Terms of Use

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using the BrightAccess platform ("Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Service. These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and BrightAccess.

2. Definitions

• "User" refers to any individual who accesses the Service, including Students, Reviewers, and Administrators.
• "Student" refers to a User applying for scholarships.
• "Foundation" refers to an organization posting scholarships and managing applications.
• "Content" means text, images, video, documents, and other materials uploaded to the Service.

3. Account Responsibilities

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration.
• Immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your account.
• Ensure you log out from your account at the end of each session.

We reserve the right to disable any user account if, in our reasonable opinion, you have failed to comply with any of the provisions of these Terms.

4. Acceptable Use Policy

You agree not to use the Service to:

• Violate any applicable local, national, or international law.
• Submit false or misleading information in scholarship applications.
• Upload content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable.
• Attempt to bypass our security measures, including our "Cheat-Proof Certification" and fraud detection systems.
• Use automated scripts or bots to access the Service or collect data.
• Reverse engineer or attempt to extract the source code of the software.

5. Intellectual Property Rights

A. Our IP

The Service and its original content (excluding User Content), features, and functionality are and will remain the exclusive property of BrightAccess and its licensors. The Service is protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws.

B. User Content

You retain ownership of any Content you submit to the Service. By submitting Content, you grant BrightAccess a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, and display such Content solely for the purpose of providing the Service (e.g., displaying your application to reviewers).

6. Payment & Subscription Terms

For Foundations and organizations using paid features:

• Fees: You agree to pay all fees specified in your subscription plan.
• Billing: Subscription fees are billed in advance on a recurring basis (monthly or annually).
• Refunds: Payments are non-refundable except as required by law or explicitly stated in our Refund Policy.
• Changes: We reserve the right to change our pricing upon 30 days' notice.

7. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your account immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason whatsoever, including without limitation if you breach the Terms. Upon termination, your right to use the Service will immediately cease.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, in no event shall BrightAccess, its directors, employees, partners, agents, suppliers, or affiliates, be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including without limitation, loss of profits, data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses, resulting from your access to or use of or inability to access or use the Service.

9. Dispute Resolution

Any dispute arising from these Terms shall be resolved through binding arbitration in accordance with the rules of the Canadian Arbitration Association, rather than in court. The arbitration shall take place in Toronto, Canada, and the language of the arbitration shall be English.

10. Contact Information

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at: