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Terms of Service

Originally published May 13, 2026 Last updated May 29, 2026 Effective date May 29, 2026

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of TrellisSearch and TrellisMail (collectively, the "Services") operated by Trellis Group LLC ("we," "us," or "our"). By accessing or using our Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use our Services.

1. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years of age to use our Services. By creating an account, you represent that you are at least 13 years old. If you are under 18, you represent that your parent or guardian has reviewed and agreed to these Terms on your behalf.

2. Your Account

  • You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials.
  • You must not share your password or allow others to access your account.
  • You must notify us immediately of any unauthorized access at security@trellissearch.com.
  • You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.
  • Your username must not impersonate another person, brand, or entity.

3. TrellisMail

Each registered account receives one TrellisMail email address (username@trellissearch.com). Your TrellisMail address:

  • Is provided as part of the TrellisSearch account and may not be transferred separately.
  • Has a storage quota of 100MB. We may notify you if you approach this limit.
  • Will be deactivated if your TrellisSearch account is suspended or deleted.
  • Must not be used to send spam, phishing, malware, or other abusive content.

4. Acceptable Use

You agree not to use our Services to:

  • Violate any applicable law or regulation
  • Send spam, unsolicited communications, or bulk email
  • Distribute malware, viruses, or other harmful code
  • Harass, threaten, or harm others
  • Infringe on the intellectual property rights of others
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems or other users' accounts
  • Scrape, crawl, or systematically download content from our Services
  • Submit URLs to our search index that contain illegal content
  • Use our Services for any commercial purpose without our written consent
  • Impersonate Trellis Group LLC, our employees, or other users
  • Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent business listings or reviews
  • Abuse the business directory, including submitting fake claims or impersonating a business owner

5. URL Submissions

You may submit URLs to our search index. By submitting a URL, you represent that:

  • You have the right to submit the content for indexing.
  • The content does not violate these Terms or applicable law.

We reserve the right to reject, remove, or de-index any URL at our sole discretion. For information about how our crawler discovers and indexes content, see TrellisBot documentation.

6. Search Results and Search Features

TrellisSearch indexes publicly available web content. We do not endorse, guarantee the accuracy of, or take responsibility for any content appearing in search results. We are not liable for content on third-party websites linked from search results.

TrellisSearch offers search assistance features including autocomplete suggestions, spelling corrections, and related search queries. These features are powered by aggregated, anonymized search query data from our users. Suggestions are only surfaced when a query has been searched by multiple distinct users; individual searches are not displayed publicly.

7. User Reviews and User-Generated Content

Users may have the ability to post reviews, ratings, comments, profile information, or other content ("User Content") through the Services. By submitting User Content, you agree to the following:

Honest and Accurate Reviews

You agree that any review or rating you submit will be truthful, accurate, based on your genuine experience, and submitted in good faith. You must not post false, misleading, deceptive, or fabricated reviews.

You may not:

  • Post knowingly false statements about any person, business, product, or service
  • Submit reviews intended to harass, threaten, extort, retaliate against, or damage the reputation of another person or business
  • Impersonate customers, employees, competitors, or other individuals
  • Coordinate, manipulate, or artificially influence ratings or reviews
  • Submit reviews in exchange for compensation or incentives without proper disclosure as required by applicable law

Defamation and Illegal Content

You may not post content that is defamatory, libelous, slanderous, abusive, obscene, discriminatory, unlawful, or otherwise harmful. You are solely responsible for the content you submit and acknowledge that you may be held legally liable for statements you publish.

Privacy and Personal Information

You may not post or disclose non-public personal information about another person, including private contact information, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, identification numbers, or medical, financial, or employment information. You may not attempt to expose the identity or personal information of any individual.

Intellectual Property

You may only post content that you own or have the legal right to share. You may not post copyrighted material, trademarks, private documents, or confidential materials without authorization.

Moderation and Removal Rights

Trellis Group LLC reserves the right, but not the obligation, to monitor, review, remove, restrict, edit, or disable access to any User Content at our sole discretion and without notice, including content we believe violates these Terms, violates applicable law, creates legal or reputational risk, contains misinformation or harassment, or is fraudulent or manipulated. We are under no obligation to publish, maintain, or restore any User Content.

No Endorsement

Reviews and other User Content reflect the opinions of the users who submitted them and do not represent the views of Trellis Group LLC. We do not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of User Content.

License to Display User Content

By posting User Content through the Services, you grant Trellis Group LLC a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, display, publish, and distribute such content solely for purposes related to operating and improving the Services.

Reporting Violations

If you believe content violates these Terms or applicable law, you may report it to: legal@trellissearch.com

8. Business Directory

TrellisSearch operates a business directory that allows users to submit business listings, claim ownership of listings, post business updates, respond to reviews, and upload business photos. By using the business directory features, you agree to the following:

Submitting a Business Listing

By submitting a business listing, you represent that the information you provide is accurate, current, and complete to the best of your knowledge. You agree not to submit listings for businesses you do not own or operate, or for fictitious, fraudulent, or non-existent businesses.

Claiming a Business

To claim a business listing, you must verify your association with the business through our verification process. By claiming a listing, you represent that you are an authorized representative of that business. Fraudulent claims are a violation of these Terms and may result in account suspension.

Business Owner Responses

Verified business owners may post responses to customer reviews. Responses must be professional, truthful, and relevant to the review. You may not use responses to harass reviewers, make threats, post promotional content, or disclose private information about customers. Owner responses are subject to moderation and may be removed at our discretion.

Business Posts and Announcements

Verified business owners may post announcements, updates, events, and offers. Posts must be relevant to your business and must not contain spam, illegal content, misleading claims, or content that violates these Terms. Posts are subject to moderation before publication.

Business Photos

You may only upload photos that you own or have the legal right to use. You must not upload photos containing offensive content, personal information of others, or copyrighted material without authorization. By uploading photos, you grant Trellis Group LLC the right to display them as part of your business listing.

Accuracy and Updates

You are responsible for keeping your business information accurate and up to date. Trellis Group LLC does not guarantee the accuracy of any business listing and is not liable for decisions made based on directory information.

Disclaimer

Business listings, reviews, and associated content are provided for informational purposes only. Trellis Group LLC makes no warranty or representation that the information is accurate, complete, or current. We are not responsible for the quality, safety, or legality of any listed business.

9. Location Services

Certain features of TrellisSearch, including the "Near Me" business search feature, may request access to your device's geographic location. Location access is entirely optional and requires your explicit permission through your browser or device settings.

  • We only access your location when you actively choose to use a location-based feature by clicking a button — we do not access your location automatically or in the background.
  • Your location coordinates are rounded to approximately 111 meters before being transmitted to our servers.
  • Location data is used only to find nearby businesses and is not stored after your request completes.
  • You may revoke location permission at any time through your browser or device settings without affecting other features of the Services.

10. Intellectual Property

The TrellisSearch name, logo, and software are the property of Trellis Group LLC. You may not use our trademarks, logos, or branding without our prior written consent. Content you submit or create using our Services remains your property, subject to the license below.

By submitting content to our Services (including URL submissions, email, business listings, and reviews), you grant Trellis Group LLC a limited, non-exclusive license to use that content solely to provide the Services.

11. DMCA and Copyright

We respect intellectual property rights. If you believe content indexed by TrellisSearch infringes your copyright, please send a DMCA notice to dmca@trellissearch.com including:

  • Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to be infringed
  • Identification of the infringing material and its location
  • Your contact information
  • A statement of good faith belief that the use is not authorized
  • A statement under penalty of perjury that the information is accurate
  • Your physical or electronic signature

12. Privacy

Our collection and use of personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

13. Disclaimers

THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR SECURE.

14. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, TRELLIS GROUP LLC SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIMS ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF $100 OR THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Trellis Group LLC and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from your use of the Services, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any rights of another party.

16. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time for violation of these Terms, or for any other reason at our discretion, with or without notice. You may delete your account at any time from your dashboard. Upon termination, your right to use the Services ceases immediately.

17. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the state in which Trellis Group LLC is registered, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Any dispute arising from these Terms or your use of the Services shall first be addressed through informal negotiation by contacting us at legal@trellissearch.com. If not resolved within 30 days, disputes shall be resolved by binding arbitration in accordance with the American Arbitration Association rules, except that either party may seek injunctive relief in a court of competent jurisdiction.

California residents: Notwithstanding the above, you may have additional rights under California law. Nothing in these Terms waives rights that cannot be waived under applicable California law.

EU/UK residents: If you are located in the EU or UK, you may have the right to bring claims before your local courts and consumer protection authorities.

18. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify registered users of material changes by email at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use of our Services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

19. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

20. Contact

Trellis Group LLC
General: support@trellissearch.com
Legal: legal@trellissearch.com
DMCA: dmca@trellissearch.com