API Terms of Use

METADAT-AI LTD | Version 2.2 | October 2026 | www.metadat-ai.com/legal/api-terms

API Addendum. These API Terms of Use add API-specific rules to Metadat-AI’s Customer Terms. By registering for API access, obtaining an API Key or using the API, the Customer agrees to them. The API is for business use only.

Scope and status
1. These API Terms of Use (“API Terms”) are between METADAT-AI LTD, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 17486598) whose registered office is at 17 Cowdenbeath Path, London N1 0LE (“Metadat-AI”), and the Customer. They govern access to and use of the API.
2. Addendum to the Customer Terms. These API Terms supplement the Customer Terms (www.metadat-ai.com/legal/customer-terms) that apply between Metadat-AI and the Customer. Everything in the Customer Terms (including the licence restrictions, AI Outputs, intellectual property, confidentiality, warranties, liability, indemnities, suspension and termination) applies to the API and to Services accessed through it. These API Terms contain only the additional rules that are specific to the API.
3. Self-serve developers. Where a person registers for API access online without an Order Form or a Reseller Customer Order Form, by registering, obtaining an API Key or using the API it agrees to these API Terms and to the Customer Terms. The Customer Terms then apply as if that person were the Customer and its online registration (including the Licensed Models it selects, as Standard Bundles or at the PAYG Rate, at the Price Book prices) were its Order Form. On registering, the person confirms that it has read the Customer Terms, including the clauses on committed fees, AI Outputs, intellectual property, limitation of liability and deletion of data.
4. Order of precedence. If these API Terms conflict with the Customer Terms on a matter specific to the API, these API Terms prevail. Otherwise the Customer Terms prevail. Any special terms expressly agreed in a signed Order Form prevail over both.
5. Business use only. The API is available only to businesses and to individuals acting in the course of their trade, business or profession. It is not offered to consumers. A person who accepts these API Terms for an organisation confirms that it has authority to bind that organisation.
6. Definitions. Capitalised terms not defined in these API Terms have the meanings given in Part 1 of the Master Definitions Schedule v1.4 (www.metadat-ai.com/legal/definitions). In addition:
  1. “API” means Metadat-AI’s application programming interfaces, together with the related software development kits, sample code, developer portal and the Documentation for them;
  2. “API Key” means any key, token, secret or other credential issued by Metadat-AI to authenticate requests to the API, including any webhook signing secret;
  3. “Application” means any software, integration, website or service that the Customer develops, operates or makes available and that accesses the API; and
  4. “Customer Terms” means Metadat-AI’s Customer Terms, in the version that applies to the Customer, together with the Customer’s Order Form or Reseller Customer Order Form (or, for a self-serve developer, its online registration).
Access to the API
1. During the Customer’s subscription, and subject to the Customer Terms and these API Terms, Metadat-AI grants the Customer a non-exclusive, non-transferable and non-sublicensable licence to use the API and the Documentation to develop, test and operate Applications for the Permitted Purpose. The licence ends automatically when the Customer’s subscription or the Customer Terms end. Any output of the API is an AI Output under the Customer Terms, owned by Metadat-AI and licensed to the Customer only as the Customer Terms provide.
2. For API access, the Permitted Purpose includes using the API within the Customer’s own Applications, including Applications through which the Customer provides AI Outputs to its own customers as an integrated part of the Customer’s own products or services. It does not include:
  1. giving any third party direct access to the API or to the Customer’s API Keys;
  2. reselling or sublicensing access to the API, or making AI Outputs available as a standalone product or data service; or
  3. using the API on behalf of a reseller or other third party, unless Metadat-AI has agreed in writing (for example in a Reseller Agreement).
3. Production use of the API requires a Standard Bundle or PAYG use under the Price Book, or an Order Form. Trial, sandbox and development API Keys are for evaluation and development only and must not be used in production.
4. The Customer must comply with the Acceptable Use Policy (www.metadat-ai.com/legal/policies/aup) in all use of the API. The Customer must not probe, test or attempt to circumvent the security or authentication of the API, or access any endpoint or feature that is not described in the Documentation.
API Keys
1. The Customer may access the API only with API Keys issued to it by Metadat-AI. One credential set is issued per registered legal entity; additional credential sets are available only by Quote.
2. The Customer must keep its API Keys secure and confidential. In particular, it must:
  1. keep API Keys on its own servers and not embed or expose them in client-side code, mobile applications, public repositories or any other place accessible to third parties;
  2. not share API Keys with any third party, or use another person’s API Keys; and
  3. rotate an API Key without delay if it knows or suspects that the key has been exposed or compromised.
3. Liability for usage and costs. The Customer is responsible for all use of the API made with its API Keys, and for all fees, charges and costs incurred through them, whether or not the Customer authorised that use. This includes use of compromised or stolen API Keys and use by current or former personnel, contractors or other persons to whom the API Keys were disclosed. The Customer remains responsible until Metadat-AI confirms that the affected API Key has been revoked.
4. The Customer must tell Metadat-AI at security@metadat-ai.com without delay if it knows or suspects that an API Key has been used without authority or compromised, and ask for it to be revoked. Metadat-AI may, at its discretion, credit charges that it is satisfied resulted from unauthorised use, where the Customer reported the compromise promptly, complied with this clause 3 and cooperated with Metadat-AI’s investigation.
5. Metadat-AI may revoke, rotate or suspend any API Key at any time if it reasonably suspects a security incident, unauthorised use or a breach of these API Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy.
Rate limits, quotas and fees
1. Use of the API is subject to the rate limits, quotas and usage entitlements set out in the Price Book, the Documentation and the Customer’s Order Form. Changes to them take effect as set out in the Price Book.
2. The Customer must not exceed or circumvent any rate limit or quota, including by using several API Keys, accounts or organisations to aggregate allowances, or by generating artificial or excessive traffic.
3. Metadat-AI may throttle, queue or reject API requests that exceed the applicable limits, or that it reasonably considers threaten the security, stability or performance of the Platform or the service to other customers. Metadat-AI has no liability for doing so, and the Service Level Agreement does not apply to any service issue to which use above the applicable limits has contributed.
4. Metadat-AI may monitor and log use of the API to operate, secure and bill it and to check compliance with these API Terms and the Acceptable Use Policy. This does not oblige Metadat-AI to monitor.
5. Fees for API use are those for the Licensed Models used, as set out in the Customer’s Order Form and the Price Book (clause 11 of the Customer Terms). Where the Customer obtained the Services through a reseller, it pays the reseller under its contract with the reseller.
Pricing integrity
1. The Customer must not circumvent Metadat-AI’s pricing, billing or usage controls. In particular, it must not:
  1. extract frames from video and submit them as separate images (video must be submitted as whole video files, and Metadat-AI performs any frame extraction needed);
  2. split, segment or fragment media files to avoid batch or submission limits;
  3. alter the encoding, resolution, frame rate, bit rate, format or metadata of media files in order to obtain a lower price than the content would otherwise attract;
  4. create several accounts, organisations or sub-accounts to obtain extra trial entitlements, volume pricing or any other per-account benefit; or
  5. use proxy services, credential forwarding or shared API Keys to let third parties use the API under the Customer’s account.
2. A breach of this clause 5 is a material breach of the Customer Terms. Metadat-AI may also charge the Customer for the processing concerned at the rates in the Price Book that would have applied had the content been submitted in the proper way, and may suspend API access under clause 11.
The Customer’s Application and its users
1. The Customer is responsible for its Applications and for all use of the API and the Services made through them, including by its own customers and users, as if that use were its own. Content submitted through an Application is Customer Content.
2. Before any third party uses an Application that relies on the API, the Customer must ensure that the third party is bound by terms that:
  1. prohibit the uses prohibited by the Acceptable Use Policy;
  2. prohibit copying, reverse engineering or extracting the API, the Software or any AI model, and redistributing AI Outputs as a standalone product or data service; and
  3. give that third party no rights or claims against Metadat-AI.
3. The Customer is responsible for supporting the users of its Applications. It must not state or imply that Metadat-AI provides, supports or is responsible for its Applications.
Integration requirements
1. The Customer must comply with the integration requirements in the Documentation, including those for webhooks and callbacks (such as secure endpoints and signature verification), job submission and batching, job status notifications, error handling and back-off. Metadat-AI has no liability for any loss arising from the Customer’s failure to comply with them.
2. Metadat-AI may change, deprecate or withdraw any API version, endpoint or feature. For a change that would break an existing integration with a production version of the API, Metadat-AI aims to give at least 90 days’ notice through the developer portal or by email, except where a shorter period is needed for security or legal reasons.
Processing environments
1. Unless the Customer’s Order Form provides for a dedicated environment, API jobs are processed in shared queues alongside other customers. Queue position and throughput vary with demand. Any processing time that Metadat-AI gives is an estimate only.
2. Metadat-AI may give the Customer access to a development and demonstration environment for trials, evaluation or development. That environment is not a production environment, has no redundancy, is not covered by the Service Level Agreement and may be interrupted, changed or withdrawn at any time without notice. The Customer must not use it for production processing or rely on it to store any data, and may submit real personal data to it only for an authorised trial or demonstration under the Demonstration and Trial Policy, with the permissions required by the Data Processing Agreement (and, for Biometric Data, the Biometric Addendum).
3. A dedicated processing environment, with priority queue positioning, may be available by Quote.
Retrieving outputs and deletion
1. AI Outputs are available for retrieval when a job completes. The Customer must retrieve and store AI Outputs, and any other job content it needs, promptly after it receives notice that the job has completed.
2. Unless the Customer has bought managed storage, Metadat-AI may delete hosted job content (AI Outputs and job records; media is not stored after processing) at any time after the job completes, as set out in the Data Processing Agreement (www.metadat-ai.com/legal/dpa). Metadat-AI has no obligation to keep, restore or recreate job content after it has been deleted.
3. If the Customer asks Metadat-AI to process content again after its job content has been deleted, that is a new job and is charged at the applicable rates in the Price Book.
4. The Data Processing Agreement applies to any personal data in Customer Content submitted through the API. The Customer is the controller of that personal data and Metadat-AI processes it as the Customer’s processor.
Attribution
1. The Customer may describe its Application as “Powered by Metadat-AI” and may refer to Metadat-AI in its Application’s documentation and on its website, in each case in accordance with any brand guidelines Metadat-AI provides. The Customer must not use Metadat-AI’s name or marks in any way that suggests endorsement, certification or a partnership beyond the API integration, and must not remove or alter any proprietary notice in the API, the Documentation or any AI Output.
Suspension and termination of API access
1. Metadat-AI may suspend or restrict the Customer’s access to the API, or any API Key, with immediate effect and with notice where practicable, if:
  1. it reasonably suspects that an API Key has been compromised or used without authority;
  2. the Customer breaches these API Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy;
  3. use of the API by or through the Customer threatens the security, stability or performance of the Platform or the service to other customers;
  4. any amount payable to Metadat-AI is overdue; or
  5. it is required to do so by law or by a Regulator.
2. Metadat-AI will restore access when the reason for the suspension has been resolved. Suspension does not affect the Customer’s obligation to pay fees that continue to accrue.
3. Where the Customer has no Order Form and no committed subscription term, either party may end API access at any time: the Customer by closing its account or ceasing all use of the API, and Metadat-AI by giving the Customer 30 days’ notice. Otherwise, termination is governed by the Customer Terms.
4. When the Customer’s API access ends for any reason, the Customer must stop using the API, delete its API Keys and stop any Application from calling the API. Fees accrued before the end remain payable. Clauses 3, 5, 9 and 12 continue to apply after API access ends, together with any other provision which by its nature is intended to continue.
General
1. These API Terms are a Living Document. Metadat-AI may update them by publishing a new version at www.metadat-ai.com/legal/api-terms, and updates take effect in accordance with section 13 of the Standard Legal Terms.
2. The Standard Legal Terms v1.4 (www.metadat-ai.com/legal/standard-terms) apply to these API Terms as they apply to the Customer Terms.
3. Notices to Metadat-AI must be sent to legal@metadat-ai.com, and security reports (including compromised API Keys) to security@metadat-ai.com. The Documentation for the API is made available through the Platform or as Metadat-AI notifies.
4. These API Terms and any dispute or claim (including any non-contractual dispute or claim) arising out of or in connection with them or their subject matter are governed by the law of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any such dispute or claim.

Version history


Version	Date	Summary
2.0	October 2026	Rebuilt as a short API addendum to the Customer Terms. Only API-specific rules remain. Warranties, liability, indemnities, data protection, regulatory, billing and general terms now sit in the Customer Terms, the Data Processing Agreement, the Regulatory Compliance Terms, the Price Book and the Standard Legal Terms.
2.1	October 2026	Self-serve registration confirms key Customer Terms; use of real data in the development, demonstration and trial environment aligned with the Demonstration and Trial Policy.
2.2	October 2026	Pricing references updated to the Price Book v3.0 (Licensed Models, PAYG Rate, Quotes; prepaid credits removed); API licence ends with the subscription and API output is an AI Output owned by Metadat-AI.