Terms of Service
Last updated: 26 August 2026
Parties and background
These Terms are between Holtbox (“we”, “us”, “our”) — the provider of TheArc — and the organisation that subscribes to TheArc (“you”, “your”).
Holtbox is the trading name of Andy Shilton, a UK sole trader based at 5 Bayleys Drive, Hanham, South Gloucestershire BS15 8DP, United Kingdom, and builds and operates cloud software. TheArc is Holtbox's archive management product: it helps you track where physical folders are stored, recall them when needed, and record when they are destroyed.
Acceptance
These Terms take effect when you accept them. By subscribing to TheArc, ticking the acceptance box when prompted, or by using TheArc, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you are accepting these Terms on behalf of a company or other legal entity, you confirm that you are authorised to accept on that entity's behalf, and the entity agrees to be bound by these Terms. If you do not have that authority, or do not agree to these Terms, you must not use TheArc.
1. What the service is (and isn't)
1.1 TheArc helps you record and manage physical folders: where they are stored, when they are recalled, who has them, and when they are destroyed.
1.2 TheArc does not: store physical records, hold or preserve the contents of your files, certify legal or regulatory compliance, or act as your records-management adviser. You remain responsible for your own decisions, including whether and when to destroy folders, and for meeting your own legal and regulatory obligations.
1.3 When you authorise a destruction, you can record it in TheArc. The act of destroying a physical folder is yours; we do not carry it out and we accept no responsibility for the consequences of a destruction you authorise.
1.4 TheArc is a software service only. We do not provide any physical, storage or facilities services, and we have no responsibility for your premises, your shelving or storage equipment, or the physical folders themselves. By way of example only, and without limiting the above, we are not responsible for the condition, capacity or weight limits of shelving or storage areas, fire or flood risk, the security of your premises, or any loss of or damage to physical folders.
2. Licence and accounts
2.1 We grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use TheArc for your internal business purposes, for the term of your subscription, subject to these Terms.
2.2 The licence in clause 2.1 is for your own internal business use only. You may use TheArc only to manage your own archives, and access is limited to named user accounts held by you and your employees. You must not use TheArc to manage the archives of any other individual, company or organisation — even if you carry out that work yourself — unless we have granted you a separate white label licence that permits it. You must not share access, resell, or otherwise make TheArc available to anyone outside your organisation.
2.3 Access is by named user accounts and you must not share accounts or allow access beyond the user limit of your plan. You are responsible for the activity on your accounts and for keeping credentials secure.
2.4 You must not use TheArc for anything unlawful, to store unlawful content, to attempt to breach our security, or to interfere with other customers' use of the service.
3. Fees and billing
3.1 Plans are billed monthly or yearly, in advance, via Stripe. Your subscription renews automatically at the end of each billing period until cancelled.
3.2 Upgrades to a higher plan take effect immediately and are prorated. You can also move to a lower plan at your next renewal: just contact us at least 14 days before your renewal date, and the new plan will apply from that renewal. To be eligible for a downgrade, your usage must already be within the limits of the plan you're moving to at the time of your request.
3.3 Enterprise plans use these same Terms. Enterprise plans have their own limits and tiers, which grow as your usage grows. The only difference is payment: Enterprise customers can request to pay by invoice instead of by card through Stripe. Invoice arrangements are agreed when you set up the plan, and we may carry out a credit check before agreeing to invoice payment.
3.4 Prices may change in line with clause 13. All fees are exclusive of VAT unless stated otherwise.
3.5 Payments must be made to keep continuous use of the product. If a payment fails, access to TheArc will be restricted until the outstanding balance has been paid. If the balance is not settled, we may terminate your subscription under clause 12.
4. Cancellation and refunds
4.1 You can cancel at any time. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the period you've already paid for — you keep full access until then.
4.2 Refunds are not automatic. We may, at our discretion, refund fees in exceptional circumstances (for example where we've failed to provide the service). Refunds are not available for partially used periods.
5. Data ownership and exit
5.1 The data you put into TheArc is yours. We process it only to provide the service, as set out in the Data Processing Agreement.
5.2 On termination, we will provide you with an export of your data on request. You must request the export within 30 days of the termination notice; after that window, we will delete your data from TheArc (subject to any legal retention obligations on us).
6. Data Processing Agreement
6.1 The Data Processing Agreement (DPA) is incorporated into these Terms by reference. It sets out how we process personal data on your behalf, in line with the UK GDPR (Article 28) and the Data Protection Act 2018, and the EU GDPR where it applies to the processing.
7. Availability, maintenance and backups
7.1 TheArc is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
7.2 Small maintenance windows are used from time to time to upgrade TheArc. These are carried out outside usual business hours to minimise disruption, and are published in advance inside the product to administrators.
7.3 Backups of your data are taken nightly.
7.4 We provide email support during UK business hours. We do not guarantee uninterrupted availability and we are not liable for downtime except as set out in clause 10.
8. Confidentiality and security
8.1 Each party will keep confidential any non-public information received from the other, and use it only for the purposes of these Terms.
8.2 We apply appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect your data, and we keep them under review. We will tell you promptly if we become aware of a personal data breach affecting your data, as required by the DPA.
9. No warranties
9.1 TheArc is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including (to the extent permitted by law) any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
9.2 We do not warrant that TheArc will be uninterrupted, error-free or completely secure, or that the information it records or displays will always be accurate or complete. You are responsible for checking the accuracy of the information in TheArc before relying on it (see clause 10.5).
10. Liability
10.1 Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes liability that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded.
10.2 Subject to clause 10.1, our total liability to you under or in connection with these Terms is capped at 12 months' fees paid by you in the 12 months before the event giving rise to liability.
10.3 We are not liable for: indirect or consequential loss; loss of profits, revenue, data or goodwill; any loss arising from your failure to request an export of your data within the window in clause 5.2; or any consequence of your destruction decisions or your regulatory obligations.
10.4 We are not liable for the physical folders themselves, anything stored in them, or any physical loss or damage arising from your premises, shelving or storage arrangements.
10.5 TheArc is a guide, not a substitute for your own checks and judgement. You are responsible for checking and verifying any and all actions taken in or based on TheArc — including the accuracy of the information it records and any dates, reminders or reports it displays — before you rely on or act on them.
11. Intellectual property
11.1 TheArc software, its design and documentation are owned by Holtbox (or our licensors). We grant you the licence in clause 2, and all other rights in TheArc are reserved to us (or our licensors).
11.2 The data you put into TheArc remains yours. You grant us a licence to process it only to provide the service.
11.3 We may collect and use anonymised and aggregated information about how TheArc is used, to operate, maintain and improve the service. This does not identify you, your users or your data.
12. Term and termination
12.1 These Terms start when you subscribe to TheArc, or when you begin a free trial or demo, and continue until your subscription, trial or demo ends.
12.2 We may suspend or terminate your access if you breach these Terms — including the licence conditions in clause 2 or non-payment beyond any grace period — and don't remedy the breach within 14 days of notice, or immediately if the breach is serious.
12.3 On termination your licence ends. If we terminate for your breach, you still get the export window in clause 5.
12.4 If your subscription expires or lapses, access to TheArc is suspended — including under the payment policy in clause 3.5. Your data is not deleted until the exit process in clause 5 completes.
13. Changes to these Terms and governing law
13.1 We may update these Terms. For changes that affect you materially (including price changes), we'll give you at least 30 days' notice, and changes take effect at your next renewal.
13.2 These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.
13.3 If any part of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the rest of these Terms continue in full force and effect. If a provision can be made valid or enforceable by removing part of it, it applies with the minimum change needed.