Privacy Policy

1. Scope and Responsible Entity

This Privacy Policy applies to personal information processed in connection with www.valoismedia.com, VMH customer accounts, product purchases, purchase reconciliation, account entitlements, VMH Lumière, downloads, contact forms, newsletter records, support, and other VMH services that link to this Policy.

For privacy laws that use terms such as controller, business, or operator, the responsible entity is generally Cook Services Company, LLC, operating the Valois Media Holdings publishing brand, unless a different entity is identified at the point of collection.

2. Our Privacy Approach

VMH seeks to collect information reasonably related to publishing, account administration, payment verification, digital access, customer support, security, communications, and legal compliance. VMH does not operate an ordinary business model based on selling lists of customers or selling personal information for monetary consideration.

3. Information You Provide

Information you provide may include your name, email address, display name, account credentials, contact messages, newsletter choices, transaction identifiers submitted for purchase reconciliation, support information, and information supplied in rights, correction, or privacy requests.

4. Account and Authentication Information

Account records may include customer ID, normalized email, display name, status, verification status, account timestamps, password-security values, failed-login counts, temporary lock state, session version, and preferences. Passwords are processed into security hashes rather than stored as readable account passwords in the ordinary account record.

5. Purchase, Order, and Reconciliation Information

VMH may process PayPal transaction identifiers, payer email, product, quantity, amount, currency, transaction status, order identifiers, payment source, timestamps, and related metadata needed to verify purchases and prevent duplicate or fraudulent account claims.

When you use Reconcile Purchase, VMH uses the signed-in account and transaction information to determine whether the purchase is valid, whether it is already attached to another account, and whether an entitlement should be created or reused.

6. Digital Entitlements and Library Records

Entitlement records may include customer ID, email, product, source order, status, grant and revocation dates, download counters, last-download information, reading progress, reading location, last-read time, reader state, and administrative notes needed to provide and support the customer’s digital library.

7. VMH Lumière Reading Data

VMH Lumière may process the title being read, entitlement status, progress percentage, reading location or EPUB location identifier, last-read timestamp, theme, typography settings, and other reader-state information. Some interface preferences may also be stored locally in your browser.

8. Contact and Newsletter Information

Contact submissions may include name, email, subject, and message. Newsletter or communications records may include subscription status, consent version, source, unsubscribe or do-not-email status, and timestamps. Sending a customer-service message does not by itself authorize unrelated promotional email.

9. Technical and Security Information

The Services may process browser and device characteristics, timestamps, request and error information, security events, referral information, local session identifiers, and similar technical data used to operate the site, diagnose failures, apply rate limits, investigate abuse, and protect accounts.

10. Cookies and Browser Storage

VMH may use browser local storage, session storage, cookies, or similar technologies for signed-in sessions, account state, reading preferences, reader progress assistance, and other operational functionality. Third-party payment or retailer pages may use their own cookies under their own policies.

11. How We Use Information

VMH may use personal information to create and verify accounts; authenticate sessions; verify PayPal transactions; reconcile purchases; create and maintain entitlements; deliver downloads; authorize VMH Lumière; save reading progress; provide customer support; send account or security messages; administer newsletter preferences; investigate abuse; maintain business records; enforce terms; and comply with legal obligations.

12. Payment Processing and PayPal

Direct website payments may use PayPal-hosted checkout. PayPal processes payment credentials under its own privacy and security practices. VMH may receive transaction references and payer information needed for verification, fulfillment, reconciliation, accounting, fraud prevention, and support. VMH does not intentionally store full payment-card numbers or card security codes received from PayPal-hosted checkout in its Google Sheets account records.

13. Direct Download and Purchase-Complete Flow

Some PayPal purchase flows may provide the purchased digital file directly after payment. The VMH purchase-complete page is used primarily to reconcile a verified purchase to a signed-in VMH account so that the product can appear in the customer’s Library and, where enabled, be read through VMH Lumière. Reconciliation does not require VMH to receive your full payment-card credentials.

14. Google Services and Apps Script

VMH uses Google Sheets and Google Apps Script for operational records and backend functions such as accounts, orders, entitlements, logs, and communications. Google services may process information under Google’s applicable terms and privacy practices. VMH may also use other Google services for business operations or media assets.

15. GitHub Pages and Public Repository Files

The public website is hosted through GitHub Pages. Published website files and certain published digital product files may be served from the public repository. Customer passwords, private account records, payment secrets, signed session secrets, and other private backend data must not be stored in the public repository. GitHub independently processes technical request information under its own policies.

16. Third-Party Retailers and Platforms

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other linked retailers independently process information for purchases made on their services. VMH does not control their checkout, cookies, accounts, shipping, returns, or privacy practices. Links to a third party do not make VMH responsible for that party’s independent processing.

17. Email and Transactional Communications

VMH may send email needed to verify an account, reset a password, respond to support, address security, administer a transaction, or provide other service-related information. These transactional communications may continue after a promotional opt-out when they are reasonably necessary to administer an account or transaction.

18. Promotional Communications and Opt-Outs

Promotional email is sent where VMH has an appropriate basis to do so. You may unsubscribe through the available method or by contacting VMH. VMH may maintain suppression or do-not-email records to honor an opt-out and prevent accidental resubscription.

19. How We Disclose Information

VMH may disclose information to service providers supporting hosting, email, payments, security, storage, fulfillment, or customer service; to professional advisers; in connection with a corporate restructuring or business transfer; with your direction or consent; or when reasonably necessary to comply with law, respond to lawful process, protect rights, prevent fraud, or address safety and security.

20. No Sale of Customer Lists

VMH does not sell lists of customers as an ordinary revenue source and does not sell personal information for monetary consideration as part of its ordinary publishing business model. If future practices materially change in a way that triggers a statutory “sale” or “sharing” definition, VMH will update this Policy and provide rights required by applicable law.

21. Data Retention

Retention varies by record type. Account, order, entitlement, support, suppression, accounting, security, rights-management, and legal records may be retained for periods reasonably necessary for customer access, transaction history, fraud prevention, tax and accounting obligations, dispute handling, legal compliance, publishing rights, and operational continuity.

22. Security Practices

VMH uses measures that may include password hashing, per-user salts, signed and expiring session tokens, application secrets, rate limiting, temporary account lockouts, server-side transaction verification, entitlement checks, separation of public and private configuration, and restricted backend access. No security program can guarantee that unauthorized access, loss, or misuse will never occur.

23. Your Privacy Choices

You may choose whether to create an account, unsubscribe from promotional communications, adjust certain reader preferences, and contact VMH regarding information associated with your account or email address. Some functionality—such as saved library access—requires account information to operate.

24. Access, Correction, Deletion, and Portability Requests

Depending on applicable law, you may have rights to request access to, correction of, deletion of, or a copy of certain personal information. VMH may verify identity before acting. Some information may be retained despite a deletion request where reasonably necessary or legally permitted for orders, accounting, fraud prevention, rights management, security, legal claims, or compliance.

25. California Privacy Notice

Where the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended, applies to VMH and a particular request, California residents may have rights concerning access/knowledge, correction, deletion, portability, and certain opt-outs, together with protections against unlawful discrimination for exercising applicable rights. Statutory rights depend on definitions, exemptions, and applicability thresholds; nothing in this Policy is intended to limit a nonwaivable right.

26. Indiana and Other U.S. State Privacy Rights

Residents of Indiana and other U.S. states may have privacy rights where a state privacy law applies to VMH and the processing at issue. Applicable rights can include access, correction, deletion, portability, and opt-out rights. Coverage depends on statutory thresholds, exemptions, and the nature of the information and processing.

27. European Economic Area Privacy Notice

Where the EU General Data Protection Regulation applies, processing may rely on grounds such as performance of a contract, legitimate interests, consent, or compliance with legal obligations. Depending on the circumstances, individuals may have rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, objection, withdrawal of consent, and complaint to a supervisory authority. These rights are subject to applicable conditions and exceptions.

28. United Kingdom Privacy Notice

Where United Kingdom data-protection law applies, individuals may have rights similar to those described for the EEA, subject to UK law and applicable exceptions. VMH may process information in the United States, and transfers from the UK or EEA may require an applicable lawful transfer mechanism where the relevant law requires one.

29. International Processing and Transfers

VMH is operated in the United States, and information may be processed or stored in the United States and other locations used by service providers. Privacy protections and government-access rules may differ from those in your jurisdiction. Where applicable law requires a particular transfer safeguard, VMH will use a lawful mechanism appropriate to the processing.

30. Children’s Privacy

The Services are not directed to children under 13, and VMH does not knowingly request personal information from children under 13. A parent or guardian who believes a child has provided personal information should contact VMH so the matter can be reviewed.

31. External Links

The Services may contain links to retailers, contributors, payment services, social platforms, archives, and other external resources. VMH is not responsible for the privacy, security, content, or availability of a third-party site or service merely because VMH links to it.

32. Automated Decision-Making

VMH may use automated rules for security, rate limiting, session validation, transaction matching, and entitlement checks. VMH does not currently describe these ordinary service rules as a system that makes solely automated decisions producing legal or similarly significant effects about consumers. If that changes materially, VMH will update this Policy where required.

33. Changes to This Policy

VMH may update this Policy as the catalog, account system, publishing technology, vendors, law, or privacy practices change. The Effective and Last Updated dates identify the current published version. Material changes may receive additional notice when required by law.

34. Contact and Privacy Requests

Privacy questions and requests may be directed to:

Please identify the email address or account relevant to the request and the right you wish to exercise. VMH may request reasonable verification information before disclosing or changing account data.