Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing, browsing, or using cookol.com (the "Service")—a free food recipe platform—you ("User", "you") agree to be legally bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to all provisions of these Terms, you must immediately cease accessing or using the Service. These Terms apply to all visitors, users, and individuals who interact with the Service (including those who submit comments or likes).

2. Description of the Service

The Service is a free, non-commercial food recipe website that provides the following core features:

• Access to curated food recipes (e.g., beef hot pot, tomato vegetarian hot pot), step-by-step cooking instructions, and food-related content (e.g., ingredient substitution tips);
• User interaction tools, including the ability to post comments on recipe pages and "like" recipes;
• Anonymous website traffic analysis via Google Analytics (a third-party tool) to improve Service functionality and content relevance (see our Privacy Policy for details on data collection practices).

The Service does not offer paid subscriptions, product sales, user account registration, or login functionality.

3. User Rights

As a User of the Service, you are entitled to:

• Access, view, and print recipes and content for personal, non-commercial use only (e.g., cooking at home for family/friends);
• Share links to the Service’s content (e.g., individual recipe pages) with others, provided you do not alter the content or claim ownership of it;
• Submit comments and likes on recipe pages, and access your own interaction records (subject to the limitations outlined in our Privacy Policy);
• Opt out of Google Analytics data collection via Google’s official opt-out browser add-on (as specified in our Privacy Policy).

4. User Obligations

When using the Service, you agree to comply with these Terms and all applicable laws (e.g., copyright laws, data protection regulations, anti-spam laws). You specifically agree not to:

• Use the Service for commercial purposes, including (but not limited to) reproducing, modifying, or selling the Service’s recipes/content to generate profit (e.g., creating paid cookbooks, reselling content on third-party platforms);
• Include personal identifiable information (e.g., full name, email address, phone number, home address) in comment submissions. We are not liable for privacy risks or misuse of information resulting from your voluntary disclosure;
• Post illegal, offensive, or harmful content in comments, including (but not limited to):
  • Hate speech, discrimination, or violence;
  • Malware links, phishing content, or spam;
  • Copyright-infringing material (e.g., unauthorized images, text from other websites);
  • False or misleading information (e.g., inaccurate recipe safety warnings, impersonation of others);
• Manipulate or disrupt the Service’s functionality, including (but not limited to):
  • Using bots, scripts, or automated tools to generate fake likes, comments, or page views;
  • Tampering with Google Analytics data collection (e.g., falsifying navigation paths or traffic sources);
  • Attempting to hack, modify, or access restricted parts of the Service’s technical infrastructure;

You acknowledge that we may moderate, edit, or delete your comments/likes if they violate these Terms. We are not liable for any loss or inconvenience resulting from such moderation actions.

5. Intellectual Property

5.1 Our Intellectual Property

All original content on the Service—including recipes, cooking instructions, text, images, logos, and website design—is owned by cookol.com or our licensed content providers. This content is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws worldwide. You may not use, reproduce, distribute, or modify this content beyond the scope of "personal, non-commercial use" (as defined in Section 3) without our prior written permission.

5.2 Your Intellectual Property in Comments

You retain ownership of the copyright in any comment content you submit to the Service. By posting a comment, you grant cookol.com a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to:

• Display, store, and moderate the comment (e.g., editing out offensive language, removing violating content);
• Use the comment to improve the Service (e.g., addressing user questions about recipes) — provided the comment is not used for commercial purposes.

This license terminates if you request the deletion of your comment (in accordance with our Privacy Policy) or if we delete the comment for violating these Terms.

6. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service and all its content are provided on an "as-is" and "as-available" basis. We make no express or implied warranties, including (but not limited to):

• Warranties that the Service will be error-free, uninterrupted, or secure;
• Warranties that recipes or cooking instructions are accurate, complete, or suitable for your dietary needs (e.g., allergies, dietary restrictions);
• Warranties that the Service will meet your expectations or that any content is free from harm (e.g., foodborne illness risks from incorrect recipe execution).

You are solely responsible for verifying the accuracy of recipes, adapting them to your dietary needs, and ensuring safe cooking practices. We are not liable for any damages, injuries, or losses resulting from your use of the Service’s content.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, cookol.com shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Service. This includes (but is not limited to) damages resulting from:

• Errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in recipe content;
• Interruptions to the Service (e.g., server downtime);
• Third-party links or content on the Service (we are not responsible for the actions of third-party websites);
• Your reliance on the Service’s content (e.g., food waste from failed recipes, health issues from dietary mismatches);
• Moderation of your comments/likes (as outlined in Section 4).

This limitation of liability applies even if cookol.com has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

8. Termination

We reserve the right to terminate or restrict your access to the Service at any time, without prior notice, if we determine (in our reasonable discretion) that you have violated these Terms or applicable laws. Upon termination, your right to use the Service will immediately cease, and we may delete any comments/likes associated with your interaction.

9. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in the Service (e.g., adding new features) or legal requirements. When we make changes:

• We will revise the "Effective Date" at the top of this page;
• We will post the updated Terms on the Service (typically under a "Terms of Service" link);
• We will display a temporary notification on the Service’s homepage for 7 days to inform users of key changes.

Your continued use of the Service after the updated Terms take effect constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms. We encourage you to review these Terms periodically.

10. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of [Insert Jurisdiction—e.g., "the State of California, United States" or "England and Wales"]. Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Service shall be resolved in the courts of [Insert Jurisdiction].

11. Contact Us