Effective Date: February 24, 2025
These Terms of Service (hereinafter referred to as the "Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between Brownbag, a platform for academic conference management and research discovery (hereinafter referred to as "Brownbag," "we," "our," or "us") and you (hereinafter referred to as "you," "your," or "user") governing your use of the Brownbag platform, including our website, conference management tools, and research discovery services (collectively, the "Platform").
By accessing or using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference. If you are using the Platform on behalf of an organization (including but not limited to a university, research institution, or conference organization), you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that organization to these Terms, and references to "you" and "your" herein shall refer to both you individually and the organization.
The Platform provides integrated services for academic conference management and research discovery. Brownbag has developed and maintains a comprehensive system that enables conference organization, paper submission management, academic discussion, and research discovery. The Platform's primary functions include, without limitation, conference website creation, submission processing, peer review management, program development, and research paper organization.
3.1 Conference Organizers. Conference organizers shall have access to comprehensive conference management tools through the Platform. Such access includes the right to create conference websites, manage paper submissions, coordinate peer review processes, and develop conference programs. Conference organizers shall be responsible for managing reviewer permissions and maintaining the integrity of their conference's review process.
3.2 Reviewers. Upon designation by conference organizers, reviewers shall have access to assigned submissions and review tools. Reviewers shall maintain strict confidentiality regarding all review materials and processes, and shall conduct reviews in accordance with academic integrity standards.
3.3 Authors. Authors may submit papers to conferences through the Platform, subject to the warranties and representations set forth in Section 4.3 herein. Authors shall have the right to manage their submissions and respond to reviewer feedback through designated Platform interfaces.
3.4 General Members. General members of the Platform shall have the right to create and maintain personal research libraries, participate in academic discussions, and access public conference materials as made available through the Platform.
3.5 Site Visitors. Individuals who have not registered for an account ("Site Visitors") may access public conference information and paper abstracts as made available through the Platform, but shall not have access to member-specific features.
4.1 Conference Creation and Management. Conference organizers shall have the right to utilize Platform tools for conference management, including but not limited to website creation, submission processing, and program development. Brownbag reserves the right to modify or terminate conference management features at any time, with or without notice.
4.2 Conference Organizer Responsibilities. Conference organizers shall be solely responsible for the management and operation of their conferences through the Platform. Such responsibilities include, but are not limited to: (i) ensuring the accuracy and completeness of all conference information posted on the Platform; (ii) establishing and maintaining a fair and equitable review process; (iii) protecting the confidentiality of all submission information and reviewer identities; (iv) upholding academic integrity standards throughout the conference process; and (v) properly managing user permissions and access levels for their conference.
4.3 Paper Submission Process and Author Warranties. By submitting any paper or research work ("Work") to the Platform, authors hereby represent, warrant, and covenant that:
(i) they own or possess all necessary rights, licenses, and permissions required to submit such Work to the Platform;
(ii) they have confirmed their right to submit the Work, particularly in cases where the Work has been or will be published elsewhere, and have verified any applicable publisher agreements or restrictions;
(iii) the submission of the Work does not violate any agreement with publishers, academic institutions, or other third parties;
(iv) they understand and acknowledge that Brownbag cannot and does not verify rights or permissions for submitted Works, and that the author bears sole responsibility for ensuring proper authorization exists for submission;
(v) they will indemnify and hold Brownbag harmless from any claims arising from unauthorized submission of Works.
5.1 Platform Ownership. The Platform, including without limitation all software, features, functionality, user interface, design, and infrastructure, is owned exclusively by Brownbag and is protected by United States and international intellectual property laws. Nothing in these Terms shall be construed as transferring any rights, title, or interest in the Platform to users.
5.2 User Content Rights. Users shall retain all intellectual property rights in their original content submitted to the Platform, including but not limited to research papers, conference materials, comments, and profile information ("User Content"), subject to the license granted to Brownbag herein.
5.3 Communications and Notifications.
(a) Platform Communications. By using the Platform, users consent to receive communications from Brownbag regarding: (i) their account status and security; (ii) submission and review process updates; (iii) conference-related notifications; (iv) essential platform updates and service announcements.
(b) Marketing Communications. Separate from essential Platform communications, users may opt in to receive marketing communications, newsletters, and promotional materials from Brownbag. Users may opt out of marketing communications at any time through their account settings or by following the unsubscribe instructions in any marketing email.
5.4 License Grant to Brownbag. By submitting any User Content to the Platform, users hereby grant to Brownbag a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, and irrevocable license to store, display, process, and transmit such User Content solely for the purposes of operating and improving the Platform. Such license includes the right to: (i) store User Content on Brownbag's servers; (ii) display User Content to other users in accordance with the submitting user's selected permissions and privacy settings; (iii) process User Content for review and discovery purposes; and (iv) use User Content to maintain and enhance Platform functionality.
5.5 Future Paper Sharing and Access Controls. As the Platform evolves, Brownbag may implement additional sharing and access controls for papers submitted to the Platform. Such controls may include:
(i) restricting access to conference reviewers and organizers only (current default setting);
(ii) options to make papers visible to the broader Platform community;
(iii) settings for specific access permissions for different user categories.
Users acknowledge and agree that until such features are implemented, the default setting will restrict paper access to conference reviewers and organizers only. When additional sharing options become available, users will be notified and will have the ability to adjust their privacy settings accordingly.
6.1 Conference Data Confidentiality. Brownbag shall maintain the confidentiality of all non-public conference data, including but not limited to submission materials, reviewer identities, and review comments. Conference organizers shall be responsible for establishing and maintaining appropriate access controls for their conference data through the Platform's permission settings.
6.2 User Data Protection. All user data shall be collected, stored, and processed in accordance with Brownbag's Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference. Brownbag shall implement reasonable security measures to protect user data from unauthorized access, disclosure, or breach.