Computational Usage Policy

Effective Date: December 6, 2025

This Computational Usage Policy ("Policy") governs your use of computational resources on the ProteinIQ platform. This Policy supplements and is incorporated into our Terms of Service. By using the Service, you agree to comply with this Policy.

1. Credit System

1.1 Credit Allocation

Computational credits ("Credits") are allocated based on your subscription tier:

*Annual subscriptions receive full year's credits upfront.

1.2 Free Trial Credits

• New users receive 100 free Credits upon account creation
• Promotional credits expire after 1 year
• Limited to one free trial per user/organization
• Intended for platform evaluation before subscribing

1.3 Credit Characteristics

Credits are:

• Non-transferable: Cannot be transferred between accounts or teams
• Non-refundable: No refunds once Credits are consumed (see Terms Section 4.4)
• Non-rollover: Unused monthly Credits expire at billing cycle end (unless subscription specifies otherwise)
• Consumption-based: Consumed at job submission, regardless of job outcome

1.4 Credit Expiration

• Monthly subscriptions: Unused Credits expire at the end of each billing period
• Annual subscriptions: Credits allocated upfront, expire 1 year from purchase
• Promotional credits: Expire 1 year from issuance
• No refunds for expired or unused Credits

2. Tool Credit Costs

2.1 Base Credit Costs

Different computational tools consume different Credit amounts based on complexity:

Example Tool Costs:

• Simple format conversions: 1-10 Credits
• Protein structure prediction: 25-50 Credits
• Molecular docking: 100+ Credits
• Complex AI/ML models: 100-500+ Credits

Actual costs are displayed on each tool page before job submission.

2.2 Dynamic Pricing

Some tools use dynamic Credit calculation based on:

• Input size: Number of sequences, PDB files, or data volume
• Computational complexity: Algorithm parameters, resolution, iterations
• Processing time: Estimated runtime and resource requirements

You will see the calculated Credit cost before submitting any job.

2.3 Credit Cost Changes

We reserve the right to:

• Adjust Credit costs for tools with 30 days' notice to active subscribers
• Introduce new tools with different Credit costs
• Offer promotional pricing or discounts

Current subscribers' Credit costs remain locked for their current billing period.

3. Rate Limits and Quotas

3.1 API Rate Limits

To ensure fair access and platform stability, the following rate limits apply:

3.2 Rate Limit Behavior

When you exceed rate limits:

• Requests are automatically throttled (HTTP 429 status)
• You must wait for the time window to reset
• No Credits are consumed for throttled requests
• Persistent violations may result in temporary suspension

3.3 File Size Limits

Maximum file sizes vary by tool:

• PDB files: 50 MB
• FASTA sequences: 10 MB
• Ligand files: 10 MB
• General uploads: Tool-specific (displayed on each tool page)

3.4 Job Timeouts

Computational jobs have maximum execution times:

• Standard tools: 5 minutes
• Complex tools (e.g., DiffDock): 10 minutes
• Advanced ML models: Up to 30 minutes

Jobs exceeding timeout limits are automatically terminated. Credits are consumed regardless of timeout.

3.5 Concurrent Job Limits

Current: No enforced concurrent job limit

Future: Priority queue feature (coming soon):

• Free users: Standard queue priority
• Paid users: Priority queue access
• Higher-tier subscribers: Highest priority

4. Fair Use Guidelines

4.1 Acceptable Usage

Individual Plans (Free, Starter, Researcher, Pro) are licensed for non-commercial use only:

• Academic research at universities and research institutions
• Non-profit research organizations
• Personal educational purposes
• Government-funded research projects
• Collaborative academic research projects
• Algorithm benchmarking and validation for academic purposes

Commercial use requires a Teams or Enterprise plan. Commercial use includes use by for-profit companies, research supporting commercial product development, and any use generating direct or indirect revenue. See Terms of Service Section 5.1 for full definitions.

4.2 Prohibited Usage

You may NOT use ProteinIQ for:

Resource Abuse:

• Submitting identical or near-identical jobs repeatedly to game Credit costs
• Using automated scripts to submit excessive jobs beyond reasonable research needs
• Attempting to overwhelm servers or bypass rate limits
• Running distributed computing or cryptocurrency mining

System Exploitation:

• Reverse engineering algorithms or proprietary tools
• Extracting or scraping platform data beyond your own results
• Circumventing Credit limits or security measures
• Sharing account credentials to pool Credits

Malicious Activity:

• Uploading malicious files, viruses, or harmful code
• Attempting unauthorized access to other users' data
• Conducting security testing without written permission
• Using platform for illegal purposes

Commercial Abuse:

• Using Individual plans (Free, Starter, Researcher, Pro) for commercial purposes
• Reselling computational services to third parties without authorization
• Using free trial Credits for commercial production work
• Operating competing bioinformatics services using our tools
• For-profit company use without a Teams or Enterprise subscription

4.3 Reasonable Use Standard

Even within Credit limits, usage must be reasonable. We monitor for:

• Abnormal job submission patterns
• Excessive API usage relative to Credit consumption
• Suspicious activity indicators
• Resource consumption that degrades service for others

5. Usage Monitoring and Logging

5.1 Data We Collect

To ensure fair use and platform security, we log:

• Credit consumption per job
• Job submission frequency and patterns
• Tool usage statistics
• IP addresses and user agents
• Error rates and failure patterns
• API request volumes

5.2 Purpose of Monitoring

Usage data is used for:

• Detecting abuse and policy violations
• Platform performance optimization
• Credit usage analytics
• Security and fraud prevention
• Service improvement

5.3 Data Retention

Usage logs are retained for 90 days, then anonymized for long-term analytics (personal identifiers removed).

6. Enforcement and Violations

6.1 Violation Response

Violations of this Policy may result in:

Level 1 - Warning:

• Email notification of violation
• 24-hour monitoring period
• Opportunity to correct behavior
• No service disruption

Level 2 - Temporary Suspension:

• Account suspended for 7-30 days
• Access to Service disabled
• Opportunity to appeal via support@proteiniq.io
• No Credit refunds for suspension period

Level 3 - Permanent Termination:

• Immediate account termination
• No refund of unused Credits or subscription fees
• Ban may extend to associated accounts
• Reserved for severe or repeated violations

6.2 Escalation Criteria

Automatic Warning Triggers:

• Exceeding rate limits repeatedly (10+ times in 24 hours)
• Unusual job submission patterns flagged by automated monitoring
• Minor policy violations without malicious intent

Suspension Criteria:

• Continued violations after warning
• Moderate resource abuse or system exploitation
• Sharing account credentials
• Circumventing security measures

Permanent Ban Criteria:

• Severe security violations or hacking attempts
• Fraud or payment disputes
• Illegal content or activity
• Malicious intent confirmed
• Repeated violations after suspension

6.3 Appeals Process

If your account is suspended or terminated:

1. Contact support@proteiniq.io with subject "Account Suspension Appeal"
2. Provide explanation and evidence
3. We will review within 5 business days
4. Decision is final and binding

6.4 No Refunds for Violations

No refunds or Credit restoration will be provided for suspensions or terminations resulting from policy violations.

7. Credit Disputes

7.1 Reporting Issues

If you believe Credits were incorrectly charged:

• Contact support@proteiniq.io within 7 days of the charge
• Provide job ID, timestamp, and description of issue
• We will investigate and respond within 5 business days

7.2 Resolution

Valid disputes will result in:

• Credit refund to your account
• Correction of billing errors
• System fixes to prevent recurrence

7.3 Invalid Disputes

No Credit refunds for:

• Jobs that completed successfully (even if results were unexpected)
• Jobs that failed due to invalid input data
• Jobs that timed out
• User error in tool usage
• Dissatisfaction with algorithm results
• Normal Credit consumption as designed

8. Service Availability

8.1 No Uptime Guarantee

We do not guarantee:

• Uninterrupted service availability
• Specific response times
• Job completion within specified timeframes
• Zero downtime or error rates

8.2 Maintenance and Outages

• Scheduled maintenance may temporarily suspend services
• Emergency maintenance may occur without notice
• Credits are NOT refunded for service outages (see Terms Section 4.4)
• Extended outages (rare) are addressed per Terms of Service

8.3 Job Failures

If a job fails due to:

• Platform errors: Credits are automatically refunded
• User errors: No Credit refund
• Timeout: No Credit refund
• Invalid input: No Credit refund

9. Changes to This Policy

9.1 Updates

We may update this Policy at any time. Changes may include:

• Adjusted Credit costs (30 days' notice for active subscribers)
• New rate limits or quotas
• Additional tools or features
• Updated enforcement procedures

9.2 Notification

Material changes will be announced via:

• Email to registered address
• In-platform notification
• Updated "Last Updated" date on this page

9.3 Acceptance

Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance. If you disagree with changes, you may cancel your subscription per Terms of Service.

10. Priority Queue (Coming Soon)

10.1 Future Feature

We plan to introduce priority queue processing:

• Free/Starter: Standard queue
• Researcher: Medium priority
• Pro: Highest priority

10.2 Notification

You will be notified 30 days before priority queue implementation. Pricing and Credit costs will not change.

11. Questions and Support

11.1 Policy Questions

For questions about this Policy:

• Email: support@proteiniq.io
• Documentation: https://proteiniq.io/docs

11.2 Technical Support

For technical issues:

• Check tool documentation
• Review your Credit balance before submission
• Contact support for job failures or errors

11.3 Credit Balance

Check your current Credit balance:

• Dashboard: Display on main interface
• API: GET /api/credits endpoint
• Email notifications when Credits are low (< 10%)

12. Relationship to Other Policies

This Policy is governed by and subject to:

• Terms of Service - Overall legal agreement
• Privacy Policy - Data handling practices
• Acceptable Use Policy - General conduct rules
• Data Processing Agreement - Data protection terms (for EU customers)

In case of conflict, the Terms of Service prevail.

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By using ProteinIQ's computational services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to comply with this Computational Usage Policy.

Questions? Contact us at support@proteiniq.io