Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using LanceRank (the “Service”), operated by MARANOTE LTD (a private limited company registered in Cyprus under company number ΗΕ 432111), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, you may not use the Service.

Changes to these Terms. We may amend these Terms from time to time. For any change that materially affects your rights or obligations, we will give you at least 30 days' prior notice by email to the address associated with your account, and an in-product banner. You may reject the change by cancelling your subscription before the effective date; if you do, we will refund any pre-paid period on a pro-rata basis. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance. Changes required by law (e.g. tax rate updates, new regulatory disclosures) take effect immediately on the date the law requires. Minor non-material clarifications, typo fixes, and formatting changes may be made without notice.

2. Account Registration

To use certain features of the Service, you must create an account. When registering, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration
• Maintain and update your information to keep it accurate and complete
• Maintain only one account per person — duplicate accounts may be suspended or removed
• Be at least 18 years of age or the legal age of majority in your jurisdiction
• Keep your login credentials secure and not share them with any third party
• Accept responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account

3. Freelancer Profiles & Public-Data Sourcing

LanceRank operates an independent, public-interest reputation directory for freelancers. To do this we compile profiles from publicly available information, and we invite the freelancer to claim and manage the profile at any time. The following applies to every LanceRank profile, claimed or unclaimed:

• Public by default. Every LanceRank profile is accessible to anyone on the internet at lancerank.com/<username>. Claimed profiles may disable search-engine indexing but remain reachable at the direct URL.
• Preliminary profiles from public data. We may create a profile for an individual freelancer before they claim it, using only information already published by that freelancer on third-party marketplaces (such as Upwork, Fiverr, Toptal, Freelancer.com, PeoplePerHour, Guru, Contra, or 99designs) or otherwise made public online. Such information includes name, public bio, skills, publicly displayed ratings and review counts, badges, avatar, and general location.
• Public access only. We collect no data that requires authentication, no private messages, no contact details, no transaction history, and no financial data. Every field shown on an unclaimed profile corresponds to data the freelancer has themselves published for public consumption.
• Legitimate-interest basis.This processing is conducted under legitimate interest (EU/UK GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)) for the purpose of operating a marketplace-independent reputation index that supports client verification, consumer protection in the freelance market, and the freelancer's own ability to consolidate their reputation across platforms. Equivalent analyses apply to similar frameworks in other jurisdictions.
• Claim the profile free, any time.Every unclaimed profile is clearly labelled “Unclaimed” with an invitation to claim. A freelancer may claim their profile by verifying the email tied to their platform account and from that moment controls all displayed content (bio, location, avatar, categories, availability, which platforms are linked, public contact channel).
• Removal on request. A freelancer who does not wish their information to appear on LanceRank, claimed or unclaimed, may email [email protected] from the address on their platform profile. We will remove the profile and all associated scraped data within 30 days (in most cases within 72 hours).
• Freshness. Publicly available data is re-synced on a defined schedule. Fields taken down from the source are removed from LanceRank on the next sync.
• Accuracy of claimed content. Once claimed, you are responsible for the accuracy of information you add to your profile. LanceRank reserves the right to require admin review for changes to trust-critical fields (name, platform links) to prevent impersonation or review manipulation.

4. Reviews

Reviews are a core feature of the Service. By submitting or receiving reviews, you agree to the following:

• All reviews must be honest, accurate, and based on a genuine working relationship with the freelancer
• Reviews are verified through our verification process, which may include email verification, platform transaction links, or invoice uploads
• We reserve the right to remove reviews that we determine to be fraudulent, defamatory, or in violation of these terms
• Freelancers on paid plans may respond publicly to reviews, but responses must remain professional and factual
• Once submitted and verified, reviews become part of the public record and may not be removed by the freelancer
• Reviewers may request removal of their own reviews by contacting our support team
• Compensated reviews are prohibited. A freelancer may not pay, hire, or otherwise compensate a person to leave a review on LanceRank. This includes paying a third party for a small token engagement on another platform solely to manufacture an invoice that satisfies our verification process. Reviews discovered to be the result of compensated arrangements will be removed and may result in account suspension. We may cross-reference suspicious reviewer/freelancer relationships against connected-platform transaction data and may decline to count any review that does not appear to reflect a genuine client engagement.
• Reciprocal vouches between LanceRank users are not accepted. If you list another LanceRank freelancer as the client of an offline project, the system flags it for review and will refuse the vouch outright if the relationship is part of a reciprocal cycle (you vouching for them and they vouching for you). Legitimate sub-contracting relationships may be approved by our team on request.

5. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to engage in any of the following prohibited activities:

• Fake reviews: Submitting reviews for work that did not occur, or soliciting fake reviews from third parties
• Impersonation: Creating an account or claiming a profile that does not belong to you
• Scraping: Systematically collecting data from LanceRank through automated means without our written consent
• Abuse: Harassing, threatening, or intimidating other users, including through reviews or responses
• Manipulation: Attempting to artificially inflate or deflate LanceRank Scores through any means
• Interference: Disrupting the Service, its servers, or networks connected to the Service
• Circumvention: Bypassing any security measures, access controls, or usage limits implemented by the Service

Violation of these rules may result in immediate suspension or termination of your account without notice.

6. Intellectual Property

The LanceRank platform, including its design, code, scoring algorithm, branding, and all associated intellectual property, is owned by MARANOTE LTD. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works based on the Service without our written permission.

You retain ownership of all content you submit to the Service, including your profile information, project descriptions, and review responses. By submitting content, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to display, host, and distribute that content as part of the Service.

7. Subscriptions and Billing

LanceRank offers a free tier and paid subscription tiers. The free tier is available on an ongoing basis at no charge; the specific features included in the free tier may change over time, and we will give reasonable notice of any material reduction. For paid plans:

• Subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each billing period (monthly or annual) unless cancelled
• You may cancel your subscription at any time from your dashboard settings — cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period
• No refunds are provided for partial months or unused portions of a billing period
• We reserve the right to change subscription pricing with 30 days notice — existing subscribers will be notified via email
• All payments are processed securely through Stripe. We do not store your credit card information on our servers

What happens when Pro ends. Whether you cancel voluntarily or your card fails after retries, the Pro→Free transition follows the same rules:

• Always preserved on Free: your LanceRank Score, all verified reviews, vouched offline projects, identity verification, connected platforms (and their synced data), uploaded certificates, public profile, and search indexability. These are never gated by payment status.
• Pauses while on Free: the Verified Pro badge, custom URL (reverts to a hashed slug; old URL 301-redirects for 90 days so existing links keep working), embeddable score widget, public contact email, profile analytics, review request emails, bulk reply tools, featured placement, and priority placement boost in browse and search results.
• Capped while on Free: existing connected platforms keep syncing; you cannot add new ones beyond the Free limit. Existing certificates stay visible; you cannot upload new ones. Existing boost-credit balance remains usable; you cannot purchase more packs.
• Restored on re-upgrade: all paused features return immediately when you resubscribe. If your custom URL reservation is still within the 90-day window, that URL is restored to your profile; after 90 days the slug is released to the public pool and you may pick a new vanity URL.
• Save offers: when you initiate cancellation, we may offer a one-time pause (1 or 3 months, capped at 3 pause-months per rolling 12-month period) or a one-time discount on your next billing period (capped at one save-flow discount per rolling 12-month period). These offers are optional and do not delay or alter your right to cancel.

7b. Right of Withdrawal (EU/EEA consumers)

If you are a consumer resident in the EU or EEA (i.e. you are subscribing to a paid plan for purposes wholly or mainly outside your trade, business, craft or profession), you have a statutory 14-day right of withdrawal under Directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights (Art. 9) and Cyprus Consumer Law 133(I)/2013, beginning on the day the paid subscription contract is concluded.

Important — immediate-performance waiver. At Stripe checkout we ask you to tick a box confirming “I want immediate access to the Pro features and I acknowledge that, by starting to use them within the 14-day window, I lose my right of withdrawal as permitted by Article 16(m) of Directive 2011/83/EU.” If you tick that box and start using paid features within the 14-day window, your withdrawal right is extinguished. If you do not tick it, you keep the full 14-day withdrawal right and we will refund the entire subscription on request within 14 days of receipt of your withdrawal notice.

To exercise the right of withdrawal you may email [email protected] with the statement “I withdraw from my LanceRank Pro subscription contract dated [DATE].” You may also use the model cancellation form below, although this is not mandatory.

The free trial does not constitute the right of withdrawal — it is a separate, contract-based 14-day grace period offered by us; once a paid subscription begins, the statutory withdrawal right runs in parallel for 14 days from subscription start, subject to the Art. 16(m) waiver above. The 14-day rights of withdrawal in other consumer-protection regimes (UK Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, Cyprus L.133(I)/2013) work in parallel and are honoured on the same terms.

7c. How profiles are ranked

LanceRank ranks freelancer profiles by a combination of factors. In compliance with EU Regulation 2019/1150 (Platform-to-Business Regulation, Article 5), we disclose the main parameters determining ranking and their relative importance:

• LanceRank Score— the primary signal, derived from verified reviews, vouched projects, connected platform data, recency, and other quality factors detailed at how-scoring-works. The Score itself is independent of payment status.
• Subscription tier— Pro subscribers receive (a) a tie-breaker advantage when otherwise equal in ranking, (b) eligibility for featured placement in category browse pages, and (c) inclusion in the weekly featured newsletter and homepage rotation. Free tier profiles are always discoverable through search and browse pages, but do not receive these placement benefits.
• Boost credits— Pro subscribers may purchase boost-credit packs to bid for additional placement slots in specific categories. Per-click billing applies (one credit per actual client click, not per impression). See the Boost section in your dashboard for the live mechanic.
• Profile activity— recently active freelancers (recent reviews, recent platform syncs, recent profile updates) rank above otherwise-identical inactive ones, regardless of subscription tier.

The user-generated content displayed on a freelancer’s public profile (reviews, vouched projects, score, identity verification status) is never hidden or modified based on payment status. The ranking-tier benefits above only affect placement and discovery, not the underlying public record.

8. Limitation of Liability

The Service is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, MARANOTE LTD shall not be liable for:

• Any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Service
• Loss of profits, data, or business opportunities related to the Service
• The accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any content displayed on the Service, including scraped platform data and user-submitted reviews
• Any actions taken by third parties based on information displayed on a LanceRank profile

Our total liability for any claim arising from the Service shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim.

EU consumer carve-out. Nothing in this section limits or excludes any liability that cannot be limited or excluded under applicable law, including (without limitation) liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, for intentional or grossly negligent breach, or for any non-derogable consumer rights under EU or EU Member-State law. Where you act as a consumer in the EU/EEA, your statutory rights (including under Directive 2011/83/EU and Cyprus Law 133(I)/2013) prevail over any limitation in these Terms.

8a. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless MARANOTE LTDand its directors, officers, employees, contractors, agents, successors and assigns from and against any third-party claim, demand, loss, damage, cost, or liability (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (i) content you submit to the Service (including reviews, vouches, profile copy, and offline-project details), (ii) your breach of these Terms, or (iii) your infringement of any third-party intellectual property, privacy, or other right. EU consumer limit: if you act as a consumer in the EU/EEA, this indemnity is limited to losses caused by your intentional or grossly negligent acts, and does not apply to any consumer right that cannot be waived by contract.

8b. Force Majeure

Neither party is liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations under these Terms caused by events beyond that party's reasonable control, including (without limitation) acts of war or terrorism, strikes, embargoes, natural disasters, internet or telecommunications outages, utility failures, pandemics, or government actions. The affected party will notify the other within a reasonable time and will use reasonable efforts to mitigate the impact. This clause does not relieve you of any obligation to pay fees that have already accrued.

8c. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable in whole or in part, the remaining provisions continue in full force and effect, and the invalid provision will be modified or, if necessary, severed to the minimum extent required to make these Terms enforceable while preserving their original intent as closely as possible.

9. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time if you violate these Terms of Service. Grounds for termination include, but are not limited to:

• Submitting or soliciting fraudulent reviews
• Impersonating another person
• Engaging in any prohibited conduct outlined in Section 5
• Failure to pay subscription fees after reasonable notice

Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. We may retain certain data as required by law or for legitimate business purposes. You may request deletion of your personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

10. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

Governing law. These Terms of Service are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Cyprus, excluding its conflict-of-laws rules. The UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply.

Jurisdiction.Subject to the mandatory consumer-protection provisions of Articles 17–19 of Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012 (Brussels I bis) where applicable to you, the parties irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Limassol, Cyprus in respect of any dispute, claim, or controversy (whether contractual or non-contractual) arising out of or relating to these Terms or their subject matter, to the maximum extent permitted by law. This clause is intended to qualify as a jurisdiction agreement under Article 25 of Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012.

Rome I / Rome II. To the extent permitted by Regulations (EC) Nos 593/2008 and 864/2007, the laws of the Republic of Cyprus govern both contractual and non-contractual obligations arising from these Terms or use of the Service.

EU consumer dispute resolution. If you are a consumer resident in the EU, you may submit disputes to the European Commission Online Dispute Resolution platform at ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/, or to ADR Cyprus (the certified out-of-court adjudication body for our jurisdiction). See §8a of our Privacy Policy for the full DSA Art. 21 framework.

11. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us:

MARANOTE LTD
Karpasias 3
4185 Limassol
Cyprus
Company number: ΗΕ 432111
[email protected]