Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing and using this website and our services, you represent that you are at least 16 years of age (or the age of digital consent in your jurisdiction) and accept and agree to be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, and our Cookie Policy. If you are using our services on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have the authority to bind that organization to these Terms. If you do not agree, you must discontinue use immediately.

2. Description of Services

Quantum Core Institute provides the following services:

• Online courses, training programs, and certification in quantum risk management
• Quantum risk assessment tools, including Q-Risk Score and readiness evaluations
• Interactive crisis simulation exercises
• Educational resources, whitepapers, frameworks (including QCI-QS1), and research publications
• Consultation and advisory services
• Newsletter publications and content subscriptions

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any service at any time with reasonable notice.

3. User Accounts

To access certain services, you must create an account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete registration information
• Maintain and promptly update your account information
• Maintain the security and confidentiality of your account credentials
• Accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use or security breach

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or that we reasonably believe have been compromised.

4. Payment Terms

• All fees are stated in USD unless otherwise specified at the point of purchase
• Payment is due at the time of enrollment unless alternative arrangements are agreed in writing
• Prices are exclusive of applicable taxes, which will be added at checkout where required by law
• We reserve the right to change pricing with 30 days' prior notice; existing enrollments are honored at the original price

Refund Policy

• Course enrollments: Full refund within 14 days of purchase if less than 25% of content has been accessed
• Consultation services: Full refund if cancelled at least 48 hours before the scheduled session
• Digital downloads and generated reports: Non-refundable once delivered
• EU/EEA consumers: You have a 14-day right of withdrawal under the Consumer Rights Directive, except for fully performed digital content where you expressly consented to waive this right

5. Intellectual Property

All content provided through our services, including courses, materials, frameworks (such as QCI-QS1 and QRAF), assessment methodologies, simulation scenarios, software, trademarks, and documentation, is the intellectual property of Quantum Core Institute or its licensors and is protected by international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

You agree to:

• Use content solely for your personal or internal organizational educational purposes
• Not reproduce, distribute, publicly display, or create derivative works from our content without prior written permission
• Not remove, alter, or obscure any copyright, trademark, or proprietary notices
• Not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble our platform or tools

Limited use of QCI frameworks and methodologies for internal organizational assessment is permitted. Commercial redistribution, resale, or incorporation into competing products requires a separate license agreement.

6. User Conduct

You agree not to:

• Violate any applicable local, national, or international laws or regulations
• Interfere with or disrupt our services, servers, or networks
• Upload malicious code, viruses, or other harmful content
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to other users' accounts or our systems
• Harass, abuse, threaten, or intimidate other users, instructors, or staff
• Use our services for unauthorized commercial purposes or competitive intelligence
• Scrape, crawl, or use automated means to access our services except as permitted by our robots.txt
• Misrepresent your identity, affiliation, or the purpose of your use

7. Assessment & Simulation Disclaimers

Our quantum risk assessments, Q-Risk Scores, crisis simulation results, and related outputs are provided for educational and informational purposes only. They do not constitute:

• Professional security, legal, financial, or compliance advice
• A guarantee of your organization's security posture or regulatory compliance
• A substitute for professional consultation with qualified cybersecurity, legal, or compliance professionals

QCI makes no representation that use of our assessments or frameworks will ensure compliance with any specific regulatory requirement, including but not limited to SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, CMMC, FedRAMP, PCI DSS, GDPR, or SWIFT CSP.

8. Privacy

Your privacy is important to us. Our collection, use, and protection of your personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

9. Disclaimers & Warranties

Our services are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, including but not limited to:

• Merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose
• Non-infringement of third-party rights
• Continuous, uninterrupted, secure, or error-free operation
• Accuracy, reliability, or completeness of any content or assessment results

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties. In such jurisdictions, our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law. Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer in the EEA, UK, or Canada.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Quantum Core Institute, its officers, directors, employees, agents, or affiliates be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including without limitation:

• Loss of profits, revenue, data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses
• Damages resulting from unauthorized access to or use of our services
• Damages resulting from reliance on assessment results or recommendations

Our total aggregate liability for all claims arising under these Terms shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid to QCI in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (b) USD $100.

The limitations above do not apply to liability that cannot be excluded or limited by law, including liability for fraud, gross negligence, or death/personal injury caused by our negligence (as applicable in the EEA, UK, and Canada).

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Quantum Core Institute and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to your violation of these Terms, your use of our services, or your infringement of any third-party rights. This indemnification obligation does not apply to EEA and UK consumers to the extent prohibited by applicable consumer protection law.

12. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your account and access to our services:

• For cause: Immediately upon breach of these Terms, without prior notice
• For convenience: With 30 days' written notice

Upon termination, your right to use our services ceases immediately. You may request export of your personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (including Intellectual Property, Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, and Governing Law) shall survive.

13. Dispute Resolution

Informal Resolution

Before initiating formal proceedings, you agree to contact us at legal@quantumcoreinstitute.com and attempt to resolve any dispute informally within 30 days.

Binding Arbitration (US Users)

For users in the United States, any dispute that cannot be resolved informally shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Commercial Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in English, and the arbitrator's decision shall be final and binding. You agree to waive any right to a jury trial and to participate in a class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration.

EU/EEA/UK Users

If you are a consumer in the EEA or UK, you are not required to waive your right to bring proceedings in your local courts. You may also use the European Commission's Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform at https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

Canadian Users

For users in Canada, disputes shall be resolved in accordance with the applicable provincial consumer protection legislation. Nothing in these Terms limits your rights under applicable Canadian consumer protection laws.

14. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

For EEA, UK, and Canadian consumers, this choice of law does not deprive you of the protection afforded by the mandatory provisions of your country of residence. In the event of conflict, the mandatory consumer protection rules of your jurisdiction shall prevail.

15. Force Majeure

QCI shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations under these Terms if such failure or delay results from circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to: acts of God, natural disasters, pandemics, government actions, cyberattacks, infrastructure failures, labor disputes, or disruptions to third-party services on which our platform relies. We will use reasonable efforts to mitigate the effect of any force majeure event and resume performance as soon as practicable.

16. Accessibility

Quantum Core Institute is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We endeavor to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at the AA level, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the European Accessibility Act (EAA). If you encounter accessibility barriers on our platform, please contact us at accessibility@quantumcoreinstitute.com and we will work to provide the information in an alternative format.

17. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect. The invalid provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid and enforceable while preserving the parties' original intent.

18. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and QCI regarding your use of our services and supersede all prior agreements, representations, and understandings.

19. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated to registered users via email and through a prominent notice on our website at least 30 days before they take effect. Your continued use of our services after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms. If you do not agree with the changes, you must discontinue use of our services.

20. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms of Service:

• Legal Inquiries: legal@quantumcoreinstitute.com
• General Support: support@quantumcoreinstitute.com
• Mail: 1410 North Scott Street, #955, Arlington, VA 22209, United States