Terms of Service

Last updated: August 2025

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of Glink, a collaborative science platform. By accessing or using our service, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

2. Description of Service

Glink is a platform designed to facilitate collaboration between researchers and scientists. Our services include:

• User registration and profile management
• Technical area categorization and expertise tracking
• Grant information management
• Institute affiliation and verification
• Social links and professional networking
• User authentication and security
• Collaboration request creation and management
• Messaging and communication features
• Collaboration tracking and success monitoring
• Research networking and discovery
• Email notifications and weekly summaries

3. User Accounts

3.1 Account Creation

To use our service, you must create an account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information
• Maintain and update your account information
• Keep your password secure and confidential
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use
• Accept responsibility for all activities under your account

3.2 Account Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account. By creating an account, you represent and warrant that you meet this age requirement.

4. Acceptable Use

4.1 Permitted Uses

You may use our service for lawful purposes related to scientific research and collaboration, including:

• Creating and managing research profiles
• Documenting your technical expertise and areas
• Sharing information about your research grants
• Adding social and professional links to your profile
• Creating collaboration requests to seek help from other researchers
• Responding to collaboration requests from other users
• Communicating with other researchers through our messaging system
• Tracking successful collaborations and collaborators

4.2 Prohibited Uses

You agree not to:

• Use the service for any illegal or unauthorized purpose
• Violate any applicable laws or regulations
• Infringe on intellectual property rights
• Harass, abuse, or harm other users
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems
• Interfere with or disrupt the service
• Share false or misleading information
• Use automated systems to access the service
• Use the service for production research activities during development

5. User Content

5.1 Content Ownership

You retain ownership of any content you submit to our service. By submitting content, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, display, and distribute your content in connection with our service.

5.2 Content Standards

You are responsible for ensuring that your content:

• Is accurate and truthful
• Does not violate any laws or regulations
• Does not infringe on third-party rights
• Is appropriate for a professional research environment

5.3 Content Moderation

We reserve the right to remove or modify any content that violates these Terms or is otherwise objectionable. We may also suspend or terminate accounts that repeatedly violate these Terms.

6. Privacy and Data Protection

Your privacy is important to us. Our collection and use of your personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

7. Intellectual Property

7.1 Our Rights

Glink and its original content, features, and functionality are owned by us and are protected by international copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws.

7.2 Your Rights

You retain ownership of your research content and intellectual property. We do not claim ownership of your research data, publications, or other intellectual property.

8. Disclaimers

Our service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind. We disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to:

• Warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose
• Warranties that the service will be uninterrupted or error-free
• Warranties regarding the accuracy or reliability of information
• Warranties that the service is suitable for production use
• Warranties that data will not be lost during development

9. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to:

• Loss of profits, data, or use
• Business interruption
• Personal injury or property damage
• Any damages resulting from your use of the service
• Data loss during development or testing
• Service interruptions or feature changes

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses arising from:

• Your use of the service
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any third-party rights
• Any content you submit to the service

11. Termination

11.1 Termination by You

You may terminate your account at any time by contacting us at koderware@gmail.com. Please note that account deletion features are not yet implemented in the user interface.

11.2 Termination by Us

We may terminate or suspend your account immediately, without prior notice, for conduct that we believe violates these Terms or is harmful to other users or our service.

11.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination, your right to use the service will cease immediately. We may delete your account and data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

12. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify users of material changes by posting the new Terms on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the service after such changes constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.

13. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

14. Dispute Resolution

Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of our service shall be resolved through the courts of England and Wales. We encourage users to contact us directly to resolve any issues before pursuing legal action.

15. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that these Terms will otherwise remain in full force and effect.

16. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and us regarding the use of our service.

17. Contact Information

18. Research Ethics and Compliance

Users of Glink are responsible for ensuring that their research activities comply with applicable ethical guidelines and regulations, including:

• Institutional review board (IRB) requirements
• Data protection regulations
• Research integrity standards
• Conflicts of interest disclosure

We do not assume responsibility for ensuring compliance with research ethics or regulatory requirements.

19. Development and Testing

As Glink is in active development:

• Features may be added, removed, or modified without notice
• Data may be lost during development or testing
• The service may be temporarily unavailable
• Security measures may be updated or changed
• We recommend regular backups of any important information