Terms and Conditions

Last updated: September 10, 2025

Welcome to OpenPledge. By using our web application or services, you agree to comply with and be bound by the following Terms and Conditions. Please read these carefully before using OpenPledge.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using OpenPledge, you acknowledge that you have read and understood these Terms and Conditions and agree to be bound by them.

In case you do not agree with the following Terms and Conditions, you must not use OpenPledge.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to use OpenPledge. By using it, you represent and warrant that you have the right, authority, and capacity to use its services and to abide by all of the following Terms and Conditions.

3. Definitions

"User" refers to individuals or legal entities who use OpenPledge.
"Pledger" means any individual or legal entity who expresses an intention to provide financial contributions for the resolution of open-source issues or the development and maintenance of open-source software projects through the OpenPledge web application.
"Open-source developer" refers to an individual or legal entity who contributes to software projects with publicly available source code.
"Pledge" refers to the financial contribution provided by pledgers as consideration for the completion of a specified task.

4. Services Provided

OpenPledge connects pledgers with open-source developers through a web application that facilitates the allocation of financial contributions to specific issues within public code repositories. Pledgers may commit financial resources to support open-source projects they rely on, while open-source developers receive funding to sustain, maintain, and improve their work.

This platform fosters a mutually beneficial ecosystem: pledgers benefit from more reliable and secure software, and open-source developers obtain the resources required to continue their contributions.

The services are also powered by third-party platforms such as Stripe for payment processing and GitHub for issue tracking and project integration.

5. User Account

Access to certain features of OpenPledge requires user authentication, which may be completed either by creating a dedicated OpenPledge account or by signing in with an existing GitHub account.

You are solely responsible for any and all activities that occur under your account and for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials. In the event of any unauthorized use or suspected breach of security, you must notify OpenPledge immediately.

6. Payment Processing and Refunds

All financial transactions on OpenPledge are processed via Stripe Connect. By making a financial contribution ("Pledge"), you agree to be bound by the Stripe Services Agreement and the Stripe Connected Account Agreement.

When submitting a pledge, the pledger must provide a clear, complete, and specific description of:

the open-source issue they wish to support and
the solution or outcome they expect from an open-source developer.

This description must be sufficiently detailed to allow potential open-source developers to assess the issue and determine whether they can deliver a solution that meets the pledger's expectations.

Once a pledge is submitted, the funds are held for up to ninety (90) calendar days ("Holding Period") in accordance with Stripe Connect's terms. During this time:

the pledge is displayed to eligible open-source developers;
and if an open-source developer commits to resolving the issue, the pledger will be notified.

Once the open-source developer accepts the task:

the pledged funds are reserved and can no longer be canceled or refunded by the pledger via OpenPledge and
OpenPledge will disburse the funds to the open-source developer upon approval from an eligible independent open-source developer that the solution was delivered, regardless of the pledger's subjective satisfaction.

If no open-source developer accepts the task within the Holding Period, or if no agreement is reached, the pledge will be refunded to the original payment method used by the pledger, less a non-refundable fee.

This fee, currently set at 15% of the original pledge amount, is retained by OpenPledge to cover administrative, operational, and payment processing costs, and is non-refundable under any circumstances. By submitting a pledge, users expressly acknowledge and agree to this deduction.

OpenPledge reserves the right to modify the fee at any time. The applicable fee will always be disclosed at the time of pledge submission.

Any disputes regarding the quality, completeness, or relevance of the delivered solution must be resolved directly between the pledger and the open-source developer. OpenPledge does not mediate such disputes and assumes no responsibility for the outcome or satisfaction of either party. OpenPledge does not evaluate technical accuracy or completeness of the work and does not act as an arbitrator in disputes.

Once OpenPledge has disbursed the pledged funds to the open-source developer, it is no longer able to process or facilitate any refunds. Any refund or compensation after the disbursement must be arranged solely and independently between the pledger and the open-source developer. OpenPledge shall not be held responsible for negotiating, enforcing, or mediating such arrangements, and bears no liability for their outcome. Such refunds may only take place if both parties explicitly agree, and if permitted under the Stripe Connect refund policy.

By using OpenPledge, pledgers expressly agree that all pledged funds may be held, returned, or disbursed strictly in accordance with the conditions set out in these Terms and Conditions, and acknowledge that OpenPledge shall rely on this agreement as the governing legal framework for handling such funds. Users further authorize OpenPledge to manage payment routing and fund allocation as described herein and acknowledge that all transactions are subject to Stripe's terms and the operational structure of the OpenPledge platform.

7. GitHub Integration

OpenPledge integrates with GitHub to track and monitor open-source projects, including checking when issues are resolved or updated. By using OpenPledge, you also acknowledge that it may access GitHub data related to the open-source projects integrated into services of OpenPledge. This interaction may include the use of your GitHub account information for issue tracking purposes.

We do not store any data from GitHub, except for the necessary data related to issue tracking and updates. Any data shared with GitHub will be governed by their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

GitHub Terms of Service: GitHub Terms of Service - GitHub Docs

GitHub Privacy Policy: GitHub General Privacy Statement - GitHub Docs

8. Privacy Policy and Data Collection

By using OpenPledge, you acknowledge and agree that your use is subject to our Privacy Policy, which outlines how we collect, process, and store all information obtained through your use of the services. We take your privacy seriously and ensure that any information we collect is handled in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

Additionally, please note that third-party services, such as Stripe and GitHub, may also collect, process, and store your personal data as described in their respective Privacy Policies. These third-party services are independent controllers of your data, and their use of your personal data will be governed by their privacy practices.

Please review our Privacy Policy to understand our practices regarding the collection, use, and protection of your information: Privacy policy.

9. Prohibited Activities

You agree not to use OpenPledge for any unlawful or prohibited activities, including but not limited to:

submitting false, misleading or inaccurate information,
disrupting OpenPledge or servers or networks connected to OpenPledge,
attempting to gain unauthorized access to other users' accounts, OpenPledge's infrastructure or data etc.,
engaging in fraudulent activity,
attempting to manipulate or bypass the payment system,
violating the intellectual property rights of others etc.

10. Intellectual Property

All content, features, and functionality of the provided services, including all logos, designs, text, graphics, software, are owned by OpenPledge and are protected by intellectual property laws.

You may not copy, distribute, modify, or create derivative works from any part of the OpenPledge without prior written consent.

11. Disclaimer of Warranties

Services provided by OpenPledge are offered on an "as is" and "as available" basis, without any warranty of any kind, express or implied. OpenPledge makes no warranty or representation as to the operation of our services, or the information, content, or materials included therein. You expressly agree that your use of these services, their content, and any services or items obtained from them is at your sole risk. Specifically, OpenPledge does not warrant that the services, their content, or any services or items obtained through the services will be accurate, reliable, timely, secure, error-free, uninterrupted, nor that defects will be corrected, or that the information provided through services is accurate, reliable, or correct.

Furthermore, OpenPledge does not guarantee that the services will be available at any particular time or location, and it does not warrant that the services or the servers making them available are free of viruses or other harmful components, or that the services will meet your needs, expectations or requirements.

By accepting these Terms and Conditions you assume full responsibility and risk for any loss of information, content, or other materials.

Listed disclaimers do not affect any warranties that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, OpenPledge will not be liable to you or any third-party for any loss of profits, use, goodwill, or data, or any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of your use or inability to use OpenPledge, including but not limited to issues related to payments processed by Stripe or issues with GitHub integration.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless OpenPledge, its affiliates, directors, employees, agents, licensors, and service providers from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs or debt, and expenses (including but not limited to reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from your use of OpenPledge, any violation of these Terms and Conditions by you or any infringement or violation of the rights of any third-party, including but not limited to the intellectual property rights, arising from your use of OpenPledge.

14. Termination

You may terminate your account at any time by navigating to the account settings within your user dashboard or by submitting a formal request to OpenPledge support. It is your sole responsibility to ensure that your account is properly closed and that any active pledges, financial obligations, or pending transactions are resolved before termination. OpenPledge is not liable for any consequences resulting from an incomplete or improperly executed account closure.

OpenPledge reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to suspend or terminate your access to all or part of the services at any time, with or without notice, and with or without cause. This includes, but is not limited to, violations of these Terms and Conditions, fraudulent or abusive behavior, or any actions that may harm the web application, its users, or its reputation.

Upon termination of your account, whether initiated by you or by OpenPledge, your access to the web application and its services will be revoked. Any unused or pending pledged funds will be processed in accordance with Section 6 (Payment Processing and Refunds). Termination does not relieve you of any outstanding financial or legal obligations incurred prior to the effective termination date.

15. Changes to Terms

OpenPledge reserves the right to update or modify these Terms and Conditions at any time. Any changes will be effective immediately upon posting the revised Terms and Conditions on this page. Your continued use of OpenPledge after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms and Conditions.

16. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

Except to the extent applicable law provides otherwise, these Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of Slovenia.

By agreeing to these Terms and Conditions you also submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of Slovenia, for resolving any disputes arising from or in connection with these Terms and Conditions, unless otherwise required by applicable law.

17. Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these Terms and Conditions, please contact us at: info@openpledge.io.

18. Severability

If any provision of these Terms and Conditions is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.