Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing our website or using our computational biology services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our services.

2. Services Description

Protogen Bio provides:

• AlphaFold2-powered protein structure prediction services
• High-performance computational biology analysis
• AMBER molecular dynamics refinement
• Protein structure visualization and analysis tools
• Batch processing and API access for enterprise customers
• Research support and consulting services

3. Use of Services

3.1 Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and have the legal capacity to enter into contracts. If using our services on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization.

3.2 Account Registration

To access our services, you must:

• Provide accurate and complete registration information
• Maintain the security of your account credentials
• Promptly update your account information when necessary
• Accept responsibility for all activities under your account
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access

3.3 Acceptable Use

You agree to:

• Use our services only for lawful research and commercial purposes
• Comply with all applicable laws and regulations
• Respect intellectual property rights of third parties
• Not attempt to circumvent usage limits or security measures
• Not use our services to develop biological weapons or harmful agents

3.4 Prohibited Uses

You may not:

• Use our services for any illegal or unauthorized purpose
• Attempt to reverse engineer or replicate our computational infrastructure
• Share your account credentials with unauthorized parties
• Overwhelm our systems with excessive requests
• Violate export control regulations or sanctions
• Submit malicious code or attempt to compromise our systems

4. Intellectual Property

4.1 Our Intellectual Property

All content, software, algorithms, and technologies developed by Protogen Bio are protected by intellectual property laws. This includes:

• Our computational infrastructure and optimization methods
• Trademarks, service marks, and trade names
• Website content, documentation, and training materials
• Trade secrets and proprietary workflows
• Custom software and analysis tools

4.2 Your Data and Results

You retain all intellectual property rights to:

• The protein sequences you submit for analysis
• Research data and findings derived from your use of our services
• Publications and patents based on prediction results

However, you grant us a limited license to process your data solely for the purpose of providing our services and improving our algorithms (in aggregated, anonymized form only).

4.3 AlphaFold2 Attribution

Our services utilize AlphaFold2 technology developed by DeepMind. Users should cite appropriate academic references when publishing results. We provide citation guidance in our documentation.

5. Pricing, Payment, and Billing

5.1 Service Tiers

We offer three service tiers:

• Basic Prediction: $49 per job - Standard AlphaFold2 prediction with PDB file delivery
• Standard Prediction: $89 per job - Enhanced prediction with multiple output formats and confidence metrics
• Premium Prediction: $149 per job - Full analysis including AMBER refinement, detailed reports, and priority processing

5.2 Student Discount

Students with verified .edu email addresses receive a 30% discount on all services. Verification is required before discount activation.

5.3 Payment Terms

• All prices are in USD and subject to change with 30 days notice
• Payment is required before job processing begins
• We accept major credit cards via Stripe payment processing
• Failed jobs due to our system errors will be fully refunded
• Jobs cancelled by users after processing has begun are non-refundable

5.4 Processing and Delivery

Jobs are processed on our high-performance GPU clusters with typical turnaround times of 4-6 hours. During high-demand periods, processing may take longer. Premium tier customers receive priority queue access.

6. Data Privacy and Security

6.1 Confidentiality

We treat all submitted sequences and prediction results as confidential information. Your research data is never shared with third parties or used for purposes other than providing our services.

6.2 Data Security

We implement enterprise-grade security measures:

• End-to-end encryption for data transmission
• Encrypted storage of sequences and results
• SOC 2 compliant data centers in Florida, USA
• Regular security audits and penetration testing
• Access controls and authentication protocols

6.3 Data Retention

Prediction results are stored for 90 days after job completion, after which they are permanently deleted unless you download them. You may request early deletion at any time. Input sequences are deleted immediately after processing.

7. Service Availability and Performance

7.1 Uptime Commitment

We strive to maintain 99.9% uptime for our computational services. Scheduled maintenance will be announced at least 48 hours in advance when possible.

7.2 Accuracy and Reliability

While our AlphaFold2 predictions achieve exceptional accuracy rates, computational predictions are models and may not perfectly represent actual protein structures. Results should be validated through experimental methods when possible.

8. Warranties and Disclaimers

8.1 Limited Warranty

We warrant that our services will perform substantially as described in our documentation when used properly. If services materially fail to meet specifications, we will re-run the job at no charge or provide a full refund.

8.2 Disclaimers

OUR SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

• Merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose
• Non-infringement of third-party rights
• Completeness or accuracy of predictions for specific applications
• Uninterrupted or error-free operation
• Suitability for clinical or diagnostic use

9. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, PROTOGEN BIO SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR:

• Indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages
• Loss of profits, data, research time, or business opportunities
• Damages exceeding the amount paid for the specific service
• Any damages arising from reliance on prediction results without experimental validation
• Delays in processing due to system maintenance or high demand

These limitations apply regardless of the theory of liability and even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some jurisdictions do not allow limitation of liability, so these limitations may not apply to you.

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Protogen Bio, its officers, directors, employees, and partners from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including attorney's fees) arising from:

• Your use or misuse of our services
• Violation of these Terms or applicable laws
• Infringement of third-party intellectual property rights
• Unauthorized disclosure of confidential information
• Any research conducted using our prediction results

11. Export Controls and Compliance

Our computational biology services may be subject to U.S. export control laws and regulations. By using our services, you represent and warrant that:

• You are not located in a country subject to U.S. government embargo
• You are not on any U.S. government list of prohibited parties
• You will comply with all applicable export control regulations
• You will not use our services for prohibited end uses

12. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your access to our services immediately, without prior notice, for:

• Breach of these Terms
• Violation of acceptable use policies
• Suspected fraudulent or illegal activity
• Non-payment of fees
• At our sole discretion for any reason

Upon termination, you must immediately cease using our services. Any pending jobs will be completed, but new job submissions will be rejected. Refunds for prepaid services may be issued at our discretion.

13. Governing Law and Disputes

13.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, USA, without regard to conflict of law principles.

13.2 Dispute Resolution

Any disputes shall be resolved through binding arbitration in Florida under the rules of the American Arbitration Association, except for claims seeking injunctive relief for intellectual property violations, which may be brought in state or federal court in Florida.

13.3 Class Action Waiver

You agree to resolve disputes on an individual basis only and waive any right to participate in class action lawsuits or class-wide arbitration.

14. General Provisions

14.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Protogen Bio regarding the use of our services.

14.2 Severability

If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

14.3 Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision shall not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

14.4 Assignment

You may not assign these Terms without our written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations without restriction.

14.5 Force Majeure

We shall not be liable for any failure to perform due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, network failures, or government actions.

15. Updates to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be notified through our website or email at least 30 days before taking effect. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms. If you disagree with changes, you must discontinue use of our services.

16. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms or our services: