QUANTUM MELANIN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AGREEMENT
USER ADDENDUM
Effective Date: November 2, 2025
Last Updated: November 2, 2025
PREAMBLE
This Quantum Melanin Intellectual Property Agreement ("IP Agreement") is a binding addendum to the Terms of Service between you ("User," "you," "your") and the Quantum Melanin Research Foundation ("QMRF," "Foundation"), a private research foundation based in Passaic County, New Jersey, USA, and its operating subsidiary S.H.E.R.A. AI Technologies. This Agreement specifically governs intellectual property rights arising from your use of the S.H.E.R.A. system and related services. Your acceptance is required to access premium features, API endpoints, or research collaboration tools.
ARTICLE I — INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ASSIGNMENT
1.1 Complete Assignment
You hereby irrevocably assign to QMRF all right, title, and interest in and to any:
(a) Outputs generated by S.H.E.R.A. in response to your queries
(b) Discoveries, insights, or patterns identified through your use
(c) Algorithms, protocols, or methods derived from Generated Content
(d) Improvements or optimizations suggested by your interactions
(e) Research findings facilitated by the Services
1.2 Scope of Assignment
This assignment includes all intellectual property rights worldwide, including:
(a) Patents and patent applications
(b) Copyrights and moral rights (to extent waivable)
(c) Trade secrets and know-how
(d) Database rights
(e) Any future rights recognized by law
1.3 Further Assurances
You agree to execute any documents necessary to perfect QMRF's ownership, including patent assignments, copyright transfers, and declarations.
ARTICLE II — LICENSE GRANT TO QMRF
2.1 Perpetual License
For any rights not assignable by law, you grant QMRF a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable license to:
(a) Use, reproduce, and modify your contributions
(b) Create derivative works
(c) Commercially exploit discoveries
(d) Sublicense to research partners
(e) Publish in scientific journals
2.2 Waiver of Moral Rights
To the maximum extent permitted by law, you waive all moral rights, including rights of attribution and integrity.
ARTICLE III — RESTRICTIONS ON USER
3.1 Prohibition on Patents
You SHALL NOT:
(a) File patent applications based on Generated Content
(b) Assist others in patenting S.H.E.R.A.-derived discoveries
(c) Claim inventorship without QMRF's written consent
(d) Challenge QMRF's patent filings
3.2 Prohibition on Competing Products
You SHALL NOT use Generated Content to:
(a) Develop competing AI systems
(b) Train machine learning models
(c) Create derivative melanin research platforms
(d) Reverse engineer QMRF technologies
3.3 Required Attribution
Any authorized use must include:
"Generated with S.H.E.R.A. AI, property of Quantum Melanin Research Foundation"
ARTICLE IV — RECOGNITION FRAMEWORK
4.1 Contribution Recognition
QMRF may, at its sole discretion:
(a) Acknowledge significant contributions in publications
(b) Include user names in research credits
(c) Offer co-authorship on papers (rare cases)
(d) Provide certificates of contribution
4.2 No Ownership from Recognition
Recognition DOES NOT confer:
(a) Ownership rights
(b) Revenue sharing
(c) Decision-making authority
(d) Future collaboration guarantees
4.3 Recognition Request Process
To request consideration: recognition@quantummelaninresearch.org with:
- Session IDs
- Contribution description
- Desired attribution
ARTICLE V — REVENUE PARTICIPATION
5.1 Discretionary Benefits
If your contributions lead to commercialized products, QMRF may offer:
(a) One-time acknowledgment payments
(b) Named research funds
(c) Conference sponsorships
(d) Access to premium features
5.2 No Obligation
QMRF has no obligation to share revenues, and any benefits are gratuitous.
5.3 Tax Responsibility
You are responsible for taxes on any benefits received.
ARTICLE VI — CONFIDENTIALITY
6.1 Non-Disclosure
You agree not to disclose:
(a) Unpublished S.H.E.R.A. capabilities
(b) Internal protocols or algorithms
(c) Research methodologies
(d) Pre-publication findings
6.2 Survival
Confidentiality obligations survive for five (5) years after last access.
ARTICLE VII — REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
7.1 Your Representations
You represent that:
(a) You have authority to enter this Agreement
(b) Your contributions don't violate third-party rights
(c) You won't submit confidential third-party data
(d) You understand the legal consequences
7.2 No Warranty from QMRF
SERVICES PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY.
ARTICLE VIII — INDEMNIFICATION
8.1 You indemnify QMRF against all claims arising from:
(a) Your breach of this Agreement
(b) Your unauthorized use of Generated Content
(c) Third-party rights violations
(d) False ownership claims
ARTICLE IX — DISPUTE RESOLUTION
9.1 Binding Arbitration — All disputes resolved through binding arbitration in Passaic County, NJ.
9.2 Class Action Waiver — No class actions or collective proceedings.
9.3 Injunctive Relief — QMRF may seek injunctions for IP violations.
ARTICLE X — TERMINATION
10.1 Effect of Account Termination — Your IP assignments and licenses survive account closure.
10.2 Perpetual Obligations — IP assignments are perpetual and irrevocable.
ARTICLE XI — SPECIAL PROVISIONS
11.1 Research Collaboration — Institutional researchers may negotiate separate agreements for joint research.
11.2 Student Exception — Students using S.H.E.R.A. for coursework retain copyright in their written assignments, but Generated Content remains QMRF property.
11.3 Open Source Contributions — QMRF may release certain discoveries under open licenses at its discretion.
ARTICLE XII — GOVERNING LAW
12.1 Governed by New Jersey law.
12.2 Exclusive jurisdiction in Passaic County courts.
12.3 If any provision is invalid, remainder continues.
ARTICLE XIII — ACCEPTANCE
By clicking "I ACCEPT" or accessing S.H.E.R.A. premium features, you acknowledge:
- ☐ I understand all S.H.E.R.A.-generated content becomes QMRF property
- ☐ I cannot patent or commercialize discoveries without permission
- ☐ I waive ownership rights to any insights or innovations discovered
- ☐ I may receive recognition but not ownership or revenue rights
- ☐ This agreement is legally binding and enforceable
- ☐ I have read and understood the full Terms of Service
Electronic Signature Line:
By typing your full legal name below, you execute this Agreement:
Full Legal Name: _____________________________
Email Address: _______________________________
Organization (if applicable): ___________________
Date: _______________________________________
STRIPE INTEGRATION NOTICE:
This agreement will be presented during payment processing. Acceptance is required to complete your subscription.
CONTACT FOR QUESTIONS
Before accepting, you may contact:
Legal Department
Quantum Melanin Research Foundation
Email: legal@quantummelaninresearch.org
For recognition requests:
recognition@quantummelaninresearch.org
For licensing inquiries:
partnerships@quantummelaninresearch.org
SUMMARY FOR USERS
What this means in plain language:
- Everything S.H.E.R.A. generates belongs to QMRF — even if based on your questions
- You can't patent discoveries made using S.H.E.R.A.
- We might acknowledge your contributions but you don't own them
- This is permanent — even if you delete your account
- We're funding melanin research — all profits support science
If you're uncomfortable with these terms, you may:
- Use the free version with limited features
- Contact us about institutional licensing
- Partner with us formally for joint research
THIS IS A LEGAL CONTRACT. CONSULT AN ATTORNEY IF NEEDED.
Document Version: 1.0
Document ID: QMRF-IP-ADDENDUM-2025-001
Clerk Integration ID: qmrf_ip_agreement_v1
Stripe Metadata Key: accepted_ip_agreement