Terms of Service
Last updated October 12, 2026 · Sullivest LLC
Hael Studio is desktop software made and sold by Sullivest LLC (“we”, “us”). These terms cover buying a Hael Studio licence on this website, your account here, and using the software (“the Software”). By buying or using the Software you agree to them.
Who you’re buying from
Our order process is run by our online reseller Paddle.com, which is the merchant of record for all our orders. Paddle handles payment, sales tax or VAT, invoices, and refunds on our behalf, and its Buyer Terms apply to the purchase itself. Sullivest LLC provides the Software, your licence, and support.
Your licence
When you buy, we grant you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to install and use the Software on computers you own or control, for your own personal and household use. Using it for a business — for example a photography studio, an archiving service or work you do for clients — needs a commercial plan, which we arrange individually: email support@haelstudio.com. You’re buying a licence to use the Software, not the Software itself; we keep all rights in it.
Your licence decides which versions you can download and use:
- Hael Studio — every version released up to 12 months after your purchase (your “updates period”), plus any earlier versions. You keep them forever.
- Lifetime — every version we release.
Hael Studio owners can buy 12 more months of updates at any time. Bought before your updates period ends, it extends it by 12 months; bought after, it starts a new 12-month period from the day you buy, which includes the latest version. Owners can also upgrade to Lifetime. Both apply to the same licence and key, at the prices shown on the dashboard.
Licence keys and activation
- Each licence comes with a licence key, shown on your account dashboard. The Software asks for it the first time it starts and needs an internet connection that one time to activate. After that it works offline.
- One key can be active on up to 3 of your computers at once. You can free a computer with “Deactivate this PC” in the app or from your dashboard.
- Activation sends us an anonymous ID for the computer, its name, and the app version — never your photos. See our Privacy Policy.
- Keep your key to yourself. Sharing, publishing or selling keys isn’t allowed, and we may disable a key that’s being shared.
No subscriptions
Every purchase is a one-time payment. Nothing renews automatically; updates continue only if you choose to buy more.
Refunds
You can get a full refund within 30 days of purchase if your licence key has never been activated. Details are in our Refund Policy. A refunded licence is cancelled: its key stops activating and its downloads are removed from your account.
What you can’t do
- Resell, rent, sublicense or give away the Software or your licence key.
- Remove or get around licence checks, or help others do so.
- Reverse engineer the Software, except where the law allows it regardless of this restriction.
- Use the Software to break the law or other people’s rights.
Your photos and files
The Software works on files stored on your own computer and drives. We don’t receive, store, or claim any rights to your photos, videos, or the archive you build. The Software copies files into your archive and never modifies your originals, but software and hardware can fail, so keep backups of anything that matters.
Smart event tags
Your licence includes a balance of smart-tag photos (10,000 with Hael Studio, 25,000 with Lifetime; renewals, upgrades and packs add more). When smart tags are on, the Software sends a small preview of each new photo through our servers to our AI provider, currently OpenAI, and uses one photo from your balance; a photo already tagged on your licence is free from then on. Balances don’t expire, can’t be exchanged for money, and belong to the licence. We may limit unusually heavy use to protect the service, and we may change the AI provider. If tagging fails on our side, the photo isn’t charged. Refunding a pack removes what’s left of it.
Optional third-party services
As an advanced option, the Software can also call OpenAI directly using your own account and API key, instead of your smart-tag balance. They’re off unless you turn them on. When you use them, the provider’s own terms and privacy policy apply, and any fees they charge are between you and them.
Your account
You need an account on this website to buy, download, and manage your licence. Keep your login details secure; you’re responsible for activity on your account. You can ask us to delete your account at any time.
Warranty
We work hard to make the Software reliable, but it’s provided “as is” and “as available”. To the extent the law allows, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. Some places don’t allow these exclusions, so some of them may not apply to you.
Limitation of liability
To the extent the law allows, Sullivest LLC isn’t liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages, or for lost data, profits, or files, arising from your use of the Software or this website. Our total liability for any claim is limited to the amount you paid for the Software in the 12 months before the claim. Nothing in these terms limits liability that can’t be limited by law, or any rights you have as a consumer where you live.
Ending your licence
Your licence lasts until it’s refunded or ended. We may end it if you seriously break these terms; if we do, you must stop using the Software. You can stop using the Software at any time.
Changes to these terms
We may update these terms, for example when we add features. We’ll post the new version here with a new date. Changes don’t take away anything you’ve already paid for.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas and applicable United States federal law, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. If you’re a consumer, you also keep any protections the law where you live gives you.
Contact
Sullivest LLC · support@haelstudio.com