Effective Date: Feb. 14, 2025, 12:18 p.m.
BugBox Terms of Use
The following Terms of Use govern all access to and use of the BugBox software platform ("BugBox" or the "Platform") by any user or visitor (“You” or “Your”). BugBox is operated by Ecdysis Foundation (“Ecdysis”, “We”, “Us” or “Our”), an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in the state of South Dakota, United States of America. See https://www.ecdysis.bio/ for more information about Ecdysis Foundation.
The Platform is offered subject to Your acceptance without modification of all of the terms and conditions contained herein and all other operating rules, policies and procedures that may be published from time to time on this Platform by Ecdysis Foundation (collectively, the “Agreement”). Please read this Agreement carefully before accessing or using BugBox. By accessing, using or viewing BugBox, You agree to comply with and be bound by the terms and conditions of this Agreement, as well as any applicable laws and regulations. If You do not agree to all the terms and conditions of this Agreement, You must refrain from using BugBox and any of its content.
1. Acceptable Use and User Responsibilities.
The Intended Use of BugBox is to apply machine-learning algorithms for classification of entomological specimens for ongoing biodiversity experiments. Any access or use of the Platform that is illegal, unlawful, or not in line with this Intended Purpose, as stated above, will be considered a violation of this Agreement. You agree to use Bugbox in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to any local laws, rules and regulations for your country, state or other governmental area, regarding online conduct and acceptable content).
BugBox is not intended for commercial use, and users are prohibited from using BugBox, or any data gleaned from BugBox, for any commercial purpose.
You are responsible for taking precautions to protect Yourself and Your computer systems from viruses, malware and other malicious or harmful content.
You are entirely responsible for any material You contribute to BugBox, and for any harm resulting from Your use of such material. You retain any Intellectual Property rights that apply to any material You contribute to BugBox, provided You own the material prior to contributing it. By contributing material to BugBox, You certify the following:
To access certain features of BugBox, you may need to create an account. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during the registration process and to update such information as necessary. You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account.
2. Prohibited Activities
When using BugBox, you agree not to engage in the following activities:
Violate any applicable laws, regulations, or third-party rights.
Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity.
Use the Platform to distribute harmful, offensive, or illegal content.
Distribute viruses, malware, or other harmful software or code.
Access or attempt to access other users' accounts or data without permission.
Engage in any activity that could damage, disable, or impair the functioning of the Platform or its servers.
3. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability
BugBox is provided "as is," without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including without limitation warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. Ecdysis has not reviewed, and cannot review, all material posted on BugBox, and Ecdysis therefore cannot be responsible for that material’s content, use or effects. Ecdysis does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or availability of uploaded material or any data derived from such material. By operating BugBox, Ecdysis does not represent or imply that it endorses any contributed material, or that it endorses the user or organization who contributed the material. BugBox may contain material that is offensive, indecent or otherwise objectionable, as well as material that contains technical inaccuracies and errors. BugBox may also contain material that violates privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights of third parties. Ecdysis disclaims responsibility for any such material, and for any harm or damages that result from accessing, viewing or using such material by visitors or users. You access or use material or services from BugBox at Your own discretion and risk.
4. Intellectual Property Rights and Data Sharing
Ecdysis respects the intellectual property rights of others, and requires that users of BugBox do the same. If You contribute to BugBox any research data (including but not limited to information related to experimental designs and treatments, precise geographic information, and any other data whose sharing would compromise confidentiality or your ability to publish in a scientific journal), such contribution does not constitute an agreement to share or distribute Your research data publicly. Such data will not be made accessible to the public or to Ecdysis without Your express consent.
We encourage, but do not require, all contributors to publicly share contributed images and basic geographic information (e.g., State and County for localities in the USA) for all specimens for which classification data are verified by human experts, for the purposes of facilitating collaborative research efforts, including but not limited to improving AI algorithms, multi-regional mapping efforts, and citizen science initiatives.
5. Amendments.
Ecdysis reserves the right to amend this Agreement at any time. Your continued use of BugBox after the posting of such amendment is deemed an agreement to be bound by said amendment.
6. Indemnification.
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Ecdysis, our affiliates, licensors and members, and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents from and against any and all claims and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, arising out of Your use of BugBox, including to not limited to Your violation of this Agreement.
BugBox is an open source application. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Ecdysis, our code contributors, contractors, licensors and members, and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents from and against any and all claims and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, arising out of the open-source publication of BugBox’s source code or the acceptance of code contributions from third parties.
7. Termination.
Ecdysis may terminate Your access to BugBox at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice, effective immediately. If You wish to terminate this Agreement or your BugBox account, You may simply discontinue using the Platform and delete Your account.
8. Severability
If any provision of this Agreement is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remainder of the Terms will remain in full force and effect.
9. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of South Dakota. You hereby consent to resolve all disputes concerning or involving this Agreement through binding arbitration in the courts of the State of South Dakota.
10. Contact Information
If you have any questions or concerns about these Terms, please contact us at:
Ecdysis Foundation * Ecdysis Foundation homepage: https://www.ecdysis.bio/ * Contact Us: https://www.ecdysis.bio/contact-us
© Copyright 2025 Ecdysis Foundation.