Terms of Service

Please read these terms carefully before using our website and services.

Last Updated: December 2025

Welcome to Tidal Heritage Hub. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of our website, services, and content. By accessing or using our website, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use our website.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing, browsing, or using the Tidal Heritage Hub website, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and all applicable laws and regulations. If you do not agree with any of these terms, you are prohibited from using or accessing this website.

We reserve the right to update, change, or replace any part of these Terms at any time. It is your responsibility to check this page periodically for changes. Your continued use of the website following the posting of any changes constitutes acceptance of those changes.

2. Use of the Website

Permitted Use

You may use our website for lawful purposes only, including:

  • Browsing and viewing content for personal, educational, or research purposes
  • Sharing links to our content through social media or other platforms
  • Contacting us through provided contact forms
  • Contributing content with appropriate permissions and attribution

Prohibited Activities

You agree not to:

  • Use the website in any way that violates applicable laws or regulations
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the website or its systems
  • Interfere with or disrupt the website's operation or servers
  • Transmit any viruses, malware, or harmful code
  • Copy, reproduce, or redistribute content without proper authorization or attribution
  • Use automated systems to scrape, crawl, or extract data from the website
  • Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation
  • Engage in any activity that could harm, disable, or impair the website

3. Intellectual Property Rights

All content on the Tidal Heritage Hub website, including but not limited to text, graphics, logos, images, audio clips, video clips, and software, is the property of Tidal Heritage Hub or its content providers and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

You may not modify, reproduce, distribute, create derivative works from, publicly display, or otherwise use any content from this website without our prior written permission, except as expressly permitted by these Terms or applicable law.

When content is contributed by users or sourced from communities, we respect the intellectual property rights of the original creators and communities. Any use of such content must comply with the rights and permissions granted by the original rights holders.

If you believe that any content on our website infringes your intellectual property rights, please contact us through our contact form with details of the alleged infringement.

4. User Contributions

If you submit, post, or contribute content to our website (including but not limited to stories, images, videos, comments, or other materials), you grant Tidal Heritage Hub a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, and distribute such content for the purpose of operating and promoting the website.

You represent and warrant that:

  • You own or have the necessary rights to grant the license described above
  • Your contributions do not infringe upon the rights of any third party
  • Your contributions are accurate, truthful, and not misleading
  • Your contributions comply with all applicable laws and regulations
  • Your contributions do not contain defamatory, offensive, or harmful content

We reserve the right to remove, edit, or refuse to post any user contributions at our sole discretion, without prior notice.

5. Cultural Heritage and Community Rights

Tidal Heritage Hub is committed to respecting the rights of communities and individuals over their cultural heritage. We recognize that many forms of maritime intangible heritage belong to specific communities and are subject to traditional laws, customs, and protocols.

When presenting content related to cultural heritage:

  • We strive to obtain appropriate permissions and consent from source communities
  • We respect community protocols regarding the sharing and use of traditional knowledge
  • We acknowledge the sovereignty of communities over their cultural expressions
  • We provide attribution and context for cultural content when appropriate

If you are a member of a community whose heritage is represented on our website and have concerns about its presentation or use, please contact us immediately.

6. Disclaimer of Warranties

The information and content on the Tidal Heritage Hub website are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not warrant that:

  • The website will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free
  • The content is accurate, complete, or current
  • Defects will be corrected
  • The website or servers are free of viruses or other harmful components

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Tidal Heritage Hub, its officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits or revenues, whether incurred directly or indirectly, or any loss of data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses resulting from:

  • Your use or inability to use the website
  • Any unauthorized access to or use of our servers or systems
  • Any interruption or cessation of transmission to or from the website
  • Any bugs, viruses, or other harmful code transmitted through the website
  • Any errors or omissions in any content
  • Any loss or damage incurred as a result of your use of any content posted or transmitted through the website

This limitation of liability applies regardless of the legal theory on which the claim is based, including contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, or otherwise.

8. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Tidal Heritage Hub, its officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to your use of the website, your violation of these Terms, your violation of any rights of another, or your user contributions.

9. Links to Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or resources that are not owned or controlled by Tidal Heritage Hub. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party websites or resources.

You acknowledge and agree that Tidal Heritage Hub shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any such content, goods, or services available on or through any such websites or resources.

10. Termination

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to terminate or suspend your access to the website, with or without cause or notice, for any reason, including but not limited to breach of these Terms.

Upon termination, your right to use the website will immediately cease. All provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination shall survive, including ownership provisions, warranty disclaimers, indemnity, and limitations of liability.

11. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with applicable laws, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Any disputes arising out of or relating to these Terms or the use of the website shall be resolved through good faith negotiation. If a resolution cannot be reached through negotiation, disputes may be subject to binding arbitration or other dispute resolution mechanisms as applicable under local law.

12. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect, and the invalid, illegal, or unenforceable provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid, legal, and enforceable.

13. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Tidal Heritage Hub regarding the use of the website and supersede all prior agreements and understandings, whether written or oral, relating to the subject matter hereof.

14. Contact Information

If you have any questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us through our Contact page.

We are committed to addressing your concerns and will respond to your inquiries in a timely manner.