Terms of Service

1) Acceptance of terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of NobleID websites, resolvers, APIs, identity and claims, OAI-PMH, rewards, and the Update-Checker widget (collectively, the "Service"). By using the Service, you agree to these Terms and to the policies referenced here, including our Privacy Policy and Policy Registry. If you are using the Service on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization; in that case "you" includes the organization.

2) What NobleID provides

NobleID issues persistent, human-readable identifiers for digital works with version history and cryptographic provenance (the Work), plus a privacy-respecting people identifier ("NobleID Person") for authorship claims and attestations. Resolver pages present metadata, versions, and citations. Optional features enable Support (tips/licensing) with configurable split distributions and venue-agnostic rewards for reviewers, editors, and staff. Behind the scenes, Knowledge-Proof Receipts record verifiable digests; metadata and receipts are mirrored to decentralized storage with optional public anchoring for auditability.

3) Accounts, eligibility, and verification

You must be able to form a binding contract. Certain features (publisher minting, API keys, organizational tooling, Support/rewards) may require verification, domain control checks, sanctions screening, or additional terms. You are responsible for safeguarding credentials, keys, and tokens, and for actions taken under your account.

4) Content, licenses, and public metadata

You retain rights in your content. You are responsible for the accuracy, legality, permissions, and licensing of submitted metadata and any files or links you provide.

By submitting or linking metadata or files, you grant NobleID a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, cache, mirror metadata, transform formats (e.g., JSON-LD, CSL-JSON, BibTeX, RIS), display resolver pages, and make metadata available for discovery and harvesting. If you upload files for public display, you grant NobleID the additional license needed to store and deliver them under your chosen license.

Resolver pages and structured metadata are public by design. Withdrawn items display a transparent tombstone. We do not place personal data inside public chain anchors or Knowledge-Proof Receipts.

5) Persistence, versioning, and resolver behavior

Each Work has a root identifier that resolves to the latest version by default and permanent version identifiers (.vN) that remain citable. We emit Knowledge-Proof Receipts per version, mirror eligible metadata and receipts for integrity, and may publish daily summary anchors for time-ordering. HTTP semantics, canonicalization, and permanence follow our Resolver & Permanence Policy.

6) Prohibited content and conduct

• Infringe rights, violate laws, or misrepresent authorship or affiliations.
• Upload, link, or distribute malware or content that harms security or availability.
• Publish unlawful, abusive, or deceptive material, or expose sensitive personal data without a lawful basis.
• Bypass or degrade rate limits, security controls, or resolver canonicalization; or build confusing look-alike resolvers.
• Scrape or harvest in a manner that disrupts the Service.

We may remove or restrict content, suspend access, or take other reasonable steps to protect users and the Service.

7) Disputes, takedowns, and withdrawals

Anyone may file a dispute. While under review, a banner is shown on the resolver page. Outcomes may include restore, annotate, withdraw/tombstone, or block, with a short non-identifying audit line. Support/licensing and rewards tied to a disputed Work may be paused and held until resolution. Appeals may be available as described in the Takedown & Disputes policy.

Copyright complaints: email info@nobleid.org with subject "Copyright," including the work claimed infringed, the allegedly infringing material (with ARK), your contact info, and a good-faith statement.

8) Support, licensing & rewards (optional)

Support (tips/licensing) and rewards are optional features. Transactions may be facilitated by third-party providers or public networks. You authorize us and our providers to process Support/licensing and to route declared split distributions to designated recipients. For on-chain flows, we generate fresh or relayed receiving addresses and do not expose base wallets. Network fees may apply and transfers can be irreversible. During disputes, distributions may be held in escrow and released according to the outcome. You are responsible for taxes and compliance applicable to your activities. We may require identity or sanctions screening where legally required and may restrict service in prohibited jurisdictions.

9) Rewards for reviewers, editors, and staff

Venues (journals, publishers, conferences, repositories) may fund and release rewards for accepted contributions (peer review, editorial milestones, production/copy-editing, moderation) without changing editorial workflows. Editors verify completion/acceptance in their own systems. NobleID releases rewards only after a verifiable acceptance signal (e.g., venue-signed assertion or explicit release). Contributors may choose disclosure mode (anonymous, pseudonymous, or named) subject to venue policy. Public records on the Work page show a non-identifying receipt; named claims may display Person and/or ORCID. Disputes pause distributions; outcomes are recorded.

10) API, widgets, and integrations

Use of APIs, SDKs, OAI-PMH, and the Update-Checker widget is subject to technical documentation, headers, rate limits, and these Terms. Do not disable or circumvent access controls, attribution, or canonicalization; do not misuse keys; do not materially degrade the Service. We may modify or discontinue endpoints with reasonable notice.

11) Intellectual property

The Service, software, design, and documentation are protected by intellectual property laws. Except for content you provide and open formats we publish, you may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, lease, or reverse engineer any part of the Service unless allowed by law or we grant written permission. You may use resolver URLs and published metadata for citation and indexing consistent with scholarly norms and applicable licenses.

12) Privacy

Our Privacy Policy explains what we collect and how we use it. By using the Service, you acknowledge our data practices described there.

13) Security and vulnerability disclosure

We employ encryption, access controls, monitoring, backups, and other safeguards. If you discover a vulnerability, report it to info@nobleid.org with steps to reproduce. Good-faith research is welcome; do not access non-public data or disrupt the Service. We will triage, remediate, and communicate as appropriate. Additional details are in the Security Policy.

14) Availability, changes, and beta features

We aim for high availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted operation. Features may change or be discontinued. We may release preview or beta features with additional limitations or terms.

15) Termination

You may stop using the Service at any time. We may suspend or terminate access for violations of these Terms or risk to users or the Service. Public scholarly metadata, Knowledge-Proof Receipts, and tombstones may remain to preserve the scholarly record. Sections intended to survive (licenses granted for already-published metadata, disclaimers, limitations, indemnities) continue after termination.

16) Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available." We make no warranties of accuracy, availability, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. We do not guarantee indexing, citation counts, or third-party acceptance of identifiers. You are responsible for verifying rights and licenses appropriate to your use.

17) Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, NobleID and its affiliates and suppliers are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, revenues, data, or goodwill, arising from or related to your use of the Service. Our total liability for any claim is limited to the greater of (a) amounts you paid to us in the 12 months before the claim or (b) USD 100.

18) Indemnification

You will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless NobleID, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from your content, your use of the Service, or your violation of these Terms or law.

19) Export controls and sanctions

You agree to comply with applicable export control, sanctions, and anti-money-laundering laws. We may restrict access to Support/rewards features, block transactions, or disable accounts where required by law or our compliance obligations.

20) Policy hierarchy and conflicts

If there is a conflict between these Terms and a policy referenced here, these Terms control except where a policy specifically states otherwise. The Privacy Policy controls for data protection matters.

21) Governing law and venue

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Wyoming, excluding its conflict-of-laws rules. You consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state and federal courts located in Wyoming.

22) Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms. When we do, we will update the effective date and post the new Terms. Material changes will also be announced via site notices or email where appropriate. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

23) Contact

Questions about these Terms: info@nobleid.org