Terms version: 21 September 2026
Barka is a record-keeping tool for a vessel. Every record, document, dossier and hand-over package is compiled by you, from your own data. Barka does not check and does not guarantee the accuracy of the records or the authenticity of the documents. A dossier is not a certificate, a confirmation or a warranty, neither for you nor for anyone you show it to. Barka is not an intermediary in a sale and is not a party to any transaction involving the vessel. Whoever relies on a dossier or a hand-over package does so at their own risk.
Barka is a mobile app and the website barka.club for keeping records of a vessel's maintenance, equipment, deadlines and documents, for generating a PDF dossier from those records, and for handing those records over to a new owner as a file. The app runs entirely on your device; your data is not sent to our servers (see the Privacy Statement).
Barka is not a registry, keeps no official records, gives no legal, technical, financial or valuation advice, and does not replace an inspection by an expert, a surveyor or a competent authority.
The app is under continuous development: it changes with each version and may contain errors.
Barka is a project under development. The provider of the service and author of the app is Josip Ćotić, Zagreb, Croatia. Contact for all questions: [email protected].
The provider may transfer its rights and obligations under these terms to a sole proprietorship or company it establishes for Barka. You will be informed by a new version of the terms; your rights are not reduced by the transfer.
The dossier is a PDF document the app compiles from your records and documents, at your request. In the dossier every record carries one of two marks:
The marks are assigned by the app automatically, according to whether a file is attached to the record; nobody checks them. Barka does not check the content of records or documents, does not compare them with the vessel or with any registry, and guarantees nothing about the vessel's condition, history, value or seaworthiness. The dossier is not a certificate, a survey, a valuation or a confirmation of any kind.
Once generated, the PDF can be altered by anyone. The provider cannot establish whether a given dossier was generated in Barka, who generated it, or whether it was changed afterwards. The QR code in the dossier leads to an information page that shows data copied from the document itself; any link of that form displays such a page. It does not prove the dossier's authenticity, does not confirm its content, and may be unavailable or withdrawn without notice.
Whoever reads a dossier (a buyer, a mechanic, an insurer) must check the attached documents, the registration mark and the hull identification number (HIN) on the vessel, and the vessel itself. Decisions made on the basis of a dossier, including buying or selling, are solely the responsibility of the person making them.
Handing over a vessel compiles a file (.barka) with your records, documents and dossier; you share it yourself, with whoever you choose, through the system share sheet. The person who takes it over into their own Barka receives the records as they are, with their provenance marks; your statements carry the mark PREVIOUS OWNER'S STATEMENT in their records, and the app writes them a change-of-owner record with the date of the take-over. That record is a note made by the app, not a deed.
The file is not proof of ownership and is not a legal transfer of the vessel. Ownership is transferred by contract and in the competent registry, not in the app. Barka does not check who sends the file, who receives it, whether the sender is the owner, or whether the vessel was sold at all. Barka is not an intermediary, guarantor, escrow agent or participant in the sale, takes no part in payment and charges no commission.
On take-over the app technically checks whether the file was changed after export and refuses a file that is not complete. That check says nothing about the truth of the records before export, does not detect records that were false from the start, and can be circumvented. The recipient must check every record and document exactly as a dossier under section 4.
You are responsible for the content of the file, including third-party data on the attached documents; the recipient is responsible for its further storage, processing and sharing. A hand-over cannot be revoked through the app: what you send, the recipient has. The file format may change between versions of the app; we do not guarantee that an older file will remain readable in a newer version.
Using Barka for fraud or deception is prohibited: entering false records, attaching forged or altered documents or documents you have no right to use (a previous owner's receipt is a legitimate attachment if it was handed to you with the vessel), presenting one vessel's dossier or package as another's, editing a generated PDF or file and passing it off as the original, or circumventing the provenance marks and integrity checks in any way.
It is also prohibited to use the app, a dossier or a package to conceal a vessel's origin or to evade customs, tax, registration or other legal obligations; to add content that infringes third-party rights (copyright, privacy, trade secrets); to copy, modify, decompile or resell the app; and to present Barka or the provider as a participant, guarantor, checker or source of data.
The user who does so is solely responsible for such use and its consequences; the provider takes no part in it, bears no liability for it and may, to the extent the law requires, cooperate with the competent authorities. The provider has no access to your data and cannot hand it over or restore it. Suspected misuse can be reported to [email protected]: we receive and answer every report, but we cannot delete or recall dossiers or packages that have been shared, because we do not have them.
These terms apply between you and the provider. A person you show a dossier to or send a package to is in no contractual relationship with the provider: the provider owes them nothing, makes them no representation or warranty, and is not liable for their decisions or for any loss they suffer. If you show or hand a dossier or package to someone else, you must make them aware that it is the owner's record-keeping, not a checked document, and refer them to these terms.
To the extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify and hold the provider harmless from third-party claims, penalties, costs and damages (including reasonable legal costs) arising from your content, your prohibited use, your hand-over of a vessel, or your breach of these terms or of the law.
Deadlines (registration, insurance, inspections) are informational reminders you enter yourself. The app does not take them from official registers, sends no notifications, and does not guarantee they are correct or complete. Meeting your legal obligations on time remains your responsibility.
The app and the website are provided "as is" and "as available", without any warranty, express or implied, including warranties of accuracy, fitness for a particular purpose, uninterrupted operation or absence of errors. We do not warrant that the app will read every document correctly, that it will be available at all times, or that future versions will keep every current feature.
The provider has no obligation to maintain the app, provide support, fix errors or keep the app in the app store; it may change, restrict or discontinue the app at any time. The data on your device is not deleted by that, but we do not guarantee that future versions or other apps will be able to read it.
The provider is not liable for your content, for the content of other users or for the acts of third parties. That includes damage arising from decisions made on the basis of records, a dossier or a package (buying, selling, insuring or servicing a vessel), from missed deadlines, and from the fraud, mistake or criminal act of another user or a third party.
For the app's own errors (for example a misrecognised value or data lost through a defect in the software) the provider is liable only in case of intent or gross negligence. To the fullest extent permitted by law, liability for indirect, consequential or incidental damage and for lost profit is excluded. The service is provided without charge; for paid features, once there are any, total liability is limited to the amount paid in the twelve months before the damage occurred, except in case of intent or gross negligence.
Your data lives only on your device and in your own backup. Keeping and backing up your data is your responsibility.
These limitations do not exclude liability for intent or gross negligence, for injury to life or health, or any other liability that cannot be excluded under mandatory law, and do not affect your statutory rights as a consumer.
The app, its design, and the Barka name and mark belong to the provider. You receive a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the app on devices you own or control, in accordance with these terms and the rules of the app store. Without written permission you may not copy, modify, decompile or resell the app, or use the Barka name and mark.
Your content remains yours; the provider acquires no rights to it, having no access to it in the first place. Suggestions and remarks you send may be used freely by the provider to develop the app, without payment and without obligation.
Some features may in future be offered for a fee. Purchases are made exclusively through the app store and under its terms; the provider receives no card or other payment details. Data you have already entered does not become unreadable because of non-payment or the expiry of a subscription.
You download the app from Apple's app store. Apple is not a party to these terms, has no obligation to maintain or support the app, gives no warranty for it, and is not responsible for any claim relating to the app or its use, including product liability, regulatory compliance, consumer protection and infringement of third-party rights. Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these terms and may enforce them against you directly. You represent that you are not located in a country subject to a United States government embargo and are not on any list of prohibited parties.
Before you start using the app, it displays the terms and asks for your explicit acceptance. You accept the displayed version, also available offline in Settings. The device stores the terms version, language, document digest (SHA-256), acceptance date and time according to the device clock, and app version.
The terms may change as the app develops. A new terms version delivered with the app requires explicit acceptance again. Publication on the website or continued use alone does not constitute acceptance of a new version. If you do not accept, do not continue using the app; declining does not in itself delete your existing data. Your statutory rights remain unaffected.
If any provision of these terms is void or unenforceable, the others remain in force. These terms are the entire agreement on the use of the app. If the provider does not exercise a right, it does not waive it.
You may send a complaint in writing to [email protected]; you will receive a reply within 15 days of receipt.
These terms are governed by the law of the Republic of Croatia. Disputes are subject to the competent court in the Republic of Croatia, without prejudice to a consumer's right to bring proceedings before the court of their place of residence.
The terms are drawn up in Croatian; translations are provided for understanding. In case of a difference the Croatian text prevails, to the extent the consumer law of your country allows.
Questions about these terms: [email protected]