Terms & Conditions

These Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Synthetic Market Research Association website (the “Site”) and any association services, resources, events, working groups, and memberships (together, the “Services”). By using the Site or Services, you agree to these Terms.

Important: The Association is not a regulator. Materials are informational and do not constitute legal, financial, medical, or professional advice.

1) Definitions

• Association means the Synthetic Market Research Association (the “Association”, “we”, “us”, “our”).
• You means any visitor, user, or member organisation accessing the Site or Services.
• Member means an organisation or individual admitted to membership (including trial/founding members if applicable).
• Content means all text, templates, standards, guidelines, checklists, research summaries, directory entries, and other materials on the Site.
• User Submissions means anything you submit to the Site or Services (e.g., directory info, feedback, comments, suggested edits).

2) Eligibility and account responsibility

You must be able to form a legally binding agreement to use the Services. If you use the Services on behalf of an organisation, you confirm you have authority to bind that organisation to these Terms.

If we provide accounts or member portals, you are responsible for keeping login credentials confidential and for all activity under your account.

3) Scope of Services

The Association’s purpose is to improve clarity and trust in synthetic market research by publishing definitions, standards, and educational materials, and by convening working groups. We may add, modify, or discontinue any part of the Site or Services at any time.

4) No professional advice

Content is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not legal advice, financial advice, medical advice, regulatory guidance, or a substitute for professional judgment. You are responsible for how you use the Content and Services.

5) Directory disclaimer

The directory is intended to be informative. Listing in the directory does not imply endorsement, certification, or verification. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or currentness of any directory entry.

6) Membership (if applicable)

6.1 Admission and renewal. Membership is at the Association’s discretion. We may require acceptance of a code of conduct and disclosure principles as a condition of membership. Membership terms, fees, and renewal (if any) will be described at the time of signup.

6.2 Member obligations. Members agree to:

• Act honestly and not misrepresent simulated outputs as measured reality.
• Respect confidentiality where applicable (e.g., closed working groups).
• Use Association marks only as permitted (see Section 9).
• Comply with applicable laws and professional codes.

6.3 Termination. We may suspend or terminate membership for conduct that undermines the Association’s mission, including misleading claims, harassment, or misuse of the Association’s name. Where practical, we will provide notice and an opportunity to respond.

Any refunds (if applicable) are handled according to the membership purchase terms presented at checkout or in an invoice.

7) Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Use the Site or Services in a way that violates law or infringes others’ rights.
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to systems, accounts, or data.
• Scrape, crawl, or harvest the Site at a rate that degrades performance or bypasses protective measures.
• Upload malicious code, spam, or misleading content.
• Misrepresent your affiliation with the Association or imply endorsement where none exists.

8) User Submissions

You are responsible for your User Submissions and confirm you have the rights to submit them. You grant the Association a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use, copy, adapt, publish, and display your User Submissions for the purpose of operating, improving, and promoting the Site and Services (including publishing directory entries).

We may edit, refuse, or remove User Submissions at our discretion (for example, for clarity, length, policy compliance, or accuracy concerns).

9) Intellectual property and permitted use

Unless otherwise stated, the Association (or its licensors) owns the Site, Services, and Content. You may use Content for internal business purposes and personal educational use.

You may not sell, sublicense, or redistribute Content as a standalone product, or use it to create a competing standards repository, without our prior written permission.

Association name and marks. You may not use our name, logos, or marks in a way that implies endorsement, certification, partnership, or membership status beyond what we have explicitly granted. Any permitted use must follow our brand guidelines (if published).

10) Feedback and suggestions

If you provide feedback or suggestions, you agree we may use them without obligation to you, including without compensation, as long as we do not disclose your confidential information.

11) Third-party links and services

The Site may link to third-party websites or services. We do not control those services and are not responsible for their content, policies, or practices. Your use of third-party services is at your own risk and subject to their terms.

12) Privacy

Our handling of personal information is described in our Privacy Policy. If you subscribe to updates or join, you may receive association communications. You can unsubscribe where offered.

13) Disclaimer of warranties

The Site and Services are provided “as is” and “as available”. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including accuracy, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant uninterrupted or error-free operation.

14) Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Association and its officers, directors, volunteers, contributors, and partners will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, revenue, data, or goodwill, arising from or related to your use of the Site or Services.

Where liability cannot be excluded, our total liability for claims relating to the Site or Services will be limited to the amount you paid to the Association for the relevant Services in the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim (or zero if you paid nothing).

15) Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Association from claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your misuse of the Site or Services, your User Submissions, or your violation of these Terms.

16) Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The updated version will be posted on the Site with a new “Last updated” date. Your continued use of the Site or Services after changes become effective constitutes acceptance.

17) Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the Association is incorporated or primarily operates, unless otherwise required by applicable law. Disputes should first be raised with us in good faith for informal resolution.

(If you want this to be specific to a jurisdiction, replace this clause accordingly.)

18) Contact

Questions about these Terms can be sent to: info@syntheticmarketresearch.org (replace with your official contact email).