Terms & Conditions

Effective Date: February 1, 2026
 

These Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Verida Charter Foundation website(s), portals, documentation, specifications, repositories, APIs/SDK downloads, and related services (collectively, the “Site” and “Services”). The Services are operated by Verida Charter Foundation (“Foundation,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).

By accessing or using the Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Services.

1) Who We Are 

The Foundation is a neutral governance and standards organization focused on developing, maintaining, and promoting interoperable methods, specifications, and related materials for trusted data infrastructure (“Foundation Materials”). The Foundation is not a law firm, regulator, insurer, broker, claims administrator, financial institution, or fiduciary for any user.

The Foundation may also publish guidance, reference implementations, or compliance-oriented artifacts. Unless expressly stated, these are informational and do not constitute legal, regulatory, underwriting, claims, accounting, or professional advice.

2) Definitions

For clarity:

• “Foundation Materials” means any content we provide, including specifications, schemas, documentation, reference code, design patterns, governance documents, policy papers, templates, marks, logos, and training content.

• “Content” means any text, images, video, code, data, or other material appearing in or made available through the Services.

• “User Content” means any content you submit, upload, post, share, or otherwise provide through the Services.

• “Marks” means our trademarks, service marks, names, logos, certification marks, and other brand identifiers.

• “Member” means any entity or person accepted into a Foundation membership category (if applicable).

• “Open Source” means software or code released under an OSI-approved or Foundation-approved license as identified in the relevant repository or distribution.

3) Eligibility and Authority

You may use the Services only if you can form a binding agreement with the Foundation and you are not barred from using the Services under applicable law. If you use the Services on behalf of an entity, you represent that you have authority to bind that entity to these Terms.

4) Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The “Last Updated” date will change when we do. Your continued use of the Services after an update means you accept the updated Terms.

5) Privacy

Your use of the Services is also governed by our Privacy Policy and any posted cookie notices. If there is a conflict between these Terms and the Privacy Policy regarding personal data, the Privacy Policy controls.

6) Accounts, Security, and Access

Some areas of the Services may require an account.

You agree to:

• provide accurate information,

• maintain the confidentiality of your credentials,

• promptly notify us of unauthorized access,

• be responsible for activity under your account.

We may suspend or terminate accounts for security reasons, suspected misuse, or violations of these Terms.

7) Memberships, Events, Fees, and Donations

7.1 Membership

If the Foundation offers membership tiers, membership is subject to:

• eligibility requirements,

• application/approval (at our discretion),

• payment of dues (if any),

• compliance with membership policies and codes of conduct.

Membership benefits are not guaranteed and may change.

7.2 Fees

Where dues, event fees, or other charges apply, you agree to pay all amounts and applicable taxes. Unless required by law or expressly stated in writing, fees are non-refundable.

7.3 Donations

Donations are voluntary. Unless required by law or expressly stated otherwise, donations are non-refundable.

7.4 Third-Party Payments

Payments may be processed by third-party processors; their terms and privacy practices apply. We are not responsible for processor outages or errors.

8) Intellectual Property and License to Use the Services

8.1 Our IP

The Services and Foundation Materials are owned by or licensed to the Foundation and are protected by intellectual property laws.

Except as expressly permitted, you may not:

• copy, modify, distribute, sell, lease, reverse engineer, or create derivative works from the Services or Foundation Materials.

8.2 Limited Permission

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Services for lawful purposes and in compliance with these Terms.

8.3 Open Source and Separate Licenses

Some code or materials may be licensed under separate open-source or content licenses (e.g., Apache-2.0, MIT, CC BY). Where a separate license applies, that license governs your use of that specific material.

If there is a conflict between these Terms and an applicable open-source/content license for specific materials, the license controls for that material.

9) Use of Specifications, APIs/SDKs, and Documentation

9.1 No Warranty of Compliance or Fitness

Foundation Materials may describe methods intended to support interoperability and verification workflows. You remain solely responsible for:

• determining fitness for your use case,

• legal/regulatory compliance,

• security controls and risk management,

• implementation quality and outcomes.

9.2 No Guarantee of Acceptance or Market Recognition

Use of Foundation Materials does not guarantee that any counterparty, regulator, market participant, customer, insurer, or platform will accept or rely on your implementation.

9.3 API/SDK Availability and Changes

If the Foundation provides APIs/SDKs or developer resources:

• we may change, deprecate, throttle, or discontinue them at any time,

• we may set usage limits and require keys,

• you must not attempt to bypass restrictions or access controls.

10) Certification, Conformance, and Marks

10.1 No Implied Certification

Unless you have an explicit, written agreement with the Foundation granting certification/conformance status, you may not claim or imply that:

• you are “certified,” “approved,” “endorsed,” “validated,” or “official” by the Foundation, or

• your product is compliant with Foundation standards.

10.2 Use of Marks

You may not use the Foundation’s Marks without prior written permission, except as allowed by a published brand guideline or trademark policy (if any). Any permitted use must follow our usage requirements and must not imply endorsement.

We may revoke permission to use Marks at any time.

11) User Content and Submissions

11.1 Your Responsibility

You are responsible for User Content you submit. You represent that you have all rights necessary to submit it and that it does not violate law or third-party rights.

11.2 License You Grant to the Foundation

By submitting User Content through the Services, you grant the Foundation a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify (for formatting/compatibility), publish, display, and distribute that User Content for purposes of operating, improving, and promoting the Services and the Foundation’s mission, unless you and the Foundation agree otherwise in writing.

11.3 Feedback

If you provide suggestions or feedback, you grant the Foundation the right to use it without restriction or compensation.

11.4 Sensitive Information

Do not submit:

• confidential information you are not authorized to share,

• regulated personal data unless requested through an approved process,

• non-public claim files, medical records, or sensitive identifiers unless a specific secure workflow is provided.

We may remove any User Content at our discretion.

12) Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• violate any law, regulation, or third-party rights,

• impersonate others or misrepresent affiliation,

• attempt to gain unauthorized access to systems/accounts,

• scrape, crawl, or harvest data except as allowed by robots.txt or written permission,

• transmit malware, exploit vulnerabilities, or interfere with Service operation,

• use the Services to develop or distribute harmful, illegal, or deceptive materials,

• submit false conformance/certification claims,

• use the Services to harass, threaten, or abuse others.

13) Third-Party Links and Services

The Services may include links to third-party sites, tools, or repositories. We do not control or endorse third-party content or services and are not responsible for them. Your use of third-party services is at your own risk and subject to their terms.

14) Disclaimer of Warranties

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE SERVICES AND FOUNDATION MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” THE FOUNDATION DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ACCURACY.

We do not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, secure, error-free, or free of harmful components.

15) Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE FOUNDATION AND ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, VOLUNTEERS, MEMBERS, AND AFFILIATES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, OR REPUTATIONAL HARM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES OR FOUNDATION MATERIALS.

IN ANY EVENT, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE FOUNDATION’S TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS IN A TWELVE (12) MONTH PERIOD SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF: (A) USD $100 OR (B) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID THE FOUNDATION FOR THE SERVICES GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM DURING THAT PERIOD.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations; in that case, limitations apply to the fullest extent permitted.

16) Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Foundation and its directors, officers, employees, contractors, volunteers, members, and affiliates from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from or related to:

• your use of the Services,

• your User Content,

• your violation of these Terms,

• your infringement or misappropriation of any third-party right,

• your implementation, marketing, or use of Foundation Materials.

17) Suspension and Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Services at any time if we believe you violated these Terms, pose a security risk, or create legal exposure.

You may stop using the Services at any time. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (including IP, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, governing law) survive.

18) Copyright and Takedown Requests

If you believe content on the Services infringes copyright, contact us at: [copyright@verida.foundation] with:

• identification of the work claimed infringed,

• identification of the infringing material and its location,

• your contact information,

• a statement of good faith belief,

• a statement under penalty of perjury that the information is accurate and you are authorized to act.

We may remove content and terminate repeat infringers where appropriate.

19) Export Controls, Sanctions, and Restricted Uses

You may not use the Services in violation of export control laws or sanctions programs. You represent that you are not located in, under the control of, or a national/resident of any country subject to comprehensive sanctions, and not listed on restricted party lists, to the extent applicable.

20) Dispute Resolution

20.1 Informal Resolution First

Before filing a claim, you agree to contact us and attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute informally at: [legal@verida.foundation].

20.2 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of [State/Country], without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

20.3 Venue / Jurisdiction

Any legal action shall be brought in the courts located in [County, State/Country], and you consent to personal jurisdiction and venue there.

(If you want arbitration instead of court, say so and I’ll rewrite this section accordingly.)

21) Miscellaneous

• Severability: If any part of these Terms is unenforceable, the remainder remains in effect.

• No Waiver: Failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver.

• Assignment: You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign to an affiliate or successor.

• Entire Agreement: These Terms, plus any policies expressly incorporated (Privacy Policy, Code of Conduct, Membership Terms, trademark policy), constitute the entire agreement regarding the Services.

• Headings: Headings are for convenience only.

22) Contact Information

Verida Charter Foundation
[Legal Entity Type, e.g., “a nonprofit organization incorporated in …”]
[Address Line 1]
[City, State/Province, Postal Code, Country]
Email: [info@verida.foundation]
Legal: [legal@verida.foundation]