Terms of Service

Last updated: April 21, 2026

These Terms of Service (the "Agreement") govern your access to and use of ProteinIQ's bioinformatics platform, tools, and related services (the "Service") provided by ProteinIQ ("we," "us," or "our"). By accessing or using the Service—whether through an online ordering process, a free account sign-up, or by clicking an acceptance button—you agree to be bound by this Agreement. If you are accepting this Agreement on behalf of a company or other legal entity ("Customer"), you represent and warrant that you have authority to bind that entity to these terms. References to "you" throughout this Agreement refer to you individually or, where applicable, the entity on whose behalf you are acting.

If you do not agree to these Terms, do not access or use the Service.

The Service
Restrictions
Third-Party Applications and Open-Source Tools
Payment Obligations
Term and Termination
Warranties and Disclaimers
Limitation of Liability
Confidentiality
Data
Intellectual Property
Indemnification
Governing Law and Disputes
General Terms
Export Control and Compliance
Contact

1. The Service

1.1 Service Description

ProteinIQ provides web-based bioinformatics tools and analysis services for protein research, structural biology, and related scientific applications. The Service includes protein sequence and structure analysis, data visualization and computational analysis, file format conversion, research data management, and documentation and educational resources. Content you upload, submit, or generate through the Service is referred to as "User Content." You will not receive access to the underlying source code or software that powers the Service.

1.2 Subscription and Access

Subject to this Agreement, you may access and use the Service according to the plan you select. Free plans are available at no charge. Paid plans ("Paid Services") provide enhanced features, increased computational credits, and other benefits as described on our website. Access is permitted only for your own internal use and, where applicable, for authorized members of your organization ("Users").

1.3 Our Ownership

ProteinIQ owns the Service, its software, algorithms, documentation, design, and all materials we provide (collectively, "ProteinIQ Materials"), including all intellectual property rights therein. We retain all rights not expressly granted to you. There are no implied licenses under this Agreement.

1.4 Limited License

We grant you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable, limited license to access and use the Service for your own internal purposes, subject to this Agreement. This license terminates automatically if you breach this Agreement.

1.5 Team Access and Permissions

If you subscribe to an Enterprise plan, you may authorize other users within your organization to access the Service. You are solely responsible for managing permissions, ensuring authorized users comply with this Agreement, and all activities that occur on your account and your users' accounts.

2. Restrictions

2.1 Your Responsibilities

You are responsible for all activity on your account and for ensuring your authorized users are aware of and comply with this Agreement.

2.2 Use Restrictions

You agree that you will not, and will not allow others to:

Modify, copy, or create derivative works based on the Service
Reverse engineer, decompile, or otherwise attempt to discover the source code or underlying algorithms of the Service
Sublicense, sell, resell, rent, lease, transfer, or assign access to the Service to any third party
Remove or obscure any proprietary notices in or on the Service
Use the Service in violation of any applicable law or regulation
Introduce malicious code, viruses, or harmful content, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems
Use the Service to build or support products or services competitive to ProteinIQ
Benchmark or publicly compare our Service without our prior written consent
Circumvent any security or technological measures of the Service
Share account credentials or allow unauthorized access to your account
Use automated scripts, bots, or scrapers to overwhelm our infrastructure or extract data in bulk
Use outputs for regulatory submissions without independent expert validation
Use the Service for high-risk activities—including direct medical diagnosis, clinical decision-making, or safety-critical systems where failure could cause immediate harm—without appropriate professional oversight and independent validation

If your use causes or is likely to cause significant harm to ProteinIQ or the Service, we may suspend your access. We will use commercially reasonable efforts to provide notice before suspension where practicable, and to limit the suspension to the accounts involved.

2.3 API Access

We may provide access to application programming interfaces ("APIs") as part of the Service. We may set and enforce limits on API usage, modify API features, or suspend or discontinue API access at any time in our sole discretion.

2.4 Academic vs. Commercial License

Our Service is offered under two distinct license types:

Academic License (Free, Lite, and Plus plans): This license covers academic research at universities and research institutions, non-profit research, personal educational use, government-funded research, and individual non-commercial work.

Commercial License (Pro and Enterprise plans): Commercial use requires a Pro or Enterprise plan. Commercial use includes use by for-profit companies, research supporting commercial product development, drug discovery pipelines, and services provided to third parties for compensation.

If you are unsure whether your use qualifies as academic or non-commercial, contact us at legal@proteiniq.io before subscribing.

3. Third-Party Applications and Open-Source Tools

3.1 Third-Party Applications

The Service may integrate with third-party products and services not owned or controlled by ProteinIQ ("Third-Party Applications"). Your use of Third-Party Applications is at your own risk and governed by their respective terms. ProteinIQ expressly disclaims all representations and warranties relating to Third-Party Applications. We have no liability arising out of or related to your use of Third-Party Applications.

3.2 Open-Source and Research Tools

Many tools available on ProteinIQ are based on open-source software, algorithms, and research published by third parties. You acknowledge that:

We provide these tools "as is" under their respective open-source licenses, without additional warranties
We may modify, adapt, or optimize these tools without notice beyond what is legally required
We make no representations about the accuracy, reliability, or suitability of these tools for any purpose
You are responsible for understanding and complying with applicable open-source licenses when using or publishing results from these tools
Original algorithm developers have no relationship with or responsibility to ProteinIQ

4. Payment Obligations

4.1 Fees and Subscriptions

Paid Services are offered on monthly or annual billing cycles. All fees ("Fees") are payable in U.S. dollars unless otherwise specified. Payment obligations are non-cancelable and, except as expressly stated in this Agreement, non-refundable. We may modify Fees at our sole discretion; you always have the right to cancel before a Fee change takes effect.

4.2 Payment

All payments are processed securely through Stripe, Inc. or another third-party payment processor ("Payment Processor"). We do not store complete payment card information on our servers. By providing payment information, you authorize us to charge your payment method for all applicable Fees, including recurring charges, until you cancel your subscription or update your payment method. You are solely responsible for keeping your payment information current; failure to do so may result in service suspension. We are not responsible for errors by the Payment Processor. Payment processing fees are non-refundable.

4.3 Taxes

Fees do not include taxes, levies, duties, or similar governmental assessments ("Taxes"). You are responsible for all Taxes associated with your subscription. If we are legally required to collect Taxes, we will invoice you for them.

4.4 Refunds

Subscription fees are non-refundable once paid credits have been consumed, except as expressly stated in this Agreement. First-time subscribers may request a full refund within 7 days of initial purchase only if: (1) it is your first subscription with ProteinIQ ever, (2) zero paid credits have been consumed, and (3) a written request is submitted to support@proteiniq.io within that 7-day window. No subscription-fee refunds are provided for renewed or subsequent subscriptions, dissatisfaction with results, user error, algorithm performance, platform outages, or change of mind after using the Service. Credits for jobs that end in Failed or Timeout are refunded automatically. We provide free trial credits specifically to allow evaluation before purchase.

4.5 Chargebacks and Payment Disputes

You agree to contact us at support@proteiniq.io to resolve any billing questions before initiating a chargeback or dispute with your bank or payment provider. Filing a chargeback without first attempting resolution constitutes a breach of this Agreement. If a chargeback is resolved in our favor or determined to be fraudulent or filed in bad faith, you agree to: (a) reimburse us for all fees, costs, and penalties incurred as a result, (b) accept immediate and permanent account termination with no refund of remaining credits or unused subscription time, and (c) acknowledge that we may pursue all available legal remedies to recover amounts owed. We maintain detailed records of account activity and credit usage that we will provide as evidence in any dispute proceeding.

4.6 Failed Payments and Suspension

If payment fails, we may retry charging your payment method, suspend access to Paid Services after 7 days, or terminate your account after 30 days of non-payment. You remain liable for all unpaid Fees. If you believe we have billed you incorrectly, contact us within 60 days of the billing date on which the error appeared.

4.7 Computational Credits and Usage

Paid subscriptions include computational credits consumed when you use our tools. Credits are:

Non-transferable between users or workspaces
Charged at job submission
Refunded automatically if the job ends in Failed or Timeout
Not rolled over between billing periods unless explicitly stated; unused credits expire at the end of each billing cycle
Subject to cost changes at any time with notice to active subscribers

Disputes regarding credit usage must be raised within 7 days of the disputed transaction. Once any credits are consumed from a subscription, that subscription becomes non-refundable except as explicitly stated in Section 4.4.

4.8 Pricing and Service Limit Changes

We reserve the right to change credit pricing for any tool or modify any service limits—including file size limits, input/output restrictions, rate limits, concurrent job limits, and storage quotas—at any time. Some tools may be offered at promotional or beta pricing that may be increased to standard pricing without advance notice. Changes apply immediately upon implementation.

4.9 Discounted Pricing Programs

We may offer discounted pricing for students, academic researchers, or non-profit organizations. By enrolling, you represent that you meet all eligibility requirements and will use the discounted subscription solely for qualifying purposes. We reserve the right to immediately suspend or terminate any account and revoke discounted access without refund if we determine that you have misrepresented your eligibility, are using a discounted subscription for commercial purposes, are sharing credentials with unauthorized users, have previously received the same discount, or are otherwise abusing the program. Eligibility and enforcement decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

5. Term and Termination

5.1 Term

This Agreement becomes effective when you first accept it and remains in effect for as long as you use the Service, including any free tier access.

5.2 Cancellation by You

You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings or by contacting support. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. Termination does not relieve you of any obligations incurred before termination.

5.3 Termination by Us

Either party may terminate this Agreement upon written notice if the other party materially breaches this Agreement and such breach is not cured within 30 days of receipt of notice. We may also suspend or terminate your account immediately—with or without notice—for violations of this Agreement, conduct harmful to the Service or other users, failure to pay applicable Fees, or extended account inactivity (with 30 days' notice). We may also terminate any account for any reason with 30 days' advance notice.

5.4 Effect of Termination

Upon termination:

Your right to access and use the Service ceases immediately
Stored jobs, result files, and workspace content remain available until you delete them or terminate the workspace or account, subject to the backup retention described in Section 9.5; we recommend exporting your data beforehand
You remain liable for all charges incurred prior to termination
Provisions that by their nature should survive—including payment obligations, intellectual property rights, warranty disclaimers, limitation of liability, confidentiality, and dispute resolution—remain in effect

If you terminate because of our uncured material breach, we will refund any prepaid Fees for the remaining portion of the then-current billing period. If we terminate because of your uncured breach, you remain responsible for any unpaid Fees covering the remainder of the then-current billing period.

5.5 Data Export

Before termination, you may export your User Content using available export features. We are not obligated to provide data in any specific format or to maintain data after termination.

6. Warranties and Disclaimers

6.1 Your Warranties

You represent and warrant that: (a) all User Content you submit complies with applicable laws and does not infringe any third-party rights; (b) you have all necessary rights, licenses, and permissions to use and submit your data; and (c) if accepting on behalf of an entity, you have authority to bind that entity to this Agreement.

6.2 Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND. ProteinIQ expressly disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free, or that results will be accurate, reproducible, or suitable for any particular purpose.

6.3 Computational and AI Outputs

The Service uses artificial intelligence, machine learning models, and third-party algorithms. You acknowledge and accept that:

Outputs may be incorrect, incomplete, fabricated, or inconsistent across runs
Results have not been validated for any particular purpose and may have no correlation with experimental reality
Tools may fail silently, producing plausible but incorrect outputs; different runs may produce contradictory results
We make no representations about accuracy, precision, reliability, or scientific validity
We do not develop or independently validate the underlying third-party algorithms
Updates may change results without notice or documentation
You must independently validate all results through appropriate experimental methods before relying on them for any purpose
We expressly disclaim all responsibility for consequences arising from your use of or reliance on computational outputs

Some jurisdictions do not allow the disclaimer of certain warranties. The foregoing disclaimers apply to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.

7. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, PROTEINIQ AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND AFFILIATES WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR: (A) ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES; (B) LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES; (C) DAMAGES ARISING FROM COMPUTATIONAL RESULTS, RESEARCH FAILURES, PUBLICATION ERRORS, RETRACTIONS, GRANT REJECTIONS, EXPERIMENTAL FAILURES, OR PROFESSIONAL OR ACADEMIC CONSEQUENCES; (D) LOSS OR CORRUPTION OF DATA, SYSTEM FAILURES, SECURITY BREACHES, OR SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS; (E) ACTS OR OMISSIONS OF THIRD-PARTY SERVICES OR PROVIDERS; OR (F) ANY AGGREGATE DAMAGES EXCEEDING THE TOTAL FEES PAID BY YOU TO PROTEINIQ IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM, OR $10, WHICHEVER IS GREATER.

These limitations apply regardless of the legal theory under which a claim is brought—whether contract, tort, strict liability, or otherwise—whether or not we have been advised of the possibility of such damages, and even if a remedy fails its essential purpose.

8. Confidentiality

8.1 Definition

Each party (the "Receiving Party") may receive confidential business, technical, or financial information from the other party (the "Disclosing Party") in connection with this Agreement ("Confidential Information"). ProteinIQ's Confidential Information includes non-public information about features, functionality, pricing, and business operations. Your Confidential Information includes your User Content and account information. The terms of this Agreement are Confidential Information of both parties.

Confidential Information does not include information that: (a) is or becomes publicly available without breach of any obligation owed to the Disclosing Party; (b) was known to the Receiving Party before disclosure; (c) is received from a third party without restriction; or (d) is independently developed without reference to the Disclosing Party's Confidential Information.

8.2 Obligations

Each party agrees to: (a) protect the other party's Confidential Information using at least the same degree of care it uses for its own confidential information of similar importance, and in no event less than reasonable care; (b) limit access to those personnel and contractors who need to know and who are bound by equivalent confidentiality obligations; and (c) not use the other party's Confidential Information for any purpose other than fulfilling its obligations under this Agreement.

8.3 Compelled Disclosure

A party may disclose Confidential Information if required by law, provided it gives the other party prompt prior notice (to the extent legally permitted) and reasonable assistance if the other party wishes to contest the disclosure.

8.4 Feedback

If you provide suggestions or feedback regarding the Service ("Feedback"), you assign to ProteinIQ all rights in that Feedback. We may use Feedback without restriction or compensation to you. Feedback does not include your User Content.

9. Data

9.1 Your Ownership

You retain all rights, title, and interest in your User Content. We do not claim ownership of your scientific data or research results.

9.2 License to ProteinIQ

By uploading or submitting User Content, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, process, store, reproduce, and display your User Content solely as necessary to provide the Service to you, operate and improve the Service, ensure security, and comply with legal obligations. This license terminates when you delete your User Content or close your account, except where retention is required by law or legitimate security purposes.

9.3 Service Data

As you interact with the Service, we collect data about performance, usage patterns, and operation of the Service ("Service Data"). Provided that Service Data is aggregated and anonymized such that it does not identify you or your organization, we may use Service Data for any purpose, including to improve and develop the Service. We own all right, title, and interest in and to aggregated Service Data.

9.4 Data Responsibility

You bear full responsibility for all data you upload and process. You must: ensure you have all necessary rights and permissions to use your data; comply with all applicable data protection laws (including GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA where applicable); obtain required institutional and ethical approvals; and maintain independent backups of all important data.

We provide data storage as a convenience only and make no guarantees regarding uninterrupted availability or permanent preservation. You should never rely on the Service as your sole or primary data storage, and you should download and back up all important results immediately upon generation.

9.5 Data Retention

We retain jobs, result files, and stored workspace content until you delete them or terminate the workspace or account, subject to the backup retention described below. Deleted data may remain in encrypted backups for up to 30 days for disaster recovery before permanent purge. We disclaim all liability for data loss, corruption, or unavailability regardless of cause.

If you choose to make your computational results publicly accessible on ProteinIQ, your content will be licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0). Others may view, download, and use your content with attribution. You retain ownership but grant an irrevocable public license. You may un-share or delete content, but copies others have already downloaded remain licensed under CC-BY 4.0. Public sharing is optional; all content is private by default.

9.7 Cookies and Local Storage

By using the Service, you consent to our use of essential cookies for authentication (provided by Clerk), functional cookies for preferences, local storage for job history caching and performance, and privacy-friendly analytics through Vercel Analytics, which does not use cookies or collect personal data. You can manage some of these through your browser settings, though disabling essential cookies may affect Service functionality.

9.8 EU Customers and Data Processing

If you are located in the European Union or processing EU personal data, our Data Processing Agreement (DPA) governs our data processing practices and is incorporated into this Agreement by reference. The DPA includes standard contractual clauses, subprocessor details, data subject rights procedures, and breach notification procedures.

10. Intellectual Property

10.1 Our Rights

The Service, its underlying software, algorithms, documentation, and design are owned by ProteinIQ and protected by intellectual property laws. We retain all rights not expressly granted to you under this Agreement.

10.2 Copyright Infringement Claims

If you believe that content on ProteinIQ infringes your copyright, contact us at legal@proteiniq.io. We respond to valid DMCA notices in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. False claims may result in liability for damages under federal law.

11. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless ProteinIQ and its officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, and affiliates from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: your use or misuse of the Service; your violation of this Agreement or applicable law; your User Content or data you process; any consequences from relying on computational outputs; your negligence or willful misconduct; or any claims by third parties related to your use of the Service. This obligation survives termination of this Agreement.

12. Governing Law and Disputes

Please read this section carefully. It affects your legal rights and determines how disputes are resolved.

12.1 Governing Law

This Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

12.2 Mandatory Arbitration

Except for disputes involving intellectual property rights or injunctive relief, any dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the Service will be resolved through final and binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") under its Commercial Arbitration Rules. Arbitration will be conducted by a single arbitrator in San Francisco, California (or virtually by mutual agreement). Each party bears its own costs and attorneys' fees. The arbitrator's decision is final and binding.

12.3 Class Action Waiver

Disputes will be resolved on an individual basis only. You waive any right to participate in class actions, class arbitrations, or representative proceedings.

12.4 Opt-Out

You may opt out of the arbitration provision by sending written notice to legal@proteiniq.io with the subject line "Arbitration Opt-Out" within 30 days of first accepting this Agreement.

12.5 Jurisdiction for Non-Arbitrable Claims

For disputes not subject to arbitration, you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of federal and state courts located in San Francisco, California.

13. General Terms

13.1 Changes to This Agreement

We may update this Agreement at any time. We will provide at least 30 days' notice of material changes by posting updated terms on our website with a new effective date, sending email notice to your registered address, and displaying a prominent notice in the Service. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Agreement. If you do not agree to the changes, you must stop using the Service. Non-material changes are effective immediately upon posting.

We may also make changes to the Service itself at any time to improve functionality, but we will not materially decrease the core functionality of a Paid plan without reasonable notice.

13.2 Force Majeure

Neither party is liable for delays or failures in performance caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, acts of God, war, terrorism, government actions, third-party hosting or utility failures, or labor disputes not involving the affected party's employees.

13.3 Publicity

With your prior written consent, we may identify you as a customer and display your name and logo in our marketing materials and on our website.

13.4 Relationship of the Parties

The parties are independent contractors. This Agreement does not create a partnership, franchise, joint venture, agency, fiduciary, or employment relationship.

13.5 No Third-Party Beneficiaries

This Agreement is solely for the benefit of the parties. No third party may enforce any of its terms.

13.6 Notices

Notices under this Agreement will be delivered by email or through the Service interface. Notices to ProteinIQ must be sent to legal@proteiniq.io. Notices to you will be sent to your registered email address or displayed within the Service. Email notices are deemed received the business day after sending.

13.7 Waiver

Our failure to enforce any provision of this Agreement does not constitute a waiver of our right to enforce that provision in the future. No waiver is effective unless made in writing by an authorized representative.

13.8 Severability

If any provision of this Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable. The remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

13.9 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer this Agreement without our prior written consent. We may assign this Agreement without restriction in connection with a merger, acquisition, corporate reorganization, or sale of substantially all of our assets. Any purported assignment in violation of this section is void.

13.10 Language

This Agreement is written in English. Any translated versions are provided for convenience only. In case of conflict, the English version prevails.

13.11 Entire Agreement

This Agreement, together with our Privacy Policy, any applicable Data Processing Agreement, and any additional terms for specific features, constitutes the entire agreement between you and ProteinIQ regarding the Service and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements, proposals, or representations, written or oral, concerning its subject matter.

14. Export Control and Compliance

14.1 Export Laws

The Service and related technology may be subject to U.S. export control laws. You agree to comply with all applicable export control laws and regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) maintained by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

14.2 Sanctions

You represent that you are not located in, organized in, or a resident of a country subject to U.S. economic sanctions, and that you are not on any U.S. government list of prohibited or restricted parties. You may not create an account if you are subject to such sanctions.

14.3 Research Compliance

If using the Service for academic or commercial research, you agree to comply with applicable research ethics guidelines, obtain all required institutional approvals (such as IRB or IACUC), follow proper citation practices when publishing results that use our Service, and acknowledge computational limitations in any publications.

15. Contact

For legal questions regarding this Agreement:

Email: legal@proteiniq.io Mailing Address: Available upon written request to legal@proteiniq.io

For general support inquiries, please use our regular support channels at support@proteiniq.io rather than our legal contact.

By using ProteinIQ, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service.