Terms of Service

Last updated: May 31, 2026

Please note: These terms are provided for transparency about how Blacksmith.Works operates. They are not legal advice. If anything here conflicts with a separate written agreement you have signed with us, that agreement controls.

These Terms of Service (the "Terms") form a binding agreement between you and Blacksmith.Works ("Blacksmith.Works," "the Platform," "we," "our," or "us") and govern your access to and use of our website, applications, and services (together, the "Service"). Please read them carefully. By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy.

1. Acceptance of These Terms

By accessing or using the Service, clicking "I agree," or otherwise indicating acceptance, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you are using the Service on behalf of a company or other organisation, you represent that you have authority to bind that organisation, and "you" refers to that organisation. If you do not agree, you must not use the Service.

2. Who We Are

The Service is operated by [LEGAL ENTITY NAME], [ENTITY TYPE] registered in the Republic of North Macedonia under company number [COMPANY REG. NO.], with its registered office at [REGISTERED ADDRESS] ("we"). You can reach us at legal@blacksmith.works.

3. Eligibility

To use the Service you must be at least 16 years old and have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract. The Service is not available to users whose accounts we have previously suspended or terminated, or where use would be prohibited by applicable law. By using the Service you represent that you meet these requirements and that all information you provide is accurate and current.

4. Description of the Service

Blacksmith.Works is a developer apprenticeship platform that connects aspiring developers ("Clients") with real-world projects, experienced practitioners ("Mentors"), and the companies that supply project work ("Companies"). The Service includes project matching, one-on-one mentoring sessions, asynchronous code reviews, architecture guidance, scheduling, messaging, and related tooling. We may add, change, or remove features at any time. The Service is a venue that facilitates these connections; except where we expressly say otherwise, we are not a party to the working relationship between Clients, Mentors, and Companies.

5. Accounts & Security

To access most features you must create an account. You are responsible for:

  • Providing accurate, complete, and up-to-date registration information;
  • Keeping your password and any two-factor authentication (2FA) recovery codes confidential;
  • All activity that occurs under your account;
  • Notifying us promptly at legal@blacksmith.works of any unauthorised access or security breach.

We strongly recommend enabling 2FA. You may not share your account, sell or transfer it, or create an account using another person's identity. We are not liable for losses arising from your failure to safeguard your credentials.

6. Roles & Responsibilities

Clients (Apprentices)

  • Complete assigned project tasks in good faith and in a timely manner;
  • Communicate professionally with Mentors, Companies, and other members;
  • Follow project guidelines, coding standards, and reasonable instructions;
  • Respect the intellectual property and confidential information of Companies;
  • Not misrepresent your skills, identity, or the origin of work you submit.

Mentors

  • Provide constructive, professional, and timely feedback;
  • Honour scheduled sessions and give reasonable notice of any cancellation;
  • Maintain the confidentiality of Client and Company information;
  • Accurately record session times and provide any required timestamp proof;
  • Follow our code of conduct and applicable professional and ethical standards.

Companies

  • Supply lawful, accurately described project work that you have the right to share;
  • Provide the access, materials, and responsiveness needed to complete the work;
  • Treat Clients and Mentors fairly and pay any agreed amounts on time;
  • Clearly identify any confidential materials before sharing them.

7. Sessions, Code Reviews, Credits & Project Slots

Mentoring is delivered through scheduled one-on-one sessions and asynchronous code reviews. A Mentor may turn their availability for mentoring or code reviews on or off at any time; doing so does not affect bookings already confirmed. Where the Service uses credits, hours, or project slots:

  • Credits and slots represent a right to receive specified services and have no cash value except as required by law;
  • Unless stated otherwise, credits are non-transferable and may expire after the period shown at purchase;
  • A confirmed booking reserves a slot; late cancellations or no-shows may consume the associated credit as described at booking;
  • Ratings and written feedback you submit about a session or review may be displayed in aggregate or attributed form as described in our Privacy Policy.

8. Payments, Fees & Taxes

Prices and fees are shown before you commit to a purchase. Payments are processed by third-party payment processors; we do not store full card numbers on our servers. By making a purchase you authorise the applicable charge and agree to the processor's terms. You are responsible for any taxes, duties, currency-conversion costs, or bank fees that apply to your transaction, except for taxes based on our net income. Where we collect or remit tax (such as VAT) we will indicate this at checkout. Mentor payouts, where offered, are governed by a separate payout or mentor agreement.

9. Refunds, Cancellations & Chargebacks

  • Full refund within 14 days of purchase where the related services have not yet started or been delivered;
  • After services begin, refunds are prorated based on the portion delivered (for example, sessions consumed or milestones completed);
  • Completed mentoring sessions and completed code reviews are non-refundable once delivered;
  • Billing disputes must be raised with us within 30 days of the transaction so we can investigate;
  • Initiating a chargeback without first contacting us may lead to suspension of your account pending resolution.

Nothing in this section limits any non-waivable statutory right of withdrawal or refund you may have as a consumer under applicable law.

10. Intellectual Property & Portfolio Rights

The Platform, including its software, design, trademarks, and content (other than user content), is owned by us or our licensors and is protected by intellectual-property laws. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to use the Service for its intended purpose.

Ownership of deliverables you create while working on a Company's project is governed by the applicable project or Company agreement; such work may be owned by or assigned to the Company. Subject to any confidentiality obligations and to the relevant agreement, you may showcase completed work in a personal portfolio for the purpose of seeking employment. You retain ownership of content you post that is not a project deliverable (such as your bio or profile), and you grant us a worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, display, and use that content as needed to operate and promote the Service.

11. Acceptable Use & User Content

You agree not to:

  • Harass, threaten, defame, or discriminate against any person;
  • Post unlawful, infringing, deceptive, or malicious content, including malware;
  • Submit work you do not have the right to submit, or plagiarise the work of others;
  • Circumvent payments by arranging off-platform transactions for services discovered through the Service;
  • Scrape, reverse-engineer, overload, or attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Service or its security measures;
  • Use the Service to build a competing product or for any illegal purpose.

You are solely responsible for content you submit and represent that you have the rights to submit it. We may review, moderate, or remove content that violates these Terms, and may report unlawful activity to the authorities.

12. Confidentiality

In the course of using the Service you may receive non-public information belonging to other users or Companies (for example, project briefs, code, or business details). You must use such information only to perform your role on the Service, keep it confidential, and not disclose it to third parties or use it for any other purpose. These obligations continue after your account is closed and are in addition to any separate non-disclosure agreement you sign.

13. Third-Party Services

The Service relies on third-party providers (such as hosting, error monitoring, email delivery, and payment processing) and may link to or integrate with third-party websites and services. We are not responsible for third-party content, products, or practices, and your use of them is governed by their own terms. The third parties that process personal data on our behalf are described in our Privacy Policy.

14. Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, that defects will be corrected, or that any particular employment, project outcome, income, or learning result will be achieved. Any statistics or testimonials describe past or typical experiences and are not guarantees. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties, so some of the above may not apply to you.

15. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we and our officers, employees, and partners will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or business opportunities, arising out of or relating to your use of the Service. Our total aggregate liability for all claims relating to the Service will not exceed the greater of (a) the total amounts you paid to us in the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) EUR 100. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law (such as for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud).

16. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from any claims, damages, liabilities, and reasonable expenses (including legal fees) arising out of your breach of these Terms, your violation of any law or third-party right, or content you submit through the Service, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

17. Suspension & Termination

You may close your account at any time, subject to completing any ongoing project obligations and settling outstanding amounts. We may suspend or terminate your access, with or without notice, if you breach these Terms, create risk or legal exposure for us or other users, or if we discontinue the Service. On termination, your right to use the Service ends; sections that by their nature should survive (including intellectual property, confidentiality, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, and governing law) will continue to apply.

18. Governing Law & Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of North Macedonia, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Subject to any mandatory consumer protections that entitle you to bring proceedings in your country of residence, the courts of [CITY], North Macedonia will have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service. We encourage you to contact us first at legal@blacksmith.works so we can try to resolve the matter informally.

19. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, notify you by email or through the Service before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree to the changes, you must stop using the Service.

20. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Contact us at legal@blacksmith.works or by post at [LEGAL ENTITY NAME], [REGISTERED ADDRESS]. For privacy questions, see our Privacy Policy.