Introduction:
At IFI CLAIMS® Patent Services, we take your privacy seriously and want you to know what to expect when you access our websites and the web-based applications (“APIs”) which are hosted by us. This privacy policy applies to the IFI CLAIMS® Patent Services website, other websites owned and controlled by us, and to our APIs (collectively, the “Sites"). The purpose of this privacy policy is to explain how we use any personal information about you and to assist you in making informed decisions when using our Sites.
What information we collect about you:
When you visit our Sites, our servers automatically collect certain information about you which might include your Internet Protocol address (IP address) and domain name. Our servers may also record information regarding which pages are accessed by you during your visit and after, and when, as well as the date on which you visited our website. We may record information collected by the other websites or search engines which may have led or directed you to our Sites.
We do not require you to affirmatively provide any other personally identifying information just to look at our Sites. When you sign up for a subscription to our services or request further information from us, we may ask you for your name and email address and other information necessary to complete the subscription or respond to your request for information.
How we use that information:
We use the information regarding your visit to our websites, among other things, to improve our offering, improve the user experience, fulfill the terms of any subscription entered into by you and for marketing purposes as set forth below.
Information gathered from our APIs is used for diagnostic purposes only. We do not track or note any information about which pages in our service database you may visit unless you explicitly allow us to do so.
Marketing activities:
By Us: We may occasionally send bulk emails about IFI CLAIMS® Patent Services or matters relating to our members to you if you have opted in to receive these messages. We do not send bulk e-mails or allow others to send bulk e-mails which we believe would be considered to be “spam”. Please realize however, that even if you have opted out of receiving communications from us, we may still contact you in connection with transaction-based messages.
By You: All license use and marketing restrictions in any agreement entered into between User and IFI CLAIMS® Patent Services remain in full force and effect. Nothing in this Privacy Policy is intended to alter the terms of any license agreement entered into between youand IFI CLAIMS® Patent Services.
Sharing of information:
We will only share certain personal information with our employees and affiliates and third parties under limited circumstances, as described below:
- We may share your information with our employees and affiliates for the purposes of providing our services.
- Occasionally, we may enter into contracts with trusted third parties so that they can assist us in providing our services. The contracts we sign with these third parties will prohibit them from using any of your personal information for any purpose beyond the purpose for which it was shared.
- We do not disclose your personal information to courts, law enforcement authorities and other regulatory or government agencies unless legally required to do so or pursuant to a valid court or regulatory subpoena or order. To the extent we are legally permitted to do so, we will take reasonable steps to notify you in advance of any such requests.
Access and retention of your information:
We take steps to ensure that the personal information we collect is accurate and up to date, and that you have the ability to access it and make corrections to it. If you would like to access the personal information we hold about you or have it corrected, revised, or deleted please contact us at the address set forth below. Subject to verification of your identity and provided that there is no prohibition against doing so, we will attempt to comply with your request.
We will retain and use your information for as long as needed to provide you with the services, as necessary to comply with our obligations under this Privacy Policy and at law, resolve disputes, enforce our agreements and for backup purposes. When it is no longer required, we will delete your personal information.
Personal information in the IFI CLAIMS® Patent Services Database:
Please note that we aggregate information published by national and international patent authorities. All of the assignee, applicant and inventor information is published by these patent authorities. IFI CLAIMS® Patent Services does not have any control over these national or international agencies. If you feel that your information has been published improperly or incorrectly, then you must take that issue up with the appropriate patent authority. There may be legal requirements which prevent removal of your personal information even after request. These requirements are imposed by the national or international agencies. Certain public agencies may allow for the masking of your personal information. You may wish to contact the agency where you filed your patent to see if this type of option is available to you. IFI CLAIMS makes no guarantees that any such requests will be honored and has no control over these agencies.
Cookies:
This Site uses cookies. Cookies are small text files that are stored in your computer either temporarily for that session only or permanently. Cookies allow the Site to recognize you if you return and keep track of your preferences. We use cookies to help improve the user experience in the following manner:
- Store temporary cookies that are removed when you close the browser window, such as a user session identifier;
- Use Google Analytics and other similar tools and services for analyzing visitor trends and tracking the effectiveness of our advertisements;
- Store cookies (yes/no) for remembering what things have been turned off/closed;
- Store cookies for remembering font size;
- Store cookies for improving the usability of engaging aspects of our Site;
- Store other kinds of cookie that are mentioned before they are set;
- Log basic information pertaining to your computer including your IP address, web browser name, and operating system; and
- Store other information that you explicitly enter, such as your account information.
If you wish to see exactly what cookies are saved or if you wish to delete cookies, you can do so using standard tools built into your web browser. You may also wish to refer to this website for additional information about disabling cookies from your browser: http://www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies/
Other websites:
Our Site may contain links to other websites, including those of our commercial and research partners. This privacy policy applies only to the Sites and we are not responsible for the content of any other website, whether or not referenced by or accessible from our Sites. You should refer to those third-party privacy policies.
Protection of your data:
We employ reasonable and appropriate security measures to help protect your personal information from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. We use industry standard intrusion detection and virus protection software. However, due to the inherent nature of the Internet as an open, non-secure global communications vehicle, we cannot guarantee that information, either during transmission through the Internet or while stored on our systems or otherwise in our care, will be absolutely safe from intrusion by others, such as hackers or third parties intent on harm.
Consent to worldwide transfer and processing of personal information:
IFI CLAIMS® Patent Services is located in the United States. If you are not located in the United States, by accessing this Site and providing personal information through it, you agree and acknowledge and consent to the collection, maintenance, processing and transfer of such information in and to the United States and other countries and territories. These other jurisdictions may have different privacy laws from your home jurisdiction and provide different levels of protection of personal information. IFI CLAIMS® Patent Services does have processes and procedures in place to provide adequate levels of protection to protect the transfer of data from the European Union. You agree that the terms of this Privacy Policy will apply and you consent to the transmission and processing of your personal information in any jurisdiction.
Children Under 13:
Our Site is not intended for the use of or targeted to children aged thirteen or under. If we become aware that we have inadvertently received personal information from a visitor under the age of thirteen on our Site, we will delete the information from our records.
Updates to our Privacy Policy:
This Privacy Policy may be updated periodically and without prior notice to reflect changes in our online information practices. We will post a prominent notice on our Site to notify you of any significant changes to our Privacy Policy.
Conditions of use:
If you choose to visit, your visit and any dispute over privacy shall be subject to this Privacy Policy and shall be governed by the laws of the State of Connecticut without regard to its conflict of laws principles.
Language:
The governing language of this Privacy Policy is English, which shall prevail over any other language used in any translated document.
Contact us:
If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, or if you would like to review, delete or update information we have about you or your preferences, please contact us at the following address:
Effective Date:
This Privacy Policy is effective as of March 19, 2018.