These Terms and Conditions were last updated on January 2025. If you haven’t reviewed them since that date, please do so now.
Welcome to MyStories
MyStories is an online service that allows members to write their stories in response to prompts, and receive a printed book containing their stories (the "Service"). The Service is owned and operated by MyHeritage Ltd. (hereafter "MyHeritage", 'we', 'our' or 'us'). 'You' means an adult user, over the age of 18, of the Service. The Service is provided through the website MyStories.com (the “Website”). Any use of the Website and the Service, is subject to compliance with the Terms and Conditions set forth in this document. Please read them carefully, because by using the Website you agree to be bound by them and to enter into an agreement with us based on them (this "Agreement").
This Agreement incorporates by reference additional policies and guidelines, including our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect and use your personal data. Please read it carefully to understand your rights and responsibilities when using the Service.
If you do not agree with any provision in this Agreement, do not use the Service and the Website. We reserve the right to modify this Agreement from time to time, in our sole discretion, and such modification shall be effective immediately upon its posting on the Website. You agree to be bound to any changes to this Agreement if you continue to use the Service after any modification is posted.
The Service
How it works
If you purchase a paid membership, or are invited by another person to become a member in the Website and accept their invitation, you will receive weekly story questions (prompts) via email. You can answer those questions by simply replying to the emails, or through your account on the Website. You may also add photos to supplement your answers.
Each MyStories membership includes one year’s worth of questions for one storyteller (you or the Assigned Storyteller, as defined below), and a credit for one hardcover, full-color book, which you can apply when you order your first book. Once you edit or delete content on the Website, any previously submitted content will not be saved and cannot be restored by us, but you can manually add new content, at any time. A printed book will include the content that is available on your account on the Website account at the time you submit the order.
Terms of Use
Our content standards
This section explains our standards for user-submitted content on the Service, the steps you can take to report content that you believe is illegal or otherwise in breach of our standards and the steps we will take if we are made aware of such content.
The Service allows you to write text and upload photos to the Website. Please select carefully the information you write or upload and refrain from submitting any illegal or unsuitable content, as detailed below. We will not edit or monitor user-submitted content, but we reserve the right to remove any user-submitted content which comes to our attention and which, in our sole discretion, breaches this Agreement or any law or regulation, and to suspend or terminate any person’s access to the Website or any part of it.
You shall refrain from submitting the following content, which is prohibited:
● Photographs or any other content which includes nudity or pornography.
● Any content which may violate the privacy or confidentiality of any individual, including your family members.
● Any personal information, including photos, of living individuals (other than your own), if submitted without their consent.
● Any information relating to minors or underage children, which identifies them, their personal details or contact information, without the consent of their parent or guardian.
● Any content which you do not have a right to use.
● Any content that infringes the intellectual property or other rights of others, including copyrights and trademarks. You should not reproduce content that belongs to others, including photographs and text, without permission of its owner.
● Any content which is defamatory, derogatory, fraudulent, abusive, hateful, false, misleading, malicious, harassing, threatening, or could incite racial, religious or ethnic hatred.
● Any content that could cause anyone alarm, anxiety, or distress.
● Any content that could prejudice any active legal proceedings of which you are aware; is unlawful or promotes unlawful activity.
● Any computer virus, trojan or other malicious code.
● Any content that violates our Privacy Policy.
● Any content that is in any other way unlawful.
● Any content that we reasonably deem to be inappropriate.
Reporting content
If you believe that any content on the Website is unlawful or otherwise breaches our standards described above ('Improper Content'), please report it to support@mystories.com.
When you report Improper Content, then by submitting your report you confirm your honest belief that the information and allegations in the report are accurate.
Our content moderation
In response to a report about Improper Content, we may take any of the following actions:
-
remove content that we reasonably believe breaches our standards;
-
suspend or terminate any person’s access to the Website or any part of it;
-
take no action, if we reasonably believe the content does not breach our standards
We will notify you of the outcome of our review. If we decide to remove content we may, where relevant, also notify the person who submitted that content, or any person whose access to the Website we suspend or terminate, as applicable.
If you don’t agree with our moderation decision, you can appeal the decision, by responding to the email informing you of our decision.
Disclosures
We may need to disclose information about a person submitting illegal content, if required by law. Any fraudulent, abusive, or otherwise illegal activity may be grounds for termination of your membership, at our sole discretion, and you may be reported to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
Registration and Security
As part of the registration process, you will submit your email address and full name. You must provide us with your real full name and email address. Failure to do so constitutes a breach of this Agreement. You must not (i) submit a name or email address of another person with the intent to impersonate that person; (ii) use the name or email address of any person other than yourself without their authorization; or (iii) use a name or email address that we, in our sole discretion, deem improper or offensive.
Registering to the Website shall be deemed as confirmation that you are 18 years old or older.
Your use of the Service
When using the Service, you must comply with our content standards (see above), and you must not:
● Impersonate anyone else or use a false name.
● Hold yourself out as an employee or representative of MyHeritage Ltd., its affiliates, or the Service.
● Do anything that might damage our reputation.
● Restrict any other person from using the Service.
● Exploit for commercial purposes any portion of the Service.
● Perform any activity that requires any form of payment from other people.
● Advertise or offer products or services.
● Use someone else’s credit card or payment method without their permission.
You must not copy or store electronically any part of the Website or its contents, or make available, distribute, or sell any part of the Website or its contents, or systematically download content and data from or through the Website to create or populate another database. Scraping, crawling or harvesting of any pages and any content from the Website is strictly prohibited. Running macros or scripts to automate activities on the Website, such as photo upload, is strictly prohibited. Violation of any of these prohibitions may result in the immediate termination of your subscription or membership, deletion of your account and may result in legal action against you.
Reselling the Service is strictly prohibited. Buying a subscription or membership to this Website including a credit for a printed book and then selling them to someone else is strictly prohibited. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to limit or prohibit orders that, appear to be placed by resellers.
If we receive a complaint about content submitted about a person, against this person's wish, we reserve the right to delete that content and terminate the subscription or membership of the submitter of the content.
We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to remove any content submitted by you, or to restrict, suspend, or terminate your access to any part of the Website at any time, for any or no reason, with or without prior notice, and without any liability, financial or otherwise.
You may delete content that you previously submitted to the Website. Content that was already printed in a book that was sent to you, is no longer in our control.
Guidelines for gifting a membership
You may choose to purchase a membership as a gift to any other person (the “Assigned Storyteller”). Both the Assigned Storyteller and you will be able to write, upload, access, edit and delete any content, and to order a printed book, all in accordance with this Agreement.
Printing and Delivery
By using the Service you agree that, with respect to any printed book you decide to order: (i) we strive to deliver high-quality products; however, we do not warrant that the quality of the printed book will meet your expectations, or that any errors will be corrected. Additionally, due to the nature of printing, there may be variations in colour and appearance from what is displayed on your screen and the printed book; (ii) once an order is placed, it cannot be modified or cancelled; (iii) delivery times are estimates and may vary based on location; (iv) we are not responsible for delays caused by shipping carriers or other unforeseen circumstances; (v) by placing an order, you confirm that you have all necessary rights and consents to use all content submitted for printing, and you represent that such content does not infringe upon any third parties’ rights, including intellectual property rights and privacy rights; (vi) you grant us a perpetual, worldwide, non-revocable, and transferable license to use your content in order to print and deliver your book; and (vii) printing and delivery may be performed by third-party service providers, and you agree to comply with their terms and conditions as applicable. If you experience any issues with the delivery of your printed book, please contact our support team at support@mystories.com for resolution.
Limited Use License
You are hereby granted a license to use the Service solely for personal use, and subject to this Agreement. The Service does not allow any commercial use. We reserve the right to cancel any or all of the Service at any time. Violation of this Agreement may result in the termination of your membership, deletion of your account and in legal action against you.
Copyrights
By submitting content to the Website, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, license to host, display, process, transfer and print such content.
All content on the Website, except for user-submitted content, is owned by us or by third parties who granted us a limited license in respect of such content (in the cases where such license was necessary). Content uploaded by you, is under your control and is hosted by us under this Agreement.
Except for content submitted by you, you may not copy, display, modify, publish, distribute, license, or sell any content appearing on the Website.
You may not modify the code powering the Website and Service in any way. You must not undertake or authorize any reproduction, modification, creation of derivative works, reverse engineering, decompiling, disassembling or hacking of any of parts of the Service.
Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA")
It is our policy to respond to notices of alleged copyright infringement that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 ("DMCA"). The DMCA provides remedies for copyright owners who believe that material appearing over the Internet infringes their rights under United States copyright law. To learn more about the DMCA, see www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf
If you are a copyright owner or an agent thereof, and you believe in good faith that any content hosted on the Website infringes your copyrights, then you may submit a notification pursuant to the DMCA to our designated copyright agent, by email to: copyright@myheritage.com and optionally also by mail to: Copyright Agent for Notice, Attention: Legal Department, MyHeritage, PO Box 50, Terminal Park, Or Yehuda 6037606, Israel.
Notices must meet the then-current statutory requirements imposed by the DMCA, and should include the following information:
● A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed by the material(s).
● Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works at the Website are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works.
● Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material (providing URLs is the best way to help us locate content quickly).
● Contact information to allow us to contact the complaining party, such as email address, mailing address and telephone number.
● A statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
● A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
If you are unsure whether you hold rights to a particular work or if the material you are reporting is in fact infringing, please consult an attorney, as MyHeritage cannot provide legal advice. Note that there can be penalties for false claims under the DMCA.
Marketing of our services
By signing up to the Website, you agree that we may use your contact information to offer you other MyHeritage products and services which may complement the Service. Such promotional offers may be made via email or telephone.
If you do not want to receive marketing offers via emails, you may opt out at any time by using the unsubscribe link listed in the email, or by changing your email preferences on the Website.
If you do not want to receive marketing offers via telephone, please contact us at support@mystories.com.
Payments
MyStories Memberships
We offer the following paid products: Personal membership and gifted membership. Gifted memberships are used when you purchase the Service for someone else (the Assigned Storyteller).
Personal memberships are used when you purchase the Service for your own use, i.e. you are the storyteller.
Due to US regulations, the Service and its paid products are not available to residents of the following countries: Iran, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, North Korea, Russia, Lebanon and Syria.
Refund Policy
We value the satisfaction of our customers and offer a 30-day money back guarantee. Such refund will be available for a personal or gifted membership purchase (as long as you haven’t ordered the printing of your book), and for a purchase of a book credit (provided it was not used prior to your refund request). If you are not satisfied with your purchase, you may request a refund by contacting our support team at support@mystories.com within 30 days of being charged.
All refunds will be reimbursed to the original credit card with which the purchase was made. After a payment is refunded, it may take several business days until the funds appear in your account.
Prices Subject to Change
Prices may change from time to time. Prices may be subject to additional taxes and customs charges, depending on the country in which you reside.
Following each payment, we will send you an email with the details of the purchase and the amount charged.
Disclaimers, Limitation on Liability, and Indemnity
Disclaimers
-
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall MyHeritage, its officers, representatives, employees, licensors and affiliates be responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information in connection with the Service, whether caused by users, our corporate partners, advertisers or by any of the equipment or programming utilized in the operation of the Service.
-
MyHeritage and its licensors and affiliates are not responsible for the conduct, whether online or offline, of any users. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall we be responsible for any loss or damage, including lost data, lost information, personal injury or death, or privacy implication resulting from anyone’s use of the Service, any content submitted to the Service, or any interactions between users of the Service, whether online or offline.
-
The information, products, and services included within the Service may include inaccuracies or typographical errors.
-
MyHeritage assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay, communication line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access or alteration of users’ information. MyHeritage is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any communication networks, online computer systems, servers, software, e-mail systems, technical problems, traffic congestion on the internet, or any combination thereof. MyHeritage and its licensors and affiliates are not responsible for any injury or damage to any computer equipment belonging to any users, or any other person related to or resulting from use of the Service, viewing, or downloading any materials from the Service, or otherwise in connection with the Service.
-
The Website and the Service are provided "as-is" and "as available" and, except as otherwise prohibited by applicable law, MyHeritage expressly disclaims any warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, any warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title and non-infringement and satisfactory quality, or that the Website will be available at any particular time or location, uninterrupted or secure; that any defects or errors will be corrected; or that the Website is free of viruses or other harmful components. We do not guarantee any specific results from use of the Service. The Website may contain links to third-party websites that are not owned or controlled by us. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, policies, or practices of any third-party websites or services. You expressly relieve us from any and all liability arising from your use of any third-party website or services. We do not warrant, endorse, guarantee, or assume responsibility for any specific course of action, resources, or any product or service offered by a third party through the Service or any hyperlinked website, or featured in any banner or other advertising, or other information that may be mentioned on the Website. We and our third-party suppliers make no representations concerning the suitability, reliability or accuracy of the content provided by the Website for any purpose. In no case will we or our third-party providers be liable for any direct, indirect, punitive, special or other damages including, without limitation, lost profits, loss of data or any other damage in contract, tort, equity or any other legal theory, even if advised of the possibility thereof.
Limitation on Liability
In no event shall MyHeritage or its third-party suppliers be liable to you or any third party for any indirect, consequential, exemplary, incidental, special or punitive damages, including damages arising from your use of the Service or inability to use the Service or any portion of it, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, our (or our third-party suppliers') liability to you or any third party for any cause whatsoever and regardless of the form of the action, will at all times be limited to the amount you paid to us for the Service during the term of subscription or gifted membership (if any).
We assume no liability resulting from any (i) errors or inaccuracies of content; (ii) personal injury or property damage, of any nature whatsoever, resulting from your access to and use of the Service; (iii) any unauthorized access to or use of our servers and/or any and all information stored therein; (iv) any interruption or cessation of transmission to or from the Service; (v) any bugs, viruses, trojan horses, or the like, which may be transmitted through the Service; and/or (vi) any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of your use of the Service, whether based on warranty, contract, tort, or any other legal theory. The foregoing limitations of liability shall apply to the fullest extent permitted by law in the applicable jurisdiction.
Because some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, this limitation may not apply in part to you. IF YOU ARE DISSATISFIED WITH ANY PORTION OF THE SERVICE, OR WITH ANY OF THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS TO DISCONTINUE USING THE SERVICE.
Indemnity
You agree to indemnify and hold MyHeritage, its subsidiaries, employees, directors, licensors, affiliates and any third parties acting on our behalf, and their respective officers, and employees, harmless from any loss, liability, claim, or demand, including reasonable attorneys' fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of your use of or access to the Service, your violation of this Agreement and/or any breach of your representations set forth above or if any content that you submit to the Service or otherwise submit through the Service causes us to be liable to any third party.
Additional Terms
Modifications to this Agreement and the Service
We retain the right, at our sole discretion, to modify this Agreement or the Service at any time. Changes in the Service will be posted on the Website. If any portion of this Agreement or any change of this Agreement or of the Service is unacceptable to you or will cause you to no longer be in compliance with this Agreement, you should discontinue use of the Service. Continued use of the Service following changes in this Agreement means that you have accepted and are bound by the changes. It is important that you check the current version of this Agreement from time to time and ensure you are updated as to any changes.
Whenever this Agreement is modified in substance, the label updated will be displayed prominently next to the link "Service Terms" that leads to this Agreement, in the footer of the pages of the Website.
Entire Agreement
This Agreement, together with the Privacy Policy and any other legal notices or terms published the Website (as applicable), shall constitute the entire agreement between you and MyHeritage concerning the Service. Our failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of this Agreement and/or any portion thereof, shall not be deemed as a waiver of such right or provision. The section titles in this Agreement are for convenience only and have no legal or contractual effect. This Agreement operates to the fullest extent permissible by law. If any provision of this Agreement is unlawful, void or unenforceable, that provision is deemed severable and does not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions or portions. This Agreement, and any rights and licenses granted hereunder, may not be transferred or assigned by you, but may be assigned by us without restriction. Any attempted transfer or assignment in violation hereof shall be void.
Digital Services Act
For the purpose of Article 24(2) of the European Digital Services Act ("DSA"), during the last six months, the average monthly active recipients of the Service in the European Union is significantly lower than the threshold of 45 million average monthly active users required to classify the service as a "Very Large Online Platform" (VLOP) under Article 24(2) of the DSA.
MyHeritage has appointed Mr. Evgeny Inberg as its representative in the European Union in connection with the DSA. He can be emailed at eurepresentative@myheritage.com.
Contact Us
You can contact us if you have any questions or concerns about this Agreement, the Service or any related topic, by sending us email to: support@mystories.com, or to MyHeritage, PO Box 50, Terminal Park, Or Yehuda 6037606, Israel.