Terms of Service
These terms govern your use of Plottie and outline our mutual rights and responsibilities.
1. Acceptance of Terms
By accessing or using Plottie ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you disagree with any part of these terms, you may not access the Service.
These Terms apply to all visitors, users, and others who access or use the Service, including but not limited to researchers, students, educators, and data visualization professionals.
2. Description of Service
Plottie is a platform that provides access to scientific plots and visualizations from open-access research literature. Our services include:
- Search and discovery of scientific visualizations
- Collection and organization tools for researchers
- Attribution and citation information for all content
- User accounts and personalization features
We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service at any time without notice.
3. User Accounts and Responsibilities
Account Registration
- You must provide accurate and complete information when creating an account
- You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials
- You must notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to your account
- You may not create multiple accounts or share your account with others
Acceptable Use
You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You agree NOT to:
- Violate any applicable laws or regulations
- Infringe upon intellectual property rights of others
- Upload or share malicious software or harmful content
- Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems
- Use automated tools to scrape or download content en masse
- Interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers
4. Content and Intellectual Property
Scientific Content
- All scientific plots are sourced from open-access literature under CC BY licenses
- Content remains under original Creative Commons Attribution licensing terms
- Users must comply with attribution requirements when using content
- We do not claim ownership of scientific content but provide access and organization
Platform Content
- Our platform, interface, and curation tools are protected by copyright
- You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works of our platform
- User-generated content (collections, comments) remains owned by the user
- You grant us a license to display and organize your user-generated content
5. Privacy and Data Protection
Your privacy is important to us. Our collection and use of personal data is governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.
Data Collection: We collect minimal data necessary to provide our services, including account information, usage analytics, and user preferences.
You have the right to access, modify, or delete your personal data. Contact us if you wish to exercise these rights.
6. Disclaimers and Limitations
Service Availability
The Service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee continuous, uninterrupted access to the Service and may experience downtime for maintenance or technical issues.
Content Accuracy
While we strive to ensure accuracy, we do not warrant the completeness, accuracy, or reliability of any content. Users should verify information independently before relying on it for research or other purposes.
Limitation of Liability
In no event shall Plottie be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Service, including but not limited to loss of data, research time, or publication opportunities.
7. Termination
We may terminate or suspend your access to the Service immediately, without prior notice, for any reason, including if you breach these Terms.
You may terminate your account at any time by contacting us or using account deletion features in your user settings.
Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately, though certain provisions of these Terms will survive termination.
8. Changes to Terms
We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify users of material changes through the Service or via email.
Your continued use of the Service after such modifications constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
9. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with applicable laws. Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Service will be resolved through appropriate legal channels.
We strive to resolve disputes amicably and encourage users to contact us directly with concerns before pursuing legal action.
Questions About These Terms?
If you have questions about these Terms of Service or need clarification on any provisions, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Contact us: [email protected]