These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Tornado-Tech website and our products and services, including the ResearchGains platform and the Opinyze polling product (together, the "Services"). By accessing or using the Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you are using the Services on behalf of an organisation, you agree to these Terms on its behalf.
01Who these terms are with
The Services are provided by Tornado Tech Nigeria Ltd. and Tornado Tech Ltd. (United Kingdom) ("Tornado-Tech", "we", "us", "our"). ResearchGains is a product owned and operated by Tornado-Tech. Certain engagements are also governed by a separate signed agreement (for example, a Statement of Work or subscription agreement); where that agreement conflicts with these Terms, the signed agreement prevails for that engagement.
02Eligibility and accounts
You must be at least 18 years old, or the age of majority in your jurisdiction, to use the Services. If we provide you with an account, you are responsible for keeping your credentials secure and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us promptly of any unauthorised use.
03Acceptable use
When using the Services, you agree not to:
- Break any applicable law or regulation, or infringe the rights of others.
- Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent survey or poll responses, or attempt to manipulate research outcomes.
- Access, probe, or disrupt the Services or their infrastructure without authorisation.
- Reverse-engineer, scrape, or copy the Services or their data except as expressly permitted.
- Upload malware or use the Services to transmit harmful or unlawful content.
04Research data and outputs
Research and polling outputs are prepared using recognised methodologies (including, for election polling, multilevel regression and post-stratification). While we apply rigorous quality controls, outputs are estimates and are provided for your evaluation. You are responsible for how you interpret, publish, and act on them, and for ensuring your use complies with applicable law.
Unless your agreement states otherwise, you may not use the Services or their outputs to train, fine-tune, or develop competing machine-learning or AI models.
05Intellectual property
The Services, including all software, designs, text, and the Tornado-Tech and ResearchGains brands, are owned by Tornado-Tech or our licensors and are protected by intellectual-property laws. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use the Services for their intended purpose. Deliverables prepared for a client are licensed or assigned as set out in the applicable signed agreement.
06Your content and submissions
You retain ownership of content and data you submit to the Services. You grant us the rights necessary to host, process, and use that content to provide and improve the Services, consistent with our Privacy Policy and your instructions. You are responsible for having the legal rights and, where required, consents to submit any personal data.
07Fees and payment
Where the Services are provided for a fee, the amounts, schedule, and terms are set out in the applicable order, proposal, or subscription agreement. Unless stated otherwise, fees are exclusive of taxes, and late or unpaid amounts may result in suspension of the Services.
08Third-party services
The Services may link to or integrate with third-party products and websites that we do not control. We are not responsible for their content, practices, or terms, and we encourage you to review their policies before use.
09Disclaimers
The Services are provided "as is" and "as available". To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that outputs will be accurate or complete.
10Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Tornado-Tech will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or exemplary damages, or for loss of profits, data, or goodwill. Our total liability arising out of or relating to the Services is limited to the amounts you paid to us for the Services in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim. Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law.
11Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold Tornado-Tech harmless from claims, losses, and expenses arising from your breach of these Terms, your misuse of the Services, or your violation of applicable law or the rights of a third party.
12Suspension and termination
You may stop using the Services at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access if you breach these Terms, if required by law, or to protect the Services or other users. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination — including intellectual property, disclaimers, liability, and governing law — will continue to apply.
13Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for services provided by Tornado Tech Nigeria Ltd., and by the laws of England and Wales for services provided by Tornado Tech Ltd. (UK). The applicable signed agreement may specify a different governing law or dispute-resolution mechanism, which will prevail for that engagement.
14Changes to these terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date and, where appropriate, notify you. Your continued use of the Services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.