Please read these Terms of Use carefully and all the way through, so that both you and OutaStory know what we can expect from each other.
What we do for you
OutaStory is a platform for stories, primarily in the Romantasy, Fantasy, and Science-Fiction genres. With us you can browse the published stories to your heart's content and read and listen to whatever you like.
Paid features, subscriptions, and purchases
Some features are optional and paid, such as subscriptions and in-app purchases. Where you buy these through a mobile app, they are sold and billed by the Apple App Store or Google Play, and that store's purchase, payment, renewal, and refund terms apply to the transaction. OutaStory unlocks the corresponding feature on your account once the store confirms the purchase. Please review the relevant store's terms before you buy, as your contract for the payment itself is with the store.
Acceptable use
OutaStory lets you discover, read, and listen to stories, follow Writers, and get involved through ratings, comments, and other community features. We provide the platform as it is currently available and may add, change, or retire features over time. When using OutaStory you must observe the standards that keep the community respectful and age-appropriate. These standards are set out in our Community Rules and apply without exception.
How does it work?
You have several ways to use OutaStory:
- You read and listen to stories: free of charge and without registration
- You become a member of the community: free of charge, with registration
- Read and listen without advertising: you take out a subscription
Acceptance of these Terms of Use
By using OutaStory's offering — that is, by starting to read or listen to a story — you expressly agree to these Terms of Use.
Reading and listening only
You can read and listen as much as you like without registering.
So that you can carry on reading where you left off, our system automatically stores this information in your browser. As long as you do not delete this information, your browser sends it to our system when you return to OutaStory. Our system then presents the page you last read, so you can immediately resume where you left the story.
Because you are anonymous to us and we only know your IP address, your reading progress is stored only in the browser you use. You can access OutaStory from as many devices/other browsers as you like, but without registration your reading progress is not synchronised.
What does OutaStory cost?
Reading and listening on OutaStory are free (exception: ad-free reading/listening, see below).
Community
OutaStory wants to build a large and lively community. You can exchange ideas with other users and with the Writers. You can write comments (including within the stories) and, depending on the story, you can for example help decide on the possible ending of a story.
To become a "Member" — that is, part of the community — you must register (see below). Separate rules apply to participation in the community. You can find the rules for the community in our Community Rules. These rules are part of these Terms of Use.
To the extent necessary, you grant OutaStory a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, and display comments etc. for the purpose of operating and promoting the platform. You are solely responsible for what you publish, and you confirm that you have the necessary rights and that the content does not breach these terms or the Community Rules. The licence ends when you delete the content or close your account, except where we must keep copies to meet a legal obligation or where the content has already been shared with others.
Registration
When you register, you must agree to our privacy policy and to what is set out here. You can read our privacy policy for this purpose. And we naturally also need a few details from you:
- Surname
- First name
- Gender
- Address
- Date of birth
- Email address
You are solely responsible for keeping your login credentials secure and for activity that takes place under your account; please tell us immediately if you suspect it has been accessed without authorisation. Accounts are personal and may not be shared or transferred. Special rules apply to younger users, including how parental consent is handled — these are explained in our youth protection notices.
You can also sign in with your Apple, Google, or Microsoft account.
You can delete your account at any time. Deleting it removes all of your personal data and you can no longer take part in the community. You can of course continue to read and listen without registration.
Ad-free reading/listening
If you do not want to receive advertising while using stories, you can take out an ad-free subscription. This subscription costs a monthly fee. We need your payment information for this.
Payment for ad-free reading/listening
Payment is made via our payment service provider Stripe (when using a credit card, and only possible when using the web app) or via Apple/Google Pay.
If we receive the information that the subscription fee could not be collected, we block the ad-free use of OutaStory from the start of the month for which no money could be collected. You can of course continue to read and listen.
Price adjustment
We may be forced to increase our price. We will inform you of this in good time.
Subscription term
Your subscription for ad-free reading/listening begins when your payment information is transmitted to OutaStory. This is stored with the time and date.
You can end the subscription with OutaStory at any time by deleting your account. Your reading/listening time then ends at the end of the month for which a subscription fee has still been paid.
We too can give ordinary notice of termination – and without giving reasons, for example if you do not accept changes to these terms. If the subscription fee is not paid, your subscription ends extraordinarily (see above). In the case of an ordinary termination by OutaStory, your reading time ends at the end of the third month following the month in which we sent our ordinary notice of termination. This gives you the chance to finish reading/listening to stories you have begun.
The right to extraordinary termination without notice for good cause exists for you and also for us (for example, in the event of a breach of the Community Rules).
If you do not agree to a price increase, you can terminate with two months' notice as of the point at which the higher price takes effect.
Intellectual property
The stories, audio content, cover images, software, design, and other material on OutaStory are protected by copyright and other rights, and belong to OutaStory GmbH, to the Writers, or to our licensors. As a Member you receive a limited, personal, non-transferable licence to access this content and use it for your private, non-commercial use within the platform. You may not copy, redistribute, sell, or create derivative works from it unless the law expressly permits this or we have agreed it in writing.
Liability
OutaStory is a platform through which Writers publish their stories. These are and remain their stories. We therefore are not liable for the published content.
Youth protection
We want children/young people to read/listen only to what is appropriate for their age. To this end, the individual stories are rated by their Writers (12+ / 16+ / 18+). Please observe these ratings. You can find the youth protection rules here.
For parents there is the option of blocking age levels for young Members. Then only what the parents allow, from a given age level, can be read.
In general, we block all 16+ and 18+ stories for readers who are not registered (who are not "Members").
Technical requirements
You need a suitable device such as a phone, tablet, or PC, and an internet connection. If you are registered as a Member, our system synchronises your connection so that you can access OutaStory from different devices.
Right of withdrawal
You can withdraw from your registration and from taking out the subscription within 14 days.
Changes to these terms
We may update these terms — for example to reflect new features or legal requirements. If we make a material change, we will give you reasonable advance notice by a suitable means, such as in the app or by email. The amended terms take effect on the date we state, and continued use of OutaStory after that date counts as acceptance. If you do not agree to a change, you may object to it and end the usage relationship before it takes effect by deregistering as a Member.
Data protection
We process personal data in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable German law. How we collect, use, and protect the data, and the rights that exist over it, are explained in detail in our privacy policy.
Governing law, jurisdiction, and dispute resolution
These terms for the use of OutaStory are governed by the law of the Federal Republic of Germany, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. This choice of law does not deprive you, as a consumer, of the protection granted by the mandatory provisions of the law. Where the law allows, the place of jurisdiction is the registered seat of OutaStory GmbH.
The European Commission provides an online dispute resolution platform for consumers. OutaStory GmbH is neither obliged nor willing to take part in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board.