General terms and conditions MarkBase

Article 1. Definitions

1. MarkBase: De aanbieder van de SaaS-dienst (hierna ook aangeduid als "Dienstverlener", een handelsnaam van MerkBrouwers, KvK-nummer: 85502006, gevestigd te Joure (Madame Curieweg 2, 8501 XC)).
2. Klant / Opdrachtgever: De natuurlijke persoon handelend in de uitoefening van beroep of bedrijf (B2B), dan wel de rechtspersoon die met BeterMerk een Overeenkomst aangaat.
3. Overeenkomst: Iedere afspraak of overeenkomst tussen BeterMerk en Klant op grond waarvan BeterMerk haar Dienst verleent.
4. Dienst: De toegang tot en het gebruik van het cloudplatform BeterMerk (waaronder begrepen: het digitale merkhandboek, asset management/DAM, templates, koppelingen met sociale netwerken, planningstools en AI-gedreven merkanalyses).
5. Gebruiker: Eenieder die door Klant is geautoriseerd om onder diens account gebruik te maken van de Dienst (zoals medewerkers, freelancers of bureaupartners).
6. Klantdata: Alle door Klant of Gebruikers in de Dienst opgeslagen gegevens, bestanden, beeldmerken, richtlijnen, teksten en overige merkcontent.

Article 2. Applicability

1. These General Terms and Conditions apply to all offers, quotations, trial periods and Agreements relating to the Service of MarkBase.
2. The applicability of any purchasing or general terms and conditions of the Customer is expressly rejected.
3. If a provision in these terms and conditions proves to be void or is annulled, the other provisions will remain in full force and effect. The parties will enter into consultation to agree on a replacement provision that comes as close as possible to the purpose and scope.

Article 3. Services, Access and Accounts

1. MarkBase grants Customer a non-exclusive, non-transferable and revocable right to use the Service in accordance with the chosen subscription form for its own internal business purposes (or for the benefit of its customers, if Customer purchases an Agency/Multi-Brand license).
2. Customer is at all times responsible for the confidentiality of login details and for all actions that take place via the accounts of its Users. MarkBase may assume that everything that happens from these accounts takes place under the supervision and responsibility of the Customer.
3. The customer sets the correct rights and roles for internal employees and external invitees (such as photographers, printers or copywriters) and is responsible for revoking access rights in a timely manner.

Article 4. Availability and Maintenance

1. De Dienst betreft een software-as-a-service (SaaS) die wordt geleverd op basis van een inspanningsverplichting. BeterMerk streeft naar een zo hoog mogelijke beschikbaarheid en veiligheid, maar garandeert geen ononderbroken of foutloze werking.
2. MarkBase has the right to temporarily decommission the Service or parts thereof for maintenance, adjustments or security improvements. MarkBase will plan this outside office hours where possible and inform the Customer in advance of planned long-term maintenance.
3. MarkBase continuously develops the platform and can add, change or phase out functionalities.

Article 5. Prices, Invoicing and Payment

1. All rates stated are in pounds (£) and exclude VAT and any statutory levies.
2. Invoicing takes place in advance per month or in advance per year, at the Customer's option.
3. Payment is made by direct debit, credit card or bank transfer within 14 days of the invoice date.
4. In the event of late payment, the Customer is legally in default without further notice of default being required. In that case, MarkBase has the right to charge statutory commercial interest and extrajudicial collection costs and to suspend access to the portal until all outstanding amounts have been paid.
5. If the Customer has been granted free access under a partnership or customer relationship with MerkBrouwers, this free access will automatically expire as soon as the underlying agreement with MerkBrouwers ends, unless the Customer converts the subscription to a regular paid rate.

Article 6. Term and Termination

1. Maandabonnementen: Worden aangegaan voor onbepaalde tijd en kunnen door Klant te allen tijde worden opgezegd tegen het einde van de lopende factuurmaand.
2. Jaarcontracten: Worden aangegaan voor de initiële termijn van één (1) jaar en worden na afloop stilzwijgend verlengd met periodes van één jaar, tenzij uiterlijk 1 maand voor het einde van de termijn schriftelijk of via het platform wordt opgezegd.
3. In the event of premature termination by the Customer, there will be no refund of fees already paid.
4. MarkBase has the right to terminate the Agreement with immediate effect or to block access if the Customer attributably fails to fulfill its obligations, applies for a suspension of payments or becomes bankrupt.

Article 7. Intellectual Property and Customer Data

1. All intellectual property rights in MarkBase's software, source code, documentation, designs, user interface and algorithms belong solely to MarkBase (or its licensors).
2. Alle rechten op Klantdata (inclusief logo’s, beeldmerken, stijlgidsen, foto’s en publicatieteksten) blijven te allen tijde het exclusieve eigendom van Klant. Klant verleent BeterMerk uitsluitend een beperkte licentie om deze content te hosten, converteren en tonen voor zover strikt noodzakelijk voor het functioneren van de Dienst.
3. The Customer guarantees that the files uploaded by him (such as fonts, images and logos) do not infringe the rights of third parties and indemnifies MarkBase against all claims from third parties in this regard.

Article 8. External Links, Social Media & AI functionality

1. Externe platformen: BeterMerk biedt integraties met platforms van derden (zoals LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook of Figma). BeterMerk is niet aansprakelijk voor de werking, API-wijzigingen, storingen of beleidswijzigingen van deze externe netwerken. Klant blijft zelf verantwoordelijk voor naleving van de voorwaarden van die netwerken.
2. AI & Automatische suggesties: BeterMerk kan gebruikmaken van AI-functionaliteit voor kwaliteitscontroles (bijv. tone-of-voice checks, tekstvoorstellen of kleurcorrecties). De uitkomsten hiervan zijn uitsluitend adviserend. Klant blijft te allen tijde zelf verantwoordelijk voor de uiteindelijke goedkeuring, inhoudelijke juistheid en publicatie van geplande berichten en designs.

Article 9. External Sharing and Upload Links

1. If the Customer uses functionalities to make public or secure sharing and upload pages available to external parties (such as photographers or printers), the Customer is responsible for the content and distribution of these links.
2. MarkBase is not liable for unauthorized distribution of links due to the actions of the Customer or third parties.

Article 10. Privacy and Data Processing (GDPR)

1. Voor zover BeterMerk in opdracht van Klant persoonsgegevens verwerkt (bijvoorbeeld accountgegevens van teamleden of auteursgegevens in content), kwalificeert Klant als Verwerkingsverantwoordelijke en BeterMerk als Verwerker in de zin van de AVG.
2. Partijen leggen de wederzijdse afspraken over beveiliging, datalekken en subverwerkers vast in een separate Verwerkersovereenkomst (welke geacht wordt onderdeel uit te maken van deze Overeenkomst).

You can read how we handle our own data processing in the privacyverklaring.

Article 11. Liability

1. The total liability of MarkBase due to an attributable shortcoming in the performance of the Agreement or due to tort is at all times limited to compensation for direct damage.
2. The compensation for direct damage is capped at the amount that the Customer has paid under the Agreement in the three (3) months prior to the damage-causing incident (excluding VAT).
3. Liability for indirect damage, including consequential damage, lost profits, lost savings, reputational damage, loss of goodwill or damage due to business stagnation, is expressly excluded.
4. MarkBase is never liable for damage caused by planned messages on external platforms not being published, published too late or incorrectly due to API failures of third parties.

Article 12. Confidentiality

The parties are obliged to maintain confidentiality of all confidential information that they have obtained from each other in the context of the Agreement. Information is considered confidential if this has been communicated by the other party or arises from the nature of the information (including company data and unpublished brand guidelines).

Article 13. Exit procedure and Data export

1. Upon termination of the Agreement, MarkBase will provide Customer with the opportunity to export uploaded files and data for a period of thirty (30) days.
2. After this period has expired, MarkBase is entitled to permanently delete all stored files and accounts from its systems, unless a legal retention obligation prevents this.

Article 14. Changes to the Terms and Conditions

1. MarkBase reserves the right to change or supplement these General Terms and Conditions.
2. Changes will be announced in writing or via the platform at least thirty (30) days before they come into effect. If the Customer does not wish to accept a substantial change, the Customer has the right to terminate the Agreement on the date on which the changed conditions take effect.

Article 15. Applicable Law and Disputes

1. Op alle rechtsbetrekkingen tussen BeterMerk en Klant is uitsluitend het Nederlands recht van toepassing.
2. Disputes arising from or related to the Agreement will in the first instance be submitted exclusively to the competent court of the place of business of MarkBase, unless mandatory law prescribes otherwise.