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TERMS OF USE

Last updated 1 October 2026

AGREEMENT TO OUR LEGAL TERMS

We are OpenWorldLab ("Company," "we," "us," "our").

We operate the website openworldlab.org (the "Site"), as well as any other related products and services that refer or link to these legal terms (the "Legal Terms") (collectively, the "Services").

These Legal Terms constitute a legally binding agreement made between you, whether personally or on behalf of an entity ("you"), and OpenWorldLab, concerning your access to and use of the Services. You agree that by accessing the Services, you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by all of these Legal Terms. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ALL OF THESE LEGAL TERMS, THEN YOU ARE EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED FROM USING THE SERVICES AND YOU MUST DISCONTINUE USE IMMEDIATELY.

Our Privacy Notice and our Fundraising Policy, and any supplemental terms and conditions or documents that may be posted on the Services from time to time, are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to make changes or modifications to these Legal Terms at any time and for any reason. We will alert you about any changes by updating the "Last updated" date of these Legal Terms, and you waive any right to receive specific notice of each such change. It is your responsibility to periodically review these Legal Terms to stay informed of updates. You will be subject to, and will be deemed to have been made aware of and to have accepted, the changes in any revised Legal Terms by your continued use of the Services after the date such revised Legal Terms are posted.

We recommend that you print a copy of these Legal Terms for your records.

1. OUR SERVICES

OpenWorldLab is a platform for research communities. The Services let you publish articles, short posts ("sparks"), comments, and polls; create and run research groups; send direct messages and take part in group chats; post and browse job and event listings; raise funds for research, or contribute to it, through reviewed fundraising campaigns; use research tools such as the literature explorer; and use optional AI-assisted features. We may add, change, or remove features at any time.

The information provided when using the Services is not intended for distribution to or use by any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to law or regulation or which would subject us to any registration requirement within such jurisdiction or country. Accordingly, those persons who choose to access the Services from other locations do so on their own initiative and are solely responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws are applicable.

2. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

Our intellectual property

We are the owner or the licensee of all intellectual property rights in our Services, including all source code, databases, functionality, software, website designs, audio, video, text, photographs, and graphics in the Services (collectively, the "Content"), as well as the trademarks, service marks, and logos contained therein (the "Marks").

Our Content and Marks are protected by copyright and trademark laws (and various other intellectual property rights and unfair competition laws) and treaties around the world.

The Content and Marks are provided in or through the Services "AS IS" for your personal, non-commercial use or internal business purpose only.

Your use of our Services

Subject to your compliance with these Legal Terms, including the "PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES" section below, we grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to:

  • access the Services; and
  • download or print a copy of any portion of the Content to which you have properly gained access,

solely for your personal, non-commercial use or internal business purpose.

Except as set out in this section or elsewhere in our Legal Terms, no part of the Services and no Content or Marks may be copied, reproduced, aggregated, republished, uploaded, posted, publicly displayed, encoded, translated, transmitted, distributed, sold, licensed, or otherwise exploited for any commercial purpose whatsoever, without our express prior written permission.

If you wish to make any use of the Services, Content, or Marks other than as set out in this section or elsewhere in our Legal Terms, please address your request to: privacyquery@openworldlab.org. If we ever grant you the permission to post, reproduce, or publicly display any part of our Services or Content, you must identify us as the owners or licensors of the Services, Content, or Marks and ensure that any copyright or proprietary notice appears or is visible on posting, reproducing, or displaying our Content.

We reserve all rights not expressly granted to you in and to the Services, Content, and Marks.

Any breach of these Intellectual Property Rights will constitute a material breach of our Legal Terms and your right to use our Services will terminate immediately.

Your submissions

Please review this section and the "PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES" section carefully prior to using our Services to understand the (a) rights you give us and (b) obligations you have when you post or upload any content through the Services.

Submissions: By directly sending us any question, comment, suggestion, idea, feedback, or other information about the Services ("Submissions"), you agree to assign to us all intellectual property rights in such Submission. You agree that we shall own this Submission and be entitled to its unrestricted use and dissemination for any lawful purpose, commercial or otherwise, without acknowledgment or compensation to you.

You are responsible for what you post or upload: By sending us Submissions through any part of the Services you:

  • confirm that you have read and agree with our "PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES" and will not post, send, publish, upload, or transmit through the Services any Submission that is illegal, harassing, hateful, harmful, defamatory, obscene, bullying, abusive, discriminatory, threatening to any person or group, sexually explicit, false, inaccurate, deceitful, or misleading;
  • to the extent permissible by applicable law, waive any and all moral rights to any such Submission;
  • warrant that any such Submission are original to you or that you have the necessary rights and licenses to submit such Submissions and that you have full authority to grant us the above-mentioned rights in relation to your Submissions; and
  • warrant and represent that your Submissions do not constitute confidential information.

You are solely responsible for your Submissions and you expressly agree to reimburse us for any and all losses that we may suffer because of your breach of (a) this section, (b) any third party’s intellectual property rights, or (c) applicable law.

3. USER REPRESENTATIONS

By using the Services, you represent and warrant that: (1) you have the legal capacity and you agree to comply with these Legal Terms or, if you are under 18, your parent or guardian has read and agreed to these Legal Terms on your behalf; (2) you meet the minimum age set out in the "USERS UNDER 18" section; (3) you will not access the Services through automated or non-human means, whether through a bot, script or otherwise, except through an API key we have issued to you and in accordance with the "API ACCESS" section; (4) you will not use the Services for any illegal or unauthorized purpose; (5) your use of the Services will not violate any applicable law or regulation; (6) you are not located in, under the control of, or a national or resident of any country or jurisdiction subject to comprehensive trade sanctions or embargoes (including, but not limited to, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Russia, Belarus, or the Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine); and (7) you are not identified on any government list of prohibited, restricted, or sanctioned parties (including the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List maintained by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control, or equivalent lists maintained by the United Kingdom, European Union, or United Nations).

If you provide any information that is untrue, inaccurate, not current, or incomplete, we have the right to suspend or terminate your account and refuse any and all current or future use of the Services (or any portion thereof).

4. USERS UNDER 18

Students and young people interested in research are welcome on the Services. To create an account you must be at least 13 years old, or older if the law of the country where you live sets a higher minimum age for agreeing to the use of your personal information online (in some countries of the European Union this is as high as 16).

If you are under 18, you may only use the Services with the permission of your parent or guardian, who must read and agree to these Legal Terms and our Privacy Notice on your behalf and who is responsible for your use of the Services. If you are under 18:

  • you may not start payout onboarding, create or submit a fundraising campaign, or otherwise raise funds, though you may be a member of a group that does;
  • you may only contribute to a campaign with your parent or guardian's permission, using a payment method you are authorised to use;
  • you may not post job listings; and
  • you should not share your contact details, location, or other personal information in your profile, posts, or messages, and you should tell a parent, guardian, or teacher — and report it to us — if anyone on the Services makes you feel uncomfortable.

If we learn that an account belongs to someone below the minimum age, or that a user under 18 does not have the required permission, we may suspend or close the account. A parent or guardian who believes their child is using the Services without permission can contact us through our contact page.

5. USER REGISTRATION AND ACCOUNTS

You need an account to publish content, send messages, join or run groups, or raise funds. You can register with an email address and password, or by signing in with a Google, GitHub, or LinkedIn account. When you register and use your account, you agree that:

  • you will keep your password and any recovery codes confidential, and you are responsible for all use of your account;
  • the information you give us is accurate, and you will keep it up to date;
  • you will hold only one personal account unless we agree otherwise;
  • you will not choose a username that impersonates another person or organisation, infringes anyone's rights, or is offensive. We may reclaim or change a username that does;
  • you will only claim an institutional affiliation, an ORCID iD, or a role that is genuinely yours. Verifying an institutional email address confirms only that you control that address; it is not a confirmation by us of your employment or credentials; and
  • you will tell us promptly if you believe your account has been used without your permission.

We strongly recommend turning on two-factor authentication. You can review your signed-in devices and sign them out from your account settings.

6. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES

You may not access or use the Services for any purpose other than that for which we make the Services available. The Services may not be used in connection with any commercial endeavors except those that are specifically endorsed or approved by us.

As a user of the Services, you agree not to:

  • Systematically retrieve data or other content from the Services to create or compile, directly or indirectly, a collection, compilation, database, or directory without written permission from us.
  • Trick, defraud, or mislead us and other users, especially in any attempt to learn sensitive account information such as user passwords.
  • Circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the Services, including features that prevent or restrict the use or copying of any Content or enforce limitations on the use of the Services and/or the Content contained therein.
  • Disparage, tarnish, or otherwise harm, in our opinion, us and/or the Services.
  • Use any information obtained from the Services in order to harass, abuse, or harm another person.
  • Make improper use of our support services or submit false reports of abuse or misconduct.
  • Use the Services in a manner inconsistent with any applicable laws or regulations.
  • Engage in unauthorized framing of or linking to the Services.
  • Upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) viruses, Trojan horses, or other material, including excessive use of capital letters and spamming (continuous posting of repetitive text), that interferes with any party’s uninterrupted use and enjoyment of the Services or modifies, impairs, disrupts, alters, or interferes with the use, features, functions, operation, or maintenance of the Services.
  • Engage in any automated use of the system, such as using scripts to send comments or messages, or using any data mining, robots, or similar data gathering and extraction tools, other than through an API key we have issued to you and within its limits.
  • Delete the copyright or other proprietary rights notice from any Content.
  • Attempt to impersonate another user or person or use the username of another user.
  • Upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) any material that acts as a passive or active information collection or transmission mechanism, including without limitation, clear graphics interchange formats ("gifs"), 1×1 pixels, web bugs, cookies, or other similar devices (sometimes referred to as "spyware" or "passive collection mechanisms" or "pcms").
  • Interfere with, disrupt, or create an undue burden on the Services or the networks or services connected to the Services.
  • Harass, annoy, intimidate, or threaten any of our employees or agents engaged in providing any portion of the Services to you.
  • Attempt to bypass any measures of the Services designed to prevent or restrict access to the Services, or any portion of the Services.
  • Copy or adapt the Services' software, including but not limited to Flash, PHP, HTML, JavaScript, or other code.
  • Except as permitted by applicable law, decipher, decompile, disassemble, or reverse engineer any of the software comprising or in any way making up a part of the Services.
  • Except as may be the result of standard search engine or Internet browser usage, use, launch, develop, or distribute any automated system, including without limitation, any spider, robot, cheat utility, scraper, or offline reader that accesses the Services, or use or launch any unauthorized script or other software.
  • Use a buying agent or purchasing agent to make purchases on the Services.
  • Make any unauthorized use of the Services, including collecting usernames and/or email addresses of users by electronic or other means for the purpose of sending unsolicited email, or creating user accounts by automated means or under false pretenses.
  • Use the Services as part of any effort to compete with us or otherwise use the Services and/or the Content for any revenue-generating endeavor or commercial enterprise.
  • Create or use another account to get around a suspension, restriction, or ban placed on you, your group, or your payment account.
  • Share, sell, or publish an API key, or use one issued to someone else.
  • Upload to any part of the Services, including the AI-assisted features, material you do not have the right to use, including confidential or embargoed work belonging to others.
  • Publish content, including AI-generated content, that misrepresents research findings, data, authorship, credentials, or affiliations.
  • Post job or event listings that are fraudulent, that ask applicants or attendees for payment to apply or register, or that discriminate unlawfully.

7. ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

Our Services include research crowdfunding and fundraising features. To ensure safety, legal compliance, and alignment with our payment processors, you must adhere to this Acceptable Use Policy. You are strictly prohibited from using the Services to create, run, support, or fund any campaigns, projects, or initiatives that promote, facilitate, or are associated with any of Stripe's Prohibited or Restricted Businesses list.

Specifically, you agree not to utilize the Services (including crowdfunding and fundraising) to solicit or process payments for:

  • Any activity, product, or service that is illegal under applicable local, national, or international laws or regulations.
  • Weapons, firearms, ammunition, explosives, fireworks, or other destructive devices, weapons (such as knives, swords, etc.), and related accessories or components.
  • Drugs, narcotics, controlled substances, drug paraphernalia, or pseudo-pharmaceuticals, including CBD, cannabis products, research chemicals, peptides, or synthetic substances designed to mimic illegal drugs.
  • Adult services, pornography, escort services, adult chat, or any sexually explicit content and services.
  • Gambling, sports betting, online casinos, lotteries, sweepstakes, raffles, bidding fee auctions, or games of chance.
  • Unregulated financial services, money transmission, currency exchange, debt collection, credit repair, credit monitoring, debt relief, check cashing, payday loans, investment opportunities, or stock brokerage.
  • Buying, selling, trading, or funding of cryptocurrencies, virtual currencies, NFTs (non-fungible tokens), tokens, initial coin offerings (ICOs), or crypto-wallets.
  • Soliciting donations for unregistered charities, political campaigns, or non-profit organizations without valid registration or prior written consent from us.
  • Multi-level marketing (MLM), pyramid schemes, chain letters, referral marketing, or get-rich-quick programs.
  • Counterfeit goods, replica products, bootleg recordings, or unauthorized copies of copyrighted materials.
  • Campaigns that promote, facilitate, or support hatred, violence, harassment, discrimination, cyberbullying, or physical or emotional harm of any kind against any individual, group, or community.
  • Sale or donation of human organs, bodily fluids, stem cells, or human hair.
  • Spyware, surveillance equipment, hidden cameras, or services offering unauthorized access to personal data or systems.
  • Transactions originating from, or conducted on behalf of, individuals or entities located in restricted jurisdictions subject to trade sanctions or embargoes (including Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Russia, Belarus, and the Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine), or persons designated on government sanctions or denied-parties lists.
  • Any other high-risk businesses, activities, or transactions restricted by our banking partners, payment processors, or card networks.

We reserve the right to monitor all fundraising campaigns, suspend or terminate accounts, and hold or refund contributions for any campaigns that we determine, in our sole discretion, violate this Acceptable Use Policy.

8. CROWDFUNDING AND FUNDRAISING

Our Services facilitate crowdfunding and fundraising campaigns for scientific research projects. We do not act as a broker, agent, or financial institution, and we do not guarantee the completion, success, or scientific outcomes of any campaign or project.

Fundraising Policy: How fundraising works in practice — who may raise funds, how campaigns are reviewed before they can accept contributions, the platform fee, how and when money moves, refunds, sanctions controls, and what is made public — is set out in our Fundraising Policy, which forms part of these Legal Terms. By running or contributing to a campaign you agree to it.

Agreement Between Creators and Backers: Campaigns are run by research groups on the Services, acting through their owners and administrators. When a user contributes to a campaign (a "Backer"), they enter into a direct agreement with the group running it (the "Creator"). The Creator is solely responsible for executing the research project, communicating progress, delivering any promised rewards or research outputs, and complying with all applicable scientific guidelines. The Company is not a party to this agreement and disclaims all liability arising from it.

Payment Processing and Stripe: Payment processing services on our platform are provided by Stripe and are subject to the Stripe Connected Account Agreement, which includes the Stripe Terms of Service (collectively, the "Stripe Services Agreement"). By using our fundraising features, you agree to be bound by the Stripe Services Agreement and authorize us to share transaction data with Stripe.

Campaign Review and Fees: No campaign can accept contributions until we have reviewed and approved it, and we may pause, freeze, or end a campaign as the Fundraising Policy describes. Approval is not an endorsement of the campaign or of the research. We charge a platform fee on each contribution, which is shown before you pay and already includes Stripe's payment-processing fee.

Refunds and Dispute Resolution: Contributions settle to the Creator's own Stripe account as they are made, and the Company does not hold a balance of campaign funds on anyone's behalf. Contributions are therefore final and non-refundable except where the Creator chooses to issue a refund, or where we refund a contribution for the compliance reasons set out in the Fundraising Policy (for example a sanctions breach, or a campaign we freeze and find to be in breach). We are not responsible for resolving chargebacks or for mediating disputes between Creators and Backers about the research itself. In the event a Creator cannot complete a project, the Creator must communicate transparently with Backers to reach a mutual resolution. Nothing in this section limits any right you have under mandatory consumer law.

No Scientific Guarantee: Backers acknowledge that scientific research carries inherent risks of failure or negative results. The Company makes no representations regarding the feasibility, accuracy, ethical compliance, or utility of any research projects funded through the Services.

9. USER GENERATED CONTRIBUTIONS

The Services allows you to create, submit, post, display, transmit, perform, publish, distribute, or broadcast content and materials, including but not limited to research project details, crowdfunding campaigns, text, writings, video, audio, photographs, graphics, comments, or other materials (collectively, "Contributions"). Contributions may be viewable by other users of the Services and through third-party websites.

When you create or make available any Contributions, you represent and warrant that:

  • The creation, distribution, transmission, public display, or performance, and the accessing, downloading, or copying of your Contributions do not and will not infringe the proprietary rights, including but not limited to the copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, or moral rights of any third party.
  • You are the creator and owner of or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, releases, and permissions to use and to authorize us, the Services, and other users of the Services to use your Contributions in any manner contemplated by the Services and these Legal Terms.
  • Your Contributions do not contain false, inaccurate, deceptive, or misleading claims, including any misrepresentations regarding scientific credentials, research methodology, data, progress, or the intended use of fundraising campaign proceeds.
  • Your Contributions are not obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, violent, harassing, libelous, slanderous, or otherwise objectionable (as determined by us).
  • Your Contributions do not ridicule, mock, disparage, intimidate, or abuse anyone.
  • Your Contributions do not violate any applicable law, regulation, or rule, including any requirements regarding research ethics, human/animal subjects, or regulatory approvals.
  • Your Contributions do not violate the privacy or publicity rights of any third party.
  • Your Contributions do not otherwise violate, or link to material that violates, any provision of these Legal Terms, our Acceptable Use Policy, or any applicable law.

10. CONTRIBUTION LICENSE

You and we agree that we may access, store, process, and use any information and personal data that you provide and your choices (including settings) in accordance with our Privacy Notice.

By submitting suggestions or other feedback regarding the Services, you agree that we can use and share such feedback for any purpose without compensation to you.

We do not assert any ownership over your Contributions. You retain full ownership of all of your Contributions and any intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights associated with your Contributions.

So that we can operate the Services, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, store, copy, adapt (for example by resizing images or formatting text for different screens), display, and distribute your Contributions, in each case only as needed to provide, secure, and promote the Services — including showing them in feeds, search results, notifications, and emails, making them available to search engines and through our API, and sending them to the service providers that help us run the Services. The licence ends when you delete a Contribution, except for copies other users have reposted or quoted, copies kept in backups for a limited time, and copies we must keep for legal, moderation, or financial-record reasons.

We are not liable for any statements or representations in your Contributions provided by you in any area on the Services. You are solely responsible for your Contributions to the Services and you expressly agree to exonerate us from any and all responsibility and to refrain from any legal action against us regarding your Contributions.

11. GROUPS

Groups are spaces for laboratories, research teams, societies, institutions, and other research communities. The person who creates a group is its owner. Depending on the roles and privileges they are given, a group's owners, administrators, and moderators can invite and remove members, assign roles, publish on the group's behalf, moderate content posted in the group, link the group to parent or child groups, see aggregate reading statistics for what the group and its linked groups publish, and, once eligible, run fundraising campaigns.

If you create or help run a group, you confirm that you are authorised to represent any organisation the group names, and you are responsible for how you use the powers your role gives you, including the content published in the group's name and the decisions you make as a moderator. We may remove, rename, restrict, or unlink a group that breaches these Legal Terms or misrepresents an organisation.

12. MESSAGES AND GROUP CHAT

Direct messages and group chats let users talk to each other. Do not use them to send spam, unsolicited promotion, or harassment, or to share other people's personal information without their permission. Messages are stored on our servers and are not end-to-end encrypted. We do not browse private conversations, but if a participant reports a message, the report includes a copy of it and of the messages around it so that our moderators can review it. We may restrict your ability to send messages if you misuse them.

13. JOB AND EVENT LISTINGS

Job and event listings are posted by users and groups, not by us. We are not an employer, recruiter, employment agency, or event organiser, and we do not vet listings, applicants, or attendees. Applications and registrations take place on the external website or email address given in the listing, and any arrangement that follows is between you and the poster.

If you post a listing, you must be authorised to advertise the position or event, describe it accurately (including pay, location, dates, and any fees), comply with employment, anti-discrimination, and data protection law, and keep the listing up to date. Listings may close automatically when their closing date passes.

14. AI-ASSISTED FEATURES

Some features of the Services use artificial intelligence models provided by third parties — for example to explain a passage in an article, or to draft an article from research papers you upload (together, "AI Features"). AI Features are optional, and some are offered as previews that may change or be withdrawn. What we send to AI model providers, and how long we keep it, is described in our Privacy Notice. When you use AI Features:

  • you must have the right to submit everything you give them. Do not submit work that is under embargo, confidential, or that you do not have permission to use, or other people's personal information;
  • you understand that output can be inaccurate, incomplete, out of date, or misleading, and is not professional, scientific, medical, or legal advice;
  • you are responsible for checking output before you rely on it, and for anything you publish. Published output is your Contribution under these Legal Terms and must meet the requirements of the "USER GENERATED CONTRIBUTIONS" section;
  • you will not remove or obscure any marking the Services add to show that content was AI-assisted; and
  • you accept that we may apply usage limits.

15. API ACCESS

We may, at our discretion, issue you an API key that lets you create and update content on the Services by script. If we do: keep the key secret and do not share it; you are responsible for everything done with it; revoke it straight away if you think it has been exposed; and stay within the rate limits and any other limits we set. Content submitted through the API is subject to these Legal Terms in the same way as content submitted through the website. We may restrict, suspend, or revoke API access at any time.

16. REPORTING, MODERATION, AND APPEALS

Anyone can report content, messages, profiles, groups, or campaigns they believe break these Legal Terms. Reports about content posted in a group may be reviewed first by that group's moderators, who can escalate them to us; reports about campaigns are handled through our fundraising compliance review. We never tell the person reported who reported them. Knowingly false or abusive reports are themselves a breach of these Legal Terms, and we may stop you filing reports.

Depending on what we find, we may dismiss a report, warn you, remove content, restrict specific things you can do (such as posting, commenting, messaging, reporting, fundraising, or using the API), suspend your account, or terminate it. Removed content is not deleted: you can still see it, marked as removed, and we keep a record of the decision. When deciding what to do, we may take into account enforcement action taken against you in the previous 180 days.

When we remove your content or restrict, suspend, or terminate your account, we will normally tell you and give the reason, unless the law or the safety of others prevents us. You may appeal that decision once, within 30 days, using the link in the notice we send you — this works even if your account has been suspended or terminated. Where we can, the appeal is reviewed by someone other than the person who made the original decision, and we will tell you the outcome.

17. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES AND CONTENT

The Services contain links to, and information from, third parties — for example research metadata from public scholarly databases such as OpenAlex, the external pages where jobs are applied for and events are registered for, and links posted by users. We do not control, check, or endorse third-party websites or content, and we are not responsible for their accuracy, availability, or privacy practices. If you leave the Services through a link, these Legal Terms no longer govern what you do there.

18. PRIVACY POLICY

We care about data privacy and security. Please review our Privacy Notice, which explains what personal information we collect, how we use and share it, and the rights you have. By using the Services, you agree to be bound by our Privacy Notice, which is incorporated into these Legal Terms.

19. SERVICES MANAGEMENT

We reserve the right, but not the obligation, to: (1) monitor the Services for violations of these Legal Terms; (2) take appropriate legal action against anyone who, in our sole discretion, violates the law or these Legal Terms, including without limitation, reporting such user to law enforcement authorities; (3) in our sole discretion and without limitation, refuse, restrict access to, limit the availability of, or disable (to the extent technologically feasible) any of your Contributions or any portion thereof; (4) in our sole discretion and without limitation, notice, or liability, to remove from the Services or otherwise disable all files and content that are excessive in size or are in any way burdensome to our systems; and (5) otherwise manage the Services in a manner designed to protect our rights and property and to facilitate the proper functioning of the Services.

20. TERM AND TERMINATION

These Legal Terms shall remain in full force and effect while you use the Services. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF THESE LEGAL TERMS, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION AND WITHOUT NOTICE OR LIABILITY, DENY ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SERVICES (INCLUDING BLOCKING CERTAIN IP ADDRESSES), TO ANY PERSON FOR ANY REASON OR FOR NO REASON, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION FOR BREACH OF ANY REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, OR COVENANT CONTAINED IN THESE LEGAL TERMS OR OF ANY APPLICABLE LAW OR REGULATION. WE MAY TERMINATE YOUR USE OR PARTICIPATION IN THE SERVICES OR DELETE ANY CONTENT OR INFORMATION THAT YOU POSTED AT ANY TIME, WITHOUT WARNING, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION.

If we terminate or suspend your account for any reason, you are prohibited from registering and creating a new account under your name, a fake or borrowed name, or the name of any third party, even if you may be acting on behalf of the third party. In addition to terminating or suspending your account, we reserve the right to take appropriate legal action, including without limitation pursuing civil, criminal, and injunctive redress.

How we usually handle reports, restrictions, and suspensions, and how to appeal, is described in "REPORTING, MODERATION, AND APPEALS". You may stop using the Services at any time, and you can ask us to close your account through our contact page. Some information, including fundraising and compliance records, is kept after an account is closed, as described in our Privacy Notice and Fundraising Policy.

21. MODIFICATIONS AND INTERRUPTIONS

We reserve the right to change, modify, or remove the contents of the Services at any time or for any reason at our sole discretion without notice. However, we have no obligation to update any information on our Services. We will not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, price change, suspension, or discontinuance of the Services.

We cannot guarantee the Services will be available at all times. We may experience hardware, software, or other problems or need to perform maintenance related to the Services, resulting in interruptions, delays, or errors. We reserve the right to change, revise, update, suspend, discontinue, or otherwise modify the Services at any time or for any reason without notice to you. You agree that we have no liability whatsoever for any loss, damage, or inconvenience caused by your inability to access or use the Services during any downtime or discontinuance of the Services. Nothing in these Legal Terms will be construed to obligate us to maintain and support the Services or to supply any corrections, updates, or releases in connection therewith.

22. GOVERNING LAW

These Legal Terms, and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them or their subject matter (including non-contractual disputes or claims), are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Subject to the "DISPUTE RESOLUTION" section, the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.

If you are a consumer, this does not take away the protection of any mandatory law of the country where you live. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may also bring proceedings in your local courts, and if you live in the European Union or elsewhere, you keep any right you have under your local law to bring proceedings where you live.

23. DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Informal Negotiations

To expedite resolution and control the cost of any dispute, controversy, or claim related to these Legal Terms (each a "Dispute" and collectively, the "Disputes") brought by either you or us (individually, a "Party" and collectively, the "Parties"), the Parties agree to first attempt to negotiate any Dispute (except those Disputes expressly provided below) informally for at least 60 days before initiating arbitration. Such informal negotiations commence upon written notice from one Party to the other Party.

Binding Arbitration

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Legal Terms, including any question regarding their existence, validity, or termination, shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration under the Arbitration Rules of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), which Rules are deemed to be incorporated by reference into this clause. The number of arbitrators shall be one. The seat, or legal place, of arbitration shall be London, England. The language of the proceedings shall be English. The governing law of these Legal Terms shall be the substantive law of England and Wales.

Consumers. If you use the Services as a consumer (that is, not for the purposes of your trade, business, or profession), you are not required to arbitrate. You may instead bring a claim in the courts described in the "GOVERNING LAW" section, and claims within the small claims limit of the court concerned may always be brought there. We will not require a consumer to arbitrate a claim that the law allows them to bring in court.

Restrictions

The Parties agree that any arbitration shall be limited to the Dispute between the Parties individually. To the full extent permitted by law, (a) no arbitration shall be joined with any other proceeding; (b) there is no right or authority for any Dispute to be arbitrated on a class-action basis or to utilize class action procedures; and (c) there is no right or authority for any Dispute to be brought in a purported representative capacity on behalf of the general public or any other persons.

Exceptions to Informal Negotiations and Arbitration

The Parties agree that the following Disputes are not subject to the above provisions concerning informal negotiations binding arbitration: (a) any Disputes seeking to enforce or protect, or concerning the validity of, any of the intellectual property rights of a Party; (b) any Dispute related to, or arising from, allegations of theft, piracy, invasion of privacy, or unauthorized use; and (c) any claim for injunctive relief. If this provision is found to be illegal or unenforceable, then neither Party will elect to arbitrate any Dispute falling within that portion of this provision found to be illegal or unenforceable and such Dispute shall be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction within the courts listed for jurisdiction above, and the Parties agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of that court.

24. CORRECTIONS

There may be information on the Services that contains typographical errors, inaccuracies, or omissions, including descriptions, pricing, availability, and various other information. We reserve the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies, or omissions and to change or update the information on the Services at any time, without prior notice.

25. DISCLAIMER

THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN AS-IS AND AS-AVAILABLE BASIS. YOU AGREE THAT YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES WILL BE AT YOUR SOLE RISK. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICES AND YOUR USE THEREOF, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE MAKE NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE SERVICES' CONTENT OR THE CONTENT OF ANY WEBSITES OR MOBILE APPLICATIONS LINKED TO THE SERVICES AND WE WILL ASSUME NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY (1) ERRORS, MISTAKES, OR INACCURACIES OF CONTENT AND MATERIALS, (2) PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER, RESULTING FROM YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SERVICES, (3) ANY UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR USE OF OUR SECURE SERVERS AND/OR ANY AND ALL PERSONAL INFORMATION AND/OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION STORED THEREIN, (4) ANY INTERRUPTION OR CESSATION OF TRANSMISSION TO OR FROM THE SERVICES, (5) ANY BUGS, VIRUSES, TROJAN HORSES, OR THE LIKE WHICH MAY BE TRANSMITTED TO OR THROUGH THE SERVICES BY ANY THIRD PARTY, AND/OR (6) ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN ANY CONTENT AND MATERIALS OR FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE USE OF ANY CONTENT POSTED, TRANSMITTED, OR OTHERWISE MADE AVAILABLE VIA THE SERVICES. WE DO NOT WARRANT, ENDORSE, GUARANTEE, OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY PRODUCT OR SERVICE ADVERTISED OR OFFERED BY A THIRD PARTY THROUGH THE SERVICES, ANY HYPERLINKED WEBSITE, OR ANY WEBSITE OR MOBILE APPLICATION FEATURED IN ANY BANNER OR OTHER ADVERTISING, AND WE WILL NOT BE A PARTY TO OR IN ANY WAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING ANY TRANSACTION BETWEEN YOU AND ANY THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES. AS WITH THE PURCHASE OF A PRODUCT OR SERVICE THROUGH ANY MEDIUM OR IN ANY ENVIRONMENT, YOU SHOULD USE YOUR BEST JUDGMENT AND EXERCISE CAUTION WHERE APPROPRIATE.

26. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY

IN NO EVENT WILL WE OR OUR DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFIT, LOST REVENUE, LOSS OF DATA, OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY CONTAINED HEREIN, OUR LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CAUSE WHATSOEVER AND REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE ACTION, WILL AT ALL TIMES BE LIMITED TO THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT PAID, IF ANY, BY YOU TO US DURING THE TWELVE (12) MONTH PERIOD BEFORE THE CAUSE OF ACTION AROSE AND (B) £100. CONTRIBUTIONS YOU MAKE TO A CAMPAIGN ARE PAID TO THE GROUP RUNNING IT, NOT TO US, AND ONLY THE PLATFORM FEE COUNTS AS AN AMOUNT PAID TO US. NOTHING IN THESE LEGAL TERMS EXCLUDES OR LIMITS OUR LIABILITY FOR DEATH OR PERSONAL INJURY CAUSED BY OUR NEGLIGENCE, FOR FRAUD OR FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION, OR FOR ANY OTHER LIABILITY THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW. CERTAIN US STATE LAWS AND INTERNATIONAL LAWS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES. IF THESE LAWS APPLY TO YOU, SOME OR ALL OF THE ABOVE DISCLAIMERS OR LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU, AND YOU MAY HAVE ADDITIONAL RIGHTS.

27. INDEMNIFICATION

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold us harmless, including our subsidiaries, affiliates, and all of our respective officers, agents, partners, and employees, from and against any loss, damage, liability, claim, or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, made by any third party due to or arising out of: (1) use of the Services; (2) breach of these Legal Terms; (3) any breach of your representations and warranties set forth in these Legal Terms; (4) your violation of the rights of a third party, including but not limited to intellectual property rights; or (5) any overt harmful act toward any other user of the Services with whom you connected via the Services. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we reserve the right, at your expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter for which you are required to indemnify us, and you agree to cooperate, at your expense, with our defense of such claims. We will use reasonable efforts to notify you of any such claim, action, or proceeding which is subject to this indemnification upon becoming aware of it.

28. USER DATA

We will maintain certain data that you transmit to the Services for the purpose of managing the performance of the Services, as well as data relating to your use of the Services. Although we perform regular routine backups of data, you are solely responsible for all data that you transmit or that relates to any activity you have undertaken using the Services. You agree that we shall have no liability to you for any loss or corruption of any such data, and you hereby waive any right of action against us arising from any such loss or corruption of such data.

29. ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS, TRANSACTIONS, AND SIGNATURES

Visiting the Services, sending us emails, and completing online forms constitute electronic communications. You consent to receive electronic communications, and you agree that all agreements, notices, disclosures, and other communications we provide to you electronically, via email and on the Services, satisfy any legal requirement that such communication be in writing. YOU HEREBY AGREE TO THE USE OF ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES, CONTRACTS, ORDERS, AND OTHER RECORDS, AND TO ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF NOTICES, POLICIES, AND RECORDS OF TRANSACTIONS INITIATED OR COMPLETED BY US OR VIA THE SERVICES. You hereby waive any rights or requirements under any statutes, regulations, rules, ordinances, or other laws in any jurisdiction which require an original signature or delivery or retention of non-electronic records, or to payments or the granting of credits by any means other than electronic means.

30. MISCELLANEOUS

These Legal Terms and any policies or operating rules posted by us on the Services or in respect to the Services constitute the entire agreement and understanding between you and us. Our failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Legal Terms shall not operate as a waiver of such right or provision. These Legal Terms operate to the fullest extent permissible by law. We may assign any or all of our rights and obligations to others at any time. We shall not be responsible or liable for any loss, damage, delay, or failure to act caused by any cause beyond our reasonable control. If any provision or part of a provision of these Legal Terms is determined to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision or part of the provision is deemed severable from these Legal Terms and does not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions. There is no joint venture, partnership, employment or agency relationship created between you and us as a result of these Legal Terms or use of the Services. You agree that these Legal Terms will not be construed against us by virtue of having drafted them. You hereby waive any and all defenses you may have based on the electronic form of these Legal Terms and the lack of signing by the parties hereto to execute these Legal Terms.

31. CONTACT US

In order to resolve a complaint regarding the Services or to receive further information regarding use of the Services, please contact us