Meru Logo
Pricing

Terms of Service

Last updated on

Terms of Service

Effective Date: December 19, 2024
Last Updated: December 19, 2024

Introduction

Welcome to MERU! These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of our inbound email API service (the “Service”) operated by MERU (“we,” “our,” or “us”). By accessing or using our Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

MERU is an inbound-first email API platform that converts emails into structured JSON webhooks. Our Service is designed for developers who need reliable, secure, and compliant inbound email processing.

Definitions

  • “Service” means MERU’s inbound email API platform, including our website, API, webhook delivery system, and related services.
  • “You” or “Customer” means the individual or entity using our Service.
  • “Account” means your MERU account and associated API credentials.
  • “Inbound Address” means email addresses provisioned through our API for receiving emails.
  • “Webhook” means the HTTP endpoint you configure to receive structured JSON payloads.
  • “Content” means any emails, attachments, or data processed through our Service.

Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account, accessing our API, or using our Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use our Service.

Account Terms

1. Account Security

  • You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials, API keys, and webhook secrets.
  • You must notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account.
  • We recommend using strong, unique passwords and enabling two-factor authentication where available.
  • You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.

2. Account Eligibility

  • You must be at least 18 years old to use our Service.
  • You must provide accurate and complete information when creating your account.
  • You may not create multiple accounts to circumvent usage limits or restrictions.
  • Accounts registered by automated methods or “bots” are not permitted.

3. API Usage

  • You may only use our API for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms.
  • You are responsible for ensuring your applications and integrations comply with all applicable laws.
  • You must not attempt to reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble our Service.
  • You must respect rate limits and usage quotas as specified in our documentation.

Service Description

Inbound Email Processing

MERU provides an inbound-first email API that:

  • Provisions unique email addresses via API
  • Processes incoming emails in real-time
  • Converts emails to structured JSON format
  • Delivers webhook notifications to your endpoints
  • Implements stream-and-purge architecture for SOC 2 compliance

Data Processing

  • Email Content: Processed in real-time and immediately purged after webhook delivery
  • Metadata: Temporarily retained for service delivery and audit purposes
  • No Long-term Storage: We do not store email content beyond the brief processing window
  • Stream-and-Purge: Our SOC 2 compliant architecture ensures immediate content purging

Acceptable Use

Permitted Uses

You may use our Service for:

  • Customer support ticket systems
  • Reply-by-email functionality
  • Email-to-database automation
  • Workflow automation and integrations
  • Any lawful business purpose that complies with these Terms

Prohibited Uses

You may not use our Service for:

  • Spam or Unsolicited Communications: Sending or facilitating spam, phishing, or unsolicited bulk email
  • Illegal Activities: Any activity that violates applicable laws or regulations
  • Abuse or Harassment: Harassing, threatening, or abusing others
  • Malicious Content: Distributing malware, viruses, or other harmful content
  • Fraud: Engaging in fraudulent or deceptive practices
  • Intellectual Property Violations: Infringing on others’ intellectual property rights
  • System Abuse: Attempting to disrupt or compromise our systems or security
  • Excessive Usage: Using the Service in a way that negatively impacts other customers

Content Restrictions

  • You are responsible for all content processed through your inbound addresses
  • Content must comply with applicable laws and regulations
  • You must not process content that violates our Acceptable Use policy
  • We reserve the right to suspend accounts that process prohibited content

Payment Terms

Pricing and Billing

  • Our pricing is available on our website and may be updated from time to time
  • We offer transparent, usage-based pricing starting at $10/month for 1,300 inbound emails
  • Billing is processed in advance on a monthly or annual basis
  • All fees are exclusive of applicable taxes

Payment Methods

  • We accept major credit cards and other payment methods as specified
  • You must provide accurate billing information
  • Failed payments may result in service suspension
  • You are responsible for all applicable taxes

Refunds

  • Refunds are handled on a case-by-case basis
  • We may provide refunds for unused portions of prepaid services
  • No refunds for usage that has already occurred
  • Contact our support team for refund requests

Service Level and Availability

Service Availability

  • We strive to maintain high service availability but do not guarantee 100% uptime
  • We provide multi-region MX records and failover mechanisms
  • Service interruptions may occur for maintenance, updates, or unforeseen circumstances
  • We will provide reasonable notice for planned maintenance when possible

Performance

  • We implement retry mechanisms with exponential backoff for webhook delivery
  • We provide circuit breakers and rate limiting to protect system stability
  • Performance metrics and monitoring are available through our dashboard
  • We continuously work to improve service performance and reliability

Support

  • We provide documentation, API references, and developer resources
  • Support is available through our support channels
  • Response times may vary based on your support plan
  • We do not guarantee specific response times unless specified in a separate agreement

Data Security and Privacy

Security Measures

  • Encryption: All data is encrypted in transit and at rest
  • Access Controls: Strict access controls and authentication mechanisms
  • SOC 2 Compliance: We maintain SOC 2 Type II compliance
  • HMAC Verification: All webhooks are HMAC-signed with replay protection
  • Stream-and-Purge: No long-term content storage per our architecture

Data Processing

  • We process data only as necessary to provide our Service
  • We do not sell, rent, or trade your data to third parties
  • We may share data with service providers who assist in operating our Service
  • We comply with applicable data protection laws and regulations

Your Responsibilities

  • You are responsible for securing your webhook endpoints
  • You must implement proper authentication and validation for webhook data
  • You must comply with applicable data protection laws
  • You must not store or process data in violation of applicable laws

Intellectual Property

Our Rights

  • We own all rights, title, and interest in our Service, including intellectual property
  • Our Service includes proprietary technology, algorithms, and processes
  • You may not copy, modify, or distribute our Service without permission
  • Our trademarks, logos, and branding are protected intellectual property

Your Rights

  • You retain ownership of your content and data
  • You grant us a limited license to process your data to provide our Service
  • You may not use our intellectual property without written permission
  • You must respect third-party intellectual property rights

API and Integration

  • Our API is provided for your use in accordance with these Terms
  • You may integrate our Service with your applications
  • You are responsible for ensuring your integrations comply with these Terms
  • We may update our API with reasonable notice

Limitation of Liability

Service Disclaimer

THE SERVICE IS 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.

Limitation of Damages

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, OR USE, ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE.

Maximum Liability

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE TWELVE MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless MERU and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from or relating to:

  • Your use of the Service
  • Your violation of these Terms
  • Your violation of applicable laws or regulations
  • Your violation of third-party rights

Termination

Termination by You

  • You may terminate your account at any time through your account settings
  • Termination will take effect at the end of your current billing period
  • You are responsible for any outstanding charges
  • We will provide instructions for data export if requested

Termination by Us

We may suspend or terminate your account if:

  • You violate these Terms
  • You engage in prohibited activities
  • You fail to pay required fees
  • We determine termination is necessary to protect our Service or other customers

Effect of Termination

  • Upon termination, your access to the Service will cease
  • Your data will be deleted according to our data retention policy
  • You remain liable for any outstanding charges
  • Provisions that by their nature should survive termination will remain in effect

Changes to Terms

Updates

  • We may update these Terms from time to time
  • We will notify you of material changes via email or through the Service
  • Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of new Terms
  • We will maintain previous versions of Terms for reference

Notice

  • We will provide reasonable notice of material changes
  • Changes will be effective as of the date specified in the notice
  • You may terminate your account if you do not agree to changes
  • Minor changes may be made without notice

Governing Law and Disputes

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of [Your Jurisdiction] without regard to conflict of law principles.

Dispute Resolution

  • We encourage resolving disputes through direct communication
  • Any disputes will be resolved through binding arbitration
  • Arbitration will be conducted in [Your Jurisdiction]
  • You waive the right to participate in class action lawsuits

Jurisdiction

You consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in [Your Jurisdiction] for any disputes arising from these Terms.

General Provisions

Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and MERU regarding the Service.

Severability

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

Waiver

Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that provision.

Assignment

You may not assign or transfer your rights under these Terms without our written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations under these Terms.

Force Majeure

We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control.

Contact Information

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us:

Email: legal@meruhook.com
Address: MERU, [Your Business Address]
Support: support@meruhook.com

Service-Specific Terms

Inbound Email Processing

  • We process emails in real-time using our stream-and-purge architecture
  • Email content is not stored beyond the brief processing window
  • Only metadata is retained for service delivery and audit purposes
  • We implement reject-unknown at RCPT TO for security

Webhook Delivery

  • Webhooks are delivered via HTTPS with HMAC verification
  • We implement retry mechanisms with exponential backoff
  • Failed webhook deliveries are retried according to our retry policy
  • You are responsible for ensuring your webhook endpoints are available and secure

API Usage

  • API requests are subject to rate limits as specified in our documentation
  • We may throttle or suspend API access for excessive usage
  • API keys must be kept secure and not shared
  • We may revoke API keys for security or policy violations

Compliance

  • Our Service is designed for SOC 2 Type II compliance
  • We maintain appropriate security controls and monitoring
  • We conduct regular security audits and assessments
  • We comply with applicable data protection regulations

Last Updated: December 19, 2024