Terms of Service
PDF Expert

Last updated: September 11, 2023 (view archived versions)

Please read these Terms of Service ("Terms") carefully before using our desktop or mobile applications ("App" or "PDF Expert") or our website (collectively, "Service").

These Terms contain important information about your legal rights and obligations. If you do not agree with these Terms, please, do not continue to use the Service.

Our Privacy Notice for the website describes our collection and use of personal data connected to your access to and use of the website.

Our Privacy Notice for the App describes our collection and use of personal data connected to your access to and use of the App.

If you have any questions or comments about these Terms of Service, please contact us.

Table of content

1. Who we are
2. Entire agreement
3. Use license and subscriptions
   • Free use
   • Account
   • Free trial and Premium subscription
   • Payment terms
   • Licenses for PDF Expert 2
   • Subscription renewal and cancellation
   • Scope of license
   • Special offers for education and business users
   • Refunds
   • Specific access restrictions
4. Content and data security
   • User content and security
   • Your feedback
   • Business users' authorization
5. Third-party websites and services
6. Warranties and disclaimers
7. Limitation of liability
8. Indemnification
9. Applicable law and jurisdiction
10. Electronic communications
11. Termination
    • Termination by Readdle
    • Termination by you
12. Other terms

Who we are

We are Readdle Limited ("Readdle" or "we"), and we operate the Service.

Entire agreement

In brief

• This is an agreement between Readdle and users of PDF Expert.
• By installing the App, you agree to comply with these Terms and applicable laws and regulations.
• You have to be at least 16 years of age.

These Terms and any operating rules and policies posted on our website or in the App, including the Privacy Notice for the website, the Privacy Notice for the App and DPA, constitute the entire legally binding agreement and understanding between Readdle and our users ("you" or "user"), governing your access to and use of our Service.

By installing the App, you hereby declare and warrant that:

• you have read, understand, have the legal capacity to, and hereby agree to be legally bound by and to comply with these Terms in full;
• you are 16 years of age or older (otherwise, you can use the App exclusively with the involvement of a parent or a legal guardian) regardless of the age ratings assigned on the platform where you download the App;
• according to the laws of your local jurisdiction, you are eligible to enter into this agreement and have no restriction to use the App;
• you comply with these Terms and all applicable laws and regulations.

If you use the Service as a business representative, you further certify that you are eligible to legally bind the represented legal entity, grant Readdle all permissions and licenses under these Terms, and disclose information about that legal entity.  

The Security Compliance Questionnaire (Appendix 2 to the DPA) is available on request for legal entities. Please contact us.

If the legal entity you represent is registered outside the European Economic Area, please contact us to conclude the Data Transfer Agreement.

Use license and subscriptions

In brief

• PDF Expert is free for download and use.
• Your Account is cross-platform. It means you can use it on your Mac, iPhone and iPad.
• You can purchase a subscription to use PDF Expert with the full set of features or previously try it during a 7-day free trial. 
• If you update PDF Expert 2 to PDF Expert 3 and have an active license for PDF Expert 2, your license will be activated automatically and provide the functionality of PDF Expert 2 in PDF Expert 3.
• You can cancel the subscription or request a refund through App Store or by contacting our support. You can request a refund within 30 calendar days from the date of purchase.

PDF Expert in the desktop or mobile versions compatible with macOS or iOS is available for free download on our website, Mac App Store, or AppStore. Please note that you can download the macOS version for free from the Mac App Store only if you previously purchased it on the Mac App Store.

Free use

By downloading the App, you acquire a free-of-charge license to use the App with a limited set of features as may be provided or canceled by Readdle within your license period.

Account

To use PDF Expert, you need to register a personalized cross-platform account ("Account") by providing your email address or signing up through third-party accounts, namely Google or Apple. Please note that your use of such third-party accounts is subject to their legal and privacy documents.

If you sign up via your email, please click on the button in our email to the indicated email address to confirm it and instantly sign in.

The Account is intended for you to track your subscriptions and sign in on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. You can have only one Account, and you may not transfer or assign it to someone else.

• If you know or have any reason to suspect that someone has gained access to your Account without your authorisation, your credentials have been lost, stolen, misappropriated, or otherwise compromised, please immediately notify Readdle at the following email: rdsupport@readdle.com.
• To irreversibly terminate your Account, please address us with the respective request at dpo@readdle.com or use the relevant functionality of your Account.

Free trial and Premium subscription

Before purchasing a yearly or lifetime Premium subscription for PDF Expert with a full set of features, you can try a 7-day free trial period. 

• Downloading via our website

If you download PDF Expert via our website, you are not required to provide any credit card information during the free trial period. When the free trial expires, you may purchase a yearly or lifetime subscription to use PDF Expert through our website.

The lifetime subscription offers limited future updates, meaning that you will get the current functionality supported, the general updates intended for bug fixes, and security updates, however some new features developed and offered by Readdle may be made available on a paid-for basis.

• Downloading via the App Store

If you download PDF Expert via the App Store, your payment details are processed, and you are charged through the App Store. 

Please note that your App Store subscription fee for the use of PDF Expert will be automatically charged unless you cancel it in your device settings at least 24 hours before the billing date.

Payment terms

The purchase of a subscription is subject to a fee (including VAT) indicated at the checkout screen. Readdle reserves the right to revise the fees at any time, giving users adequate notice of changes before they become effective.

Your continued use of PDF Expert after the effective date of such change will constitute your agreement to pay the updated fees.

Please note that if you pay in local currency that is different from the currency in which the fees are quoted, your bank will apply the exchange rate applicable per the date of purchase. It may add commissions/fees, which are beyond our control.

The purchase of a subscription is facilitated by a third-party provider, namely Stripe, under the latter’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. In no case shall Readdle be responsible for any personal data processed by Stripe.

Licenses for PDF Expert 2

If you update PDF Expert 2 to PDF Expert 3 and have an active license for PDF Expert 2, your license will be activated automatically and provide the functionality of PDF Expert 2 in PDF Expert 3.

An optional lifetime Premium subscription will be available to you. This subscription grants access to new functionality as it is added by us from time to time. You can check the tools within the trial period.

Pay attention that you can activate one license only on one Account.

Subscription renewal and cancellation

Your subscription will automatically renew, and you will be charged a subscription fee for the subsequent subscription period unless you cancel it at least 24 hours before the billing date:

1. by notifying us of your request to cancel your PDF Expert subscription fee for Mac at rdsupport@readdle.com or by terminating your subscription in the App settings;
2. in your iOS device settings (by tapping the following options: Settings ⇒ Apple ID ⇒ Subscriptions ⇒ PDF Expert ⇒ Cancel Subscription).

Upon cancellation, your access to PDF Expert with a full set of features will remain until the end of the current subscription period.

Scope of license

Subject to your compliance with these Terms, Readdle with this grants you a limited, temporary, personal, non-exclusive, non-sublicensable, revocable, non-transferable, worldwide license to download, install and use the App on the device(s) that you lawfully own or control in the manner provided for in these Terms for personal non-commercial or internal business purposes.

Under this license you may not:

1. sell, lease, rent, license, sublicense or otherwise distribute the App software; 
2. copy, decompile, disassemble, translate or reverse engineer the App software, in whole or in part; 
3. write or develop any derivative software, make an attempt to derive the source code of, modify, or create derivative works of the App software, and its updates;
4. provide, disclose, divulge or make available to, or permit the use of the App software by any third party without Readdle’s prior written consent;
5. avoid, bypass, remove, deactivate, impair, descramble or otherwise circumvent any technological measure implemented by PDF Expert or any of PDF Expert's providers or any other third party (including another user) to protect the App.

Any attempt to do so will be considered a violation of these Terms and the rights of Readdle. If you violate any of the above restrictions, your use of the App will be reviewed and terminated, and you may be subject to legal actions and be held responsible for damages.

Readdle may provide upgrades, modifications, updates, or additions to the App software during this license. The terms of this license shall be applied to any such upgrades, modifications, updates, or additions unless they are a subject to a separate license that would accompany them.

It is understood and agreed that Readdle is the owner of all rights, titles, and interests in and to the original and any copies of the App software and related information, improvements, modifications, enhancements, or derivatives to it and the ownership of all intellectual property rights pertaining to it, in whole or in part, shall be, vest with, and remain the exclusive property of Readdle. 

As a licensee, you do not acquire any ownership rights to the Service software through downloading, installing, or using the App.

Your license to use the App shall be automatically revoked if you violate these Terms. We reserve all rights not expressly granted in these Terms.

Special offers for education and business-users

Readdle reserves the right to offer specific license conditions and discounts to certain users.

If you need several PDF Expert Accounts to use for internal business purposes, please contact us to negotiate special B2B terms. Please note, the B2B terms do not cover all platforms universally and depend on the platform you need.

If you are a student or educator, you can apply for a discounted PDF Expert annual Subscription by submitting your educational email address as well as the educational institution’s name via our website. 

By submitting the educational email address and the educational institution name, you represent and warrant that the email address was assigned to you by the named educational institution, and you are duly authorized to use it. 

If, upon verification, we have reasonable grounds to believe that you are in breach of the above representation, we reserve the right to suspend your Subscription and Account.

If you represent an educational institution desiring to order several Accounts for users under 16 years of age, you are responsible for collecting such users’ legal representatives’ consent for the processing of their personal data having regard to our Privacy Notices for the website and for the App.

Please pay attention to section 14 of the DPA and Appendix 2 to it.

If you are an educational institution subject to the laws of the USA or Latin American countries (excluding Brazil):

• under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, when allowing users under 13 years of age to use PDF Expert, you act as a data controller in respect of such users’ personal data collected through the App or website as described in our Privacy Notices for the website and for the App;
• you with this acknowledge that to the extent the processed data includes personally identifiable information from education records that are subject to the FERPA ("FERPA Records"), Readdle will be considered a "School Official" (in the meaning defined in the FERPA and its implementing regulations) and will comply with the FERPA. "FERPA" means the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. 1232g) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Regulations (34 CFR Part 99), as amended or otherwise modified from time to time.

Please pay attention to section 14 of the DPA and Appendix 2 to it.

Refunds

If you have any problems with the App functioning, please contact our support team at rdsupport@readdle.com, and we will use every effort to help you.

• App Store

Your purchases made through the App Store may be refunded by contacting Apple support directly and requesting a refund. Please follow this instruction:

Go to reportaproblem.apple.com using any web browser to view your purchase history.

⇓

Sign in under the Apple ID you used to make the purchase.

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Find the item on the Purchases tab. If a charge for an item is pending, you haven’t yet been charged and can’t request a refund. After the charge goes through, try to request a refund again.

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Tap or click on Report a Problem to the right of the item.

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Choose "I’d like to request a refund" and describe why.

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Hit Send.

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If you receive a refusal letter from Apple, please contact us at rdsupport@readdle.com within 30 calendar days from the date of purchase to receive a refund directly.

• Our website

A subscription purchased through our website may be canceled and refunded within 30 calendar days from the date of purchase. To request a refund, please contact our support team at rdsupport@readdle.com.

We will provide a full refund of the subscription fee paid by you to Readdle within 30 calendar days from the date of your notification using the same means of payment you used for the initial transaction.

Specific access restrictions

We do not provide our services and access to our products to new customers from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. Existing customers in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus retain access to the app they have installed but without new updates and customer support.

Readdle does not engage in any business with companies owned by or affiliated with the citizens of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus.

Readdle does not engage in business with companies that support Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Content and data security

In brief

• Readdle owns PDF Expert and gives you the right to use it by issuing licenses.
• You own your files, information, and other materials managed through the App. They are stored locally on your devices or connected cloud services, and we cannot access them.
• By submitting your feedback about our App to us directly or via any platform, you grant us the right to use and publicly display the feedback for marketing, advertising, and other purposes.

The App and the website are owned and controlled by Readdle or our affiliates. 

All materials of the Service, including text, graphics, information, images, designs, drawings, trademarks, logos, videos, sounds, music, software, and other materials (collectively, the "Content"), as well as the copyright and other intellectual property rights to such Content belong to Readdle or is included in the Service with the consent of the owner.

Subject to your compliance with these Terms and having regard to the terms of software license laid down above, Readdle grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-sublicensable, revocable, non-transferable, worldwide license to access and use the Content made available in or through the Service and granted by Readdle for the purposes outlined in these Terms.

• You are not allowed to use the Content or any of its elements in any way not expressly provided for in these Terms without the prior written permission of Readdle or Content owners.

In case you download or copy the Content, no right, title, or interest in any downloaded or copied Content is transferred to you as a result of any such downloading or copying. You are not allowed to reproduce, publish, transmit, distribute, otherwise disseminate, modify, create derivative works, or otherwise use the Content for commercial or illegal purposes without our prior written permission. You agree not to change or delete any ownership notices from materials downloaded or printed from the Service.

You are also advised that we are determined to enforce our intellectual property rights to the fullest extent available under the applicable laws, including through civil remedies and criminal prosecution.

User content and security

"User Content" means any files, including pictures, text, videos, sound recordings, and other materials, provided and managed through the App by a user. You own your User Content and information that you submit or access through the App.

Any User Content accessed through the App is stored locally on the user’s devices or connected cloud services (e.g., DropBox, Google Drive, Sharepoint, etc.). Readdle may not in any case access any User Content, does not store it on Readdle’s servers or otherwise. The communication between your cloud storage provider and the App on your device is also performed directly per your cloud service provider’s security requirements.

• To protect your User Content, the users of PDF Expert may create a password in the settings of the App. Please note that the password may not be recovered.

Your feedback

We welcome feedback, reviews, ideas, questions, and comments about your experience with our App or our website (collectively “Feedback”). By submitting your Feedback to us directly or via any platform, including, but not limited to, online distribution platforms, marketplaces, and social media, you:

• grant us and our affiliates a worldwide, nonexclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, revocable, transferable, assignable and sub-licensable (through multiple tiers) license and right to copy, reproduce, use, modify, adapt, distribute, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and publicly display, including on-line, such Feedback on our Website, in-app screens, social media accounts, our marketing communications distributed via email or otherwise, and in any other media, including for marketing and advertising purposes, and otherwise exploit such Feedback regardless of when and in what manner it was provided by you. You grant us and our affiliates the right to use and refer to the name or username that you submit in connection with such Feedback. For this reason, we ask that you not submit any Feedback or delete any existing one that you do not wish to license to us as set forth above;
• agree and acknowledge that you are solely responsible for the information in your Feedback;
• represent and confirm that you were not asked, instructed, or commissioned to submit fake or misleading reviews and endorsements or misrepresent your experience with our App;
• represent and warrant that the use of your Feedback does not violate any third party’s rights;
• expressly release and discharge us, our affiliates, sublicensees, successors, and assignees from all liability, claims, and/or demands arising out of or in any way connected to our exercise of the rights granted under the license as discussed in item (a) above, including without limitation, any liability based on rights of publicity, invasion of privacy and other civil rights, moral rights, and copyright infringement.

You can contact us to request to refrain from or discontinue our use of your Feedback at any time.

The Feedback appearing on our website, social media accounts, and marketing, advertising, and other communication reflects the individual experience of those who have used our App. We do not claim, nor should the reader assume, that any individual experience recounted is typical or representative of what any other user might experience.

Business users’ authorisation

Business users of PDF Expert hereby expressly grant Readdle and its affiliates the right to use such users’ commercial name and logo in various PDF Expert promotional and advertising materials that may be published by Readdle and/or its affiliates from time to time. 

A representative of a business user can contact us at enterprise@readdle.com to request Readdle to limit or cease the use of the business user’s commercial name and/or logo. Please use "No Use of Customer Name" as a subject line of such an email. We will reply to your request within three (3) business days.

Third-party websites and services

In brief

• Some functions of the Service depend on third-party services, which we do not control; therefore we cannot guarantee the uninterrupted operation of all PDF Expert features.

Some features of the Service are compatible with third-party websites and services, including, without limitation, the connected cloud services, files converting services, official resellers, Apple FaceTime SharePlay, etc. We cannot guarantee that any currently supported third-party services will remain compatible with the Service software or that all features will be constantly available and uninterrupted.

You acknowledge that different terms of service and privacy policies may apply to your use of such third-party websites, services, and content. Readdle shall not be held responsible for any losses, damages, or other liabilities incurred due to your interaction with those third-party websites and services. 

With respect to your use of the App for iOS, available on the App Store, Apple Inc. ("Apple") is not a party to an agreement between Readdle and a user and does not own and is not responsible for the App in any capacity or manner. Apple has no obligation to furnish any maintenance and support services, as well as no warranty obligation whatsoever with respect to the App, except, if applicable, to refund the purchase price.

Warranties and disclaimers

In brief

• PDF Expert is provided to you "as is."
• We promise that it will function as provided for in these Terms during your license period and disclaim all other warranties. 
• However, we cannot exclude that the Service software may malfunction, in which case we will apply every effort to resume its correct operation.

The Service is provided to you "as is."

Readdle warrants that the Service will perform in substantial accordance with its documentation within the period of your license. Readdle disclaims all other warranties regarding the Service, its features, and content, to the fullest extent permitted by law, including without limitations, guarantees of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement of intellectual property rights of third parties or other rights.

We are not making promises of any kind, including about the Service’s and content’s accuracy, usefulness, reliability, and correct operation. Readdle does not guarantee that the Service will function uninterrupted or securely, that any defects will be corrected, or that the Service is free of viruses or anything harmful. In case the Service software malfunctions, we will apply every effort to resume its correct operation as soon as possible.

Limitation of liability

In brief

• You are responsible for your use of the Service in compliance with these Terms and applicable laws and regulations. 
• This section limits Readdle’s liability, so please read it carefully to understand what to expect.

Readdle is not responsible if any information, materials, or content available through the Service are inaccurate or incomplete.

You are solely responsible for the legality of your actions within the Service and your use of the Service under the laws and regulations applicable to you.

In no event shall Readdle, its affiliates, directors, partners, employees, contractors, or agents be liable for indirect, incidental, special, punitive, or consequential damages related to any use or inability to use the Service, including, without limitation, any damages, caused as a result of the use of the information provided through the Service or by mistakes, omissions, interruptions, defects, viruses, even if Readdle has been advised of the possibility of damages or loss of future profits.

The preceding limitations of liability do not apply to the extent prohibited by law.

If any part of the warranty disclaimers or limitations of liability is found to be invalid or unenforceable for any reason or if we are otherwise found to be liable to you in any manner, then our aggregate liability under all claims for any consequential, special, punitive, or indirect damages of any sort, including, without limitation, (a) any damages for lost profits, or (b) any damages resulting from loss of use or loss of data, under such circumstances shall not exceed the total amount of payments made by you to Readdle within one year preceding the date of such claim.

Indemnification

In brief

• If you violate these Terms, misuse the Service, or violate any law or third party’s rights, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Readdle.

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Readdle, our subsidiaries, directors, partners, employees, contractors, and agents from and against any claims, responsibility, damages, losses, and expenses, including reasonable legal and accounting expenses arising from:

• any breach of these Terms by you,
• your use/misuse of the Service, or
• a violation by you of applicable law, third party’s intellectual property or other rights, any agreement or terms with a third party to which you are subject.

We reserve the right to handle our legal defense however we see fit, including instances when you are indemnifying us. Therefore, you agree to cooperate with us, so we execute our legal defense strategy.

Applicable law and jurisdiction

In brief

• These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Ireland. 
• We strive to resolve all the issues through negotiation. Still, if a serious dispute arises between us, we must resolve it in the national courts of the Republic of Ireland.
• Except as otherwise outlined in these Terms or any applicable policies, these Terms are exclusively governed by and construed under the laws of the Republic of Ireland, excluding the rules on conflict of laws. 

If the user is a U.S. city, town, county, district, or state governmental entity, then the Terms will be silent regarding governing law and venue.

If any material in the Service, or your use of the Service, is contrary to the laws of the place where you are when you access it, the Service is not intended for you, and we ask you not to use it. You are responsible for informing yourself of the laws of your jurisdiction and complying with them.

Except where prohibited by applicable law, and without limitation to any statutory rights of consumers, you agree that any dispute, conflict, claim, or controversy directly or indirectly arising out of, or in connection with, or relating to the Service or these Terms, including, without limitation, those relating to its validity, its construction or its enforceability shall be resolved through amicable negotiations directly with the Readdle team following the principles of good faith and fair cooperation.

If we cannot reach a consensus through negotiations, the dispute shall be settled exclusively in the national courts of the Republic of Ireland, subject to its jurisdiction rules, with the applicable substantive law of the Republic of Ireland.

You can also try to settle the dispute out of court using an alternative dispute resolution procedure and submit your complaint online via the online dispute resolution (ODR) platform.

All claims shall be brought by you within one year after the claim arises, except to the extent a longer period is required by applicable law.

Electronic communications

In brief

• We use email to stay in touch with our users.
• You can receive updates, recommendations, and information on your subscription to the email provided by you. 
• You can unsubscribe from commercial emails from Readdle and our affiliates at any time by following the instructions in such emails.

By using the App and providing Readdle with your contact information, you understand and agree that we may send you electronic communications via email or push notifications regarding, without limitation: 

1. your use of the the Service;
2. updates of the Service and these Terms; or
3. subscriptions, transactions, and cancellations under these Terms.

Note, however, that some email messages may be more "commercial" in nature than others, as they may advertise our services or offers which, we believe, you may be interested in. You may unsubscribe from receiving our emails by following the instructions provided in such communications.

You can read more about the rules of personal data processing in our Privacy Notices for the website and for the App.

Termination

In brief

• To terminate the agreement with Readdle, you must delete and no longer use or access the Service.
• If your subscription period has not expired when you terminate the agreement, we will not provide any refunds.
• We can terminate your access to the App, if you violate these Terms.

Termination by Readdle

We reserve the right, at any time at our sole discretion, with prior notice, to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service, Content, any feature or offer available through the Service. You agree that we shall not be liable to you or to any third party should any of the preceding occur concerning the Service.

Readdle reserves the right to take whatever lawful actions it may deem appropriate in response to actual or suspected violations of these Terms, including, without limitation, the suspension or termination of your license and access to the Service. 

Readdle may cooperate with legal authorities and/or third parties to investigate any suspected or alleged crime or civil wrong. 

Termination by you

You may terminate this agreement with Readdle at any time by deleting and no longer accessing or using the Service. If you terminate this agreement, all permissions and licenses granted to you in these Terms will immediately terminate without Readdle’s obligation to provide any refunds.

Please note, when you delete the App on your iPhone or iPad that has an active recurring subscription, it does not automatically cancel the subscription. You must manually cancel your subscription (please see Subscription renewal and cancellation above).

Other terms

We reserve the right to transfer our rights and obligations under these Terms to a third party, but this will not affect your rights or our obligations under these Terms.

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time at our sole discretion. If material changes affect your use of the Service, we’ll notify you before the changes become effective by email or notification via our website or App. If you continue to use the App, you agree to the updated version of these Terms.

If any provision of these Terms is determined to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions of these Terms will continue to be fully valid and enforceable.

A printed version of these Terms shall be admissible in judicial or administrative proceedings based on or relating to the use of the Service to the same extent and subject to the same conditions as other business documents and records originally generated and maintained in printed form.