Center for Open Science, Inc. (referred to as "COS", "OSF", "us" "our" and "we") is a nonprofit culture change organization that aims to align scholarly practices with scholarly values. It does so by developing and advancing a systems strategy for changing culture and behavior toward greater rigor, transparency, and sharing of research process, outputs, and outcomes. COS fosters an open and interactive community among open source developers, open science researchers, and the broader scientific community through our in-person and virtual events; runs programs, certifications, and fellowships with communities and related affiliates; conducts research on scientific practices and provides grants for relevant projects; and improves the research workflow by connecting technologies that researchers use through our development and maintenance of OSF.
Our mission is to increase the openness, integrity, and reproducibility of scientific research and scholarly communication by creating and operating an open source infrastructure (referred to as "OSF") to support the entire research lifecycle from planning, collaborating, conducting, reporting, publishing, archiving and discovery. These Terms of Use apply to contributors of content to, and users of, our Websites and Services (defined below). COS operates certain websites at cos.io (or centerforopenscience.org) and osf.io (or openscienceframework.org) and other URLs operated and maintained by COS ("Websites") which provide functionality ("Services") to our users.
These Terms of Use describe the conditions under which the COS allows the public to use the Websites and Services. The related Privacy Policy is a notice to our users about how we manage your data.
In order to use the Websites and Services made available on the sites, whether by accessing our Websites directly or by using a public application programming interface ("Public API") to access our Websites and Services, you must first agree to these Terms of Use. You may not use the Websites or Services if you do not accept these terms. You can accept these terms by clicking to accept or agree to these terms where we have provided you with clickable electronic assent option or by actually using the services offered at the Websites. You may not use the Websites or Services if you do not accept these terms. By using the Website and Services, you further represent that you have all necessary authority and consents to post any content to upload to the Websites or use in conjunction with the Services.
We may modify these Terms of Use from time to time by posting a revised version on our Websites and/or Services. Your continued use of the Websites or Services after the posting of such new Terms of Use means that you agree to the posted changes. If you do not agree to the changes, you should discontinue use of the Websites and Services. If there is a conflict between these Terms of Use and the updated and/or additional Terms of Use, the updated and/or Terms of Use will control.
If you have questions about our Websites and Services, please contact us by email at contact@cos.io.
In this document, we use "you" to refer to researchers and other users of the Websites and Services, including OSF. We also use the following defined terms:
Project. A "Project" is used on OSF to describe an individual or collaborative enterprise that also may have embedded within its subproject(s) or "Project components" or "component(s)" of the Project.
Preprint. A “Preprint” is used on OSF to describe a publicly shared document and associated metadata. Preprints cannot be deleted, but can be withdrawn, leaving behind metadata about the resource.
Registration. A “Registration” is used on OSF to describe a public, timestamped Object, which is referenced by a DOI and descriptive metadata. Registrations cannot be deleted, but can be withdrawn, leaving behind basic metadata about the resource.
Content. As used in these Terms of Use, "content" means, but is not limited to, any research, data, text, images, software and software code, data sets, information, or other materials. Content can be shared on OSF, in a COS blog post, through interacting in a COS-hosted webinar or workshop, etc.
Collection. A “Collection” is a group of content hosted on OSF. Examples include OSF Preprints, OSF Registries, OSF Meetings, and branded community-organized services utilizing OSF infrastructure.
Users. All Users must accept the COS Terms of Use. A user is a registered account owner on OSF, anyone visiting OSF, and users and visitors of COS Websites and Services. For example, an attendee of a COS-hosted webinar is a user of the COS webinar service.
Administrator. An administrator is used on OSF to describe a role and permission level for a user account on a Project or a component is an individual who has full rights to control all aspects of a Project, Preprint, or Registration. An Administrator may create a Project, components of a Project, or Preprint, create and change contributor permissions, identify the legal terms that govern the ownership of the intellectual property in Content deposited into a Project, a Project component, or Preprint or identify the license restrictions governing the use of the intellectual property incorporated into the Project, Project component, or Preprint, control and modify access and privacy settings for the Project and its components, modify license terms for the use of Content, invite other users to contribute to a Project, component of a project, or Preprint, authorize add-ons, namely, software designed to increase the capability of OSF, remove Projects or Project Components from the Websites and Services, create Registrations (i.e. freeze and uniquely identify) of Projects or Project components, submit content to a third party for review or moderation, and register DOIs (share persistent metadata with a third party).
Proxy. A Proxy is a person to whom the Administrator has granted the authority to manage a Project or Project component on his or her behalf, which may include setting and modifying user access, privacy settings, license terms, and editing and depositing Content.
Contributing User. A Contributing User is used on OSF to describe a user who may access, deposit, and edit Content to a Project, Project component, or Preprint.
Active User. An Active User may have interactive use of the Websites and Services, subject to restrictions imposed by the Administrator.
Passive User. A passive user, including journal editors/reviewers, other scientists, and members of the general public, may use the Websites and Services solely as an information resource without any ability to change or modify any Project content. Passive Users are bound to these Terms of Use.
Collection Administrator. A Collection Administrator is an individual who determines content requirements and moderation settings for a Collection and assigns Reviewers.
Moderator. A moderator may use the Website and Services to review content submitted to a Collection, provide comment on it, accept or reject its submission to the Collection, and update its metadata as it relates to the Collection.
Public API. An application program interface is available to the public to facilitate computer communication with the OSF. Parts or all of the Websites and Services are accessible via various Public APIs, including but not limited to, GitHub, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google Scholar and Google Groups, and LinkedIn.
Account Creation. Register a user account on the OSF, creation of a user account which maintains a public profile on OSF
OSFI/Institutional Administrator. An active user, designated by an OSF Institutional member, who can access an insights dashboard for their institution, as well as request access to affiliated content in order to assist with metadata comprehensiveness. Administrators adhere to both the service agreement between COS and the Administrator's business, organization, or institution and to the COS's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Affiliated User. An active user who has a verified affiliation with an OSF Institutional member.
Affiliated Content. A project, registration, or preprint with a contributor that is an affiliated user, and has chosen to include their affiliation on this content. The user maintains ownership of this content, and can grant further rights by applying a license to it.
The Websites and Services, including OSF, contain technology that is owned by the COS or third-party licensors. The OSF software available on an open-source basis under the Apache 2.0 license. Your use of the OSF Software is subject to the terms of such license. In addition, the COS grants you a license to use any Content marked "public," subject to patent, copyright and trademark law and these Terms of Use, including the limits described in the section governing Limitations on Use below. By "use" we mean sublicense, reproduce, store, transmit, distribute, and publicly display the Content for non-commercial and commercial uses. If a Project contains links to full-text articles or other content (“Content”), this license does not extend to the linked Content. You may download and modify Content, but only in a manner consistent with copyright law and that does not make the data false or misleading. Additional restrictions may apply with respect to specific Content, and are detailed in our service-specific content guidelines.
The COS supports open access to information in the research community. The COS shares with the public free of charge any data marked as Public through its Websites and Services for viewing and use unless otherwise noted. If you deposit Content into OSF, you still own the Content, but you grant the COS and its authorized users a license to use it. Specifically, by depositing any Content (including data and links, but not the linked content) in an OSF account, you grant the COS a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, reproduce, transmit, distribute, publicly perform, and publicly display such Content, subject to the Privacy Settings the Administrator or Proxy selects. You grant its users a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, publicly display, and publicly perform such Content, subject to the Privacy Settings the Administrator or Proxy selects. This limited license continues even after you stop using the COS database. If you or the Administrator previously made Content publicly available through the Websites and Services, there is no way to stop the public from continuing to use that Content. You may grant further rights if you apply a license. If you contribute software code designed to modify and enhance the OSF, the underlying technology platform upon which all Projects, Registrations, and Preprints are stored, you continue to own the code, but you grant the COS and its authorized users a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to sublicense, reproduce, store, modify, transmit, distribute, publicly perform, and publicly display the code, subject to the terms of the open-source license the COS designates.
Our Privacy Settings for Content are summarized below.
Public. Content marked as "Public" will be available to the public for viewing and commercial and non-commercial use under the terms of the license identified by the Administrator.
Private. Content marked as "Private" may be viewed through the OSF or Public API only by the Administrator(s), a Contributing User of that Project or Component, anyone with a view-only link created by an Administrator, or any designated Proxy. Private data are not shared with the public, Trusted Parties, or other members of the COS. Only the COS employees and our authorized agents' or contractors' staff with a need to access to manage the Websites and Services and process Data for the COS are granted access rights to view such Data.
Embargoed. Content marked as “Embargoed” may be viewed through the OSF or Public API only by the Administrator(s), a Contributing User of that Project or Component, anyone with a view-only link created by an Administrator, or any designated Proxy, until the Embargo date has passed, at which time the content will be made Public automatically.
Limited Access. Content marked as "Limited Access" may be viewed through our Websites and Services by the Project Administrator, a Proxy, a Contributing User, an Active or Passive User, and a Trusted Party, subject to the restrictions imposed by the Administrator.
Under Review. Content submitted to Services using OSF Reviews may be “Private,” yet available to designated Reviewers of the service for viewing and accepting or rejecting.
If you are an Active User, you may not misrepresent your identity or organizational affiliations in any manner; must ensure that all data you deposit is true and correct at the time of deposit, and if you later discover that any data was not true and correct at the time of deposit, you must correct the data; ensure that the license you grant to the COS and the public to any content, data, texts, blogs, software code, data sets, links or other materials, or other content you deposit, does not infringe on the copyright or other rights of a third party; and that you will update and maintain the accuracy of your contact information. Your violation of any of these representations and warranties may result in the suspension of your right to use the Website or Services, as well as other remedies available to COS.
To ensure the transparency of the COS and as a feature of the OSF, we may, but are not required to, keep an audit trail log when and by whom Project data or information has been deposited or changed and any changes to a Project's privacy settings. While the COS requires all data deposited be accurate, the COS takes no responsibility for the accuracy of the data on the Websites or the Services. Each party agrees to hold the other party and its representatives and agents, and directors, officers and employees harmless regarding any disputes regarding data deposits and privacy settings and any claims, regardless of theory of law, arising from such disputes.
The COS operates open services developed by and for the research community. We encourage you to consider community norms and expectations in your use of the Websites and Services.
You may not use the Websites or Services to violate any applicable local, state, national, or international law, including without limitation any applicable laws relating to antitrust or other illegal trade or business practices, federal and state securities laws, regulations promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, any rules of any national or other securities exchange, and any U.S. laws, rules, and regulations governing the export and re-export of commodities or technical data. You may not upload or transmit any data, content, or material that infringes or misappropriates any person's copyright, patent, trademark, or trade secret, or disclose via the Websites or Services any information the disclosure of which would constitute a violation of any confidentiality obligation on your part. You may not upload any viruses, worms, Trojan horses, or other forms of harmful computer code, nor subject the COS's networks or servers to unreasonable traffic loads, or otherwise engage in conduct deemed disruptive to the ordinary operation of the COS's Websites and Services. You're strictly prohibited from communicating on or through this site any unlawful, harmful, offensive, threatening, abusive, libelous, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, profane, hateful, fraudulent, sexually explicit, racially, ethnically, or otherwise objectionable material of any sort, including, but not limited to, any material that encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any applicable local, state, national, or international law. You are further prohibited from harvesting addresses, email addresses, or other personal data for commercial purposes and from sending unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, or other unsolicited communications to other users of the Websites or Services. You may not use the Websites or Services in a way that harms the COS or the COS's members, affiliates or vendors, or other users. You may not deposit, edit, modify, or otherwise use any data in a manner that makes it false, incomplete or misleading, except to anonymize or protect identifying information as required by ethical or legal prescriptions for sharing data. You may not manipulate identifiers to disguise the origin of any data. You may not use COS or the COS marks in any way to suggest an affiliation with or endorsement by the COS of any individual, organization, product, service, or research.
You acknowledge that your unauthorized use or misuse of the Websites and Services could cause the COS irreparable harm. Any unauthorized use of the Websites or Services or other breach of these Terms of Use shall automatically terminate the license granted to you by the COS subject to an appeals process. In addition, the COS reserves the right, but is not obligated to, investigate any potential violations of its Terms of Use and/or any behavior that is potentially unlawful, and such investigations may involve cooperation with law enforcement authorities.
The COS makes commercially reasonable efforts to maintain and provide access to its Websites and Services and will endeavor to provide you with advance warning of restrictions to access due to routine website maintenance. The COS, at its sole discretion, however, reserves the right at any time and from time to time to modify, suspend, discontinue, or terminate the Websites or Services or portions thereof with or without notice. You agree that we will not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension, discontinuation, or termination of the Websites or Services. While the COS will endeavor to continue to host all Projects, as a non-profit entity, it cannot guarantee that it will have the resources to do so over time, and it reserves the right to designate a substitute host of its choosing for Project content if the COS does not have the financial means to do so itself in the future.
The COS is not responsible for screening or reviewing content submitted to the Websites or Services. The COS may temporarily or permanently remove any content on the Websites or Services at any time where the COS, in its sole discretion believes the content is in violation of these Terms of Use or where the COS is acting in compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. You are advised not to use the Websites or Services as the exclusive storage repository for your data and content. The COS recommends that you separately store all data and content submitted to the Websites and Services on other secure servers or with reputable third-party hosting services.
The COS uses commercially reasonable, industry-standard measures to protect the security of the COS's Websites and Services. Despite these measures, we cannot guarantee that unauthorized persons will not be able to defeat our security measures. Your access to some of our Websites and Services and content may be password-protected. To maintain the security of your information (or another user's personal information that you are authorized to manage as an Administrator), you must keep your username(s) and password(s) strictly confidential and not disclose them to anyone. You will be solely responsible for any action, activities, and access to our Websites and Services that are taken using your username and password and that occurred before you notified us of their loss. If you become aware of any security breach of your password or of the security of the Websites or Services, you must contact COS as soon as possible.
The Websites and Services may contain links or allow you to make use of Add-ons that connect to sites owned or operated by independent third parties. These links are provided for your convenience and reference only. The COS's Terms of Use does not apply to those sites. We do not control such sites and, therefore, we are not responsible for any content posted on these sites or their privacy policies. The fact that the COS offers such links should not be construed in any way as an endorsement, authorization, or sponsorship of that site, its content or the companies or products or services referenced therein, and the COS reserves the right to note its lack of affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement of these sites. If you decide to access any of the third-party sites linked to the COS's Websites or Services, you do this entirely at your own risk. Because some sites employ automated search results or otherwise link you to sites containing information that may be deemed inappropriate or offensive, the COS cannot be held responsible for the accuracy, copyright compliance, legality, or decency of material contained in third-party sites or any results that may be obtained from using them. You hereby irrevocably waive any claim against us with respect to such sites.
The following terms apply to affiliated users who sign into or register for an account on the OSF by using Single Sign-On (SSO) authentication and their credentials associated with an OSF Institutional member. These terms in no way counter or replace any other terms in the COS Terms of Use.
Single Sign-On (SSO). Refers to an authentication process that allows users to access multiple applications with one set of login credentials.
SSO Integration. When accessing the OSF through SSO, users will be authenticated by their institution's identity provider (IdP). Your institution's IdP is responsible for managing user credentials and authentication.
Institutional Credentials. Users must use their institutional credentials for SSO access. OSF does not manage or store institutional login credentials; these are handled exclusively by your institution’s IdP.
User Access. Access to the OSF through SSO is contingent upon the validity of the user’s credentials as verified by the institution’s IdP. If access is denied or suspended by the institution, the user may access the OSF via another login method. No user data is lost or locked due to losing access to their institutional credentials.
Data Transmission. The OSF does not receive or store your institution’s authentication credentials. We only receive and process the user’s identity information as provided by the IdP.
Data Security. While the OSF strives to ensure the security of transmitted data, the security of your credentials and the IdP's authentication processes are the responsibility of your institution.
Data Visibility. Your content maintains the same access and permission options as described in the COS Terms of Use, Section 6 “Privacy Settings Restricting Access to Content”. Administrators from your institution will see your affiliated public content in an insights dashboard, as well as the existence of and storage location of your private content in the aggregate. They will also see the email address associated with your SSO credentials. Some institutions will also share your department, which is only visible to institutional administrators.
Institutional Access Request. An administrator from your institution may contact you through OSF and may request permission to be added as a contributor on your content. You will be notified of the request by the OSF via email, and requests are visible on your content contributor page. Institutional administrators cannot make any modifications to your content without your express approval of these requests.
Institutional Responsibilities. Your institution is responsible for managing user accounts on their IdP. Any issues related to institutional credentials should be addressed directly with the institution.
Service Responsibilities. The OSF will ensure that any data transmitted through SSO is handled in accordance with our Terms of Use, as well as the SSO Addendum. User Responsibilities. Users must comply with both their institution's policies and the COS Terms of Use. Unauthorized access or use of the OSF is prohibited. You should refer to your institution for any relevant policies that they maintain.
Access via SSO Termination. If your institution’s agreement with COS is terminated, or if your institutional access rights are revoked, access to the Websites and/or Services via your institutional sign in will also be terminated. Your account access and your data are not affected.
Account Closure. Users should contact their institution’s IT department to address any issues related to institutional credentials closure or access rights. Closing the OSF account will have no effect on the user’s institutional credentials.
Modifications. COS reserves the right to modify SSO integrations and workflows at any time. Any changes will be communicated to users, and continued use of the OSF constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.
Inquiries. For questions or issues regarding SSO access, please contact support@osf.io. Institutional administrators that have questions or requests should inquire at institutions@cos.io
To the extent authorized by law, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless COS, its employees, directors, officers, affiliated companies, agents, vendors, or suppliers from and against any and all claims, damages, costs, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, that are incurred in connection with any third-party claim arising from or related to your use or misuse of the Websites and Services, including, without limitation, your use of any Public API or third-party products accessing the Websites or Services via a Public API, your violation of these Terms of Use, or your infringement or that of any other user of your account, of any intellectual property right or other right of any person or entity. In turn, COS indemnifies you for any claims purporting to arise from allegations that the OSF Software (but not Content uploaded to it) infringes the patent or copyrights of a third party.
These Terms of Use are effective until terminated by either party. If you no longer agree to be bound by these Terms, you must cease use of the Websites and Services. If you're dissatisfied with the Websites, their content, our Services or any of these terms, conditions, and policies, your sole legal remedy is to discontinue using the Websites and Services. The COS reserves the right to terminate or suspend your access to and use of the Websites and Services, or parts of the Websites and Services, without notice, if we believe, in our sole discretion, that such use is (i) in violation of any applicable law; (ii) is harmful to our interests or the interests, including intellectual property or other rights, of another person or entity; or (iii) where the COS has reason to believe that you are in violation of these Terms of Use. Termination for any reason shall not terminate any of your warranties or any of your indemnification and other obligations under these Terms of Use, or any licenses that you have or other rights that you may have granted in connection with any of your contributions.
NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION HEREIN TO THE CONTRARY TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE BY APPLICABLE LAW: (1) THE WEBSITES AND SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS, AND (2) THE COS DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. THE COS MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTY THAT THE WEBSITES OR SERVICES WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, OR THAT YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITES OR SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR FREE; NOR DOES THE COS MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY AS TO THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE WEBSITES OR SERVICES. THE COS MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE OPERATION OF THE WEBSITES OR SERVICES OR THE INFORMATION, CONTENT, DATA, MATERIALS, OR PRODUCTS DISPLAYED ON THE WEBSITES OR THE SERVICES.
NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION HEREIN TO THE CONTRARY AND TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE BY APPLICABLE LAW: IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COS OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATED COMPANIES, EMPLOYEES, DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, AGENTS, VENDORS, OR SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF INFORMATION) ARISING OUT OF THE USE, MISUSE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE WEBSITES OR SERVICES, EVEN IF THE COS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THIS DISCLAIMER CONSTITUTES AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THESE TERMS. BECAUSE SOME JURISDICTIONS PROHIBIT THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT ANY DATA, CONTENT, OR SOFTWARE DOWNLOADED OR OTHERWISE OBTAINED THROUGH THE USE OF THE WEBSITES, SERVICES, OR APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACES OR ANY THIRD-PARTY PRODUCT ACCESSING THE WEBSITES AND SERVICES IS AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK AND THAT YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM(S) OR LOSS OF DATA OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION THAT RESULTS FROM THE DOWNLOAD OF DATA, CONTENT, OR SERVICES. THE COS SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE CAUSED, OR ALLEGED TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, BY THE INFORMATION OR IDEAS OR RESEARCH CONTAINED, SUGGESTED OR REFERENCED IN OR APPEARING ON THE WEBSITES. YOUR USE AND PARTICIPATION IN THE WEBSITES AND SERVICES IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM THE COS OR THROUGH THE COS, ITS EMPLOYEES, OR THIRD PARTIES SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY MADE HEREIN. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE, BY YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITES AND SERVICES, THAT YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITES AND SERVICES IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK.
NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION HEREIN TO THE CONTRARY AND TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE BY APPLICABLE LAW: UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES AND UNDER NO LEGAL OR EQUITABLE THEORY, WHETHER IN TORT, CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE, SHALL THE COS OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATED COMPANIES, EMPLOYEES, DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, AGENTS, VENDORS, OR SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE TO YOU OR TO ANY OTHER PERSON FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSSES OR DAMAGES OF ANY NATURE ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE WEBSITES OR SERVICES OR FOR ANY BREACH OF SECURITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE TRANSMISSION OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION THROUGH THE WEBSITES OR SERVICES OR FOR ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITES OR SERVICES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOST PROFITS, LOSS OF GOODWILL, LOSS OR CORRUPTION OF DATA, WORK STOPPAGE, ACCURACY OF RESULTS, OR COMPUTER FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION, EVEN IF AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF OR SHOULD HAVE KNOWN OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
THE COS'S TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY FOR ANY AND ALL CLAIMS IN CONNECTION WITH THE WEBSITE OR THE SERVICES WILL NOT EXCEED ONE THOUSAND U.S. DOLLARS ($1,000.00). YOU AGREE AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE FOREGOING LIMITATIONS ON LIABILITY ARE AN ESSENTIAL BASIS OF THE BARGAIN AND THAT THE COS WOULD NOT PROVIDE THE WEBSITES OR SERVICES ABSENT SUCH LIMITATION.
If you download code or software tools (the "Software") from the Websites or Services, the use of the Software is subject to the license terms in the Software License Agreement that accompanies or is provided with the Software. If a Software License Agreement does not accompany or is not provided with the Software and/or the Software is sample or beta code or is provided for evaluation purposes, then you must contact the Project Administrator for the applicable Software License Agreement. You may not download or install the Software until you have read and accepted the terms of the applicable Software License Agreement.
Center for Open Science, COS, Open Science Framework, OSF, OSF Preprints, OSF Registries, OSF Meetings, OSF Institutions, OSF Reviews, OSF Collections, Thesis Commons, and their associated logos (collectively, "COS Marks") are trademarks or service marks of the COS and/or its licensors and may not be copied, imitated, or used, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of the COS or the applicable trademark holder. The right to use any COS Mark can only be obtained via a separate trademark license agreement with the COS and your compliance with any applicable COS Mark usage guidelines. You may not use any metatags or any other "hidden text" utilizing any of COS Marks without our prior written permission, nor may you purchase any COS Marks as advertising keywords. All other trademarks, registered trademarks, product names and company names or logos mentioned on the Websites and Services are the property of their respective owners. Reference to any product vendors, service providers, laboratories, auditors, products, services, processes, or other information, whether by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, supplier or otherwise, does not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation thereof.
Users may not assign or otherwise transfer the rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the COS, which assignment will not be unreasonably refused. Any purported transfer without the COS's written authorization shall be void. The COS reserves the right to transfer all of its rights and obligations under these Terms of Use, including ownership and/or operation of the COS to another non-profit entity continuing the COS's purpose, in the event of a merger, joint venture, dissolution, or other organizational change. In no event shall the COS's merger with or assignment of rights and obligations to a successor entity that carries on the COS's purpose constitute a material breach or cessation of operations under these Terms.
In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 USC § 512), any notifications of claimed copyright infringement must be sent to our Designated Agent:
Nici Pfeiffer, Chief Product Officer, Center for Open Science P.O. Box 5, Earlysville, Virginia 22936 or sent via e-mail to copyright@cos.io
The COS is based in the United States. The COS makes no claims that the data or content on its Websites or Services is appropriate or may be downloaded outside of the United States. Access to the Websites and Services may not be legal by certain persons or in certain countries. If you access the Websites from outside the United States, you do so at your own risk and are responsible for compliance with the laws of your jurisdiction. These Terms are governed in all respects by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, excluding that state's conflicts of laws provisions. Any action or proceeding arising out of or related to these Terms or your use of the Websites or Services must be brought in the state or federal courts of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and you consent to the exclusive personal jurisdiction and venue of such courts. Any cause of action you may have with respect to your use of the Websites or Services must be commenced within one (1) year after the claim or cause of action arises. Without limiting the foregoing provision, the parties agree that the Virginia Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act, Virginia Code §§ 59.1-501.1 et seq ("UCITA"), is expressly excluded from these Terms and that any and all terms contained in UCITA will have no force and effect on any portion of these Terms, the Websites, or the Services. The provisions of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods will not apply to these Terms, and you expressly waive all rights of application or appeal, if any, to non-U.S. courts in connection with any question of law. A party may give notice to the other party only in writing at that party's principal place of business, attention of that party's principal legal officer, or at such other address or by such other method as the party shall specify in writing. Notice shall be deemed given upon personal delivery or facsimile with proof of receipt of transmission, or, if sent by certified mail with postage prepaid, five business days after the date of mailing, or, if sent by international overnight courier with postage prepaid, seven business days after the date of mailing. If any provision herein is held to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force without being affected in any way. Further, the parties agree to replace such unenforceable provision with an enforceable provision that most closely approximates the intent and economic effect of the unenforceable provision. Section headings are for reference purposes only and do not define, limit, construe, or describe the scope or extent of such section. The failure of the COS to act with respect to a breach of these Terms by you or others does not constitute a waiver and shall not limit the COS's rights with respect to such breach or any subsequent breaches. These Terms set forth the entire understanding and agreement of the parties, and supersede any and all oral or written agreements or understandings between the parties, as to their subject matter.
If you are a resident of or are located in the European Union or European Economic Area (“EEA”), you may also have certain rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). Personal information (“Personal Data”) you provide is only collected with your consent, and is subject to the terms of the COS Privacy Policy, which may be found here.
Contact COS at support@osf.io, if you have concerns regarding your Personal Data, or wish to exercise any of your rights under the GDPR.
All rights not explicitly granted herein are reserved.
If you have questions or comments concerning these Terms of Use, you may email us at contact@cos.io. Support is provided in English only.
These Terms of Use were last updated on January 10, 2025.