Terms of Use

These Terms of Use ("Terms") are a binding agreement between the person or organization using the Services ("you" or "user") and The Chartered Institute of Lean Six Sigma LLC, a Delaware limited liability company also referred to as "CILS," "CILS Global," "we," "us," or "our."

By visiting the website, creating an account, clicking an acceptance control, applying for membership or recognition, purchasing or subscribing to a Service, registering for an event, uploading material, using a tool, or otherwise accessing the Services, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not access or use the Services.

If you use the Services for an employer, client, institution, team, or other organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization. In that case, "you" includes both you and the organization.

The Privacy Policy, Professional Ethics and Code of Conduct, membership criteria, assessment rules, event conditions, award criteria, partnership or accreditation conditions, checkout disclosures, and any other service-specific written terms are incorporated into these Terms. Service-specific terms control if they expressly conflict with these general Terms.

CILS is a global professional body for Lean Six Sigma and operational-excellence practitioners. These Terms apply to www.cilsglobal.com and related portals, accounts, features, content, communications, and online or offline offerings controlled by CILS (collectively, the "Services").

The Services currently include, among other things:

• Professional membership. Student Member, Associate Member, Chartered Member, and Chartered Fellow pathways; applications, credential review, ethics and induction activities, CPD, renewals, badges, certificates, post-nominals, and public directory listings.
• Knowledge and development. Member resources, webinars, conferences, workshops, journals, publications, research search, dictionaries, roadmaps, templates, toolkits, mentoring, and national chapters.
• Digital tools. Lean Six Sigma calculators, assessments, simulations, interactive templates, DMAIC and other improvement roadmaps, project storyboards, report generators, downloads, saved reports, AI-aided features, and video-based motion analysis.
• Recognition and institutional services. Awards, research submissions, training-provider and programme review, CPD allocation, partnerships, sponsorships, directories, institutional listings, and credential verification.

CILS is not a university, governmental regulator, licensing authority, or employer. Unless a specific written agreement says otherwise, use of a Service does not create an employment, agency, fiduciary, educational-institution, partnership, franchise, or joint-venture relationship.

The Services are intended for adults. You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into a binding contract. Student Membership refers to professional status and does not permit use by a person under 18.

You may use an organizational account or submit information about another person only when authorized to do so. CILS may require evidence of age, identity, authority, or eligibility and may decline or restrict access where the evidence is insufficient.

Some Services require an account. You must provide accurate, current, and complete information; maintain it; use only accounts you are authorized to use; and keep login credentials confidential. Unless CILS expressly authorizes a team or institutional account, an account is personal and may not be shared, transferred, rented, sold, or used by another person.

You are responsible for activity conducted through your account to the extent permitted by law. Notify connect@cilsglobal.com promptly if you suspect unauthorized access, credential compromise, or misuse. CILS may require password changes, identity checks, multi-factor authentication, or temporary restrictions to protect the Services.

Membership is not automatic. Published eligibility criteria, CPD requirements, required qualifications, work experience, project evidence, training evidence, publications, recommendations, and other requirements form the basis of an application but do not guarantee approval.

You must submit truthful, complete, unaltered, and independently verifiable information. CILS may contact issuers, referees, employers, institutions, or authorized verification services; request originals or further evidence; interview an applicant; refer material to a professional reviewer or technical committee; and investigate inconsistencies.

An applicant may be required to complete an ethics learning module, pass an assessment, sign a professional agreement, and pay the applicable fee before membership activates. CILS may approve a different grade, defer, reject, or close an application where criteria are not met, information cannot be verified, deadlines are missed, integrity concerns arise, or acceptance would conflict with law or professional standards.

Submitting false qualifications, fabricated or plagiarized project evidence, misleading CPD claims, impersonation, altered records, undisclosed conflicts, or inaccurate recommendations is a material breach and may result in rejection, suspension, withdrawal of status, removal from a register, notification to an affected institution, and other lawful action.

Prices, currencies, billing periods, membership terms, event charges, subscription conditions, and included benefits are those shown at the point of purchase or in a written quotation. Membership prices are ordinarily displayed in U.S. dollars; event or other charges may be displayed in another currency. You are responsible for applicable taxes, bank charges, exchange costs, and accurate billing information.

Payments may be processed by an independent payment provider. CILS does not ordinarily receive or store complete payment-card numbers. A payment is complete only after it is authorized and received. CILS may correct pricing or billing errors, refuse or cancel a transaction before activation, or suspend paid access for an overdue, reversed, fraudulent, or disputed payment.

As stated on the membership page, the first-year membership fee is non-refundable once paid, including where a member later upgrades. A person who prepays a two- or three-year membership and wishes to cancel must contact the membership team to discuss the options available under the terms presented at purchase. No refund, credit, or prorating is automatic unless the checkout terms or applicable law expressly requires it.

Event, award-entry, assessment, review, publication, partnership, donation, sponsorship, and other fees are refundable only under the specific written cancellation or refund conditions applicable to that transaction or where required by law.

If a Service is offered as an automatically renewing subscription, CILS will disclose the renewal cadence, price, material conditions, and cancellation method before purchase and will obtain the consent required by applicable law. Cancellation stops future renewals and does not ordinarily refund the current period. You may cancel using the method shown in account or checkout settings or by contacting CILS.

A chargeback or payment dispute does not cancel an underlying obligation or replace the published dispute process. Contact CILS first so a billing concern can be investigated.

Membership remains valid for the one-, two-, or three-year term selected and paid for, unless it is suspended, withdrawn, or terminated earlier. Continued status may depend on timely renewal, payment, CPD, current information, professional conduct, and any grade-specific requirements published by CILS.

CILS may update eligibility, CPD, evidence, renewal, and benefit requirements prospectively to maintain professional standards. Renewal is not guaranteed. A lapsed member loses access to member-only benefits and must stop using restricted post-nominals, badges, logos, certificates, and statements of current membership until status is formally reactivated.

CPD units and programme allocations are determined under CILS frameworks and may be reviewed, corrected, or withdrawn. Attendance, registration, payment, or submission alone does not guarantee CPD credit. You must retain accurate evidence and satisfy the participation or completion conditions.

CILS credentials, badges, certificates, seals, member numbers, post-nominals, and recognition statements are licensed indicators of verified status; they are not sold or transferred. Associate Members, Chartered Members, and Chartered Fellows may use ACILS, MCILS, and FCILS respectively only while the corresponding status is active and only in the manner authorized by CILS.

You must not alter a credential, imply a higher or different grade, claim certification or accreditation not granted, lend credentials to another person, imply CILS endorsement of unrelated services, or display expired, suspended, withdrawn, or revoked status as current. Public profiles, proposals, business cards, websites, social media, and marketing must accurately state your status.

CILS may verify status publicly, maintain historical or revoked-status records where necessary for public protection, correct a directory entry, and suspend or withdraw a credential after a fair review. No credential guarantees employment, promotion, income, licensure, regulatory acceptance, immigration benefit, admission, or recognition by a particular employer or institution.

The member directory and verification features are provided for legitimate professional verification. Bulk extraction, scraping, profiling, resale, unsolicited marketing, recruitment spam, harassment, or creation of a competing directory is prohibited.

Assessments, ethics modules, knowledge checks, interviews, project reviews, and integrity checks must be completed by the registered person under the published rules. Unless expressly permitted, you must not use another person, unauthorized notes, copied answers, external assistance, generative AI, answer-sharing services, prohibited devices, or undisclosed materials.

You must not copy, record, photograph, reconstruct, publish, sell, solicit, or distribute questions, answer keys, scoring methods, reviewer comments, confidential materials, or another candidate's work. CILS may use identity, originality, plagiarism, activity, proctoring, or other proportionate integrity checks described before the assessment.

CILS may invalidate a result, require reassessment, withhold or withdraw a credential, restrict attempts, or begin disciplinary review where integrity is reasonably in doubt. Assessment and membership decisions may be challenged only through the appeal or review process published for the applicable Service. Participation does not guarantee a pass, membership, award, publication, credential, or professional outcome.

Event descriptions, speakers, venues, times, delivery formats, CPD units, capacity, and fees may change. Member benefits such as free or discounted attendance apply only where expressly advertised and may require active membership both at registration and on the event date. Registration is not confirmed until CILS accepts it and any required payment is received.

CILS may cancel, reschedule, relocate, change delivery mode, substitute speakers, limit capacity, refuse admission, or remove a participant for safety, misconduct, disruption, nonpayment, or legal reasons. Refunds or credits, if any, follow the event-specific terms and applicable law. CILS is not responsible for independently booked travel, visas, lodging, lost work time, or related expenses.

Participants must behave professionally and must not harass, discriminate, threaten, record restricted sessions, misuse participant data, promote unauthorized commercial activities, or disrupt an event. CILS will give notice where an event is recorded. By remaining in a clearly recorded session, you authorize CILS to use your appearance, voice, or contribution for the stated event, archival, educational, and promotional purposes, subject to applicable law and any opt-out method provided.

Award entrants must meet the published category, eligibility, evidence, deadline, fee, and originality requirements. An entrant represents that all claims, results, savings, authorship, permissions, references, and supporting materials are accurate and may be verified.

Judging involves professional judgment. CILS may appoint or replace judges, request evidence, combine or cancel categories, decline to make an award, correct an announced result, disqualify an entry, or withdraw recognition for misrepresentation, plagiarism, conflict, misconduct, or material error. Subject to any published appeal process, judging decisions are final.

Unless an entry form states otherwise, an entrant retains ownership of submitted materials but grants CILS a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to review, store, reproduce, summarize, display, and publicize the entry, finalist status, winner status, name, organization, approved images, and non-confidential excerpts for administration and promotion of the programme.

A website inquiry, application, listing, review, CPD allocation, co-marketing discussion, or payment does not by itself create a partnership, accreditation, agency, franchise, sponsorship, endorsement, or right to use CILS marks. Those rights exist only under a written agreement signed or electronically accepted by an authorized CILS representative.

Training-provider, university, corporate, governmental, author, sponsor, and donor relationships may be subject to due diligence, trainer-status requirements, programme review, quality assurance, ongoing reporting, and periodic reassessment. CILS may correct, suspend, remove, or revise a listing, endorsement, referral pathway, or CPD allocation if standards are not maintained.

A partner must not represent that CILS owns, delivers, guarantees, or certifies the partner's programme or services beyond the exact scope of written approval.

Authors and contributors must submit original work, disclose material conflicts and prior publication, cite sources accurately, secure all permissions, and protect confidential or personal information. CILS may screen, peer review, edit, format, reject, postpone, correct, annotate, or retract material in accordance with editorial and integrity standards.

Unless a separate publishing agreement says otherwise, the author retains copyright and grants CILS a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, transferable and sublicensable license to host, reproduce, edit for style, publish, translate, archive, distribute, index, display, and promote the accepted work in any medium. The author also authorizes CILS to identify the author and professional affiliation.

Research search and publication features may retrieve metadata, abstracts, citations, or links from independent repositories and publishers. CILS does not control the accuracy, availability, copyright status, licensing, or continued accessibility of third-party material. Users must obtain lawful access, preserve attribution, and comply with the source's terms.

The CILS Tools Hub includes hundreds of calculators, decision tools, assessments, simulations, templates, interactive maps, roadmaps, and report builders. Tools may generate images, spreadsheets, CSV files, PDFs, presentations, reports, classifications, benchmarks, or recommendations based on data and assumptions supplied by the user.

Tools and outputs are educational and informational aids. They do not replace professional judgment, direct observation, measurement-system analysis, statistical validation, financial review, legal advice, regulatory review, engineering approval, safety analysis, medical advice, or organizational authorization. A formula, benchmark, standard reference, traffic-light result, or automated verdict may be incomplete, outdated, unsuitable, or incorrect for a particular context.

You are responsible for verifying inputs, assumptions, units, formulas, statistical conditions, sample adequacy, outputs, and decisions before use. CILS does not guarantee savings, capability, compliance, certification, audit acceptance, project success, business results, or fitness for a particular purpose.

Subject to these Terms, a user may download and use an output generated from the user's own lawful input for internal professional, educational, or client work. This permission does not transfer ownership of the underlying CILS tool, template, design, methodology, source code, question bank, content, or formatting system and does not permit resale or distribution of a CILS tool or blank template.

AI-aided features may identify segments, classify value-adding or non-value-adding activity, suggest Lean wastes or Therbligs, calculate process-cycle efficiency, summarize content, or support other analyses. AI output is probabilistic and may contain errors, omissions, bias, or invented information. Every output must be reviewed and corrected by a competent person before it is relied upon.

AI Processing and Third-Party LLM Disclaimer. AI-aided features transmit user-provided inputs to a third-party large language model (LLM) service to generate outputs. By using an AI-aided feature, you acknowledge this transmission. You represent that you hold all rights and permissions necessary to submit the data, including any employer, client, or institutional authorizations. You must not submit personally identifiable information, confidential client data, trade secrets, classified or regulated information, or data about identifiable individuals unless the specific tool expressly supports that use and you have lawful authority to do so. CILS is not liable for outputs acted upon without independent professional review, and CILS does not warrant that LLM outputs are accurate, complete, or suitable for any particular purpose.

You may record or upload a process video only if you own it or have all permissions, notices, releases, workplace approvals, and lawful bases required for every person, location, sound, image, document, screen, trade secret, and other material captured. Do not use the Service for covert surveillance, facial recognition, biometric identification, harassment, discriminatory profiling, unlawful employee monitoring, or a solely automated employment, disciplinary, eligibility, safety, legal, medical, or similarly significant decision.

Do not upload confidential client data, personal data, employee-identifiable data, children's data, medical or financial information, trade secrets, classified information, or regulated data unless you are authorized and the specific feature expressly supports that use. Blur, crop, redact, anonymize, or remove unnecessary identifiers where practical.

Some tools process input only during an active session and clear it when the tool is closed or the page is refreshed. A feature labelled Saved Reports or otherwise offering account storage may retain the material the user deliberately saves until the user deletes it or the applicable retention period ends. The Privacy Policy explains the relevant data practices.

Except for user-owned submissions and third-party material expressly identified as such, all content and technology made available on or through the Services is the exclusive property of The Chartered Institute of Lean Six Sigma LLC or is lawfully licensed to it. All rights are reserved.

Protected material ("CILS Content") includes the website and its selection, arrangement, compilation, design, look and feel; names, logos, trade names, trademarks, service marks, certification marks, seals, badges, certificates, post-nominals, and slogans; text, articles, publications, research, dictionaries, glossaries, definitions, images, video, audio, graphics, icons, and databases; membership and CPD frameworks; eligibility and assessment criteria; examinations, questions, rubrics, reviewer guidance, and integrity systems; calculators, formulas as expressed, benchmarks, simulations, templates, roadmaps, maps, storyboards, report builders, workflows, user interfaces, outputs, and downloads; and software, code, models, prompts, documentation, and other proprietary materials.

No ownership right is transferred by access, membership, payment, subscription, download, directory listing, credential, partnership discussion, or participation. Copyright and other proprietary notices must remain intact.

Subject to ongoing compliance with these Terms, CILS grants you a limited, personal, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and non-sublicensable license to access and use the Services and CILS Content for their intended professional, educational, or internal business purpose. Any other use requires prior written permission from CILS.

Without prior written permission, you must not:

• Copy or republish. Reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit, distribute, translate, publicly display, sell, license, rent, or commercially exploit CILS Content, except for an expressly authorized download or generated output.
• Modify or create substitutes. Alter, adapt, abridge, remove branding from, create derivative works from, white-label, or use CILS Content to build a competing membership, credential, publication, directory, assessment, calculator, tool, template, course, or platform.
• Scrape or train systems. Use bots, crawlers, scraping, bulk download, data mining, text-and-data extraction, model training, retrieval-augmented generation, indexing, or automated collection on CILS Content, member data, questions, publications, tools, outputs, or directories.
• Reverse engineer. Discover source code, bypass access controls, decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, probe, benchmark for replication, or interfere with software, models, prompts, formulas, security, or technical restrictions, except where a non-waivable law permits it.
• Misuse the brand. Register or use a confusing domain, account name, business name, advertisement, keyword, logo, badge, seal, certificate, post-nominal, certification mark, or statement that implies unauthorized affiliation, approval, status, or endorsement.
• Frame or mirror. Frame, embed, mirror, proxy, or reproduce the Services or remove copyright, trademark, attribution, security, access, or rights-management information.

Permissions may be conditioned on attribution, purpose, duration, territory, quality control, fees, and a separate license. CILS may revoke permission if the conditions are not followed.

"User Content" means information, text, data, files, images, video, audio, reports, research, entries, project evidence, comments, profiles, and other material a user submits, uploads, records, generates, saves, or publishes through a Service. As between you and CILS, you retain ownership of your original User Content.

You grant CILS and its authorized service providers a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, copy, transmit, format, process, analyze, adapt technically, display, and otherwise use User Content only as reasonably necessary to provide, secure, support, administer, and improve the requested Service; comply with law; enforce these Terms; and exercise a separately granted publication, award, directory, or promotional license.

You represent that you own the User Content or have every right and authorization required to submit it and grant the above license; that it is accurate where accuracy is required; and that its collection, use, and submission do not violate law, confidentiality, privacy, employment duties, intellectual-property rights, or another agreement.

CILS may remove, quarantine, restrict, or preserve User Content where reasonably necessary to operate or protect the Services, investigate misconduct, respond to a complaint, comply with law, or prevent harm. CILS has no general obligation to monitor all User Content.

If you voluntarily provide an idea, correction, rating, suggestion, tool feedback, or other feedback ("Feedback"), you grant CILS a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, transferable, sublicensable, royalty-free right to use and commercialize the Feedback without restriction or compensation. Do not submit Feedback that you are not authorized to disclose.

You must use the Services lawfully, professionally, and in accordance with the Code of Conduct. You must not:

• Commit fraud, bribery, corruption, money laundering, sanctions violations, deception, or other unlawful activity.
• Impersonate another person; misrepresent identity, qualifications, authorship, status, authority, project results, savings, CPD, affiliation, accreditation, sponsorship, or endorsement.
• Upload malicious code; probe or defeat security; obtain unauthorized access; interfere with availability; overload infrastructure; or encourage another person to do so.
• Collect, expose, sell, or misuse personal, member, participant, candidate, reviewer, author, employee, or partner information.
• Harass, threaten, discriminate, defame, exploit, stalk, or publish unlawful, hateful, abusive, obscene, or privacy-invasive content.
• Infringe copyright, trademark, patent, trade-secret, database, publicity, privacy, moral, contractual, or other rights.
• Post spam, unsolicited promotions, pyramid schemes, fraudulent offers, deceptive reviews, or unauthorized recruitment or commercial solicitations.
• Circumvent fees, membership restrictions, subscription limits, geographic restrictions, usage caps, integrity checks, access controls, or technical safeguards.
• Use automated means to scrape, enumerate, harvest, copy, test, or systematically interact with the Services without written authorization.
• Use a tool, directory, credential, award, publication, partnership, or output in a way that could mislead, cause unsafe decisions, violate professional duties, or damage CILS or the public.

CILS may establish reasonable rate limits, technical restrictions, usage policies, or additional safeguards and may investigate apparent misuse.

The Services may link to, embed, search, cite, interoperate with, or rely on independent websites, payment processors, video or AI providers, research repositories, publishers, social platforms, conferencing services, mapping services, cloud hosts, and other third parties. Their services, content, privacy practices, availability, and terms are controlled by them, not CILS.

A link, search result, citation, integration, partner listing, programme listing, or mention does not imply that CILS verifies, owns, endorses, or guarantees the third party unless CILS expressly says so in writing. You are responsible for obtaining lawful access, reviewing the third party's terms, and assessing its material.

References to ISO, JSQC, Ford 8D, APQC, academic repositories, software products, methodologies, standards, trademarks, or other third-party names are descriptive. Those names and materials belong to their respective owners. CILS is not affiliated with or endorsed by a referenced owner unless expressly stated, and a CILS tool is not a substitute for an official, current copy of a standard.

CILS processes personal information as described in the Privacy Policy available on the website. By using the Services, you acknowledge that policy. You are separately responsible for providing lawful notices and obtaining permissions for personal information you submit about employees, students, clients, event participants, recorded individuals, referees, or other persons.

You agree that CILS may send account, application, payment, security, credential, renewal, event, policy, disciplinary, and other service communications electronically. You may withdraw from promotional email using the unsubscribe method provided, but cannot opt out of essential transactional or legal notices while an account or relationship remains active.

Electronic records, clicks, checkboxes, typed names, digital signatures, account actions, and electronic acceptance may be used to form agreements and satisfy writing and signature requirements to the extent permitted by the Delaware Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the federal E-SIGN Act, and other applicable law. You should retain copies of accepted terms and transaction records.

CILS may maintain, update, correct, replace, add, restrict, suspend, or discontinue any Service, content, tool, formula, benchmark, benefit, feature, access tier, interface, or integration. Where a change materially affects a paid current term, CILS will provide any notice, continued access, credit, cancellation right, or refund required by the applicable written terms or law.

The Services may experience interruptions, latency, errors, data loss, security incidents, third-party failures, or maintenance. Unless a separate signed agreement contains a service level, CILS does not guarantee uninterrupted, secure, error-free, or permanently available operation.

A feature identified as beta, pilot, preview, experimental, AI-aided, or early access may be less reliable, may change without notice, and may be withdrawn. Do not use such a feature for high-risk or production-critical decisions without independent controls.

CILS may restrict, suspend, or terminate access, an account, membership, credential, directory entry, submission, partnership status, award, publication, event registration, or other relationship where reasonably necessary to address nonpayment, security risk, fraud, misrepresentation, integrity concerns, misconduct, unlawful activity, public harm, breach of these Terms or the Code of Conduct, or a legal requirement.

Where appropriate, CILS will use a fair review process and may request information, preserve evidence, impose interim restrictions, provide notice of an outcome, and permit an appeal under the applicable published policy. Immediate action may be taken where delay could cause harm, compromise an assessment, threaten security, or violate law.

On termination or expiry, the right to access or use restricted Services and CILS credentials ends. You must stop using withdrawn marks, badges, certificates, post-nominals, member claims, partner claims, and protected materials. Payment obligations and provisions that by their nature should survive — including intellectual property, confidentiality, disclaimers, liability limits, indemnity, dispute, and general provisions — remain effective.

A rights owner who believes material on the Services infringes copyright or another intellectual-property right may email connect@cilsglobal.com with the subject "Intellectual Property Complaint." The notice should include:

• The complainant's full name, organization, contact details, and authority to act for the rights owner.
• Identification of the protected work, mark, or other right and, where applicable, registration details.
• The exact URL and a sufficiently precise description of the challenged material.
• A good-faith statement that the disputed use is not authorized by the owner, its agent, or law.
• A statement, made under penalty of perjury where applicable, that the notice is accurate and the complainant is authorized to act.
• A physical or electronic signature.

CILS may remove or restrict the material, request further evidence, notify the submitting user, permit a lawful response or counter-notice, restore material where appropriate, and terminate repeat infringers. Knowingly submitting a materially false complaint or response may create liability.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE SERVICES AND ALL CILS CONTENT, CREDENTIALS, DIRECTORIES, LISTINGS, EVENTS, PUBLICATIONS, RESEARCH RESULTS, THIRD-PARTY LINKS, TOOLS, CALCULATORS, TEMPLATES, ASSESSMENTS, AI FEATURES, MOTION ANALYSES, REPORTS, OUTPUTS, AND SUPPORT ARE PROVIDED ON AN AS-IS AND AS-AVAILABLE BASIS, WITH ALL FAULTS.

CILS AND ITS MEMBERS, MANAGERS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, REVIEWERS, JUDGES, ADVISERS, CONTRACTORS, LICENSORS, AND SERVICE PROVIDERS DISCLAIM ALL EXPRESS, IMPLIED, AND STATUTORY WARRANTIES, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, RELIABILITY, AVAILABILITY, SECURITY, QUIET ENJOYMENT, PROFESSIONAL OUTCOME, AND ANY WARRANTY ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE.

CILS does not warrant that a credential will be recognized by every employer, government, regulator, university, professional body, immigration authority, or customer; that a user will obtain employment, promotion, admission, income, savings, certification, compliance, award, publication, partnership, or project success; or that a tool or output is suitable for the user's circumstances.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain warranty exclusions. In that event, the exclusions apply only to the maximum extent permitted and do not affect non-waivable rights.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, CILS AND ITS MEMBERS, MANAGERS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, REVIEWERS, JUDGES, ADVISERS, CONTRACTORS, LICENSORS, AND SERVICE PROVIDERS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES; LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, SAVINGS, OPPORTUNITY, REPUTATION, GOODWILL, BUSINESS, USE, DATA, OR CONTENT; PERSONAL TRAVEL OR ACCOMMODATION COSTS; OR THE COST OF SUBSTITUTE SERVICES, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THE SERVICES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF CILS FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THE SERVICES OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF: (A) THE AMOUNT THE CLAIMANT PAID DIRECTLY TO CILS FOR THE SPECIFIC SERVICE GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM DURING THE TWELVE MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT CREATING LIABILITY; OR (B) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS (US $100).

The limitations apply to all theories of liability, including contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, statute, and unjust enrichment, and allocate risk between the parties. They do not exclude liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including liability for fraud or wilful misconduct where applicable.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, you will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless CILS and its members, managers, officers, employees, reviewers, judges, advisers, contractors, licensors, and service providers from third-party claims, proceedings, damages, judgments, penalties, losses, costs, and reasonable legal fees arising from: your User Content; your use or misuse of the Services, credentials, outputs, video, personal information, or third-party material; your breach of these Terms or law; or your infringement or violation of another person's rights.

CILS may control the defense and settlement of an indemnified matter. You must cooperate and may not settle a matter in a way that admits fault by, imposes obligations on, or restricts CILS without CILS's prior written consent.

These Terms and any dispute or claim arising from or relating to them or the Services are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules, except to the extent a non-waivable law of another jurisdiction applies.

Before filing a claim, a party should send a written notice describing the dispute, relevant facts, documents, and requested resolution. The parties will attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute for at least 30 days after receipt, unless urgent injunctive relief, a limitations period, or law requires earlier action.

Subject to any non-waivable consumer right, each party submits to the exclusive personal jurisdiction and venue of the state courts located in New Castle County, Delaware, and the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. Either party may seek urgent injunctive or protective relief in a court with jurisdiction to prevent unauthorized use of intellectual property, a security breach, misuse of confidential information, or immediate harm.

CILS operates from the United States and serves an international community. A user outside the United States is responsible for local laws relating to contracts, professional claims, employment monitoring, video recording, privacy, consumer rights, taxation, payments, imports, exports, and use of credentials.

You must not use or provide the Services in violation of United States export controls, trade restrictions, or sanctions, or for prohibited end users, destinations, or activities. CILS may restrict access or transactions where reasonably necessary for compliance.

Entire agreement. These Terms and incorporated service-specific terms are the complete agreement regarding the Services and replace earlier discussions on the same subject, except for a separate written agreement that expressly controls.

Order of precedence. A signed enterprise, publishing, partnership, sponsorship, accreditation, or other specific agreement controls over these Terms only for its subject matter. A purchase order or user-supplied term does not bind CILS unless CILS expressly accepts it in writing.

Assignment. You may not assign or transfer these Terms, an account, membership, credential, or right without CILS's prior written consent. CILS may assign these Terms in connection with a reorganization, merger, financing, sale, transfer of Services, or operation of law.

Severability. If a provision is held invalid or unenforceable, it will be enforced to the maximum lawful extent and the remaining provisions will continue.

No waiver. A failure or delay in exercising a right is not a waiver. A waiver must be express and applies only to the specific instance.

No third-party beneficiaries. These Terms do not create rights for a person other than the parties, except that CILS related persons protected by the disclaimers, liability limits, and indemnity may enforce those provisions.

Force majeure. CILS is not liable for delay or failure caused by events beyond reasonable control, including natural disasters, epidemic, war, terrorism, civil unrest, labor disputes, government action, utility or internet failure, cyberattack, supplier failure, venue closure, travel disruption, or failure of a third-party platform.

Interpretation. Headings are for convenience. "Including" means "including without limitation." Singular and plural terms include each other where context permits. Electronic notices and records may satisfy written-notice requirements where lawful.

CILS may revise these Terms to reflect changes in law, technology, security, the Services, or organizational practices. The revised Terms will be posted with a new Last updated date. For a material change, CILS will provide additional notice reasonably appropriate to the change, such as a prominent website, account, or email notice, before the change takes effect where required.

Continued use after revised Terms take effect constitutes acceptance, except where law requires a different form of consent. If you do not accept a revision, stop using the affected Service and cancel any future renewal before it occurs.

For questions, legal notices, billing concerns, or complaints about these Terms, contact:

A legal notice should identify the sender, account or transaction, nature of the matter, supporting documents, and requested resolution. CILS may require identity or authority verification before disclosing account information or acting on a request.