Firmware License Agreement

This Firmware License Agreement (the “License”) governs every firmware binary and gated digital asset you obtain from SpaltX, including flight controller firmware, configuration presets, wiring diagrams, manuals, and CAD files (together, “Firmware”). It is part of the Terms of Service; capitalized terms not defined here have the meanings given there.

Firmware is licensed, not sold. Downloading, installing, or executing Firmware constitutes acceptance of this License. If you do not accept it, do not download or flash Firmware.

Open-source components inside a release remain governed by their own licenses, which prevail over this License for those components to the extent the two conflict. Section 10 explains how to find those licenses.

“Release”

A specific Firmware version identified by a semantic version number, published for a specific Target on a specific Channel, together with its changelog, SHA-256 checksum, and signature.

“Target”

The board target code a Release is built for (for example, a specific flight controller board and MCU). The Target code is printed on the hardware and listed on the drone model page.

“Channel”

The maturity track of a Release: stable (flight tested across supported hardware revisions), beta (feature previews that passed bench tests only), or dev (engineering builds with no completed test cycle).

“Entitlement”

A per-account grant tied to a drone model that unlocks gated Releases for that model, created by purchase of qualifying products or granted by SpaltX staff.

“Compatible Hardware”

Hardware whose board matches the Release Target and whose hardware revision falls within the minimum and maximum revision range published for the Release.

Subject to this License and the Terms, SpaltX grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to:

• download Releases made available to your account through the Platform;
• install and execute Releases on Compatible Hardware that you own, or that you operate with the owner’s permission;
• keep private backup copies of downloaded Releases for your own archival use, provided they retain their integrity metadata; and
• use accompanying presets, diagrams, and manuals to build, configure, and repair your own Aircraft.

This grant covers personal use and internal business use (for example, a repair shop flashing a customer’s SpaltX board with the owner’s consent). It does not include any right to redistribute, which Section 5 addresses. All rights not expressly granted are reserved by SpaltX and its licensors.

Access to Firmware is gated in two steps:

• Account. Every download requires a signed-in account, so we can log the download and reach you if the Release is later withdrawn for a defect.
• Entitlement. Releases on the beta and dev Channels additionally require an Entitlement for the relevant drone model. Entitlements are created automatically when you purchase qualifying products, or granted by staff, and are visible in your account.

Entitlements attach to your account. They are not transferable, may not be shared by sharing credentials, and end when the account ends or when revoked for breach of this License. If you sell your Aircraft, the buyer obtains stable-channel access with their own account; contact support about transferring model Entitlements with a genuine hardware sale, which we accommodate case by case.

Every download is logged (account, Release, time) as described in the Privacy Policy. We use the log for safety notifications, abuse detection, and your own download history.

Except where an applicable open-source license grants broader rights for a component, or where applicable law gives you a non-waivable right, you may not:

• redistribute, publish, sell, rent, sublicense, or otherwise make Firmware available to third parties, including by mirroring gated downloads or bundling Releases with hardware you sell;
• share account credentials or otherwise move gated Firmware outside entitled accounts;
• circumvent, disable, or defeat entitlement checks, download gating, rate limits, or signature and checksum mechanisms;
• modify a Release and present the result as official SpaltX firmware, or remove or alter version identifiers, notices, checksums, or signatures;
• reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble Firmware, except to the extent applicable law permits it for interoperability or security research notwithstanding this restriction (we welcome coordinated reports at support@spaltx.com, subject line SECURITY); or
• use Firmware on hardware other than Compatible Hardware, or in weapons systems or applications prohibited by the Terms.

Beta and dev Releases may contain defects that stable releases do not, including defects that can cause loss of control, failsafe malfunction, or hardware damage. You accept that risk when you choose those Channels. Feedback on pre-release firmware is welcome at support@spaltx.com.

Every Release is published with a SHA-256 checksum and a signature, per Release, per Target. Because Firmware controls an aircraft, verification before flashing is a condition of this License, not a suggestion:

• After downloading, compute the file’s SHA-256 (for example, certutil -hashfile file.bin SHA256 on Windows or shasum -a 256 file.bin on macOS and Linux) and compare it to the value published next to the download.
• If the checksum does not match, do not flash the file. Delete it, download again, and report a repeated mismatch to support.
• Flash only files obtained from the Platform. Firmware obtained anywhere else is not covered by this License and may be tampered with.
• Match the Target code on your board exactly. Flashing the wrong Target can brick the board and is not a defect.

When we find a defect that matters, we withdraw the affected Release. Withdrawn Releases stop being served immediately and are marked as withdrawn in the release history. If you downloaded a Release that is later withdrawn:

• do not flash it from a local copy, and stop flying hardware that runs it as soon as reasonably possible;
• check the changelog for the replacement Release and the description of the defect; and
• expect a notice at your account email for safety-relevant withdrawals, which is one of the reasons downloads require an account.

Your license to a withdrawn Release ends for flight use upon withdrawal, but you may retain archival copies. The corrected Release is provided at no charge.

• We publish Releases when they are ready. Nothing in this License obligates us to provide updates, new features, or continued support for any Target, hardware revision, or model, though safety fixes for supported stable Releases are our priority.
• Read the changelog before flashing. Major updates can change defaults, mixer behavior, tuning profiles, and failsafe configuration.
• Reconfigure and verify failsafes after every major update, and bench test with propellers removed before the first flight on new firmware.
• Respect the published hardware revision range. A Release marked for revisions within a range is untested outside it, and flashing outside the range is at your risk.

Releases may include open-source components. For each Release, the accompanying release notes identify included open-source components and their licenses, and those licenses govern those components. Nothing in this License restricts rights granted to you by an applicable open-source license, and nothing in an open-source license expands your rights to SpaltX proprietary code within a Release.

Where a component license requires source availability (for example, GPL-family licenses), the release notes state how to obtain the corresponding source. You may also request it from support@spaltx.com with SOURCE REQUEST and the Release version in the subject line.

Our machine-learning tooling trains only on Apache- and MIT-licensed base models, and onboard vision models we ship are covered by this License like any other Firmware component.

As a condition of this License, you agree to the following minimum practices:

• Remove propellers before connecting power for flashing or configuration.
• Verify the checksum, the Target, and the hardware revision range before flashing.
• After flashing, verify sensor orientation, motor order and direction, arming behavior, and failsafe response on the bench before flight.
• Perform first flights on new firmware in an open area away from people, and keep flights within the rules summarized on the compliance page and required by your local regulator.
• Do not fly beta or dev firmware over people or property you cannot risk.

This License is effective when you first download Firmware and continues until terminated. It terminates automatically if you materially breach it and do not cure the breach within 14 days of notice, and we may terminate or suspend gated access immediately for breaches involving redistribution, circumvention of gating, or safety misuse.

• On termination for breach, you must stop using Firmware, delete your copies, and stop flying hardware running gated pre-release firmware.
• If your account simply closes in good standing, stable firmware already installed on your hardware remains licensed for that hardware, and archival copies you hold remain licensed for that use. Access to new downloads and gated Channels ends with the account.
• Sections that by nature survive termination survive, including restrictions, open-source terms, disclaimers, and liability limits.

Firmware is provided as is, without warranty of any kind, to the maximum extent permitted by law. Without limiting the warranty disclaimer and limitation of liability in the Terms, which apply to Firmware in full:

• we do not warrant that any Release is defect-free, uninterrupted, or fit for your specific build, payload, or flight envelope;
• you are responsible for validating firmware behavior on your own Aircraft before trusting it, and for the consequences of flying unverified configurations; and
• our total liability arising from Firmware is capped as stated in the Terms, and we are not liable for damage to Aircraft, payloads, other property, or third parties arising from your operation.

Nothing in this section limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded.

Questions about this License, entitlement transfers, source requests, or security reports go to support@spaltx.com. Include the Release version and Target code for anything release-specific. Disputes under this License follow the governing law and dispute resolution terms of the Terms of Service.