Terms of Service
Effective Date: January 21, 2025 | Last Updated: April 2026
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the website, DataLearn platform, courses, and related services (the "Services") provided by The Institute of Data Science ("IODS," "we," "us," or "our"). By using our Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms.
1. Eligibility
You must be at least 16 years of age (or 13 in the United States with parental consent) to use our Services. By creating an account, you represent that you meet this requirement and that the information you provide is accurate and complete.
2. Account Responsibilities
- You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials.
- You must not share your account with others or allow unauthorized access.
- You are responsible for all activities that occur under your account.
- Notify us immediately at admin@iods.ai if you suspect unauthorized use.
3. Use of Services
You agree to use our Services only for lawful purposes. You must not:
- Copy, distribute, or resell course content, notebooks, or materials without permission.
- Share your account access or login credentials with others.
- Attempt to disrupt, hack, or reverse-engineer any part of the platform.
- Submit plagiarized work or misrepresent others' work as your own.
- Use automated tools to scrape content or overload our systems.
- Harass, threaten, or abuse other users, instructors, or staff.
- Use the AI Tutor to generate content that violates any applicable law.
4. Intellectual Property
All course content, materials, software, branding, and platform code are the intellectual property of IODS or our licensors, protected by copyright and intellectual property laws.
- Your Work: You retain ownership of original code, notebooks, and projects you create using our platform. By submitting work through our Services (e.g., GitHub Classroom, Kaggle), you grant IODS a limited, non-exclusive license to use it for grading, feedback, and platform improvement.
- Our Content: You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from our course materials, videos, or proprietary content without written permission.
5. Payments & Subscriptions
- Prices are displayed in USD unless otherwise stated.
- Payments are processed securely through Stripe.
- Subscription plans auto-renew unless canceled before the renewal date.
- We reserve the right to change pricing with 30 days' notice to existing subscribers.
- Refunds are subject to our Refund Policy.
6. Certificates
Certificates of completion are issued upon meeting course or program requirements. Certificates represent completion of coursework and are not academic degrees or professional licenses. IODS reserves the right to revoke certificates obtained through fraud or academic dishonesty.
7. Third-Party Integrations
Our Services integrate with third-party platforms including GitHub, Kaggle, JupyterHub, and cloud providers. Your use of these integrations is also subject to their respective terms of service. IODS is not responsible for the availability or conduct of third-party services.
8. AI Tutor (AI Tutor)
Our AI Tutor is an educational tool designed to guide learning through the Socratic method. AI-generated responses are for educational purposes and should not be considered professional advice. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of AI-generated content.
9. Termination
- By You: You may close your account at any time through your settings or by contacting support.
- By IODS: We may suspend or terminate your account for violations of these Terms, non-payment, or conduct harmful to other users or the platform. We will provide notice when possible.
- Upon termination, your access to course content ceases. You may export your own work (notebooks, code) prior to account closure.
10. Disclaimers
Our Services are provided "as is" and "as available." To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not guarantee specific employment outcomes, salary increases, or interview results.
11. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, IODS shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of our Services. Our total liability shall not exceed the amount you paid to us in the 12 months preceding the claim. Nothing in these Terms excludes liability for death, personal injury caused by negligence, or fraud.
12. Governing Law & Disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles. For EU/UK users, mandatory consumer protection laws of your country of residence shall apply where they provide greater protection. Any disputes shall be resolved through good-faith negotiation first, then binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association. EU consumers retain the right to bring claims in their local courts.
13. Changes to These Terms
We may modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated via email or prominent notice on our website at least 30 days before they take effect. Continued use of our Services after changes constitutes acceptance.