Terms of Use


Welcome to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Startup Exchange website (http://startupexchange.mit.edu). Please read these Terms of Use, the Community Guidelines and the Privacy Policy (collectively, "Terms and Conditions") prior to using any portion of this website.

By visiting and using this website, you agree to be bound by the Terms and Conditions, as posted on this website from time to time. MIT reserves the right to change the Terms and Conditions at any time without advance notice. Any changes to the Terms and Conditions will be effective immediately upon posting on this website. Be sure to return to this page periodically to ensure familiarity with the most current version of the Terms and Conditions.

IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE.

  1. POSTINGS.

  1. You understand that, when you use this website, you will be exposed to content submitted, posted, published, distributed or uploaded to or on this website by users of this website, including, but not limited to text, photographs, videos, file uploads and other information or materials (“Postings”). You agree that MIT is not responsible for the accuracy, reliability, nature or content of Postings.

  1. When you submit, post, publish, distribute or upload any Posting to this website:

    1. You grant MIT a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, fee- and royalty-free, sublicensable, irrevocable license to use, reproduce, translate, modify, host, distribute, broadcast, transmit, display, perform and publish the Posting or any portion thereof in any media now known or hereafter developed.

    2. You warrant that you have all rights, licenses, consents and permissions to post or upload the Posting and to grant MIT the license above and that exercise of the license by MIT will not infringe on or violate the rights of any third party.

    3. You acknowledge that you are solely responsible for the content of the Posting and the consequences of submitting, posting, publishing, distributing or uploading the Posting.

  1. You warrant that you will not post or upload anything that is libelous, defamatory, obscene, fraudulent, harmful, threatening, abusive or hateful, that contains nudity or pornography, that violates the property rights of others (including, without limitation, copyright or trademark rights), that violates the privacy or publicity rights of others or that is in violation of applicable laws.

  1. MIT has no obligation to monitor Postings. MIT reserves the right, however, to review Postings and to edit or remove Postings, in whole or in part, in its sole discretion for any reason or no reason.

  1. TRADEMARKS. You may not use the names, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT or MIT Industrial Liaison Program or any other trademarks of MIT in any form for promotional purposes, or in any way that deliberately or inadvertently claims, suggests or, in MIT's sole judgment, gives the appearance or impression of a relationship with or endorsement by MIT. All trademarks not owned by MIT that appear on this website are the property of their respective owners. Nothing contained on this website should be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel or otherwise, any license or right to use any trademark displayed on this website without the prior written permission of the owner of the applicable trademark.

  1. COOKIES. Cookies are used to gather data that will help us provide and improve our services in the future. MIT uses cookies for many purposes, including, for example, to count how many users visit a page of this website, to enable you to sign up for a service or program and to protect your personal information.

  1. LINKS TO OTHER SITES. This website may include hyperlinks to sites maintained or controlled by others. MIT is not responsible for and does not routinely screen, approve, review or endorse the contents of such sites or the use of any products, services or information available through such sites. If you decide to access linked third-party websites, you do so at your own risk.

  1. TERMINATION OF SERVICEYou agree that MIT may terminate your use of this website, in its sole discretion, for any reason or no reason, without notice to you. The Terms of Use will survive termination. You further agree that MIT may cease providing all or any part of the content and services offered through this website, in its sole discretion, for any reason or no reason, without notice to you.

  1. COMPLAINTS. Complaints about misuse of this website may be made to WebFeedback@ilp.mit.edu.

  1. THE DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT (“DMCA”). MIT responds to notices of alleged copyright infringement that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Copyright owners who believe their copyright has been infringed on this website should notify MIT's designated copyright agent at dcma-agent@mit.edu, or at 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138-4307 Attention: MIT DMCA Agent, W92-263A. Notification must include:

    1. Identification of the copyrighted work, or, in the case of multiple works at the same location, a representative list of such works.

    2. Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity, including sufficient information for us to locate the material (e.g., url, ip address, computer name).

    3. Sufficient information for us to be able to contact the complaining party (e.g., email address, phone number).

    4. A statement that the complaining party believes that the use of the material has not been authorized by the copyright owner or an authorized agent.

    5. A statement that the information in the notification is accurate and that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

  1. DISCLAIMERS OF WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY.

  2. THIS WEBSITE AND ANY INFORMATION, CONTENT AND SERVICES MADE AVAILABLE ON OR THROUGH THIS WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

  3. MIT DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THIS WEBSITE WILL OPERATE IN AN UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE MANNER, THAT THIS WEBSITE IS FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS OR THAT THE CONTENT PROVIDED WILL MEET YOUR NEEDS OR EXPECTATIONS.

  4. USE OF THIS WEBSITE, AND THE CONTENT AND SERVICES OBTAINED FROM OR THROUGH THIS WEBSITE, IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. NEITHER MIT NOR ANY OF ITS SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, MEMBERS, TRUSTEES, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS WILL BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE, WHETHER ACTUAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY OR INCIDENTAL, WHETHER FORESEEABLE OR UNFORESEEABLE, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO (i) YOUR (OR ANY THIRD PARTY'S) USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THIS WEBSITE, (ii) YOUR PLACEMENT OF CONTENT ON THE SITE OR (iii) YOUR RELIANCE UPON INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM OR THROUGH THE SITE, REGARDLESS OF THE BASIS FOR THE CLAIM.

  5. CERTAIN STATE LAWS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES. IF THESE LAWS APPLY TO YOU, SOME OR ALL OF THE ABOVE DISCLAIMERS AND LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU AND YOU MAY HAVE ADDITIONAL RIGHTS.

  1. INDEMNIFICATION. You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless MIT and its subsidiaries, affiliates, members, trustees, officers, employees and agents from and against any losses, liabilities, damages, judgments, expenses, and attorneys' fees, of every kind and nature, incurred in connection with or arising out of your violation of these Terms and Conditions or your use of this website, except to the extent attributable to MIT’s gross negligence or willful misconduct.

  1. ENTIRE AGREEMENT. The Terms and Conditions constitute the entire agreement between you and MIT with respect to your use of this website and supersede any prior or contemporaneous agreements regarding your use of this website.

  1. WAIVER AND SEVERABILITY OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS. MIT’s failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of the Terms and Conditions shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any provision of the Terms and Conditions is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, you and MIT agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the intentions as reflected in the provision and that the other provisions of the Terms and Conditions shall remain in full force and effect.

  1. CHOICE OF LAW/FORUM SELECTION. You agree that the Terms and Conditions and any claim or dispute arising out of or relating to the Terms and Conditions or any content posted or service obtained from or through this website will be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, excluding its conflicts of law provisions, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of and exclusive venue in the federal and state courts located in or serving Cambridge, Massachusetts as the legal forum for any such dispute.

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

We need your help to make this website community a supportive and safe place for every user. Here is how you can help:

Be Professional. Help keep this website professional and courteous. If you feel others would find a startup profile, opportunity, video or comment objectionable, inaccurate, insulting or otherwise inappropriate, please contact us at WebFeedback@ilp.mit.edu.

Honor Your Agreement and Applicable Law. Use this website and its content solely in compliance with the Terms of Use and all applicable local, state, national and international laws, rules and regulations, including, without limitation, copyright laws and applicable export control laws.

Don’t Post Prohibited Content. Prohibited content includes:

  • Content that is discriminatory, defamatory, harassing, threatening, libelous or abusive;
  • Content that discusses illegal activities with the intent to commit or encourage them;
  • Content that infringes another's intellectual property, including, but not limited to, copyrights or trademarks;
  • Content that you do not have the right to disclose;

  • Profane, pornographic, obscene, indecent or unlawful content;
  • Advertising or any form of unauthorized, commercial promotion or solicitation;
  • Content related to partisan political activities; and
  • Content that contains intentionally inaccurate information or that is posted with the intent of misleading others.

Don’t Introduce or Undertake Prohibited Actions. Prohibited actions include:

  • Viruses, trojan horses, worms, time bombs, corrupted files, malware, spyware or any similar software that may damage the operation of another’s computer or property.
  • Scraping, or otherwise downloading in bulk, any website content, including, but not limited to, Postings and User information.
  • Using this website in any manner intended to damage, disable, overburden or impair any MIT server or the network(s) connected to any MIT server or to interfere with another’s use and enjoyment of this website.
  • Attempting to gain unauthorized access to any portion of this website or any computer systems or networks connected to any MIT server through hacking, password mining or any other means.
  • Obtaining or attempting to obtain any materials or information stored on this website, its servers or associated computers through any means not intentionally made available by MIT through this website.