Brief-S

Legal

Terms of Service

Last updated: 3 October 2026

1. General Provisions

These Terms govern the provision of electronic services through Brief-S, available at brief-s.com (the “Website”), in accordance with applicable law. The service provider and publisher of the Website is Łukasz Ogorzałek, conducting unregistered business activity (działalność nierejestrowana), correspondence address: ul. Kołłątaja 12/1, 71-600 Świnoujście, Poland, publishing under the brand name Arcan Schalier (the “Publisher”). “Arcan Schalier” is a brand name only and is not a separate legal entity. Contact: [email protected].

2. Definitions

  • User: any person using the Website.
  • Account: an individual User profile enabling access to content and, where purchased, to a paid Membership.
  • Content: articles, essays, visual materials, and newsletters published on the Website.
  • Free Content: content available without a paid Membership, including the newsletter “The Short”.
  • Membership: a paid subscription granting access to gated editorial content and tools, offered in the tiers and at the prices set out in Section 4.

3. Scope of Services

The Publisher provides: making editorial content available (free and paid), maintaining User accounts, sending the newsletter “The Short”, and providing paid Memberships. Some content and tools are available only to Users holding an active paid Membership of the relevant tier.

4. Memberships, Prices and Payments

Tiers and prices (EUR): the Publisher currently benefits from a VAT exemption, so no VAT is added to the prices below (see Section 7).

  • The Short (Free) — €0. Access to the free newsletter and selected free content.
  • The Desk (Membership) — €39 / month or €390 / year.
  • The Room (Inner Circle) — €290 / month or €3,000 / year.

Payment processor: all payments are processed by Stripe Payments Europe, Ltd. Brief-S does not store full card numbers; card data is handled directly by Stripe.

Billing cycle and auto-renewal: paid Memberships renew automatically at the end of each billing period (monthly or annual, as chosen) at the then-current price, unless cancelled beforehand. The User authorises recurring charges at checkout.

Cancellation: the User may cancel auto-renewal at any time from the account dashboard. Cancellation stops future renewals; access continues until the end of the already-paid period.

Price changes: the Publisher may change prices for future billing periods with prior notice; changes never affect an already-paid period.

5. Right of Withdrawal (EU Consumers) and Its Loss for Digital Content

  • A consumer in the EU normally has 14 days to withdraw from a distance contract without giving a reason.
  • Membership grants immediate access to digital content. In accordance with Art. 16(m) of Directive 2011/83/EU (and the implementing national law), the consumer loses the right of withdrawal once performance (access to the digital content) has begun, provided the consumer (a) gave prior express consent to immediate performance and (b) acknowledged losing the right of withdrawal.
  • Brief-S collects both confirmations at checkout via two separate, unticked consent checkboxes. Without both, checkout is refused.
  • If the User has not yet accessed any paid content, the 14-day withdrawal right still applies and a full refund is granted.

6. Refunds

  • Where the right of withdrawal applies (Section 5), refunds are made within 14 days using the same payment method.
  • Outside the withdrawal right, Memberships are generally non-refundable for the current period once digital access has begun; the Publisher may grant goodwill or pro-rata refunds at its discretion or where required by law (e.g. service failure).
  • Refund requests: [email protected].

7. Invoices and VAT

  • A payment confirmation is sent by email for each charge. On request, the Publisher issues an invoice.
  • The Publisher currently benefits from a VAT exemption and does not charge VAT on the prices set out in Section 4.
  • Should the Publisher in the future exceed the EU threshold for cross-border B2C sales of digital services (currently €10,000 per year), VAT on such services supplied to EU consumers would be accounted for under the EU VAT One-Stop-Shop (OSS) scheme at the rate of the consumer’s country of residence. This Section would be updated accordingly before any such change takes effect.

8. User Account

Creating an account is voluntary and carries no fee; a paid Membership is optional and separate from account creation. The User agrees to provide accurate data and keep their password confidential. Sharing an account or compromising Website security is prohibited. The User may delete their account at any time by contacting the editorial team; deletion of an account with an active paid Membership cancels future renewals.

9. Copyright and Intellectual Property

All content — text, visual materials, layout, and graphic identity — is protected by copyright and is the property of the Publisher or used under licence. Copying, distributing, or using content without the Publisher’s consent is prohibited.

10. Nature of Content — Disclaimer

Content published on Brief-S is exclusively editorial, educational, and informational. It does not constitute investment advice, a financial recommendation, or legal or tax advice within the meaning of applicable regulations (including MiFID II and the Market Abuse Regulation). Investment decisions made on the basis of the Content are made at the User’s sole risk.

11. Liability

The Publisher exercises due diligence but accepts no liability for decisions made on the basis of Content or for consequences of using Content inconsistently with its nature, nor for interruptions resulting from technical causes or force majeure. Nothing limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable consumer law.

12. Newsletter

Subscription to “The Short” is voluntary and requires an email address and consent. The User may unsubscribe at any time.

13. Complaints

Complaints may be submitted to [email protected] and are processed within 14 days.

14. Personal Data

The rules for processing personal data are set out in the Privacy Policy.

15. Amendments and Final Provisions

The Publisher may amend these Terms for important reasons, informing Users by publishing the new version. Matters not regulated herein are governed by applicable law.