This document sets forth Terms of Use applicable to users of Harvard Innovation Labs facilities, programming and resources, all of which may be offered remotely or in person. By using the Harvard Innovation Labs, its facilities, programming or resources, you agree to be legally bound by the following Terms of Use.
If any of these Terms of Use is unacceptable to you, do not use the Harvard Innovation Labs.
- Use of the Harvard Innovation Labs is by invitation of the Executive Director or the Dean of a Harvard school affiliated with the Harvard Innovation Labs. The purpose of the Harvard Innovation Labs is to provide space and support for Harvard students, faculty, staff, alumni and others engaged in new ventures, non-profit creation, product or service innovation, small business development, and related educational and research activities. Users should devote their time in the Harvard Innovation Labs in pursuit of these activities in a mutually supportive community. We expect members of our community to behave responsibly and respectfully when using the space, and to use the space and resources only for these intended purposes. We may terminate your use of the Harvard Innovation Labs at any time in our sole discretion.
- The Harvard Innovation Labs is an operating unit of Harvard University. All Harvard policies applicable to you apply to your work in the Harvard Innovation Labs and your use of our facilities. Your use of Harvard Innovation Labs facilities, resources, and funding to develop inventions, software, copyrighted works or unpatented materials will not, in and of itself, give Harvard any rights in those developments. If Harvard is otherwise entitled to rights in such a development under its Intellectual Property Policy – for example, because the development is made under a sponsored research agreement administered by Harvard or with other financial support from Harvard – the fact that you used Harvard Innovation Labs facilities or resources to work on the development will not eliminate or diminish Harvard’s rights.
- Space at the i-lab is limited. Teams of entrepreneurs and innovators are invited to use our space for defined periods of time.
- The Harvard Innovation Labs Executive Director will determine which areas of the i-lab you and your team (if applicable) may use, and may change the area or areas of permitted use from time to time in the Executive Director’s sole discretion. No part of the space in the i-lab is reserved for exclusive use or occupancy by you or your team members. The Executive Director may terminate your or any team’s right to use the i-lab at any time in the Executive Director’s sole discretion. You or any team member may elect to cease using the i-lab at any time. You will endeavor to provide the i-lab with advance notice of any anticipated change in the team’s use of the i-lab.
- Depending on the i-lab’s needs and the nature of your work in the space, the i-lab may elect to charge you and/or your team a fee as a condition of using the i-lab. If the i-lab elects to charge such a fee, or to increase any such fee previously imposed, the i-lab will notify the team leader either (i) upon approval of the team by i-lab or (ii) at least fourteen (14) days before the subsequently imposed fee or increase becomes effective. If a fee is to be paid from the outset, it will be communicated to the team leader as soon as commercially practicable. If the i-lab subsequently notifies you or your team that a fee will be imposed or that an existing fee will be increased, you and/or your team may elect to cease using the i-lab thereafter if you do not wish to pay the fee. All use fees will be payable, in full, monthly in advance.
- You – not Harvard – are responsible for your venture or project. Your responsibilities include, among other things:
- Protecting any intellectual property that you or others involved with your project may develop and own. Note, for example, that certain disclosures of information about your ideas or inventions may adversely affect your ability to obtain patent protection in the future;
- Making suitable arrangements and entering into appropriate agreements setting forth the rights and obligations of you and your co-ventures, including any business founders, managers or inventors;
- Choosing appropriate advisors and service providers to assist your venture, and entering into appropriate agreements with them. These may include lawyers, accountants, software or website developers, product testers, and other consultants; and
- Resolving conflicts involving members of your team or other users of the Harvard Innovation Labs without calling upon Harvard Innovation Labs personnel to intervene or arbitrate disputes.
As you think about how best to establish your business and protect your intellectual property, and what formal agreements to put into place among venture founders, managers, inventors and other relevant parties, recognize that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach or set of documents. You are best served by consulting with legal counsel of your own choosing to help you determine how to address the issues relevant to your venture.
- The Harvard Innovation Labs expects to have entrepreneurs-in-residence, advisors, mentors and service providers (collectively, “Advisors”) on the premises from time to time, whom you may choose to ask for assistance or advice on your work in the Harvard Innovation Labs. These Advisors may include people from within or outside Harvard. Harvard does not warrant that their advice or assistance will be sound or suitable for your particular business or project. You are responsible for evaluating the needs of your venture and deciding whether or not to use these resources. Any use of Advisors you choose to make will be at your own sole risk; Harvard will have no liability for any advice, assistance or services that any Advisor provides or fails to provide or for the selection or supervision of any Advisor. While we do not permit Advisors to charge for routine assistance they may provide at the request of venture teams while on our premises, if you decide to retain an Advisor for additional services, you will be responsible for working out any fee or other arrangements related to those services – such arrangements are strictly between you and the Advisor. You should recognize that the advice and mentoring provided by Advisors in the i-lab may be influenced by the Advisors’ potential interest in a business relationship with you or your venture.
- The Harvard Innovation Labs is an open, collaborative space. Harvard is not responsible for safeguarding your confidential information and will not be requiring i-lab staff, users or Advisors to enter into confidentiality agreements or to agree to protect confidential information as a condition of using the Harvard Innovation Labs. You are responsible for protecting all information you wish to maintain, or are obligated to maintain, as confidential (“Your Confidential Information”). If you decide to disclose Your Confidential Information to others, including to Harvard faculty, staff or students who work on your projects (whether in the i-lab or not), you are responsible for securing any such individual’s agreement to keep that information confidential. Harvard will not be responsible for security breaches involving Your Confidential Information or for the failure of any individual to comply with an agreement not to disclose Your Confidential Information.
- Harvard is not responsible for safeguarding any computers, equipment, documents or other materials you may bring or leave in the Harvard Innovation Labs. If you choose to bring or leave anything in the Harvard Innovation Labs, you agree that Harvard will not be liable for any damage, theft or loss that may occur.
- The Harvard Innovation Labs User and their Team shall not use the names “Harvard,” or “Innovation Labs,” (alone or as part of another name, and in any language) or any logos, seals, insignia or other words, names, symbols, images or devices that identify the Innovation Labs, Harvard or any Harvard school, unit, division or affiliate (“Harvard Names”) for any promotional purpose or any other purpose in connection with these Terms of Use except with the prior written approval of, and in accordance with restrictions required by, Harvard as applicable. The User and the Team shall not suggest any affiliation with Harvard in any promotional or other material. The User shall not register any Harvard Name in any jurisdiction as a trademark, service mark, domain name, trade name, business or company name or otherwise. Without limiting the foregoing, on the termination or expiration of the User’s relationship with the Harvard Innovation Labs, User shall cease any use of Harvard Names authorized under any Agreement, Guidebook, or other source.
- You agree that Harvard and its officers, governing board members, faculty members, employees and agents (collectively, the “Harvard Parties”) will have no liability of any kind – whether based on contract, tort or any other legal theory, and whether or not any such liability is foreseeable – for any claims, damages, losses, liabilities or expenses whatsoever arising from or related to your or your team’s use of the i-lab or any i-lab resources, including the services or advice of any Advisors (as previously defined) and including any negligence of any Harvard Party in connection with the i-lab. You agree not to assert any claim with respect to the foregoing matters against any Harvard Party, and hereby release the Harvard Parties from all such claims you or your team member now or hereafter may have.
- Harvard and You acknowledge that the parties are independent contractors, and shall not be deemed to be partners, joint venturers, employers, employees, or each other’s agents. Neither Harvard Innovation Labs nor You nor any team member has the right to act on behalf of the other, and neither shall purport to do so.
Teams or team members can be removed from an i-lab program and/or President’s Innovation Challenge, at the sole discretion of the Harvard Innovation Labs’ Executive Director.
The Harvard Innovation Labs may offer events, workshops, or presentations time to time where photography, audio and video recordings may occur. Any pictures or recordings (understood to include video or audio recordings) may be posted, streamed, broadcast, sold or otherwise publicly disseminated, including for promotional purposes. By attending such a session, you consent to the use and dissemination of any such recording, without further obligation or liability to you. You release Harvard Innovation Labs, its officers, employees, agents, students, and faculty and each and all persons involved from any liability connected with the taking, recording, digitizing, or publication and use of interviews, photographs, computer images, video and/or or sound recordings. You also waive any right to inspect or approve any photo, video, or audio recording taken by Harvard Innovation Labs or the person or entity designated to do so by Harvard Innovation Labs.
For any Harvard Innovation Labs workshops, presentations, or programming you understand and agree to the following:
- That the streamed content and associated handouts, presentations, and/or materials that you are accessing (the “Content”) is available only to a limited Audience (as later defined). Audience shall mean members of Harvard Innovation Labs’ innovation and entrepreneurship programs and Harvard affiliated community members.
- That you will not seek to record, download, or otherwise obtain a copy to the Content.
- That you will not share your access credentials with anyone who is not authorized to access this Content, not will you otherwise enable any unauthorized person to access the Content.
- That you are viewing the Content on a single computer solely for personal, informational and noncommercial purposes.
- You agree that you will not use, download, upload, copy, print, display, perform, reproduce, publish, license, post, transmit, rent, lease, modify, loan, sell, distribute, or create derivative works based (whether in whole or in part) on, the Content or any information from this Content, in whole or in part, without the express prior written authorization of Harvard Innovation Labs.
- You agree not to access the Content for any fraudulent or unlawful purpose.
- You agree you will not remove any copyright, trademark or other proprietary rights notice from the Content or other materials from the website.
