Terms of Use

About these services

MAIYO RESEARCH INSTITUTE (MRI) Ltd is a private company limited by guarantee registered in Rwanda. We currently provide these services without charge for research, education and public-interest use. “Maiyo Research Institute”, “we” and “us” refer to the company and its services.

Acceptable use

You may use the services lawfully and respectfully. You must not:

• interfere with, probe or attack the services or their infrastructure;
• use automated requests in a way that unreasonably burdens the services;
• impersonate another person or misrepresent your affiliation;
• use the services to violate another person’s rights or applicable law; or
• attempt to access another user’s account or private information.

Google sign-in and accounts

Some features require Google sign-in. You are responsible for keeping access to your Google account secure and for activity carried out through your account. We may suspend access where necessary to protect users, the services or our legal obligations.

Research information and third-party material

Research pages, biodiversity records, identifications and automated analysis may contain errors or become outdated. They are provided for informational, educational and research purposes and should not be treated as professional, legal, conservation or safety advice.

Some content comes from third parties and remains subject to the source’s licence, attribution requirements and terms. See our licences and attribution page before reusing it.

Intellectual property

Maiyo Research Institute owns or licenses the software, design and original materials it publishes. Open-source software and openly licensed materials remain subject to their stated licences. These terms do not transfer ownership of third-party material or personal information.

Availability and changes

We work to keep the services available, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted operation, permanent availability or error-free results. We may change, suspend or discontinue a feature as the project develops. If a feature becomes paid in the future, we will provide clear notice before charging for it.

Disclaimers and liability

To the extent permitted by law, the services are provided on an “as available” basis without warranties that they will be complete, accurate or suitable for a particular purpose. Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited under Rwandan law.

Governing law and contact

These terms are governed by the laws of Rwanda. Disputes will be handled by the courts with appropriate jurisdiction in Rwanda, subject to any mandatory rights you have under applicable law. Questions about these terms can be sent to contact@maiyoinstitute.org.