Merceq Alpha Participation Terms
Document version: 1.1
Prepared on: 22 October 2026
Product: Merceq — VagaStudio
Program operator: Mustafa Arslan (independent developer)
Contact: [email protected]
Merceq Alpha is a free early-access program intended to test the application with real footage before its first stable release. This document explains the application and participation process, the limitations of the alpha version, how development contributions are assessed, and the information processed during the alpha period. Accepting these terms in the application form applies only to these participation terms; it does not authorize the optional in-app usage measurements.
1. Application and invitation
Applying to the alpha program does not guarantee an invitation. We review applications to test the software with participants using different Mac models, camera types, shooting practices, and archive sizes. Invited applicants will receive a download link and getting-started information at the email address provided in their application.
The form asks for an email address and details such as Mac processor, memory, type of footage, editing software and cameras used, average clip count, and approximate archive size. We use this information to review applications and communicate about the program; applying does not subscribe you to a general marketing newsletter. Further details about the processing and retention of applications are set out in the Privacy Policy.
2. Free early access and development status
You may use the alpha version free of charge as part of the program. Merceq is still under development, so you may encounter unexpected errors, performance problems, missing features, or changes to existing features. The alpha version does not come with a promise of uninterrupted, error-free operation.
We recommend keeping separate backups of important footage, working drives, and your Merceq library. Merceq is designed to preserve your source videos during normal use. Even so, you should not rely on a development build when working with important data of which you have only one copy. We will review incoming reports to address issues as promptly as possible.
3. Program duration, end of access, and changes
The alpha program currently has no announced, fixed end date. We may determine its duration and scope according to development needs and notify participants by email of significant changes and the program’s end.
When an alpha license expires, license-dependent operations such as importing new footage, offloading cards to disk, and exporting may stop. Your existing video files and Merceq library are not automatically deleted as a result; supported operations such as accessing existing content, searching, and organizing remain available. Continued use after the program may require a valid license.
VagaStudio may update the alpha program terms prospectively. We will notify participants of significant changes and will not treat a new version as having been accepted retroactively. Perpetual license rights already granted will not be affected by later changes to the alpha terms.
4. Purpose of participation and feedback
We would like you to use Merceq with your own footage and your usual workflow. You do not need to run separate speed tests, benchmarking tools, or special performance experiments. You can report bugs, recurring issues, confusing screens, and suggestions through the application’s Feedback section or Help menu.
Sending feedback, writing daily reports, and processing a particular number of clips are not mandatory. You are not expected to keep using a feature you do not feel comfortable testing in an alpha release.
5. Right to a perpetual license
Participants who make a tangible contribution during the alpha by testing Merceq with real footage and helping us find bugs, understand problems, or improve features will receive a free, perpetual license to use the software. This license is not granted automatically to every applicant or every alpha user.
We do not assess contributions solely by the number of messages submitted. Clearly reporting an issue in a way we can investigate or reproduce, providing additional information to help resolve it, retesting a fix, or showing a workflow that could be improved with concrete examples are valuable contributions. Sending many superficial messages alone is not sufficient. The program operator assesses the quality of a contribution and its impact on the product.
Permission to share usage measurements is not a condition for receiving this license. Refusing permission or withdrawing it will not adversely affect alpha access or the assessment of your contribution. A perpetual license means a continuing right to use the software; it does not include a promise of free access to all future releases. The license includes the first 12 months of update entitlement; after that period, you may continue to use versions covered by your license. A renewal may be required for later updates.
6. What usage measurements may be collected with your permission?
Only with an Alpha license and separate permission given within the application may numerical statistics from normal use be recorded. The main categories are:
- Search and culling: Number of searches, empty-result counts, search times, and aggregate keep/maybe/reject decision counts.
- Sense: Categories of Sense filters selected, how frequently they are used, and aggregate decisions associated with their results.
- Performance and stability: Startup and operation times, interface or playback stutter counts, memory usage ranges, number of export jobs and transfer-speed ranges, and error or crash counts.
- Media types: General categories such as video format/codec class, resolution range, HDR usage, camera-brand category, and disk file-system class.
- Technical context: Merceq version, macOS version, Mac model/processor and memory details, approximate library-size range, and active usage duration/number of days.
Reports contain a randomly generated installation identifier so that summaries from the same installation can be associated. This identifier is not linked to your email address, license, or hardware serial number. Because the installation identifier and Mac technical characteristics may appear in the records, we do not describe them as completely anonymous.
These statistics help us understand where Merceq should be faster, more reliable, and easier to use. No additional performance benchmark is started to collect them.
7. What content is not sent in usage measurements?
Your video and audio files, video frames, thumbnails, speech transcripts, OCR text, notes, tags, file and folder names, file paths, GPS coordinates, and anything typed into the search field are not included in usage measurement reports. Individual keep or reject decisions for specific videos are not sent; only aggregate decision counts are used.
Merceq performs video and audio analysis on your Mac. However, feedback text or diagnostic logs you separately choose to send are different: information you type yourself or log lines you choose to attach may contain details such as filenames. Review feedback and crash reports before sending them.
8. Consent to measurements, transmission, and withdrawal
Applying or accepting these terms does not authorize usage measurements. The application requests your permission separately. If you decline, you can still access the alpha and no measurement report is sent.
If you consent, counters are kept on your Mac during ordinary use. The first upload takes place approximately 24 hours after permission is given, followed by summaries no more than once per day. You can preview the entire report before it is sent in the application’s Settings.
You may turn off permission at any time in Settings. New measurement recording and transmission will then stop, and measurements not yet sent will be deleted. To request deletion of records already sent, email the installation identifier shown in Settings to [email protected]. These actions do not affect alpha access.
9. Feedback and crash reports
When you write feedback or choose to send a crash report following an unexpected shutdown, the information is shared only when you press Send. These reports are separate from usage measurements and are not sent automatically.
A report may include your description or an error message, a technical error trace, the application and macOS versions, and Mac model, processor, and memory details. Adding recent log entries is a separate choice. Log lines may contain file and folder names. You can review the report before sending it.
Submitted reports are evaluated only to understand problems and improve Merceq; they are not used for advertising or sold.
10. Retention and deletion of alpha data, and your rights
The Alpha program does not yet have a fixed end date. When Alpha ends and Merceq moves to release, application records, submitted Alpha measurements and Alpha feedback/crash reports are deleted from active server records. Backup copies are cleared within 30 days. We do not claim complete deletion before every copy is removed. Details are in the Privacy Policy.
License and activation records needed to honor perpetual-license rights, as well as records legally required to be retained, are separate from alpha usage measurements and are subject to different rules set out in the Privacy Policy. Deleting alpha records on the server will not affect videos or libraries stored on your Mac.
To request access to your personal data, necessary corrections, deletion where applicable, or withdrawal of usage measurement consent, contact [email protected]. Further information about applications and data processing is available in the Privacy Policy.
Program operator: Mustafa Arslan · VagaStudio
Contact: [email protected]
Document: Merceq Alpha Participation Terms · v1.1 · 22 October 2026
Document and acceptance: Clicking “I have read and accept” in the application form means accepting the participation terms in this document; optional in-app usage measurement consent is requested separately. Updated versions are published with a version number and date, and records of previous versions are retained.