The rules. The boundaries.
Effective Date: December 12, 2025
Last updated: December 13, 2025
🎯 TL;DR: Use The Impulse Judge for good (saving money). Don't use it for evil. We're here to help you keep your money, not take it.
Not Legal Advice: These Terms are a legal contract, but nothing here constitutes legal advice. If you need legal counsel, consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.
By installing The Impulse Judge browser extension, visiting our website, or subscribing to our newsletter, you agree to these Terms of Use. If you disagree with any part, please don't use our services.
We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Changes required by law, security reasons, or to prevent abuse become effective immediately upon posting. All other material changes will become effective 30 days after posting the updated Terms with a new 'Last updated' date. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms.
For material changes (e.g., new fees, dispute resolution changes, significant policy shifts), we will provide additional notice via:
Right to Reject: If you disagree with material changes, you may terminate your use of the Services prior to the effective date, and the previous Terms will govern any disputes arising before termination.
The Impulse Judge offers:
We do NOT provide financial advice. We provide comedic intervention designed to help you pause before purchases.
Website Analytics: We use Vercel Analytics on theimpulsejudge.com to understand how people use our website (not the extension). This is cookieless, privacy-friendly analytics that helps us improve the site. For full details, see our Privacy Policy.
We reserve the right to:
We will not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuation of the Service. As a free service, you acknowledge that we provide this on a best-effort basis with no guarantee of perpetual availability.
Currently, The Impulse Judge extension operates entirely locally with no data transmission or cloud storage. If we ever introduce features that require remote processing, we commit to:
This commitment protects our trust relationship with users and prevents "silent change" allegations if we expand functionality in the future.
The Impulse Judge extension is distributed through third-party platforms (Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, etc.). These platforms have their own policies and terms that govern extension availability and distribution.
Important: We are not responsible if a platform removes, restricts, suspends, or refuses to host the extension for any reason, including policy changes, content moderation decisions, or platform discretion. Extension availability is subject to app store policies and platform decisions that are outside our control. We may be required to modify or remove features to comply with platform policies without prior notice to users.
If the extension is removed from a platform, we will make reasonable efforts to communicate via our website and newsletter, but we have no obligation to provide alternative distribution channels or refunds (as the service is free).
Only install The Impulse Judge from official sources listed on theimpulsejudge.com. Official distribution channels include:
We are NOT responsible for:
If you encounter The Impulse Judge on a platform or website not listed on our official site, it may be unauthorized and potentially malicious. Report it to support@theimpulsejudge.com.
Chrome, Firefox, and other platforms may impose region-specific restrictions or requirements on extensions, particularly around content related to mental health, financial advice, or "self-help" tools. We may be required to:
We are not responsible if the extension is unavailable or has reduced functionality in your region due to platform or regulatory requirements. Availability and features are subject to change based on evolving store policies and local laws.
By using The Impulse Judge, you agree to:
In addition to the responsibilities above, you agree NOT to:
Violation of this Acceptable Use Policy may result in termination of your access to our services and potential legal action.
The Impulse Judge generates roasts, messages, and satirical content that appears on your screen. You are responsible for how you use, share, or distribute this content:
If you see someone misusing Impulse Judge content to harass others, report it to the relevant platform (not to us, as we have no control over user behavior outside the extension).
The Impulse Judge uses humor and "tough love" messaging that may not be appropriate for everyone. If you have a genuine compulsive buying disorder, shopping addiction, anxiety, depression, or other mental health condition that could be triggered or worsened by judgmental humor:
We reserve the right to modify roasts, add content warnings, or implement sensitivity filters based on community feedback, but we make no guarantees about the appropriateness of humor for individual circumstances.
Our website includes interactive "Free Therapy" mini-games where you may type text (e.g., The Void, Pet The Rock). You are responsible for any content you input:
This reinforces our DMCA safe harbor position: we provide the tools, you provide the content, and you bear responsibility for that content.
The Impulse Judge extension and website are 100% free with zero hidden costs, subscriptions, or paywalls. We include optional donation links ("Buy Me a Coffee") in the extension popup and website footer as a way for users to support development if they choose.
Important clarifications:
Think of it like street performing: The show is free, but if it saved you money, you can throw a coin in the hat. Or don't. The Judge will judge you either way. 😏
The Impulse Judge™ is a common law trademark of The Impulse Judge Project, first used in commerce on December 12, 2025. This establishes our rights under U.S. and Canadian trademark law through continuous use in commerce.
The Impulse Judge character, persona, "roast" database, and all original creative works are protected globally under the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (181 member countries). Our public GitHub repository serves as timestamped proof of creation and ownership.
Emoji & Icon Disclaimer: We do not claim trademark or copyright ownership over standard Unicode emojis or third-party icon assets (such as Microsoft Fluent UI, Apple, Google, or other vendor emoji artwork). Our current app icon is based on standard emoji artwork and is NOT claimed as a proprietary trademark. We use emoji artwork under the applicable vendor licenses (e.g., Microsoft Fluent UI emojis are MIT-licensed, permitting commercial use including affiliate activities). The emojis used throughout our extension, website, and games are standard Unicode characters owned by their respective vendors. Only our original creative works (name, character, roasts, game names, written content) are claimed as intellectual property.
The extension code is open source under the MIT License. However, the creative content (roasts, character, branding) is proprietary and may NOT be reproduced without permission.
You may share our content with attribution. You may not claim our Judge character as your own (he has been through enough already).
Our website includes interactive mini-games (Dopamine Dash, Credit Defense, Judge The Hype, Mystery Box of Disappointment, The Void, Pet The Rock, etc.), financial calculators (Time Cost, Yearly Savings, Investment FOMO, Inflation Reality), and the Sobriety Certificate generator. These are proprietary creative works, not MIT-licensed code.
What We Protect (Original Creative Expression):
What We Do NOT Claim (Uncopyrightable Under Law):
Consistent with established copyright law including Baker v. Selden (1879), Feist v. Rural (1991), and Lotus v. Borland (1996), we make no intellectual property claim to:
Plain English: You're welcome to build your own impulse-control games, tower defense games, swipe-judgment games, savings calculators, or sobriety certificate generators - those concepts aren't ours to own. What you cannot do is copy our specific creative work: our exact text, our particular visual designs, our game names ("Dopamine Dash," "Credit Defense," "Judge The Hype," "Mystery Box of Disappointment"), our specific characters and humor, or our branding. Create your own original content and you're in the clear.
Current Status: We rely on common law trademark rights (U.S./Canada) and Berne Convention copyright (automatic global protection). We have not yet filed for registered trademark or copyright registration.
Registration Roadmap: As the Project grows, we may pursue formal trademark and/or copyright registrations in relevant jurisdictions.
We welcome community contributions via GitHub, but we are not responsible for content posted by users. Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 512), we respond to valid DMCA takedown notices.
DMCA Agent: support@theimpulsejudge.com
If you believe user-contributed content infringes your copyright, please send a proper DMCA notice. False claims may result in liability under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f).
If you believe content you posted was wrongly removed due to a DMCA takedown, you may send a counter-notice to support@theimpulsejudge.com containing:
We will forward valid counter-notices to the original complainant. If they do not file a court action within 10-14 business days, we may restore the content.
Official Accounts: Only social media accounts, community spaces, and online handles explicitly listed on theimpulsejudge.com are official representations of The Impulse Judge Project. We do not authorize the use of "Impulse Judge," "The Impulse Judge," or confusingly similar variations in usernames, handles, or community names without our express written consent.
Reporting Impersonation: If you encounter accounts impersonating The Impulse Judge on social media, app stores, or other platforms, please report them to support@theimpulsejudge.com. We will pursue takedown requests and trademark violation reports with the relevant platforms.
Fan/Community Accounts: If you wish to create a fan account or community space, you must clearly indicate it is unofficial (e.g., "Unofficial Fan Community" or "Inspired by The Impulse Judge") and may not use our exact branding or claim affiliation without permission.
We actively enforce our IP rights. Unauthorized reproduction or derivative use of our creative works is prohibited globally and may result in DMCA takedowns, trademark claims, and removal from app stores.
Important Legal Notice: This is Satire and Protected Speech
The Impulse Judge is a satirical work designed to provide humorous commentary on consumer behavior and shopping culture. All content, including roasts, jokes, and retailer references, is intended as:
When The Impulse Judge mentions specific retailers, brands, or products, please understand:
The Impulse Judge's content is protected under:
To be absolutely clear:
Acceptable (What We Might Do):
Not Acceptable (What We Don't Do):
Our content is clearly presented as humor and satire. A reasonable person would understand that:
When we mention retailer names, we are exercising nominative fair use:
Mentioning "Amazon" or "Target" in a joke is not trademark infringement - it's necessary to make the joke understandable.
The Impulse Judge will always:
If a retailer raises a good-faith concern that specific roasts, references, or content may violate platform policies, trademark law, or defamation standards, we will:
This helps demonstrate to platforms that we are responsible, good-faith actors if there's ever a retailer complaint, while preserving our satire and fair use defenses.
If you provide us with any feedback, suggestions, improvements, enhancements, and/or feature requests relating to the Service ("Feedback") through any channel (including GitHub, email, social media, reviews, or any other communication method), you hereby grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, and fully paid-up license to use, copy, modify, sublicense, and otherwise exploit such Feedback for any purpose without restriction or compensation to you.
If you provide feedback publicly (via social media, reviews, emails, etc.) and we wish to use it in marketing materials, we will:
Consent & Attribution: By providing public feedback about The Impulse Judge, you grant us a non-exclusive license to quote your feedback in marketing materials. For attributed quotes (with your name/handle), we will seek explicit consent. For anonymous or aggregated quotes (e.g., "Users report saving an average of $X"), no additional consent is required. You may revoke this license by contacting us at support@theimpulsejudge.com, and we will remove your testimonial within 30 days.
No Compensation: Testimonials are provided voluntarily. We do not provide compensation, payment, or consideration in exchange for testimonials unless explicitly agreed in writing (e.g., affiliate partnerships, which would be disclosed per Section 8).
By subscribing to our newsletter, you agree to receive:
You can unsubscribe anytime with one click. We won't guilt trip you. Okay, maybe The Judge will silently judge, but that's it.
Here's where we get serious. Really serious.
We pledge that if we include affiliate links or sponsored recommendations, we will use commercially reasonable efforts to:
Legal Reality Check: While we promise to do our homework, we cannot control third parties. We are not liable if a partner changes their practices, fails to deliver, or turns out to be "evil" despite our vetting.
To maintain your trust, we maintain a strict policy against accepting sponsorships or affiliate partnerships where the primary business model involves:
Note: We reserve the right to determine, at our sole discretion, whether a potential partner falls into these categories.
The bottom line: Our mission is to help you KEEP your money. If we ever recommend something, it's because we genuinely believe it serves that mission. The moment we prioritize profit over your financial wellbeing, The Judge officially becomes the villain - and that's not the character arc we want.
The Impulse Judge is a humor-based entertainment tool for self-reflection. We are NOT:
Important: References to "therapy," "addiction," or "help" are colloquial humor, not clinical services. If you believe you have a genuine shopping addiction, compulsive buying disorder, or any mental health condition, please seek help from a licensed mental health professional.
The "roasts" and messages delivered by The Impulse Judge are written by humans for entertainment and satirical purposes. The "Judge" is a fictional character designed to be hyperbolic, stern, and judgmental. These messages are jokes, not personal attacks. By using the extension, you agree to be "roasted" and understand that these comments are not to be taken literally or seriously.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT.
The extension and website are provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. We do our best to keep things running smoothly, but we can't guarantee the extension will work on every website or catch every checkout button. Some sites are sneaky. We make no warranties that:
We're not responsible for third-party websites you visit, even if you got there through our extension or links. Once you leave our little corner of the internet, you're on your own (but The Judge's voice might still echo in your head).
If you are a financial advisor, therapist, coach, counselor, or other professional using The Impulse Judge as a tool with your clients:
Use of The Impulse Judge in a professional context does not create any advisor-client relationship between The Impulse Judge Project and your clients, nor does it create any liability on our part for your professional conduct.
The Impulse Judge is NOT intended for use in situations where purchase decisions are critical to job duties, safety, business operations, or time-sensitive workflows.
Examples of inappropriate use contexts:
User Responsibility: If you use the extension in contexts where it slows or blocks necessary purchases, you agree to:
Employers: If an employee claims harm from using this extension during work, that is an employment matter between you and the employee. We provide tools for personal impulse control, not workplace productivity management.
If you are an employer considering this extension as part of a workplace wellness program:
If you are an organization deploying The Impulse Judge to employees or members (e.g., workplace wellness programs, corporate browser extension deployments):
Organizations deploying the extension at scale should review the open-source code and consult their own legal counsel to ensure compliance with applicable workplace laws.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, The Impulse Judge and its creators shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages resulting from your use of our services.
IN NO EVENT SHALL OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) $100 CAD OR (B) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE 12 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE CLAIM (WHICH IS $0 FOR FREE USERS).
This cap applies to all theories of liability (contract, tort, negligence, etc.) but does NOT apply where prohibited by law (e.g., liability for death, personal injury, fraud, or gross negligence/willful misconduct where such exclusions are not permitted).
Translation: If you ignore The Judge and buy that third air fryer anyway, that's on you.
Specific Interaction Disclaimer: The Impulse Judge works by modifying the visual appearance of third-party websites. We do not control those websites. If a third-party site updates their code and our extension causes a button to disappear or stop working, a layout to break, or a transaction to fail, we are not responsible. You agree that you can simply disable the extension at any time to resolve such issues.
The Impulse Judge includes features that estimate "money saved" (in the extension) and calculators that project financial impact (on the website, e.g., Time Cost, Yearly Savings, Investment FOMO). These are illustrative, approximate tools - NOT financial projections or guarantees.
Important Clarifications:
Liability: We are not responsible if you relied on our savings estimates or calculator results for financial decisions that didn't work out. These tools are for motivation and self-reflection, not fiduciary-grade financial analysis.
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law. If you are a consumer in ANY jurisdiction with mandatory consumer protection rights, nothing in these Terms affects those statutory rights. Where consumer protection laws apply, our disclaimers and limitations apply only to the maximum extent permitted by such laws.
Important Context for All Consumers:
If you are a consumer in Canada, you are protected by federal and provincial consumer protection laws:
If you are a consumer outside Canada in a jurisdiction with mandatory consumer protection laws (including but not limited to the European Union, United Kingdom, or Australia):
Practical Reality: Because The Impulse Judge is (a) free, (b) local-only with no data collection, and (c) not actively marketed to your region, most consumer protection remedies (refunds, price reductions, etc.) have limited practical application. However, we acknowledge and respect your statutory rights.
If you have a consumer dispute and mandatory arbitration does not apply in your jurisdiction:
You can stop using The Impulse Judge anytime by uninstalling the extension and unsubscribing from our newsletter. We can also terminate or suspend access if you violate these terms (but honestly, if you're using an anti-impulse-buying extension maliciously, we're more confused than angry).
Upon termination, your right to use the Services ceases immediately. However, the following provisions survive termination indefinitely:
The Impulse Judge is a free, open-source project provided on a voluntary basis. We have no legal obligation to maintain, update, patch, or support the extension or website beyond what we choose to do voluntarily.
This means:
If you need guaranteed support or maintenance, this is not the right tool. Consider enterprise software with SLAs instead.
We reserve the right to assign, transfer, or sell The Impulse Judge Project to a new owner (e.g., succession planning, or business transfer). If ownership changes:
This protects user trust and any potential acquisition negotiations by setting expectations for ownership transitions.
The Impulse Judge is an open-source project with community contributors. Nothing in this project creates a partnership, joint venture, agency relationship, or fiduciary duty between contributors, the project owner, or users.
Specifically:
All contributors participate voluntarily under the terms of the Contributor License Agreement (CLA) and CONTRIBUTING.md. See those documents for contributor rights and responsibilities.
These Terms are governed by Ontario common law (Section 14). However, if you are a consumer in Quebec or another civil law jurisdiction with mandatory consumer protection rules:
We may add Quebec-specific terms or French-language translations in the future if we actively market in French Canada, but no such targeting currently exists.
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless The Impulse Judge Project, its creators, contributors, and affiliates from any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, or expenses (including legal fees) arising from:
If a retailer's website breaks while you're using our extension, that's between you and them. You agree not to involve us in any disputes with third-party websites.
Please Read This Section Carefully - It Affects Your Legal Rights
This arbitration provision applies to users in the United States and Canada.
The following consumers are EXCLUDED from mandatory arbitration and may bring claims in their local courts:
For users in the United States and Canada (or other jurisdictions where mandatory arbitration is permitted), any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the breach, termination, enforcement, interpretation, or validity thereof, including whether the claims asserted are arbitrable, will be determined by binding arbitration conducted under the Arbitration Act, 1991 (Ontario), rather than in court.
Individual Disputes Only: You agree to resolve disputes with us only on an individual basis. You waive any right to bring or participate in:
Exceptions to Arbitration:
Opt-Out Right (30 Days): You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by emailing support@theimpulsejudge.com within 30 days of first using our services with the subject line "Arbitration Opt-Out," your full name, and the date you first used the extension. If you opt out, disputes will be resolved in Ontario courts under Section 14 below.
Arbitration Procedure: If arbitration is required, it will be conducted by a single arbitrator under the Arbitration Act, 1991 (Ontario). The arbitrator's decision will be final and binding, with limited rights of appeal. The arbitration will be held in Ontario, Canada, or via remote video conference if both parties agree.
These terms shall be governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to conflict of law principles.
Exclusive Jurisdiction: Any disputes arising from these Terms (if not subject to arbitration) will be resolved exclusively in the courts of Ontario, Canada. You irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of these courts and waive any objection to venue or claims of inconvenient forum.
This means you cannot sue us in your local courts if they are outside Ontario - you must bring any legal action in Ontario courts or through the arbitration process outlined above.
If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that these Terms will otherwise remain in full force and effect.
We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including acts of God, war, terrorism, riots, embargoes, acts of civil or military authorities, fire, floods, accidents, pandemics, strikes, or shortages of transportation facilities, fuel, energy, labor, or materials.
The Impulse Judge extension may be subject to Canadian and U.S. export laws and regulations. You agree to comply with all applicable export and re-export control laws, including:
You represent and warrant that you:
The following disclaimers from our README.md and project documentation are expressly incorporated by reference into these Terms:
These disclaimers have the same legal effect as if fully restated in these Terms.
These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and The Impulse Judge Project regarding the use of our services and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.
Our Rights: We may assign, transfer, or delegate any of our rights or obligations under these Terms to any party (including in connection with a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or by operation of law) without your consent. Any purported assignment in violation of this section is void.
Your Rights: You may not assign, transfer, or delegate your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. Any attempted transfer without consent is void.
Successor Obligations: These Terms bind and benefit the parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns.
Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not be deemed a waiver of such right or provision. No waiver of any term shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of that term or any other term.
To be effective, any waiver must be in writing and signed by an authorized representative of The Impulse Judge Project.
The Impulse Judge may include features labeled as "beta," "experimental," "alpha," or similar designations. These features are:
Use at Your Own Risk: We make no promises about beta features' functionality, reliability, or future availability. You assume all risks associated with using experimental features.
We strive to make The Impulse Judge accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. However, we are a small volunteer project and make no warranties regarding full compliance with:
Current Status: We aim for WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance but acknowledge we may fall short in some areas.
Feedback Welcome: If you encounter accessibility barriers, please contact us at support@theimpulsejudge.com. We will make reasonable efforts to address issues within our resource constraints.
We operate a Discord server for community interaction, feature suggestions, and public roast confessions.
⚠️ Disclaimers: We are not responsible for Discord's security, uptime, or data practices. We are not responsible for other members' conduct (though we moderate). Discord is operated by Discord Inc., not The Impulse Judge.
Questions about these terms? Suggestions? Just want to tell us about your latest resist victory?
⚠️ Remember: The Impulse Judge is designed to make you pause and think. The final decision is always yours.