Terms and Conditions for PrimalScheme

Effective date: 26 March 2026

1. License and Attribution

PrimalScheme and all outputs generated through primalscheme.com are licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
This means:

1.1 You are free to:

  • Share — copy and redistribute the software and any outputs in any medium or format
  • Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the software and outputs for any purpose,
    even commercially

1.2 Under the following terms:

  • Attribution — You must give appropriate credit to PrimalScheme, provide a link to
    the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner,
    but not in any way that suggests PrimalScheme endorses you or your use.
  • ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the software or its outputs,
    you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
  • No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures
    that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

2. Service Usage

2.1 User Obligations

Users of primalscheme.com agree to:

  • Use the service in accordance with these terms and applicable laws
  • Accept responsibility for the validation and verification of any primers or schemes generated

2.2 Service Limitations

  • The service is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind
  • We do not guarantee uninterrupted access to primalscheme.com
  • We reserve the right to modify or discontinue the service without notice

3. Data and Privacy

3.1 Data Usage

  • Input sequences and other data submitted to primalscheme.com may be used for service
    improvement
  • We implement reasonable security measures but cannot guarantee absolute data security
  • Users retain all rights to their input data

3.2 Output Usage

All outputs generated by PrimalScheme, including but not limited to:

  • Primer sequences
  • Scheme diagrams
  • Reports and analytics

are subject to the CC BY-SA 4.0 license terms specified above.

4. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SOFTWARE AND SERVICE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT
HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF
CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR
THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

5. Citation and Attribution

When using PrimalScheme in academic or research contexts, proper citation is required.
Users should cite:

  • The PrimalScheme website (primalscheme.com)
  • The CC BY-SA 4.0 license
  • The following publication:

Kent C, et al. PrimalScheme: open-source community resources for low-cost viral genome sequencing https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.12.20.629611

6. Data Retention

  • Job results and associated input data are anonymised one year after submission — personal
    identifiers are removed but scheme outputs are retained for reference.
  • All job data is permanently and irrecoverably deleted two years after submission.
  • Users who require their data to be deleted sooner may contact us through the official
    channels at primalscheme.com.

7. Modifications to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. Changes will be effective
immediately upon posting to primalscheme.com. Continued use of the service constitutes
acceptance of modified terms.

8. Governing Law

These terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and
Wales. Any disputes arising from these terms or the use of the service shall be subject
to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

The CC BY-SA 4.0 license governs the use and distribution of outputs generated by
PrimalScheme, as described in Section 1.

9. Contact Information

For questions regarding these terms or the service, please contact the maintainers
through the project's official channels at primalscheme.com.

These terms were last updated on 26 March 2026.