terms

effective 2026-08-22, updated 2026-08-24 (added "the code is ours"). plain words on purpose — the bold lines are the ones lawyers care about.

what this is

past the margin is a free tool that analyzes the rhyme schemes of text you provide, in your browser, on your device. no accounts, no payment, no sign-up. by using it you agree to these terms; if you don't agree, don't use it.

your verses are yours

you keep every right to anything you type, paste, or store here. we take no license to your verses — we couldn't use them if we wanted to, because they never reach us (see privacy). the pages you keep in the binder live in your browser and belong to you, and so do the marked pages you export.

the code is ours

the mirror of the last section: your verses are yours, and the parts of this place we made — the engine's code, the design, the name, the marked-page look — are ours. the parts we borrowed (the cmu pronouncing dictionary, the fonts) belong to their makers and keep their own licenses. because the analysis runs in your browser, the engine's code is delivered to your device; that's how your verse stays private, and it's a license to run it here, for your own use — not to take it, wrap it, or resell it as yours. what you may not do is copy or adapt the service's code or design into another product, republish either on its own, or sell them. your exported pages carry the look — post them anywhere, they're yours. reading how it works is fine, and so is building your own thing from what you learn. curiosity is the point of this place. taking the machine is not.

what the machine is — and is not

the analysis is a deterministic phonetic engine: dictionary pronunciations, syllable matching, and scoring rules that are the same for everyone, every time. nothing here writes lyrics. the product never generates a bar, a line, or a phrase, and corrections users send are never used to train generative AI. the marks are automated analysis, not the judgment of a human expert, and the read can be wrong — it will sometimes mark a rhyme you'd reject or miss one you hear. that's why the page lets you argue with it.

what you do with what you paste

the tool doesn't know or check whose words you give it — like a word processor, it works on whatever you provide, and you are responsible for having the right to use it. if you export a marked page and post it somewhere, you are the publisher of that image: make sure you have the rights, and credit whose bars they are. we never see, host, or transmit what you paste, and we don't monitor anyone's use.

corrections you choose to send

the one thing that can travel is a correction you deliberately send (sounds and positions, never your verse). by sending, you grant a non-exclusive license to use it for one purpose: improving rhyme detection in this product. never for generative AI. deletion by receipt id, any time, ends our use of that correction going forward — see privacy.

as is

the service is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, express or implied — including accuracy, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. rhyme analysis is opinion rendered by rules; don't build anything load-bearing on it. to the fullest extent the law allows, our total liability to you for any claim arising out of the service is limited to the amount you paid to use it — which is zero. some places don't allow certain limits; where a limit isn't allowed, it doesn't apply.

disputes — talk first

if something's wrong, write to alonzo@pastthemargin.app and give us 30 days to make it right — most things are a conversation. if we can't resolve it, you and we agree to resolve any dispute by binding individual arbitration rather than in court, and each of us waives the right to participate in a class action. either side may instead bring an individual claim in small-claims court. arbitration runs under the consumer arbitration rules of the american arbitration association; we pay the filing fees a consumer would otherwise owe. either of us may also ask a court to stop infringement or misuse of intellectual property. you can opt out of this arbitration section by emailing the address above within 30 days of your first use — we keep no records of anyone, so your stated first-use date controls. everything else in these terms still applies either way. these terms are governed by the laws of the state of new york. if any part of these terms can't be enforced, the rest still applies.

the service can change

this is a free tool: we may change or discontinue any part of it, at any time, without liability — the binder's "take your pages" exists so nothing of yours is ever trapped here. the service is not directed to children under 13.

changes

if these terms change, the date at the top changes with them, and material changes get a note on the page itself. keeping the tool free of accounts means we can't email you — the page is the notice.

contact

alonzo@pastthemargin.app. a human reads it.