Terms and Conditions

Interpretation and Definitions

Interpretation

The words whose initial letters are capitalised have meanings defined under the following conditions. The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural.

Definitions

• Affiliate means an entity that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with a party, where "control" means ownership of 50% or more of the shares, equity interest, or other securities entitled to vote for election of directors or other managing authority.
• Company (referred to as either "the Company", "We", "Us" or "Our" in these Terms) refers to the President and Fellows of Harvard College, Massachusetts Hall, Cambridge, MA 02138.
• Country refers to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States.
• Device means any device that can access the Service, such as a computer, cell phone, or digital tablet.
• Service refers to the SigMA website.
• You means the individual accessing or using the Service, or the company or other legal entity on behalf of which such individual is accessing or using the Service, as applicable.

Acknowledgement

These Terms set out the rights and obligations of all users regarding the use of the Service. Your access to and use of the Service is conditioned on Your acceptance of and compliance with these Terms. These Terms apply to all visitors, users, and others who access or use the Service.

Your access to and use of the Service is also subject to Our Privacy Policy, which describes how We collect, use, and disclose information. Please read Our Privacy Policy carefully before using Our Service.

You represent that You are over the age of 16. The Company does not permit those under 16 to use the Service.

Nature of the Service

SigMA is an academic research tool for mutational signature analysis in cancer genomics. The tool provides computational methods for classifying mutational signatures from sequencing data.

Certain restricted features are accessible only to authorised users. Files loaded into these features are read and processed entirely within Your browser and are never transmitted to Our servers.

The Service is provided at no charge for non-commercial academic research and educational purposes. Commercial use requires a separate licence (see "Commercial Use Requires a Licence" below). There are no purchases, subscriptions, or paid features within the Service itself.

A limited, invitation-only access control mechanism may be used to restrict visibility of certain features that are under active development. This does not constitute a user account or registration system. Authentication is performed entirely within the browser.

Research Use Only

THE SERVICE AND ALL DATA, RESULTS, VISUALISATIONS, AND INFORMATION PROVIDED THROUGH IT ARE INTENDED FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY (RUO). THEY ARE NOT INTENDED FOR, AND MUST NOT BE USED AS THE BASIS FOR, CLINICAL DECISION-MAKING, MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS, PATIENT TREATMENT, OR ANY OTHER CLINICAL APPLICATION.

Any results or insights derived from the Service should be independently validated through appropriate experimental and/or clinical methods before being relied upon in any clinical, diagnostic, or therapeutic context.

The data presented in the Service is derived from computational analyses of publicly available datasets. While We make reasonable efforts to ensure accuracy, We do not guarantee the completeness, correctness, or currency of any data, annotations, signature assignments, or analytical results displayed.

Intellectual Property

The Service and its entire contents — including but not limited to the SigMA name, logos, source code, visual design, graphical assets, curated datasets, pre-computed analytical results, data schemas, documentation, and all other materials — are and will remain the exclusive property of the Company and its licensors, protected by copyright, trademark, and other applicable laws of the United States and foreign countries.

You may not use Our trademarks, trade dress, or branding in connection with any product or service without the prior written consent of the Company.

Permitted Academic and Research Use

Subject to these Terms, the Company grants You a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable right to access and use the Service for non-commercial academic research and educational purposes. This includes:

• Viewing, exploring, and analysing the data and visualisations presented in the Service.
• Using restricted analytical tools (where authorised) for non-commercial academic research, including loading Your own data files for client-side analysis.
• Using data, results, figures, or visualisations obtained from SigMA in academic publications, theses, dissertations, conference presentations, and other non-commercial scholarly works, provided that proper citation is given (see "Academic Citation" below).
• Using or adapting the SigMA source code for non-commercial academic research, provided that the resulting work is not distributed commercially and appropriate attribution is given.
• Linking to the Service from academic or educational websites.

For the avoidance of doubt, "non-commercial" means use that is not intended for, or directed toward, commercial advantage or monetary compensation. Use by employees of a for-profit entity is considered commercial use unless it is conducted solely for the purpose of peer-reviewed academic research with no direct commercial application.

Commercial Use Requires a Licence

Any commercial use of the Service, its source code, data, analytical outputs, visualisations, or any derivative work is strictly prohibited without a separate written licence agreement from the Company. Commercial use includes, but is not limited to:

• Incorporating SigMA data, results, or source code into a commercial product or service.
• Using the Service or its outputs to develop, train, validate, or market a commercial software tool, diagnostic assay, or analytical platform.
• Redistributing, sublicensing, or selling any part of the Service or its contents.
• Using SigMA data or outputs in regulatory filings, clinical trial documentation, or other commercial regulatory contexts.
• Offering consulting, data analysis, or other services to third parties that rely on or incorporate outputs from the Service.

To enquire about a commercial licence, please contact the Company at the address provided in the "Contact Us" section below, or contact the Harvard Office of Technology Development (https://otd.harvard.edu).

Academic Citation

If You use data, results, or visualisations from SigMA in academic publications, presentations, or other scholarly works, You agree to cite the relevant publications as indicated on the Service or in its documentation. Proper attribution is a condition of the permitted academic use described above and supports the continued development and funding of this resource.

Feedback

We welcome feedback, bug reports, suggestions, and ideas ("Feedback") about the Service. By submitting Feedback — whether via email, GitHub issues, or any other channel — You grant the Company a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable licence to use, reproduce, modify, publish, distribute, and otherwise exploit the Feedback in any manner and for any purpose without acknowledgement, compensation, or obligation to You. Feedback is considered non-confidential.

Prohibited Uses

You agree not to use the Service:

• For any commercial purpose without a separate written licence from the Company (see "Commercial Use Requires a Licence" above).
• For any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable local, state, national, or international law or regulation.
• To attempt to gain unauthorised access to any portion of the Service, related systems, or networks.
• To interfere with, disrupt, or impose an unreasonable burden on the Service or its infrastructure, including by automated scraping, crawling, or data harvesting beyond reasonable academic use.
• To misrepresent the source, origin, or authorship of data or results obtained from the Service.
• For clinical decision-making, medical diagnosis, or patient treatment.
• In any way that infringes the intellectual property or other rights of the Company or any third party.

Links to Other Websites

The Service may contain links to third-party websites or services (including GitHub repositories, published papers, and external laboratory websites) that are not owned or controlled by the Company. The Company has no control over, and assumes no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

Availability and Modification

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service (or any part thereof) at any time, with or without notice, for any reason. We shall not be liable to You or any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuation of the Service.

We may update the data, analytical methods, visualisations, or features of the Service at any time without prior notice. Such updates may change the results or information previously displayed.

We do not guarantee that the Service will be available at all times. The Service may be subject to downtime for maintenance, updates, or circumstances beyond Our control.

Termination

We may terminate or suspend Your access to the Service immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason whatsoever, including without limitation if You breach these Terms. Upon termination, Your right to use the Service will cease immediately.

Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED TO YOU "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE", WITH ALL FAULTS AND DEFECTS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, THE COMPANY, ON ITS OWN BEHALF AND ON BEHALF OF ITS AFFILIATES AND ITS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE LICENSORS, FACULTY, RESEARCHERS, STAFF, AND SERVICE PROVIDERS, EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE, INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND WARRANTIES THAT MAY ARISE OUT OF COURSE OF DEALING, COURSE OF PERFORMANCE, USAGE, OR TRADE PRACTICE.

WITHOUT LIMITATION TO THE FOREGOING, THE COMPANY PROVIDES NO WARRANTY OR UNDERTAKING, AND MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OF ANY KIND, THAT: (I) THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS OR ACHIEVE ANY INTENDED RESULTS; (II) THE DATA, RESULTS, SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENTS, OR ANALYTICAL OUTPUTS WILL BE ACCURATE, COMPLETE, RELIABLE, OR CURRENT; (III) THE SERVICE WILL BE COMPATIBLE WITH ANY OTHER SOFTWARE, SYSTEMS, OR SERVICES; (IV) THE SERVICE WILL OPERATE WITHOUT INTERRUPTION OR ERROR; OR (V) ANY ERRORS OR DEFECTS CAN OR WILL BE CORRECTED.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain types of warranties or limitations on applicable statutory rights, so some or all of the above exclusions may not apply to You. In such cases, the exclusions and limitations shall be applied to the greatest extent enforceable under applicable law.

Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COMPANY, ITS AFFILIATES, FACULTY, RESEARCHERS, STAFF, LICENSORS, OR SERVICE PROVIDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF DATA OR OTHER INFORMATION, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, PERSONAL INJURY, LOSS OF PRIVACY, OR ANY DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY RELATED TO THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE, EVEN IF THE COMPANY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED AT NO CHARGE FOR NON-COMMERCIAL ACADEMIC USE. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE COMPANY'S TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED ZERO DOLLARS ($0.00 USD). IF YOU HAVE ENTERED INTO A SEPARATE COMMERCIAL LICENCE AGREEMENT WITH THE COMPANY, LIABILITY SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THAT AGREEMENT.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the limitation of liability for incidental or consequential damages, in which case each party's liability shall be limited to the greatest extent permitted by law.

Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Company, its Affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, faculty, researchers, employees, agents, licensors, and service providers from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, expenses, or fees (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (i) Your use of the Service; (ii) any violation of these Terms by You; (iii) any use of data, results, or information obtained from the Service, including any clinical or diagnostic application thereof; or (iv) any violation of applicable law by You.

Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any legal action or proceeding arising under or relating to these Terms shall be brought exclusively in the federal or state courts located in Boston, Massachusetts, and You consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.

Dispute Resolution

If You have any concern or dispute about the Service, You agree to first attempt to resolve the dispute informally by contacting the Company at the address below.

For European Union (EU) Users

If You are a European Union consumer, You will benefit from any mandatory provisions of the law of the country in which You are resident.

Export Control Compliance

You represent and warrant that: (i) You are not located in a country that is subject to a United States government embargo or that has been designated by the United States government as a "terrorist supporting" country; and (ii) You are not listed on any United States government list of prohibited or restricted parties.

Severability and Waiver

If any provision of these Terms is held to be unenforceable or invalid, such provision will be modified and interpreted to accomplish its objectives to the greatest extent possible under applicable law, and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

The failure to exercise a right or to require performance of an obligation under these Terms shall not affect a party's ability to exercise such right or require such performance at any time thereafter, nor shall the waiver of a breach constitute a waiver of any subsequent breach.

Translation Interpretation

These Terms may have been translated if We have made them available to You on Our Service. You agree that the original English text shall prevail in the case of a dispute.

Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right, at Our sole discretion, to modify or replace these Terms at any time. If a revision is material, We will make reasonable efforts to provide at least 30 days' notice prior to any new terms taking effect. What constitutes a material change will be determined at Our sole discretion.

By continuing to access or use the Service after revisions become effective, You agree to be bound by the revised Terms. If You do not agree to the new Terms, in whole or in part, please stop using the Service.

Contact Us

If You have questions about these Terms, please contact: