Terms of Service

Last updated: October 24, 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing and using Moving Polygons ("Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use our Service.

2. Description of Service

Moving Polygons is a web application that allows users to create, edit, and share animated polygon maps that visualize geographic changes over time. The Service is currently offered free of charge as a public beta. The features and usage limits that apply (such as the number of maps per account) are described on our Pricing page.

3. User Accounts

Registration

To use certain features of our Service, you must create an account. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration.

Account Security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account.

4. Free Beta and Future Plans

Free During the Beta

During the beta, the Service is free to use. We do not charge any fees, we do not ask for payment details, and no paid subscriptions are offered. Beta accounts are subject to usage limits, such as a maximum number of maps per account, which we may adjust as the Service develops.

Changes to the Beta

Because the Service is in beta, features may be added, changed, or removed, and the Service may occasionally be unavailable. We will try to give reasonable notice of changes that significantly affect how you use the Service.

Future Paid Plans

We may introduce paid plans in the future, and some features that are free during the beta may become part of a paid plan. If we do, we will announce this and update these Terms in advance. You will never be charged without first explicitly choosing a paid plan and agreeing to its price and conditions.

5. User Content

Ownership

You retain ownership of the content you create on our Service. By publishing content, you grant us a non-exclusive license to display and distribute that content.

Content Guidelines

You agree not to create or share content that:

  • Violates any applicable laws or regulations
  • Infringes on intellectual property rights
  • Contains harmful, offensive, or misleading information
  • Promotes discrimination or violence

6. Watermarks and Branding

Watermark Display

Maps, exports (such as GIFs), and embeds created with the Service may include a Moving Polygons watermark or branding.

Prohibition of Watermark Removal

You are strictly prohibited from removing, altering, obscuring, or circumventing any watermark, branding, or attribution placed on maps, exports, embeds, or any other output generated by the Service. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Cropping, overlaying, or editing images or videos to hide the watermark
  • Using third-party tools, scripts, or software to strip or modify the watermark
  • Manipulating the embed code or DOM to remove or hide branding elements
  • Re-encoding or post-processing exported content in a way that removes the watermark

Violation of this section constitutes a material breach of these Terms and may result in immediate termination of your account, legal action, and a claim for damages. Watermark-free exports are not currently offered.

7. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

  • Use the Service for any illegal purpose
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems
  • Interfere with or disrupt the Service
  • Use automated systems to access the Service without permission
  • Impersonate others or misrepresent your affiliation
  • Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the Service
  • Circumvent any technical measures designed to enforce the Service's limitations, including but not limited to watermarks, export restrictions, usage limits, or spam protection
  • Resell, redistribute, or sublicense access to the Service or its features without our prior written consent

8. Intellectual Property

The Service, including its design, features, source code, watermarks, branding, and content (excluding user-generated content), is owned by us and protected by intellectual property laws. All rights not expressly granted in these Terms are reserved.

The Westeros Basemap

The "Westeros" and "Westeros tapestry" map styles draw the fictional world of A Song of Ice and Fire, which is copyright George R.R. Martin. Its map data is a fan project by cadaei of the Cartographers' Guild, after maps by Tear, theMountainGoat, Werthead and Other-in-Law, and is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 (see the license and credits). We are not affiliated with or endorsed by George R.R. Martin, HBO or the map's authors.

Maps made with these styles are non-commercial fan works. This means:

  • You may not use a Westeros map, or an export, embed or screenshot of it, for any commercial purpose: no selling it, no advertising with it, and no use in paid products or services.
  • The credit to the map's authors that is shown on the map and burned into exports must stay visible.
  • A map shown on these styles, and its exports, may only be shared under the same CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
  • We will never charge for these styles or for maps made with them: it stays free to make, view and share, also if paid plans are introduced later.

The Middle-earth Basemap

The "Middle-earth" map style draws the world of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, which is copyright The Tolkien Estate (the names are trademarks of Middle-earth Enterprises). Its map data is a fan project, the ME-GIS files of the ME-DEM project, used with the permission of its maintainers and with credit (see the credits and terms). We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Tolkien Estate, Middle-earth Enterprises, the film studios or the map's authors.

Maps made with this style are non-commercial fan works. This means:

  • You may not use a Middle-earth map, or an export, embed or screenshot of it, for any commercial purpose: no selling it, no advertising with it, and no use in paid products or services.
  • The credit that is shown on the map and burned into exports must stay visible.
  • We will never charge for this style or for maps made with it: it stays free to make, view and share, also if paid plans are introduced later.

9. Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account if you violate these Terms, including but not limited to unauthorized removal of watermarks, circumvention of usage limits, or any other breach. You may delete your account at any time.

10. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not guarantee that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Service.

12. Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will notify users of significant changes by posting a notice on our Service. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms.

13. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Netherlands, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Netherlands.

14. Contact

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us through our contact form.

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