documentation.

Customer must maintain accurate billing and contact information and an authorized payment method. Customer represents that it is authorized to use the payment method and to incur charges on behalf of the applicable Customer organization.

4. Trials

4.1 Trial terms

Where a trial is offered, the checkout screen will state:

the trial length;
the features or subscription covered;
whether a payment method is required;
the price that will be charged after the trial; and
the date or event that begins paid billing.

4.2 Conversion to paid service

Unless the checkout states otherwise, a recurring trial automatically converts to a paid subscription at the end of the trial and the selected payment method will be charged. Customer may avoid the charge by cancelling before the trial ends through the available billing portal or by contacting Pipcast sufficiently before the conversion date.

4.3 Trial abuse

Pipcast may deny, shorten, or terminate a trial where it reasonably determines that the same person, organization, payment method, or affiliated account is attempting to obtain repeated trials, bypass usage limits, or abuse the Service.

5. Recurring subscriptions

5.1 Renewal

A recurring subscription renews automatically for successive billing periods until cancelled, unless an Order Form says otherwise. The renewal price is the price shown at checkout or a later price communicated in accordance with the Terms and applicable law.

5.2 Seat quantities

For a seat-based plan, Customer is responsible for charges based on the number of paid seats or other billing quantity shown in the Service. Any mid-cycle proration, immediate charge, or next-cycle adjustment must be shown before Customer confirms the change or must follow the written Order Form.

5.3 Failed payment

If payment fails, Pipcast may retry the charge, request an updated payment method, suspend paid features, freeze the account as described in the Terms, or terminate the affected subscription after reasonable notice. Suspension does not waive amounts already due.

5.4 Cancellation

Customer may cancel a self-serve subscription through the Stripe billing portal or another cancellation method presented in the Service. Unless the checkout or applicable law states otherwise:

cancellation stops future renewals;
access remains available through the end of the already-paid billing period;
cancellation does not retroactively refund the current billing period; and
Customer remains responsible for charges incurred before cancellation.

Pipcast will not use cancellation friction, hidden telephone-only cancellation, or a cancellation process that is materially harder than signup.

6. One-time software deliverables

6.1 What the purchase provides

A one-time deliverable purchase provides a limited entitlement or credit to initiate production of the identified software-generated deliverable through the Service. It is not a purchase of legal advice, practitioner review, legal representation, a filing, an allowance, a patentability opinion, or a guaranteed result.

6.2 When a deliverable credit is consumed

A deliverable credit is consumed only when the Service successfully creates and persists the deliverable or generation result made available to Customer. A failed model call, failed job, technical error, or abandoned checkout does not consume the credit.

6.3 Regeneration and remediation

Where generation fails because of a Service error, Pipcast will, at its option:

restore the unconsumed credit;
permit a reasonable regeneration attempt; or
refund the affected purchase.

A Customer’s dissatisfaction with substantive legal strategy, claim scope, drafting style, or the result of later practitioner review is not by itself a Service failure because all deliverables are draft software outputs requiring qualified human review.

6.4 Unused deliverable credits

An unused one-time deliverable credit may be refunded on request made within 14 calendar days after purchase, provided generation has not been initiated and the credit has not otherwise been consumed.

6.5 Produced deliverables

After a deliverable has been produced and made available, the purchase is non-refundable except where:

applicable law requires a refund;
Pipcast charged the Customer in error;
the Service materially failed to deliver the purchased deliverable and Pipcast could not reasonably remediate the failure; or
Pipcast expressly approves a refund as a customer-service accommodation.

7. Professional Services / done-for-you

7.1 No engagement until accepted

A waitlist, intake form, preliminary conflict check, or payment-method authorization does not create a practitioner-client relationship. A Professional Engagement exists only after the identified Practitioner Provider completes required review and both sides assent to the engagement.

7.2 Separate fee disclosure

Before charging, checkout and the Professional Engagement must identify:

the Practitioner Provider and responsible Registered Practitioner;
the professional scope;
the software component, if separately priced;
professional fees;
estimated or fixed USPTO fees and other costs;
the merchant and payee for each amount;
whether any amount is an advance fee or cost deposit;
where advance funds are held, if applicable;
when fees are earned;
cancellation, withdrawal, and refund rules; and
treatment if the practitioner declines the matter.

7.3 Payment structure

The Practitioner Provider is paid separately for professional services, or is the merchant of record for a bundled professional package while paying Pipcast a fixed fair-market-value software/administrative fee that is not a percentage of legal fees, referral compensation, or outcome-contingent.

7.4 Practitioner decline or conflict

If the Practitioner Provider declines before engagement or cannot proceed because of conflict, eligibility, capacity, or jurisdiction, no professional fee may be treated as earned. Any software component already delivered is handled under the software refund rules and clear checkout allocation. A payment authorization may be released or refunded according to the disclosed flow.

7.5 Government fees

USPTO fees are estimates until the filing posture, entity status, claim counts, and current fee schedule are verified. The engaged practitioner must confirm the applicable fee. Customer must not be promised a micro-entity discount without the required certification and review.

7.6 No outcome-based refund promise

Professional fees are not contingent on allowance or issuance unless a lawful written arrangement expressly states otherwise. No refund is due merely because the USPTO rejects, objects to, or does not allow an application. This does not limit remedies for an unperformed agreed service or non-waivable law.

8. Refund requests

A Customer requesting a refund should contact hello@ipcraft.co and provide:

the account or workspace name;
the purchaser’s email address;
the Stripe receipt or transaction identifier, if available;
the affected product; and
the reason for the request.

Pipcast may verify identity, authority, usage status, and transaction details before processing the request. Approved refunds are returned to the original payment method where feasible. Timing after approval is controlled in part by Stripe, card networks, and the Customer’s financial institution.

Pipcast documents its refund decision and ensures entitlement state is reconciled with the refund. A refund for an unused deliverable revokes the corresponding credit. A discretionary refund for a produced deliverable does not delete or rewrite legal/audit history; any entitlement or ledger correction is recorded append-only.

9. Taxes

Prices exclude sales, use, value-added, goods-and-services, withholding, or similar taxes unless the checkout states otherwise. Customer is responsible for applicable taxes other than taxes based on Pipcast’s net income. Pipcast may calculate, collect, and remit taxes where required.

If Customer claims an exemption, Customer must provide valid exemption documentation before the charge where required. Pipcast does not warrant that Customer’s purchase is tax-exempt.

10. Price changes

Pipcast may change prices prospectively. A price change does not retroactively alter a completed one-time purchase. For recurring subscriptions, Pipcast will provide notice required by the Terms and applicable law before the changed price applies to a renewal.

Enterprise price changes are governed by the applicable Order Form.

11. Promotions, discounts, and credits

Promotional codes, account credits, or discounts:

have no cash value except where law requires otherwise;
may be limited by account, organization, product, time, or geography;
may not be combined unless stated;
may be revoked if obtained through fraud or abuse; and
expire as disclosed when issued.

Pipcast will not revoke a paid entitlement merely because a promotion later ends.

12. Chargebacks and payment disputes

Customer should contact Pipcast before initiating a chargeback so the Parties can investigate. Pipcast may suspend affected paid access while a payment dispute is pending. Filing a chargeback does not eliminate a valid payment obligation.

Pipcast will not retaliate against a Customer for exercising a lawful payment right or reporting an unauthorized transaction.

13. Termination and account data

Cancellation of billing and deletion of data are different actions. Cancelling a subscription does not automatically delete Customer Content. Data export, retention, and deletion are governed by the Terms, Privacy Policy, DPA where applicable, legal holds, and the Service’s documented offboarding process.

Customer should export needed materials before account termination. Pipcast does not promise immediate deletion where backups, audit evidence, legal holds, or append-only records require an attended process.

14. Changes to this policy

Pipcast may update this policy prospectively in accordance with the Terms. Material changes affecting recurring charges, cancellation rights, or refunds will be communicated as required by applicable law.

15. Contact

Pipcast, Inc.
5889 Fleet St
San Jose, CA 95120
United States

Billing questions: hello@ipcraft.co
General support: hello@ipcraft.co