TERMS OF USE

These Terms of Use apply to your use of OpenAutoForum.org (the "Site"), operated by Open Auto, Inc.("Open Auto," "we," "us"). By using the Site, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.

If you use the Site for a company or organization, you confirm you have authority to accept these terms for it.

Open Auto is an independent, neutral standards initiative building a shared foundation for AI-native automotive retail. Our standards work is evolving and may change as the initiative develops.

The Site provides information about Open Auto's standards work, reference implementations, and related activities. It is not a software product, sales offer or promise of participation.

Open Auto conducts its activities in strict compliance with applicable antitrust and competition laws. The Site is provided solely for technical, educational, and standards collaboration purposes. Visitors, participants, and users may not use the Site or any Open Auto communication channel to discuss, exchange, or coordinate competitively sensitive business information, including non-public pricing, discounts, profit margins, commercial customer terms, supplier negotiations, or territorial market divisions.

You may use the Site for lawful, informational, and business purposes. You agree not to:

- Use the Site in a way that breaks any law or regulation.
- Try to gain unauthorized access to the Site or its systems.
- Disrupt the Site, including viruses, bots, or excessive automated requests.
- Scrape or copy Site content in bulk, except as allowed by these terms or a published license.
- Submit false information or pretend to be someone else in a form.
- Use the Site to send spam or unsolicited promotions.

When you submit a form, you confirm the information is accurate and yours to share. We handle personal information as described in our Privacy Policy.

Please do not send confidential or proprietary information through the Site's forms. Anything sent this way is not treated as confidential and does not create a participation, contribution, or license agreement. To the extent you provide suggestions, feedback, technical ideas, or proposed modifications regarding Open Auto’s standards, specifications, or reference materials through the Site, you grant Open Auto an irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide, assignable license to use, reproduce, modify, integrate, publish, and distribute such feedback in any Open Auto specifications, software, or documentation without compensation or attribution.

The Site and its content are owned by Open Auto or its licensors. This includes text, graphics, logos, and design. Content is protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws.

You may view, download, and print Site pages for your own informational or internal business use. Keep all copyright and other notices intact. You may not change, sell, or republish Site content without our written permission.

Standards, drafts, roadmaps, and reference implementations shown on the Site are for information only. They may change at any time and are not final unless clearly labeled.

Some materials may carry their own license or terms of use. Where they do, those terms apply to that material. Technical specifications, software code, and reference implementations hosted in Open Auto public repositories (e.g., GitHub) are governed by the specific open-source licenses (such as Apache 2.0 or MIT) designated within those repositories. In the event of any conflict between these Terms of Use and an applicable open-source license, the terms of the open-source license shall control regarding that code or specification.

Contributing to Open Auto standards, or taking part in working groups, pilots, or founding participation, is covered by separate written agreements. These Site terms do not grant any participation, membership, voting, or governance rights.

"Open Auto" and related names and logos are trademarks or service marks of Open Auto, Inc., where applicable. All third-party trademarks, service marks, trade names, and logos referenced on the Site (including STAR) are the property of their respective owners. You may not use them in a way that suggests endorsement, sponsorship, certification, or partnership without prior written permission. 

You may accurately describe your use of Open Auto materials or standards, where applicable and in accordance with any applicable license or published usage terms. You may not say or suggest that Open Auto endorses, certifies, or partners with you unless we have agreed to it in writing. Certification and validation programs, when available, will have their own terms.

The Site may link to other websites, including partners such as STAR, LinkedIn, and event organizers. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content or practices. A link does not mean we endorse them.

The Site and its content are provided "as is" and "as available." To the fullest extent the law allows, Open Auto makes no warranties of any kind, express or implied. This includes warranties of accuracy, completeness, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

Site content is general information. It is not legal, technical, financial, or compliance advice. Open Auto makes no representation or warranty that any standards, reference implementations, or frameworks published on the Site comply with federal, state, or international automotive franchise laws, vehicle safety regulations, consumer privacy standards, or data security mandates. You are responsible for decisions you make based on it.

To the fullest extent the law allows Open Auto, and its participants, partners, and service providers are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages. This includes lost profits, data, or business opportunities arising from your use of the Site.

If Open Auto is found liable for anything related to the Site, our total liability will not exceed one hundred U.S. dollars ($100 USD).

You agree to defend and hold harmless Open Auto from claims, losses, and costs that result from your misuse of the Site or your breach of these terms.

We may change, suspend, or remove any part of the Site at any time. We may also update these terms. The updated version will be posted here with a new effective date. Continuing to use the Site means you accept the updated terms.

These terms are governed by the laws of Delaware, United States, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute will be handled exclusively in the state or federal courts located in New Castle County, Delaware, unless the law where you live requires otherwise.

If any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest stays in effect. If we do not enforce a term, that does not waive our right to do so later. These terms, with our Privacy Policy, are the full agreement between you and Open Auto about the Site.

Questions about these terms: contact@openautoforum.org

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