Terms of Use

PAUL Network – Public Autonomous Uplink Layer
Last updated: 23 September 2026

1. Scope and operator

These Terms apply to PAUL Network and its account, gateway, node, tracker, coverage, map, API and software functions.

Operator:
Paul Gericke
Schkeuditzer Straße 2
04509 Delitzsch
Germany
Email: [email protected]

Information on personal data processing is available in the Privacy Policy.

2. Development project

PAUL Network is under active development. Features, protocols, software, interfaces, data formats, coverage and availability may change.

There is no entitlement to permanent or uninterrupted availability, specific radio coverage, specific data rates or permanent availability of individual functions.

PAUL Network is not an emergency, rescue, safety or guaranteed location service.

3. No mining or compensation promise

Participation in PAUL Network does not create an entitlement to tokens, cryptocurrencies, mining income, rewards, compensation or other financial benefits.

Additional features, compensation models or commercial services may be introduced in the future. There is no entitlement to their introduction or continued availability.

4. Costs and future paid functions

The basic functions currently offered may be used free of charge unless otherwise stated for a particular function.

The operator reserves the right to offer additional or extended paid features in the future.

A change to these Terms alone does not create any payment obligation. Paid services will be clearly identified before use and, where required, require a separate order or consent.

5. Accounts and security

Certain functions require a user account. Users must appropriately protect their access credentials.

Third-party accounts, gateways, nodes or trackers may not be taken over, paired, managed or assigned to another account without authorization.

Pairing, claim, invite, signature, authentication and other security mechanisms may not be bypassed or manipulated.

6. Gateways and nodes

Gateways, nodes and other devices may only be assigned to an account where the user owns the device or has been authorized by the owner or another entitled person.

Impersonating third-party device identities or unlawfully taking over third-party PAUL IDs, gateway identities or other device identifiers is prohibited.

7. Gateway location sharing

• Hidden: The location is not publicly displayed.
• Approximate: An intentionally altered or spatially generalized location is shown.
• Exact: A location expressly released by the user may be displayed publicly with high precision.

Users publicly releasing an exact location must be authorized to publish that information and must not infringe third-party rights.

An exact position may make a specific building, property or other location identifiable.

Location sharing can be changed or disabled through the relevant account controls.

8. Trackers and protection against abusive tracking

Trackers may only be paired, assigned or used where the user is authorized to do so.

PAUL Network must not be used for covert or unauthorized monitoring, tracking or location of other persons.

This includes tracking persons, vehicles, devices or other property belonging to third parties without the required authorization, consent or other legal basis.

Private tracker data and public tracker displays are handled separately.

Public tracker display is disabled by default and must be deliberately enabled by the owner.

Public tracker positions are spatially generalized and therefore do not correspond to the exact internally processed position.

9. Public names and content

Public gateway, node, tracker and other display names must not infringe third-party rights or contain unlawful, abusive or unlawfully disclosed personal information.

10. Permitted use

PAUL Network must not be used unlawfully, abusively or in a manner that materially interferes with infrastructure, radio operation, the API, other users or external systems.

Prohibited activities include in particular:

• unauthorized access to third-party accounts or devices,
• manipulation of authentication or claim procedures,
• bypassing technical protection mechanisms,
• intentional or abusive overloading of services,
• deliberately submitting false or manipulated information in order to distort network, coverage or measurement data,
• unauthorized surveillance or tracking of other persons.

API access may be restricted, throttled or blocked in the event of overload, security concerns or abuse.

11. Public data and API

Certain technical measurements, coverage information, publicly released PAUL IDs, node names and other expressly public information may be accessible through the website or public interfaces.

Public accessibility of individual information does not automatically mean that the entire PAUL database or all PAUL data is provided under an open licence.

Public PAUL data may be used for private, scientific, technical or non-independently-commercialized purposes, provided applicable law and third-party rights are respected and PAUL Network is named as the source.

Independent commercial exploitation of substantial parts of the PAUL database, systematic commercial redistribution of larger datasets or use of PAUL data as a substantial component of a separate commercial data product requires prior permission from the operator unless a different licence is expressly provided for the relevant data.

Individual datasets may be expressly released under a separate open licence. In that case the terms of the expressly stated licence apply to those datasets.

The API may be modified, restricted or discontinued for technical, security or operational reasons.

12. Rights relating to publicly contributed data

Where users intentionally make data available for public use within PAUL Network and hold the necessary rights, they grant the operator the non-exclusive rights required to provide the service.

This includes storage, technical processing, aggregation, display and provision through PAUL Network and its public interfaces.

This provision does not replace any required data-protection consent or other legal basis for processing personal data.

13. Software and open source

PAUL Network is partly open source.

Only components expressly released as open source are subject to the licence stated for the respective component.

Use of PAUL Network does not create an entitlement to unpublished source code, keys, internal systems or administrative components.

14. Software and OTA updates

Supported PAUL components may receive software, configuration or protocol updates.

Updates may be used for bug fixes, security, compatibility and further development of the network.

Where automatic update functionality is enabled or forms part of the installed PAUL software, designated updates may be automatically retrieved and installed.

Updates may change features or technical processes.

15. Name, logo and website content

The name “PAUL Network”, logos and website content that has not been expressly openly licensed may not be used without permission in a way that suggests an official partnership, certification or affiliation.

Statutory rights and expressly granted licences remain unaffected.

16. Commercial use

Independent commercial marketing of the PAUL service or use of substantial PAUL services as part of a separate commercial offering requires prior permission from the operator unless the specific use is already permitted by an expressly granted licence or applicable law.

17. Measures in case of violations

Where there are concrete indications of abuse, security problems, unlawful use or substantial violations of these Terms, the operator may take proportionate technical measures.

These may include API restrictions, temporary suspension of functions, removal of unlawful public content or, in serious cases, suspension of an account.

18. Reporting misuse or unlawful content

Reports concerning unlawful content, unauthorized publication of locations, abusive trackers, unauthorized device assignments or other misuse can be sent to [email protected].

19. Liability

Statutory liability rules apply.

PAUL Network is not an emergency, rescue, safety or guaranteed location service.

Users must not rely solely on PAUL Network, coverage information, radio connectivity or tracker positions for personal, property, operational or other safety purposes.

Location, reception, coverage and technical measurement data may be incomplete, delayed or inaccurate due to radio conditions, device faults, delays, measurement inaccuracies or technical changes.

20. Changes to these Terms

Material changes to these Terms will be identified by a new version or update date.

Where renewed consent is legally required, it will be obtained before continued use of the functions requiring such consent.

21. Contact

Paul Gericke
Email: [email protected]