Effective Date: July 5, 2025 (v1.0)
By accessing or using Research Mesh (also referred to as researchmesh.com, often stylized as research※mesh, and hereafter referred to as the "Service"), you agree to comply with and be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree with any part of these terms, you must not use the Service. By using the Service, you agree to these policies, regardless of your location.
You must be at least 18 years of age to use the Service. By agreeing to these Terms, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years of age.
The Service is designed around a commitment to supporting open science principles and making research data broadly available. We prioritize open and transparent practices to facilitate science communication and knowledge mobilization, dissemination, translation, utilization, and exchange. The Service relies on open science resources, using publicly available data, machine readable scientific knowledge graphs, and accessible metadata to drive the platform. In this spirit, we encourage all users to embrace and align with these principles to foster a collaborative and open research ecosystem.
The Service provides a platform for individuals, scholars, administrators, and institutions to connect, collaborate, and showcase research activities and groups through AI-empowered communications, such as newsletters and digital media.
All users accessing the Service will use the Service responsibly, ethically, and professionally. The Service will be used solely for its intended purpose of sharing new research and highlighting research units and their scientific endeavours.
You agree not to, and not to permit others to, directly or indirectly: (a) resell, sublicense, lease, rent, or otherwise transfer your rights to use the Service to any third party; (b) reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise attempt to discover the source code, object code, or underlying structure of the Service; or (c) use the Service to develop a product or service that competes with the Service.
If you are using the Service on behalf of an institution (such as a university, hospital, institute, etc), you confirm that you are rightfully able to act on behalf of that institution and have the necessary authority to represent them and agree to these Terms of Service on their behalf.
You are solely responsible for:
Administrative users accessing the Service may submit content, such as information about research units and associated media (e.g., institution logos), to be displayed or used within the Service. Users are solely responsible for the accuracy and legality of all such submitted content. Users retain ownership of any content they upload to the Service, including logos, and grant the Service a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, display, and distribute such content solely for the purpose of operating, improving, and promoting the Service as intended.
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Research Mesh and its affiliates, officers, and employees from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, and costs (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or in any way connected with: (a) your access to or use of the Service; (b) any content you submit to the Service, including any claim that your content infringes on the intellectual property or other rights of a third party; or (c) your violation of these Terms of Service.
All content and materials on the Service, including but not limited to text, graphics, and logos (excluding user-uploaded content and AI-generated content), are the property of Research Mesh or its licensors and are protected by intellectual property laws.
While the Service takes significant effort to mechanistically “ground” the generation of AI content in trusted and authenticated data, users acknowledge that Research Mesh and its affiliates bear no liability for inaccuracies or errors in the generated content. The Service is not ultimately responsible for the accuracy of the communications, newsletters, or digital media that it creates.
The legal status of AI-generated content and its copyright ownership is still developing. Where it is applicable by law to own or have copyright for AI-generated content, the user (as the creator/controller of the input) shall own that copyright. The Service makes no assertion of ownership over the copyright of any AI-generated content created based upon the user inputs to the system. Administrators and users are responsible for ensuring their use of AI-generated content respects copyright laws and agree to indemnify Research Mesh against any claims of infringement.
The Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We make no warranties or representations, express or implied, about the accuracy, reliability, or availability of the Service. The Service shall not be liable for any losses or damages resulting from the temporary or permanent unavailability. The Service shall not be liable for any losses or damages resulting from the potential implementation of subscription fees for the Service in the future.
The Service's performance is dependent on third-party services, including but not limited to hosting providers, AI subprocessors, and other vendors (collectively, "Third-Party Providers"). We will exercise reasonable care in the selection of our Third-Party Providers, but we do not control their operations. Therefore, to the fullest extent permitted by law, Research Mesh disclaims all liability and shall not be held responsible for any damages, losses, or security breaches arising from the acts, omissions, or failures of any Third-Party Provider. This includes, but is not limited to, service interruptions, data loss, security incidents, or any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions in the data and content generated or supplied by such Third-Party Providers.
The Service relies on data provided by third-party sources, including but not limited to APIs and scientific knowledge graphs. We do not verify and cannot guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of data provided by external sources. We disclaim all liability for any errors or omissions in the Service's output that originate from inaccuracies in third-party source data.
Currently, the Service is offered free of charge. We reserve the right to introduce subscription fees for the Service in the future. Users will be notified of any such changes with ample advance notice.
Research Mesh reserves the right to suspend or terminate any user account at its sole discretion, including but not limited to instances of violation of these Terms of Service or misuse of the Service, whether or not the misuse is herein specifically defined. Misuse includes, but is not limited to, attempts to hack the Service, upload viruses or malicious code, engage in spamming, or otherwise be non-compliant with applicable regulations.
Administrators and users shall not use the Service in such a way that contravenes applicable national and international email marketing regulations, including, but not limited to, Canada's anti-spam legislation (CASL), the CAN-SPAM Act for U.S. recipients, and other international policies where relevant. Adherence to these policies includes providing a true and accurate physical mailing address in the footers of emails, a legitimate public-facing email address, and abiding by all regulations regarding subscriber acquisition and opt-out mechanisms. Any use of the Service that circumvents these policies will not be tolerated.
In alignment with our commitment to open science and knowledge mobilization, the Service reserves the right to publicly showcase, share, and promote the content it generates on behalf of users. This may be done for the dual purpose of showcasing the capabilities of the Service and championing our users’ research. By default, this may include the use of your institution's name and logo. If you do not wish for your institution’s branded content to be used in this manner, you may opt out at any time by contacting us at info@researchmesh.com.
If a dispute arises between you and the Service, both parties agree to first attempt to resolve it through direct communication. If direct communication does not resolve the issue, the parties agree to explore non-binding mediation or binding arbitration before considering formal legal action.
We reserve the right to modify or update these terms of use at any time. All notices or announcements about updates to this these terms will be emailed to administrative users maintaining accounts on the system. Your continued use of the Service after receiving notification of changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms of Service.
These Terms of Service shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Ontario, Canada, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising under or in connection with these terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Ontario, Canada.
All documents related to the Service: