TERMS OF USE AND SALE
PREAMBLE
GLOBAL SAR HUB, a simplified joint-stock company (société par actions simplifiée) with share capital of EUR 100, registered with the Paris Trade and Companies Register under number 928 618 776, whose registered office is located at 60 rue François 1er, 75008 Paris, France, represented by its President Ms Sarah LE COQ ZARANTONELLO (hereinafter the “Publisher” or “GLOBAL SAR HUB”), publishes and operates the mobile application named CH16 (hereinafter the “Application” or “CH16”), available for free download on Apple Inc.’s App Store and on Google LLC’s Google Play Store.
The Application’s sole purpose is to provide the mariner, for informational and assistance purposes, with facilitated access to the contact details of the world’s maritime and aeronautical search and rescue coordination centres, together with a set of ancillary tools designed to structure the preparation of distress communications in accordance with the international standards derived from the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and the Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP) of the International Maritime Organization.
The CH16 Application does not, by itself, send, transmit or receive any distress, urgency or safety message. It in no way substitutes for the GMDSS or for any regulatory maritime or aeronautical alerting or communication system. The master of the vessel, or any person responsible for navigation, remains solely and fully responsible for the safety of the vessel, its crew and the conduct of navigation, in accordance with the applicable international conventions (SOLAS, COLREGs, 1979 Hamburg SAR Convention) and the law of the flag State.
These Terms of Use and Sale (hereinafter the “Terms”) set out the terms and conditions under which the Application is made available to the User, as well as the respective rights and obligations of the parties in connection with its download, installation and use, whether free or paid.
The User expressly acknowledges having read these Terms prior to downloading and using the Application, having understood their scope, and having accepted them without reservation by expressly validating the statement “I accept the Terms of Use and Sale” displayed upon first opening the Application. Failing acceptance, the User undertakes not to use the Application and to uninstall it immediately.
ARTICLE 1 – DEFINITIONS
In these Terms, the following capitalised terms, whether used in the singular or plural, shall have the following meaning:
“Application” or “CH16”: the CH16 mobile software application, in its iOS and Android versions, together with all components, content, features, databases, interfaces, graphics and related elements comprising it.
“Publisher”: GLOBAL SAR HUB, as designated in the preamble hereto.
“User”: any natural person, of legal age or a minor duly authorised by their legal representative, who downloads, installs, accesses or uses the Application, whether using the free version or having subscribed to a paid plan.
“Stores”: the App Store operated by Apple Inc. and the Google Play Store operated by Google LLC, the platforms through which the Application is exclusively distributed.
“GMDSS”: the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System established by the International Maritime Organization within the framework of the SOLAS Convention, designating all regulatory maritime distress communication means and equipment.
“RCC”: Rescue Coordination Centre, designating without distinction MRCCs (maritime), MRSCs (maritime sub-centres), JRCCs (joint), ARCCs (aeronautical) and any equivalent coordination entity.
“SRR”: Search and Rescue Region, designating the areas of search and rescue responsibility as defined by the applicable international conventions.
“Text Message”: the textual content generated by the Application from the information entered by the User, structured in the MAYDAY, PAN PAN or MOB formats, displayed on screen and intended to serve as a visual or audio aid to the User when issuing a communication by a regulatory means.
“Passage Plan”: the feature by which the User transmits, under their own responsibility, to the RCCs whose SRR will be crossed, an email containing the information relating to their intended navigation route.
“Paid Plan”: indifferently the Monthly Subscription or the Lifetime Purchase as defined in Article 8 hereof.
“Personal Data”: any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person within the meaning of Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (hereinafter the “GDPR”).
ARTICLE 2 – PURPOSE
The purpose of these Terms is to govern, exclusively and exhaustively, the legal relationship between the Publisher and the User in connection with:
2.1. the download, installation of, and access to the Application;
2.2. the use of the free features of the Application;
2.3. the subscription to, and performance of, the Paid Plans;
2.4. all rights and obligations arising therefrom for the parties.
These Terms constitute the entire agreement between the parties in respect of the Application and prevail over any prior communication, statement, brochure, presentation page or correspondence.
ARTICLE 3 – ACCEPTANCE AND ENFORCEABILITY
3.1. Acceptance of these Terms is evidenced by the express validation of the checkbox “I accept the Terms of Use and Sale” upon first opening the Application.
3.2. Such acceptance is full, complete and unreserved. The User may not partially accept the Terms. Refusal to accept prohibits any use of the Application and requires its immediate uninstallation.
3.3. The User declares that they have the legal capacity required to enter into these Terms. Failing this, acceptance must be carried out by their legal representative.
3.4. These Terms are enforceable against the User from the time of their acceptance and throughout the period of use of the Application.
3.5. These Terms are accessible at any time, in their latest version in force, from the Application’s settings menu and from the Publisher’s website at https://www.globalsarhub.com.
ARTICLE 4 – PRESENTATION OF THE APPLICATION AND NATURE OF THE SERVICE
4.1. The CH16 Application is a mobile application published by GLOBAL SAR HUB and intended for any person likely to operate in the maritime environment, whether professionally or for leisure, and in particular vessel masters, watch officers, seafarers, fishermen, recreational boaters and operators of rescue coordination centres.
4.2. The main function of the Application is to make available to the User, in an interactive form, the contact details of the world’s maritime and aeronautical search and rescue coordination centres, together with ancillary tools structuring the preparation of distress communications.
4.3. The Application is a private informational and assistance tool. It is not derived from any public service mandate or sovereign mission, and is not a product certified, approved or homologated by any maritime, aeronautical, governmental or intergovernmental authority, including the International Maritime Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the Cospas-Sarsat system.
4.4. The RCC contact details made available by the Application originate from the SEASAR database operated by GLOBAL SAR HUB on its website https://www.globalsarhub.com. The terms, frequency and sources of updates to this database are described in the terms of use published on that website, to which the User is expressly referred. The Application reproduces this data for informational purposes and without any undertaking as to completeness or real-time accuracy.
4.5. The User expressly acknowledges that the RCC contact details are liable to change independently of the Publisher, that certain authorities may fail to declare or to keep their own information up to date, and that certain geographical areas may not be covered by a declared RCC. The User is invited to verify the contact details through the available regulatory channels, in particular through the official publications issued under the aegis of the International Maritime Organization.
ARTICLE 5 – ESSENTIAL WARNING: NON-SUBSTITUTION FOR THE GMDSS
The User declares that they have fully understood and accept that CH16 in no way substitutes for the GMDSS or for any regulatory means of distress or safety communication, whether maritime, aeronautical, satellite or radio.
5.1. The Application does not, by itself, send, transmit or receive any distress, urgency or safety communication within the meaning of the applicable international conventions.
5.2. The Application may not be used as a primary, secondary or substitute means of calling for help. It does not relieve the User of any regulatory obligation incumbent upon the vessel’s master or any person responsible for navigation under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs), the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) of 27 April 1979, and the law of the flag State to which the vessel belongs.
5.3. In any distress, urgency or safety situation, the User must use exclusively the regulatory means of communication, including without limitation: marine VHF on channel 16, 406 MHz distress beacons (EPIRB, PLB, ELT) connected to the Cospas-Sarsat system, Inmarsat or equivalent satellite means, as well as any other device required or recommended by the competent maritime or aeronautical authorities.
5.4. The User acknowledges that the vessel’s master remains solely and fully responsible, in all circumstances, for the safety of the vessel, the crew and passengers, for the conduct of navigation, for the choice of communication means used, and for actually verifying receipt of alerts by the competent authorities.
5.5. The User acknowledges having read and accepted the warning displayed on the Application’s home screen, as well as the reminders appearing upon each generation of a Text Message, which recall the non-substitutive nature of the Application.
ARTICLE 6 – ELIGIBILITY CONDITIONS
6.1. The Application is intended for any person, without geographical restriction, subject to compliance with the laws and regulations applicable in their country of residence and navigation.
6.2. The Application is listed on the Stores with a minimum age rating of 4 years. Minors do not, however, unless authorised by their legal representative, have the legal capacity required to subscribe to a Paid Plan.
6.3. The User shall ensure that their mobile device meets the minimum technical specifications required, in particular an operational GNSS receiver chip (GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS or equivalent), without which the geolocation, SRR identification and Man Overboard Mode features cannot be performed.
6.4. The User acknowledges that certain features require an internet connection, and that the quality, availability and cost of such connection are the exclusive responsibility of the User and their carrier.
ARTICLE 7 – DOWNLOAD, INSTALLATION AND ACCESS TO THE APPLICATION
7.1. The Application is distributed exclusively through the Stores. Any installation through another channel is prohibited and releases the Publisher from all liability.
7.2. The Publisher receives no sum upon the download or installation of the Application. The free version is accessible without financial consideration.
7.3. Upon first opening the Application, the User is invited, in order, to: authorise or refuse notifications, select their language, review a usage tutorial, enter the vessel name, the MMSI number and the vessel type, accept these Terms, authorise or refuse access to geolocation data, and where applicable express their choices regarding consent to advertising trackers via the consent management platform (CMP).
7.4. Access to the full catalogue of features remains subject to subscription to a Paid Plan as defined in Article 8.
ARTICLE 8 – BUSINESS MODEL AND PRICING PLANS
8.1 Free version
The free version of the Application is made available to the User without financial consideration. It includes in particular online access to the RCC directory, to the SRR zone mapping, and to the Text Message generator within a quantitative limit defined by the Publisher, which may be changed at any time. The free version is funded by the display of advertising banners operated by the Google AdMob advertising network under the conditions defined in Article 17.
8.2 Monthly Subscription
The Monthly Subscription is offered at the price of EUR 0.99 including all taxes per month, charged monthly in arrears through the relevant Store. It grants access to the extended features, including: removal of advertising banners, unlimited generation of Text Messages, access to audio mode, and access to offline mode. The Monthly Subscription renews automatically each month unless cancelled by the User from the subscription management interface of the relevant Store, at the latest twenty-four hours before the renewal date, in accordance with the Store’s general terms.
8.3 Lifetime Purchase
The Lifetime Purchase is offered at the single price of EUR 5.99 including all taxes, payable once upon subscription through the relevant Store. It grants, on the same functional conditions as the Monthly Subscription, access to the extended features as well as to subsequent updates of the Application published by the Publisher.
The Lifetime Purchase is understood to last for the duration of the actual operation of the CH16 Application by GLOBAL SAR HUB, and not for the lifetime of the User. The User expressly acknowledges that the Publisher retains the right to suspend, modify or cease operation of the Application, under the conditions defined in Article 21. In the event of cessation of operation, the consumer User shall, under the conditions strictly defined in Article 21.5, be entitled to a pro-rata refund where the Lifetime Purchase was subscribed less than twelve (12) months before the effective cessation date.
8.4 Price changes
The Publisher reserves the right to change the prices of the Paid Plans at any time. Price changes are enforceable against new subscribers as from their publication on the Stores. Users who previously subscribed to a Paid Plan retain the price in force on the day of their subscription for the remaining term, subject to the rules applicable to automatically renewing subscriptions as imposed by the Stores.
ARTICLE 9 – SUBSCRIPTION AND PAYMENT TERMS
9.1. The Paid Plans are marketed exclusively through the Stores, which act as resellers and payment processors. The Publisher does not access any of the User’s banking or financial data.
9.2. Payment, invoicing, collection, the calculation and collection of value added tax and any other applicable tax, as well as the retention of transaction receipts, are the exclusive responsibility of the relevant Store, in accordance with its own general terms to which the User subscribed when creating their Apple ID or Google Account.
9.3. The management of subscription status and the identification of access rights to paid features are carried out by means of the RevenueCat platform, the Publisher’s technical service provider, which processes only pseudonymous technical identifiers that do not enable the Publisher to directly identify the User.
9.4. Any complaint relating to the payment, refund or invoicing of a Paid Plan must be addressed first to the relevant Store, in accordance with its internal procedure. The Publisher has neither the capacity nor the means to handle financial complaints directly.
ARTICLE 10 – RIGHT OF WITHDRAWAL AND EXPRESS WAIVER
10.1 Existence of the right of withdrawal
Pursuant to Article L. 221-18 of the French Consumer Code, the consumer User residing in France or in another Member State of the European Union has, upon the conclusion of a distance contract, a right of withdrawal which may be exercised within a period of fourteen (14) days from the conclusion of the contract, without having to give reasons for their decision and without bearing costs other than those provided for by law.
10.2 Statutory exception applicable to Paid Plans
Pursuant to Article L. 221-28, 13° of the French Consumer Code, the right of withdrawal may not be exercised for contracts for the supply of digital content not provided on a tangible medium, the performance of which has begun after the consumer’s prior express consent and express waiver of their right of withdrawal, provided that the trader has supplied the confirmation provided for in Article L. 221-13 of the same Code.
10.3 Express request for immediate supply and waiver
By subscribing to a Paid Plan, the consumer User:
(i) expressly requests the immediate supply of the extended features, without waiting for the expiry of the fourteen (14) day withdrawal period;
(ii) acknowledges having been informed beforehand that they will lose their right of withdrawal as soon as they first actually use the extended features;
(iii) expressly waives their right of withdrawal as from actual access to the extended features.
Confirmation of the transaction and of the waiver is provided to the User by the operator of the relevant Store, by way of a recapitulative email sent upon completion of the subscription, in accordance with Article L. 221-13 of the French Consumer Code. This confirmation, enforceable against the User, constitutes the durable medium required by the Consumer Code.
10.4 Practical consequences
10.4.1. The consumer User who has accessed the extended features after subscribing to a Paid Plan has definitively waived their right of withdrawal. They may not, on that basis, claim a refund of the sums paid.
10.4.2. The consumer User who has subscribed to a Paid Plan but has not accessed any extended feature during the fourteen (14) day period following the subscription theoretically retains their right of withdrawal. The request to exercise this right must, in practice, be addressed to the operator of the relevant Store, in its capacity as account holder and payment processor (merchant of record), within the framework of its own refund procedures.
10.4.3. The refund procedures spontaneously offered by the Stores under their own general terms (in particular Apple’s Refund Request mechanism or Google Play’s refund procedure) remain applicable and are enforceable exclusively against the relevant Store.
10.5 Withdrawal form
In cases where the right of withdrawal remains exercisable, the consumer User may use the standard form set out in the annex to Article R. 221-1 of the French Consumer Code, or any other unambiguous statement expressing their wish to withdraw, to be sent to contact@globalsarhub.com or to GLOBAL SAR HUB, 60 rue François 1er, 75008 Paris, France. The Publisher will then, where applicable, forward the request to the operator of the relevant Store in its capacity as merchant of record.
ARTICLE 11 – FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITIONS OF USE
11.1 Interactive RCC directory
The Application makes available to the User the contact details of the RCCs listed in GLOBAL SAR HUB’s SEASAR database. Consulting an RCC record provides access, for informational purposes, to telephone numbers, email addresses and, where available, other contact channels (including WhatsApp). Activating a contact channel from the Application opens exclusively the corresponding native application on the User’s device (telephone, email client, WhatsApp), at the initiative and under the responsibility of the User. The Application does not issue any communication by itself.
11.2 Geolocation and SRR identification
Subject to the User’s prior authorisation, the Application accesses the geolocation data provided by the device’s GNSS chip in order to identify in real time the SRR in which the User is located and to present them with the competent RCC. Geolocation data is processed locally on the device and is not retained by the Publisher, under the conditions set out in the Privacy Policy.
11.3 Text Message generator
The Application provides an algorithm that generates, from the information entered by the User concerning the vessel, the crew and the situation, a Text Message structured in the MAYDAY, PAN PAN or MOB formats, consistent with the standard phrases of the IMO’s SMCP. The Text Message is displayed on screen and, in the Paid Plans, may be rendered as audio by automated speech synthesis. The Application does not issue the Text Message through any communication channel. It is the User’s sole responsibility to subsequently issue it by a regulatory GMDSS means, and to ensure that the alert is properly received by the competent authority.
11.4 Man Overboard Mode
Upon activation by the User of the Man Overboard (MOB) button, the Application records locally the GNSS position of the device at the time of activation and displays a cartographic representation of that position together with an indication of bearing and distance relative to the device’s current position. The Application also provides a prepared MOB-type Text Message. The Application does not perform any automatic transmission of an alert to a third party, to an RCC, or to an emergency contact.
Where a request is made to cancel Man Overboard Mode, the Application displays a confirmation message inviting the User to verify that the person who fell overboard has actually been recovered. Cancellation of Man Overboard Mode is the sole decision and sole responsibility of the User, in their capacity as master or person responsible for navigation. No data is retained by the Publisher by reason of the activation or cancellation of Man Overboard Mode.
11.5 Passage Plan
The Application provides the User with a tool for preparing and transmitting a Passage Plan. The User themselves traces their intended navigation route on the map and enters, under their sole responsibility, the information they wish to bring to the attention of the RCCs whose SRR will be crossed (in particular: vessel identification, crew, safety equipment, ports of call, planned dates, means of propulsion, shore contacts).
Upon validation by the User, the Application transmits by email, through the Publisher’s own SMTP servers hosted in France by the provider LWS, an email containing the information entered to the email addresses of the relevant RCCs as listed in the SEASAR database. The Application displays to the User the list of recipient RCCs.
The User expressly acknowledges that:
(i) sending the email does not constitute an alert within the meaning of the GMDSS and does not relieve the User of any regulatory obligation;
(ii) the Publisher does not guarantee delivery of the email, its actual receipt by the recipient RCC, or the RCC’s awareness or processing of the email;
(iii) the processing, archiving and retention of received emails are the sole responsibility of the recipient RCC, within the framework of the public service missions or contractual obligations incumbent upon it;
(iv) the Publisher retains no data relating to the transmitted Passage Plan, in accordance with the terms set out in the Privacy Policy.
11.6 Notifications
Subject to the User’s prior authorisation, the Application sends push notifications, in particular when crossing an SRR. These notifications are delivered through the Apple Push Notification Service (Apple Inc.) and Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google LLC). The User may disable notifications at any time from their device settings.
ARTICLE 12 – USER OBLIGATIONS AND UNDERTAKINGS
The User undertakes, on pain of incurring their civil and criminal liability, to:
12.1. use the Application in accordance with its purpose and in strict compliance with these Terms, the applicable laws and regulations, and the international conventions in maritime and aeronautical matters;
12.2. not use the Application to issue, prepare or facilitate a false distress alert, it being recalled that issuing a false distress alert may constitute an offence punishable under the law of the flag State and under the applicable national legislation, in particular, under French law, by Articles 322-14 of the Criminal Code and L. 5242-3 of the Transport Code;
12.3. verify by all useful means, and in particular by consulting the official publications of the International Maritime Organization and of their flag State, the accuracy of the contact details of the RCCs they intend to contact;
12.4. not access or attempt to access the Application by means other than the interface made available, not attempt to disassemble, decompile, modify the source code, circumvent technical protection measures, or carry out any reverse engineering of the Application, subject to the mandatory exceptions provided for in Article L. 122-6-1 of the French Intellectual Property Code;
12.5. not use the Application for unlawful or fraudulent purposes or in a manner that infringes the rights of third parties or public order;
12.6. guarantee the accuracy, sincerity and relevance of the information they enter into the Application, in particular that transmitted to RCCs within the framework of a Passage Plan;
12.7. bear all costs related to the internet connection, telephony subscriptions, equipment and software required to use the Application.
ARTICLE 13 – PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA
13.1. The Publisher complies with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (GDPR) and of French Act No. 78-17 of 6 January 1978, as amended, on data processing, files and individual liberties.
13.2. The Application is based on a principle of minimisation and non-retention of Personal Data. With the sole exception of the flows necessary to provide the features, and in particular the transmission of Passage Plans to RCCs, the Publisher retains no Personal Data in its own databases.
13.3. The precise terms of Personal Data processing, the applicable legal bases, the recipients, the retention periods and the rights of the data subject are described in the Application’s Privacy Policy, accessible from the Application and from https://www.globalsarhub.com, which is expressly incorporated by reference into these Terms.
ARTICLE 14 – INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
14.1. The Application, in all its components (source code, object code, architecture, graphical interfaces, editorial content, sounds, images, animations, names, trademarks, logos, graphic charter, structure and content of the databases), is and remains the exclusive property of GLOBAL SAR HUB, in accordance with Articles L. 111-1, L. 112-2, L. 113-9 and L. 341-1 of the French Intellectual Property Code.
14.2. All elements comprising the Application are protected by copyright, database rights, trademark law, design law, and more generally by any intellectual property right recognised by French and European legislation and international conventions.
14.3. The Application and all its components are subject to the following copyright: © 2026 GLOBAL SAR HUB – All rights reserved.
14.4. The Publisher grants the User, for the duration of use of the Application, a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable and limited licence, worldwide, for the sole purpose of using the Application on a compatible mobile device, in accordance with its purpose and these Terms.
14.5. Any other use, and in particular the reproduction, representation, adaptation, translation, distribution, making available to the public, integration into another product or service, as well as the extraction or re-use, qualitatively or quantitatively substantial, of the content of the database, is strictly prohibited, save with the prior written authorisation of the Publisher.
14.6. Any infringement of the Publisher’s intellectual property rights will engage the civil and criminal liability of its perpetrator, in accordance with Articles L. 335-2, L. 335-3 and L. 343-1 of the French Intellectual Property Code.
ARTICLE 15 – TRADEMARKS
15.1. The names “CH16”, “GLOBAL SAR HUB”, “GSH”, as well as the associated logos and distinctive signs, are registered trademarks of GLOBAL SAR HUB.
15.2. Any reproduction, imitation or unauthorised use of these trademarks engages the civil and criminal liability of its perpetrator, in accordance with Articles L. 713-2 et seq. and L. 716-4 et seq. of the French Intellectual Property Code.
ARTICLE 16 – DATABASE PROTECTION
16.1. The database of RCCs, whose contact details are reproduced in the Application, results from a substantial financial, material and human investment made by the Publisher, which on this basis claims the status of database producer within the meaning of Article L. 341-1 of the French Intellectual Property Code.
16.2. In accordance with Article L. 342-1 of the same Code, the following are strictly prohibited, save with the prior written authorisation of the Publisher: the extraction, by permanent or temporary transfer, of a qualitatively or quantitatively substantial part of the content of the database, as well as the re-use, by making available to the public, of all or a qualitatively or quantitatively substantial part of the content of the database, in any form and on any medium whatsoever.
ARTICLE 17 – ADVERTISING
17.1. The free version of the Application displays an advertising banner, operated by the Google AdMob advertising network (Google LLC). This banner does not conceal the essential information displayed by the Application and does not impede its use.
17.2. The display of advertising may involve the processing of Personal Data by Google AdMob, under the conditions defined in its own privacy policy, accessible at https://policies.google.com.
17.3. The Application implements a consent management platform (CMP) compliant with the IAB Transparency and Consent Framework standard, by which the User residing in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom may accept, refuse or customise the placing and reading of advertising trackers. This choice may be changed at any time from the Application’s settings menu.
17.4. The User residing in the United States or in other jurisdictions recognising an equivalent right to opt out has the corresponding rights, as organised by the local legislation and by the settings made available by the Stores.
17.5. On iOS devices, the Application implements the Apple App Tracking Transparency framework by presenting the User with the dialog box requesting prior authorisation to use advertising identifiers.
17.6. Subscription to a Paid Plan removes the display of advertising banners.
ARTICLE 18 – CONTRACTUAL WARRANTIES AND EXCLUSIONS
18.1. The Publisher undertakes to apply the care and diligence reasonably expected of a professional in the design, operation and maintenance of the Application. This obligation is expressly qualified as an obligation of means (best-efforts obligation).
18.2. The Application is made available “as is”, without any warranty of fitness for a particular purpose other than that described herein.
18.3. To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Publisher does not warrant, in particular:
(i) that the Application will be free from errors, bugs or interruptions;
(ii) that the RCC contact details reproduced in the directory are accurate, complete or up to date at all times;
(iii) that the emails transmitted within the framework of a Passage Plan will actually be received, read or processed by the recipient RCCs;
(iv) that the geolocation, mapping or SRR identification features will be available or accurate at every point on the globe and at all times;
(v) that the base mapping, provided by the third-party service OpenStreetMap, is exhaustive, accurate or free from errors;
(vi) that the availability, quality or performance of telecommunications networks will allow access to the Application or its connected features;
(vii) that third-party services, and in particular the Stores, Apple Inc., Google LLC, OpenStreetMap, RevenueCat, or telecommunications operators, will perform their own services without failure.
18.4. The statutory warranties to which the consumer User may be entitled under mandatory provisions remain fully applicable and prevail over these provisions. In particular, for the supply of digital content within the meaning of Articles L. 224-25-1 et seq. of the French Consumer Code, the consumer User benefits from the statutory warranty of conformity provided for in Articles L. 217-3 to L. 217-20 of the same Code, for a period of two (2) years from the supply of the digital content. In the event of a lack of conformity, the consumer User has the right, under the conditions and within the time limits provided for by law, to request the bringing into conformity of the digital content free of charge, failing which a price reduction, or, in the event of a serious defect, the termination of the contract. These provisions may in no way be interpreted as excluding, limiting or deferring these mandatory warranties.
ARTICLE 19 – LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
19.1. Given the non-substitutive nature of the Application with regard to the GMDSS and the regulatory means of distress communication, the User expressly acknowledges that the Application is an informational assistance tool, the use of which is left to their own discretion and sole responsibility.
19.2. Subject to mandatory and public-policy provisions, and in particular the rules relating to bodily injury, the Publisher may not be held liable:
(i) for the decisions taken by the User or the vessel’s master, which are the sole responsibility of the latter in accordance with the international conventions and the law of the flag State;
(ii) for the inaccuracy, obsolescence or incompleteness of the RCC contact details, which are liable to change independently of the Publisher;
(iii) for the failure of an RCC to receive or process the emails transmitted within the framework of a Passage Plan;
(iv) for the consequences resulting from the User’s use of the Application as a means of distress communication, in disregard of the express provisions of Article 5;
(v) for false alerts issued by the User, which engage their sole civil and criminal liability;
(vi) for damage resulting from a connection failure, a device malfunction, the unavailability of a third-party service (Apple Inc., Google LLC, OpenStreetMap, RevenueCat, telecommunications operators, SMTP provider) or an event of force majeure;
(vii) for indirect or intangible damage, in particular loss of business, loss of opportunity, loss of data, harm to image, that may arise from the use of, or inability to use, the Application.
19.3. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Publisher’s contractual liability in respect of the Application is capped, for all heads of loss combined, at the total amount actually paid by the User in respect of the Paid Plan subscribed during the twelve (12) months preceding the occurrence of the event giving rise to the damage.
19.4. The cap provided for in Article 19.3 does not apply to bodily injury, to loss resulting from wilful misconduct or gross negligence of the Publisher, or to damage the limitation of which is expressly prohibited by a public-policy provision. The consumer User retains, in all cases, the right to full compensation for their loss under the conditions in which such compensation is guaranteed by the mandatory provisions of the Consumer Code and the Civil Code, which prevail over these provisions.
19.5. These limitations, to the extent that they validly apply, are a determining element of the Publisher’s consent, failing which the Application would not have been made available on the pricing conditions agreed.
ARTICLE 20 – FORCE MAJEURE
20.1. Neither party may be held liable for non-performance or delay in the performance of its obligations resulting from an event of force majeure within the meaning of Article 1218 of the French Civil Code.
20.2. The following constitute, in particular, events of force majeure, without this list being exhaustive: natural disasters, earthquakes, storms, floods, fires, epidemics, pandemics, armed conflicts, acts of terrorism, breaches of public order, general strikes, administrative decisions, massive or prolonged interruptions of telecommunications or electricity networks, major failures of the Stores, failure of positioning satellites.
ARTICLE 21 – SUSPENSION, TERMINATION AND DISCONTINUATION OF THE SERVICE
21.1. The User may cease using the Application at any time by uninstalling it from their device. Such uninstallation does not give rise to any refund of the sums possibly paid in respect of a Paid Plan.
21.2. The User may terminate their Monthly Subscription at any time through the subscription management channels offered by the relevant Store. Termination takes effect at the end of the current subscription period. Sums already paid in respect of elapsed periods do not give rise to any refund.
21.3. The Publisher reserves the right to suspend, without notice, access to the Application in the event of the User’s breach of these Terms, and in particular in the event of an attempt to circumvent the technical protection measures, fraud, use manifestly contrary to the purpose of the Application, or infringement of the rights of the Publisher or third parties.
21.4. The Publisher retains the right to substantially modify, suspend or cease operation of the Application, in whole or in part, for reasons that are in particular commercial, economic, technical, regulatory or strategic. This right is exercised in compliance with the consumer User’s rights as they result from the mandatory provisions of the Consumer Code and the Civil Code.
The Publisher will endeavour, to the fullest extent reasonably possible, to inform Users of a suspension or definitive discontinuation by an in-app notification or by publication on its website within an indicative minimum period of thirty (30) days before the effective date, save in exceptional circumstances beyond its control (in particular force majeure, compelling regulatory constraint, failure of a structuring partner, cessation of activity).
21.5. In the event of definitive discontinuation of the operation of the Application at the Publisher’s initiative:
(i) the User who has subscribed to a Monthly Subscription will no longer be charged in respect of periods after the effective discontinuation date;
(ii) the User who has subscribed to a Lifetime Purchase less than twelve (12) months before the effective discontinuation date may request, within three (3) months of notification of the discontinuation, a pro-rata refund based on a twelve (12) month amortisation period. The request is made by email to contact@globalsarhub.com, accompanied by proof of purchase. The refund is carried out through the relevant Store, to the extent of its available technical procedures;
(iii) beyond the twelve (12) month period from the subscription of the Lifetime Purchase, the User may not claim a refund, the Application being deemed to have delivered the essential part of its use value.
21.6. Definitive discontinuation of operation for reasons of force majeure within the meaning of Article 20 may not give rise to any compensation other than that expressly provided for in Article 21.5(ii). No other head of loss may be invoked by the User on this sole ground.
ARTICLE 22 – MODIFICATION OF THE APPLICATION AND OF THESE TERMS
22.1. The Publisher reserves the right to modify, at any time, the features, content, ergonomics and architecture of the Application, as well as these Terms, in order to take account in particular of regulatory, technical, economic or strategic developments.
22.2. Any new version of these Terms is brought to the User’s attention by an in-app notification requiring them, in order to continue using the Application, to carry out a new express acceptance. Failing acceptance, the User may no longer use the Application.
22.3. The date of last update appearing at the head of these Terms evidences the applicable version. Earlier versions are retained by the Publisher for evidentiary purposes only.
ARTICLE 23 – ASSIGNMENT
23.1. The User may not assign, transfer or convey, whether free of charge or for consideration, in whole or in part, the rights and obligations that they hold under these Terms.
23.2. The Publisher may freely assign or transfer all or part of its rights and obligations under these Terms, in particular within the framework of a transfer, merger, demerger, partial asset contribution or group reorganisation, without the User’s prior consent. Such assignment will be notified to the User by way of in-app notification or by publication on the Publisher’s website.
ARTICLE 24 – SPECIFIC PROVISIONS FOR APPLE’S APP STORE
The following provisions apply to any User who has downloaded the Application from Apple Inc.’s App Store (hereinafter “Apple”). In the event of conflict with the other provisions of these Terms, the following provisions prevail for the Users concerned only.
24.1. Acknowledgement. The User acknowledges that these Terms are concluded exclusively between the Publisher and the User, and not with Apple. Apple is in no way responsible for the Application or its content.
24.2. Scope of the licence. The licence granted to the User is limited to a non-transferable licence to use the Application on any Apple product that the User owns or controls, and as permitted by the Usage Rules set out in the App Store Terms of Service.
24.3. Maintenance and support. The Publisher is solely responsible for providing any maintenance and support services relating to the Application. Apple has no obligation to provide maintenance and support.
24.4. Warranties. The Publisher is solely responsible for any express or implied warranty relating to the Application, to the extent that such warranty cannot validly be excluded. In the event of non-conformity of the Application with an applicable warranty, the User may notify Apple, which will refund, where applicable, the purchase price of the Application. Apple has no other warranty obligation.
24.5. Product claims. The Publisher is solely responsible for handling any claim of the User or a third party relating to the Application or to the holding and use thereof, in particular claims relating to product liability, non-conformity or regulatory matters.
24.6. Intellectual property rights. The Publisher is solely responsible for the defence, settlement and discharge of any claim of infringement of third-party intellectual property rights in respect of the Application.
24.7. Legal compliance. The User represents and warrants that they are not located in a country subject to a U.S. Government embargo or designated by the U.S. Government as a country supporting terrorism, and that they are not listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
24.8. Third-party beneficiary. The User expressly acknowledges that Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms, and that, upon the User’s acceptance of these Terms, Apple will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted that right) to enforce these Terms against the User as a third-party beneficiary.
ARTICLE 25 – SPECIFIC PROVISIONS FOR GOOGLE PLAY
The following provisions apply to any User who has downloaded the Application from Google Play operated by Google LLC (hereinafter “Google”). In the event of conflict with the other provisions of these Terms, the following provisions prevail for the Users concerned only.
25.1. These Terms are concluded exclusively between the Publisher and the User. Google is party neither to these Terms nor to the contractual relationship relating to the Application.
25.2. The Publisher is solely responsible for the Application, its content and user support.
25.3. The User acknowledges that the distribution of, and access to, the Application are further governed by the Google Play general terms, which they accepted when creating their Google Account.
ARTICLE 26 – EVIDENCE AGREEMENT
26.1. The computer records, connection logs, event logs and notifications retained by the Publisher in its information systems constitute an admissible means of evidence between the parties, without excluding or limiting the User’s right to provide evidence to the contrary by any means.
26.2. The User’s validation, through the double-click mechanism, checkboxes or acceptance buttons, of these Terms, the in-app disclaimers and any consent, constitutes an electronic signature within the meaning of Article 1366 of the French Civil Code. The probative force of this signature is assessed by the court, the User retaining the right to contest its attribution or integrity by any means.
26.3. These provisions do not affect the rights of the consumer User as they result from mandatory provisions, and in particular do not create any undue limitation of the means of evidence available to them within the meaning of Article R. 212-2 of the French Consumer Code.
ARTICLE 27 – INDEMNIFICATION
27.1. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the User undertakes to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Publisher, its officers, employees, service providers and assigns, against any action, claim, judgment and reasonable defence costs resulting from:
(i) a characterised breach by the User of these Terms;
(ii) fraudulent or improper use of the Application by the User;
(iii) a false distress alert deliberately issued by the User;
(iv) a wilful infringement by the User of the rights of third parties, and in particular of the intellectual property rights of the Publisher;
(v) a deliberate inaccuracy of the information transmitted to RCCs within the framework of a Passage Plan.
27.2. This indemnification clause presupposes that the User’s liability is established. It does not apply in the event of mere uncharacterised negligence, nor in the event of a default attributable to the Publisher, to a third party or to an event of force majeure.
ARTICLE 28 – COMPLAINTS AND CONSUMER MEDIATION
28.1 Prior complaint
Prior to any referral to the consumer mediator or to any litigation, the User is invited to address their complaint to the Publisher’s customer service, which undertakes to provide a response as soon as possible:
By email: contact@globalsarhub.com.
By post: GLOBAL SAR HUB – CH16 Complaints Department – 60 rue François 1er, 75008 Paris, France.
28.2 Recourse to consumer mediation
In accordance with Articles L. 611-1 to L. 616-3 and R. 612-1 to R. 616-2 of the French Consumer Code, transposing Directive 2013/11/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013 on alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes, the consumer User residing in France has, failing an amicable agreement with the Publisher, the right to have free recourse to a consumer mediation procedure. To this end, the Publisher has joined the following mediation scheme, whose details are reproduced below in accordance with Article L. 616-1 of the French Consumer Code.
In accordance with the provisions of the Consumer Code concerning the consumer dispute mediation process, after having contacted us and failing a response to your satisfaction, you have the option of having free recourse to a consumer mediation procedure with:
Centre de la Médiation de la Consommation de Conciliateurs de Justice (CM2C)
Association governed by the Act of 1901 – RNA No. W751237320 – SIRET No. 831 213 871 00021.
Registered office: 49 rue de Ponthieu, 75008 Paris, France.
Telephone: +33 1 89 47 00 14.
Email for referrals: litiges@cm2c.net.
Online referral platform: https://www.cm2c.net/declarer-un-litige.php.
General website: https://www.cm2c.net.
CM2C is listed on the register of consumer mediators kept by the Commission for the Evaluation and Control of Consumer Mediation (CECMC) established within the French Ministry of the Economy.
28.3 Conditions of admissibility of the referral
In accordance with Article L. 612-2 of the French Consumer Code, the referral to the mediator is admissible only under the following cumulative conditions:
(i) the User can demonstrate that they first attempted to resolve their dispute directly with the Publisher by a written complaint under the conditions set out in Article 28.1;
(ii) the referral is made within a period of less than one (1) year from the written complaint previously sent to the Publisher;
(iii) either the Publisher has not provided a satisfactory response within a period of two (2) months from receipt of the complaint, or the Publisher’s response has not satisfied the User;
(iv) the dispute has not been previously examined, and is not being examined, by another mediator or by a court;
(v) the request is neither manifestly unfounded nor abusive.
The mediation procedure is entirely free for the consumer User. The mediator’s opinion is not binding on the parties, which remain free to accept or refuse the proposed solution and to refer the matter, in any event, to the competent courts.
28.4 Articulation with the Store operators
The User expressly acknowledges that the jurisdiction of the consumer mediator is exercised under the following conditions, having regard to the third-party status of the Store operators in the contract concluded with the Publisher:
(i) any dispute relating to the payment, invoicing, refund or termination of a Paid Plan, whether the Monthly Subscription or the Lifetime Purchase, must be addressed first to the operator of the Store through which the transaction was concluded, in its capacity as reseller and account holder (merchant of record), in accordance with its own general terms;
(ii) the jurisdiction of the CM2C mediator is exercised over disputes relating to the supply of the application service by the Publisher, its operation, its availability, its conformity, as well as the general performance of these Terms by the Publisher.
28.5 Cross-border mediation and consumers outside France
For the consumer User not residing in France, the remedies offered by the local legislation of their country of residence remain applicable, in accordance with the mandatory provisions of Regulation (EC) No. 593/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 (Rome I) and Regulation (EU) No. 1215/2012 of 12 December 2012 (Brussels I bis). The User residing in a Member State of the European Union may, where applicable, contact a mediation scheme recognised in their country of residence.
ARTICLE 29 – GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION
29.1. These Terms are governed by French law, to the exclusion of any conflict-of-laws rule.
29.2. Subject to the mandatory provisions applicable to the consumer User and allowing them, where applicable, to bring proceedings before the courts of their place of residence pursuant to Regulation (EU) No. 1215/2012 of 12 December 2012, any dispute relating to the formation, interpretation, performance or termination of these Terms will be submitted to the competent courts within the jurisdiction of the Paris Court of Appeal.
29.3. For the User acting in a professional capacity, jurisdiction is expressly attributed to the Paris Commercial Court, including in the event of multiple defendants or third-party proceedings.
ARTICLE 30 – MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
30.1. Entire agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between the parties in respect of the Application and prevail over any other prior agreement, written or oral.
30.2. Severability. Should any of the provisions of these Terms be declared null, unlawful or unenforceable by a court decision having the force of res judicata, the other provisions would retain their full force and effect. The parties would endeavour to replace the offending provision with a valid provision reflecting as closely as possible their common intention.
30.3. No waiver. The fact that the Publisher does not, at a given time, avail itself of any of the provisions of these Terms may not be interpreted as a waiver of the right to avail itself thereof at a later date.
30.4. Forbearance. No forbearance, whatever its frequency and duration, may constitute a waiver of the Publisher’s rights.
30.5. Headings. The headings of the articles are indicative only and may not be used to interpret the content of the provisions.
30.6. Languages. These Terms are originally drafted in French. In the event of translation into another language for information purposes, only the French version is authoritative between the parties, except in cases where the law applicable to the consumer requires the language of their country of residence.
ARTICLE 31 – CONTACT
For any question, complaint, request to exercise rights relating to personal data, report of an incorrect RCC contact detail or any other request relating to the Application, the User may write to the Publisher:
By email: contact@globalsarhub.com.
By post: GLOBAL SAR HUB – CH16 Compliance Department – 60 rue François 1er, 75008 Paris, France.
ARTICLE 32 – LEGAL NOTICE
In accordance with the provisions of Article 6-III of French Act No. 2004-575 of 21 June 2004 on confidence in the digital economy:
Publisher: GLOBAL SAR HUB, a simplified joint-stock company with share capital of EUR 100.
Registered office: 60 rue François 1er, 75008 Paris, France.
Registration: Paris Trade and Companies Register No. 928 618 776 – SIRET No. 928 618 776 00019 – NAF/APE Code 6201Z.
Intra-Community VAT number: FR 44 928 618 776.
Publication director: Ms Sarah LE COQ ZARANTONELLO, President.
Host of the Publisher’s website (www.globalsarhub.com) and of the SMTP servers used by the Application: LIGNE WEB SERVICES (LWS), a simplified joint-stock company with share capital of EUR 500,000, registered with the Paris Trade and Companies Register under number B 851 993 683, whose Paris establishment is located at 10 rue Penthièvre, 75008 Paris, France – SIRET No. 851 993 683 00024 – APE Code 6311Z – Intra-Community VAT FR 21 851 993 683.
Distribution: Apple Inc., One Apple Park Way, Cupertino, California 95014, United States of America, and Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, California 94043, United States of America.
© 2026 GLOBAL SAR HUB – All rights reserved.
CH16 is a registered trademark of GLOBAL SAR HUB.