Distill

Terms of Service

Last updated: April 1, 2026

1. Service Overview

Distill (“Service”) is a passive processing tool that provides AI-generated summaries based on publicly available caption data from YouTube videos. By using this Service, you agree to these Terms.

2. User as Operator & Copyright Responsibility

This Service operates solely as a passive processing tool. By submitting a YouTube URL, the User independently initiates a request to access publicly available caption data associated with that URL. The Service Operator provides only the technical means of processing such requests and does not independently initiate access to any third-party content.

Compliance with the YouTube Terms of Service is the sole responsibility of the User who submits the request.

By submitting any YouTube URL, the User represents that they have the right to process the associated content and accepts full and exclusive responsibility for any intellectual property claims, copyright disputes, or third-party claims arising from or related to the submission of that URL. The Service Operator bears no liability whatsoever for any such claims.

3. Publicly Available Data & Fair Use

This Service processes only publicly available caption data provided by YouTube. The AI-generated summaries are transformative works under 17 U.S.C. § 107 and do not reproduce the original caption content verbatim. Raw caption data is not retained following summary generation.

AI-generated summaries may be cached for up to 24 hours for performance purposes. Cached content is a secondary AI-generated work, not the original caption data.

4. DMCA Safe Harbor

This Service qualifies as a service provider under 17 U.S.C. § 512, processing content solely at the direction of Users. The Operator does not select, review, or independently access any third-party content prior to User request.

5. Acceptable Use

  • Only public YouTube video URLs may be submitted.
  • Requests are limited to 5 per minute.
  • Summaries generated through this Service may not be commercially redistributed.
  • Automated tools (bots) making bulk requests are prohibited.

6. Prohibited Uses

Use of this Service is prohibited for:

  • Summarizing videos containing adult content, hate speech, violence, or illegal information
  • Reproducing content for copyright infringement purposes
  • Placing excessive load on the service infrastructure
  • Collecting information intended to harm others

7. Disclaimer & Limitation of Liability (AS-IS)

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. AI-generated summaries are for reference purposes only and do not guarantee accurate representation of the original video content. The Operator shall not be liable for any disruption or limitation caused by policy changes of third-party platforms including YouTube or Google.

User agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Operator from any claims arising from User's use of the Service or User's violation of any third-party terms of service.

8. Service Changes & Termination

The Operator may modify or discontinue part or all of the Service at any time without prior notice.

9. AI-Generated Content Disclaimer

All summaries produced by this Service are AI-generated works based on publicly available caption data. They are provided for informational convenience only and do not constitute professional advice of any kind, including financial, legal, medical, or technical advice.

  • AI summaries may contain errors, omissions, or inaccuracies. Always consult the original source video for critical information.
  • Summaries represent the AI model's interpretation of caption text and may not perfectly reflect the intent or nuance of the original speaker.
  • Numeric data, proper nouns, and technical terminology are particularly susceptible to transcription and summarization errors.
  • The accuracy of summaries depends on the quality of the underlying caption data, which may vary significantly by video.

10. Rate Limits and Service Availability

This Service applies rate limiting on a per-IP basis to ensure fair access for all users. Current limits are 5 requests per minute per IP address. The Operator may adjust these limits at any time without prior notice.

This Service is provided on a best-effort basis. The Operator does not guarantee uptime, availability, or response time. Planned and unplanned maintenance windows may occur. The Service depends on the availability of third-party APIs (YouTube, Google Gemini, Upstash) and cannot guarantee continuity of service if those dependencies experience downtime.

11. Intellectual Property

The Distill name, logo, website design, and original code are the property of the Service Operator and may not be reproduced or used without express written permission.

AI-generated summaries produced by this Service are derived works based on publicly available third-party content. The original video creators retain all rights to their source material. Users may share individual summaries for personal, non-commercial reference purposes with attribution to the original video and creator.

12. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with U.S. federal law. Copyright-related matters are governed primarily by the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S.C.).