Terms of service.

TrendsMT is a software engineering firm operated as Trends Media & Technology. We can be reached at [email protected]. Engagements are taken on by the firm, not by an individual engineer, and the firm is the contracting party unless a written statement says otherwise.

Project work starts with a written statement of work (SOW) that names the scope, the deliverables, the timeline, the fee, and the assumptions the work depends on. The SOW and these terms together are the agreement for that engagement. If the two ever conflict, the SOW wins for its scope and these terms win for everything else.

Anything outside an SOW needs written sign-off before we start. Verbal scope creep is not a thing here.

Fees, milestones, and payment terms are set in the SOW. Invoices are due net fourteen days from the date issued, in USD, to the account on the invoice. Late payments pause work until the balance clears, and we will tell you before that happens.

Expenses are billed at cost with receipts. Travel, when approved in advance, follows the same rule.

Scope changes. When it does, we write the change down, price it, and both sides sign before the new work starts. Work done before a change order is signed is billed at the prior scope.

You provide timely access to the people, systems, and decisions the work needs. You own your data and confirm you have the rights to share it with us. Delays on access or review push the timeline and may move the fee, and we will say so when it happens.

Work product created under an SOW is assigned to the client on payment in full, except for the TrendsMT pre-existing tooling we bring to every engagement: reusable libraries, templates, internal scripts, and methodology. We keep a license to those, and you keep a perpetual license to use them inside the work we delivered.

We may reference the engagement and the client name in marketing and case studies unless the SOW says otherwise. Code and confidential details stay confidential.

Both sides keep non-public information received from the other confidential, use it only for the engagement, and protect it with reasonable care. This holds for two years after the engagement ends. Information that is already public, independently developed, or properly received from a third party is not covered.

We warrant that the work conforms to the SOW for thirty days after delivery, and we will fix defects raised in that window at no cost. Beyond that, the work is provided as-is. We do not warrant that any software is free of defects, fit for a particular purpose, or immune to third-party changes. No other warranty is given, express or implied.

Each side's aggregate liability under an engagement is capped at the fees paid for that engagement in the twelve months before the claim. Neither side is liable for indirect, consequential, lost-profit, or lost-data damages. This cap does not apply to liability for confidentiality breaches, IP infringement, or amounts owed under the engagement.

An engagement runs until the SOW is complete or either side ends it with thirty days' written notice. Either side may end immediately for material breach not cured within fifteen days of written notice. On termination, you pay for work completed through the termination date and we return your data.

We may update these terms. The effective date above reflects the current version. Engagements in flight continue under the terms in place when their SOW was signed. Material changes apply prospectively to new engagements only.

These terms and any engagement are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Disputes are resolved in the courts located in California.