Legal
Licence Terms
1. Subject matter of the contract and scope of application
1.1 These licence terms govern the use of the software CompareDesk (hereinafter the „Software“) including the associated documentation and future updates. The Software serves the automated comparison of documents and the production of comparison results as a Word document with tracked changes together with a colour-marked Word version, as a comparison PDF or, in the case of scanned PDF documents on both sides, as an annotated comparison PDF.
1.2 By installing, registering or using the Software, the user agrees to these licence terms. Deviating terms of the user do not apply unless AIXI expressly consents to them in writing.
2. Scope of the licence
2.1 AIXI grants the user a non-exclusive, non-transferable and non-sublicensable right to use the Software for the user's own purposes on the end devices used by the user. The licence covers both supported operating systems. The user may distribute the end devices under section 2.3 freely across Windows computers and Macs; a separate licence for each operating system is not required.
2.2 The free version permits 25 comparisons in total. The full version permits an unlimited number of comparisons for the duration of the licence.
2.3 The licence key of the full version is tied to the email address stated upon registration. It is to be treated as confidential and must not be made available to third parties. A licence is tied to one user and entitles that user to use the Software on up to three end devices used by that user, for instance the office device, the device in the home office and a travel device. Use by several persons is not permitted even within that number. Where several persons use the Software, a corresponding number of licences must be acquired; in the case of a licence for several workstations, the number of three end devices applies separately to each workstation. For more than ten users the enterprise tariff applies pursuant to a separate agreement.
2.4 Licence keys are to be treated as confidential and protected against unauthorised access. Allocation is made on the basis of the email address stated for the licence. Disclosure outside the group of persons entitled under these terms or under a separate agreement is not permitted. The Software registers each end device upon activation and deregisters it when the activation is revoked; the number of registered devices is recorded. Upon a change of device the licence may be transferred to the replacement device; for this purpose the user terminates use on the previous device within the program or releases that device in the licence area.
2.5 The licence key is confirmed every three months. For this purpose the Software establishes an encrypted connection to AIXI and transmits the email address, the licence key, a pseudonymous device identifier and the designation of the device. Documents, file names or contents are not transmitted. If the confirmation does not succeed because no connection is available, the full version remains fully usable for a further month; during that period the user is asked within the program to establish a connection. Only after that month has elapsed does the full version lie dormant until the confirmation succeeds; it then revives without any further action, and the licence key need not be entered again. Between two confirmations the Software operates without any connection to AIXI.
3. Remuneration, term and termination
3.1 The prices stated are net prices and are exclusive of statutory value added tax, in each case per month or per year and, depending on the licence model, per user or for the stated number of users. Towards consumers the gross price is additionally shown; the final price displayed in the ordering process is decisive. The remuneration is payable in advance.
3.2 The licence applies for the term selected, commencing with the issue of the licence key. It ends upon expiry of the term without any notice of termination being required; thereafter the free version remains available. Where a subscription is concluded through the payment platform, it is extended by the respective term unless it is terminated through the payment platform before that term expires.
3.3 AIXI is entitled to revoke the licence with immediate effect for good cause, in particular where the licence key is passed on to third parties or where the Software is otherwise used in breach of contract. Remuneration already paid is not refunded in such a case, unless mandatory law provides otherwise.
3.4 Licences are acquired through Paddle acting as a reseller in its own name (merchant of record). Paddle acts as the seller towards the user, issues the invoice, collects value added tax and processes the payment; the contractual partner for the grant of the software licence remains AIXI. The licence key is issued by AIXI and sent to the user immediately after payment. The terms of Paddle apply in addition to ordering, payment, renewal, termination and any refunds. Through the customer portal of Paddle the user may retrieve invoices, change the means of payment and terminate the subscription at any time without assistance. Enterprise licences for more than ten users are issued directly by AIXI pursuant to a separate agreement; the associated licence keys are verified offline and do not require acquisition through a platform. The merchant may change; the merchant named in the order process is the relevant one. The grant of the licence by AIXI remains unaffected.
3.5 The licence key is issued to the email address stated upon purchase and is valid until the end of the period paid for. If the subscription is extended, a key with a new expiry date is issued; the Software adopts it automatically unless this query has been switched off. If the subscription is terminated, no renewal takes place and the existing key expires at the end of the period paid for. In the case of a licence for several workstations, the purchaser allocates the workstations to the respective email addresses; each address receives its own key. The address of a workstation may be changed once, for instance when a member of staff leaves; the key previously issued for that workstation thereby ceases to be valid and is no longer accepted when a device is registered. A further change is possible upon request to AIXI.
3.6 Towards consumers an automatic extension requires that notice of the forthcoming extension, of the remuneration payable for it and of the consequences of a failure to terminate be given in good time before the notice period begins, and that a reasonable period remain in which to make a declaration. The notice is given by AIXI or by Paddle.
4. Consumers, right of withdrawal
4.1 Where the user is a consumer within the meaning of the KSchG (Austrian Consumer Protection Act), the statutory rights of withdrawal under the FAGG (Austrian Distance and Off-Premises Transactions Act) apply. The user acknowledges that in the case of digital services the right of withdrawal ceases to exist where AIXI has begun performance of the contract before expiry of the withdrawal period, after the user has expressly consented and has confirmed knowledge of the loss of the right of withdrawal.
4a. Refund
4a.1 Before purchase, the free version with twenty-five complete comparisons and all functions is available; the Software may thus be examined without cost and without registration.
4a.2 A request for a refund is to be addressed within fourteen days of payment to office@comparedesk.eu or directly to Paddle as the seller. Within this period AIXI refunds the amount paid, provided that the Software has not been used to a substantial extent; the associated licence key ceases to be valid upon the refund. Statutory rights of withdrawal and warranty rights, in particular those under point 4, remain unaffected.
4a.3 A running subscription may be terminated by the user at any time without assistance through the customer portal of Paddle (https://customer-portal.paddle.com/cpl_01m2btact3kmbmp61bz86ky7n9). In that case the licence remains valid until the end of the period already paid for; no pro rata refund is made for the remaining period.
5. Restrictions on use
5.1 The Software is intended for use outside the United States of America. Use in the United States of America as well as the offering or distribution of the Software into the United States of America are not permitted until further notice; AIXI reserves the release for that territory. The user confirms already upon downloading as well as upon registration that the download is not made from the United States of America and that the Software is not used in the United States of America.
5.2 The user must not reproduce, distribute, rent, lease, make publicly available, modify or decompile the Software, save where this is covered by mandatory statutory provisions, in particular §§ 40d et seq UrhG (Austrian Copyright Act).
5.3 Technical protection measures, in particular the licence verification and the usage restriction of the free version, must not be circumvented.
5.4 These restrictions do not prohibit any legally permissible examination of the Software for security vulnerabilities and do not prohibit the reporting of such vulnerabilities. Mandatory statutory entitlements, in particular those under §§ 40d et seq UrhG, remain unaffected. No permission to access third-party systems or data is granted thereby.
6. Mode of operation, warranty
6.1 The comparison is carried out in principle at text level; differences in formatting are shown only to the extent described in the documentation. Notwithstanding careful technical implementation, it cannot be excluded that individual deviations, in particular in the case of scanned documents without a text layer, in the case of defective character recognition or in the case of an unusual document structure, are not shown or are shown incorrectly. The comparison result does not replace the review of the documents by a qualified person on that person's own responsibility.
6.1a The Software contains optical character recognition (OCR) which is executed exclusively locally. Where a PDF without a text layer is present, its content is made accessible by character recognition; where both documents to be compared are present as scanned PDF, the comparison is carried out line by line on the basis of the typeface and the result is output as an annotated comparison PDF. The results of character recognition depend on the quality of the original; recognition errors, in particular in the case of small type, handwriting, stamps or poor scanning quality, cannot be excluded. Graphical deviations such as handwritten notes, stamps or deletions are marked as such without being evaluated as to their content. Images embedded in Word documents as well as graphics without underlying text continue not to be compared as to their content.
6.1b In the case of tracked changes in Word documents (DOC, DOCX) the user may choose whether the comparison proceeds from the amended or from the unamended version. A PDF contains no structured change information. Where a comparison of changes is merely visually depicted in a PDF, for instance by struck-through or colour-highlighted text, the Software cannot separate the original from the amended version on that basis; such text is treated as ordinary text. The Software gives notice of a suspected depicted comparison of changes where it recognises corresponding features. Such examinations and results are prone to error, to which express attention is drawn.
6.1c In the comparison of spreadsheets, the cell contents, formulas and structural features supported in the respective file format are compared in accordance with the settings selected. Such a comparison is not an examination of the arithmetical or substantive accuracy of the workbook. In particular, it does not follow from matching formulas that the calculations or the underlying data are correct.
6.1d In the batch comparison, several pairs of files are processed one after the other. The user is to examine the selection and the allocation of the files as well as the notices concerning files that were not allocated, were skipped or were processed defectively. The processing of a batch alone does not confirm that all files contained in it have been compared in full.
6.1e In the comparison of a chain of versions, the selected versions are compared in the order determined. The user is to examine their completeness and their order. File names and time details are, in themselves, no proof of the order of creation, of authorship or of the binding character of a version. Intermediate versions not included are not reconstructed subsequently.
6.1f Comparison results support the user's own examination. They replace neither the qualified review of the relevant documents nor a legal, tax, economic or other expert assessment. The absence of a marking must not, without further examination, be taken to mean that the documents correspond in full.
6.2 AIXI provides warranty in accordance with the statutory provisions. Towards entrepreneurs the presumption under § 924 ABGB (Austrian Civil Code) is excluded and the warranty period is shortened to six months; claims under § 933b ABGB are excluded. Any warranty is, save where mandatory statutory provisions provide otherwise, limited to reimbursement of the licence fee actually paid. There is no claim to improvement or revision of the Software. The Software is delivered as-is; the user had the opportunity to test it within the free version and has declared agreement with its functions.
6.3 AIXI provides agreed updates and updates owed by law, including security updates, and gives information about their availability. Security updates owed free of charge by law are provided without additional remuneration. Security support is assured for the versions of the 4.2 and 4.3 series up to and including December 2031; it is also shown in the product information. Its expiry does not coincide with the expiry of a paid licence. The user should install security updates provided without delay. A claim to the development of additional functions exists only where separately agreed.
6.4 Notices of security vulnerabilities may be addressed to office@comparedesk.eu; the point of contact is additionally published in accordance with RFC 9116 at comparedesk.eu/.well-known/security.txt. For an initial report, the product version, a technical description of the defect and a contactable address suffice; confidential documents or access credentials should not be transmitted unsolicited. AIXI processes reports in accordance with the applicable statutory requirements, in particular Regulation (EU) 2024/2847, and informs affected users of any protective measures required.
7. Exclusion of liability
7.1 AIXI assumes no warranty or liability for the completeness and accuracy of comparison results. Responsibility for the examination and use of the results, in particular before the release of legally binding documents, lies with the user.
7.2 AIXI is liable without limitation for intent and for personal injury. Liability for slight negligence is excluded. Towards entrepreneurs, liability is in addition limited in amount, to the extent legally permissible, to the remuneration paid by the user in the twelve months preceding the damaging event; liability for lost profit, indirect damage, consequential damage and loss of data is excluded. Mandatory statutory provisions on liability, in particular those under the PHG (Austrian Product Liability Act), remain unaffected. In the case of gross negligence, that limit is replaced, as against entrepreneurs, by five times the annual remuneration last paid for the licence concerned.
7.3 The user is responsible for backing up the user's own documents and data.
8. Data protection
8.1 The processing of the documents to be compared takes place exclusively locally on the end device of the user; the documents are not transmitted to AIXI. For registration, AIXI processes the name, email address and organisation of the user for the performance of the contract. Further details are governed by the privacy policy. For the registration of devices and the confirmation of the licence key pursuant to clause 2.5, AIXI processes the data stated there.
8.2 Rights in the documents submitted and in their contents remain with the respective rightholder. AIXI claims no rights in the comparison results produced. The use of the Software does not confer on AIXI any authority to use documents or comparison results for the training of artificial intelligence models, for advertising or for any other further exploitation.
8.3 Where the user voluntarily transmits files in connection with an enquiry, the user is to ensure beforehand that the user is entitled to do so and should remove confidential content that is not required. AIXI treats such materials as confidential and uses them exclusively for dealing with the enquiry concerned.
9. Third-party components (open source components)
9.1 The Software contains third-party components which are subject to open source licences. The complete list of components together with the licence details is available in the Software under the menu item Open Source Notices. These include in particular Qt and PySide6 (LGPL-3.0), pdfplumber and pdfminer.six (MIT), python-docx (MIT), ReportLab (BSD), pypdf (BSD), pypdfium2 and PDFium (Apache-2.0, BSD), lxml (BSD), openpyxl (MIT), Pillow (MIT-CMU), NumPy (BSD), cryptography (Apache-2.0, BSD), Tesseract OCR together with its language data (Apache-2.0) as well as the Liberation Serif typeface (SIL Open Font License). The optional character recognition bundle additionally contains RapidOCR (Apache-2.0), ONNX Runtime (MIT) and OpenCV (Apache-2.0).
9.2 Qt and PySide6 are incorporated dynamically under the LGPL-3.0; the associated licence texts are enclosed with the Software. AIXI makes the source code of the LGPL components available upon request. The open source licences remain unaffected by these licence terms and take precedence over them in respect of the components concerned.
9.3 To the extent that the relevant open source licence so requires, the replacement or modification of the libraries concerned and the reverse engineering necessary for debugging such modifications are permitted. The restrictions under section 5 do not stand in the way of these rights. No right of use going beyond this in respect of the proprietary components of CompareDesk follows from this.
10. Final provisions
10.1 Austrian law applies to the exclusion of its conflict of laws rules and of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. Towards entrepreneurs the exclusive place of jurisdiction is the court having subject-matter jurisdiction in Vienna, Innere Stadt; towards consumers the statutory places of jurisdiction apply.
10.2 For new contracts the version of these licence terms respectively agreed applies. The mere notification of a new version does not alter existing contracts; nor does an automatic extension, in itself, constitute consent to amended terms.
10.3 Should individual provisions of these licence terms be or become invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions remains unaffected.
10.4 Amendments to these licence terms are notified to the user in an appropriate manner and apply to extensions and new contracts.