Terms of Use

Brazil-US International Academic Relations
Effective date: [date of go-live]
Last updated: [date of go-live]

This document is an initial institutional draft subject to review by qualified legal counsel. By accessing and using this Site, you acknowledge that you have read and understood these Terms of Use.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing usbracademic.org (the "Site") and any related institutional pages, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree with any provision of these Terms, please discontinue use of the Site.

These Terms apply to all visitors, users, and institutional representatives who access or interact with the Site.

2. Nature of the Program

Brazil-US International Academic Relations ("the Program") is an institutional initiative designed to establish a bilateral academic partnership between the University of São Paulo (USP-SP) and a leading United States academic partner, in the field of Applied International Relations.

The Program is not a commercial operation. It does not sell products or services. It does not offer mentoring, consulting, coaching, test preparation, immigration services, or student recruitment services. Any representation to the contrary is not authorized by the Program.

3. Authorized Use of the Site

The Site is made available for the following legitimate purposes:

• Consultation of institutional information about the Program
• Submission of an Expression of Institutional Interest by representatives of academic institutions
• Reference by authorized partners and collaborators

You agree to use the Site only for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not infringe the rights of, or restrict or inhibit the use and enjoyment of the Site by, any third party.

4. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Submit false, misleading, fraudulent, or impersonating information through any form on the Site
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any area of the Site, including administrative interfaces, databases, or back-end services
• Interfere with or disrupt the operation of the Site through any technical means, including but not limited to distributed denial-of-service attacks, injection of malicious code, exploitation of vulnerabilities, or automated scraping
• Use the Site to distribute spam, phishing content, malware, or unlawful communications
• Copy, reproduce, or republish substantial portions of the Site's content without prior written authorization
• Use the Program's name, logos, or visual identity in a manner that suggests endorsement, affiliation, or partnership that has not been formally established in writing
• Misrepresent your affiliation with an academic institution when submitting an Expression of Interest
• Circumvent, disable, or attempt to circumvent security features of the Site

Violation of any of these prohibitions may result in restriction of access to the Site and, where applicable, legal action.

5. Expression of Interest Form

The Expression of Interest form is intended exclusively for authorized representatives of academic institutions. By submitting the form, you represent and warrant that:

• You are submitting the form in your institutional capacity, not in a personal capacity
• The information you provide is true, accurate, and current to the best of your knowledge
• You have the authority, explicit or reasonably implied, to express institutional interest on behalf of the organization you represent, or you are clearly indicating that you are acting in an exploratory and non-binding capacity
• Submission of the form does not create any binding commitment, contract, memorandum of understanding, or letter of intent between your institution and the Program

All submissions are non-binding and preliminary in nature. Any formal institutional relationship arising from a submission will require separate, explicit, written agreements executed by authorized representatives of both institutions.

6. Intellectual Property

All content displayed on the Site — including text, layout, design, logos, monograms, visual identity, and proprietary graphic elements — is the intellectual property of the Program, its contributors, or its licensors, and is protected by applicable copyright and trademark law.

Content may be viewed and, where technically permitted, shared for non-commercial institutional purposes with appropriate attribution. No license or transfer of rights is granted except as expressly stated.

The name "Brazil-US International Academic Relations" and the B·US monogram are identifiers of the Program.

References to third-party institutions, including the University of São Paulo (USP-SP), are made for descriptive and informational purposes only. Such references do not constitute endorsement by those institutions, nor do they imply formal partnership, unless and until such partnership has been confirmed in writing by the institutions themselves.

7. Accuracy of Information

The information published on the Site is provided in good faith and is intended to be accurate and up to date. The Program does not warrant, however, that the content is free of errors or omissions, or that it will remain unchanged.

Statements made on the Site about the Program's structure, partners, or future activities reflect the Program's intentions and current status. They do not constitute promises, guarantees, or binding commitments. Forward-looking statements are subject to the conclusion of formal institutional agreements, the availability of resources, and other conditions that may affect implementation.

8. Third-Party References and Links

The Site may reference third-party institutions, publications, or resources for informational purposes. Such references do not constitute endorsement of those third parties by the Program, nor endorsement of the Program by those third parties.

The Site does not currently link to external third-party websites. Should external links be added in the future, the Program is not responsible for the content, accuracy, privacy practices, or operation of those external sites.

9. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Site is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis, without warranties of any kind, express or implied, to the extent permitted by applicable law. The Program makes no warranties regarding:

• The continuous, uninterrupted, or error-free operation of the Site
• The security of data transmitted through the Site, notwithstanding reasonable security measures
• The fitness of the content for any particular purpose
• The absence of viruses, defects, or harmful components

You use the Site at your own discretion and risk.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Program, its leadership, its contributors, and its partners shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from or related to your use of the Site, including but not limited to loss of data, loss of profits, or business interruption.

Direct damages, if any, shall be limited to the amount permitted by applicable law.

Nothing in these Terms shall limit liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.

11. Data Protection

The processing of personal data collected through the Site is governed by the Privacy Policy, which is incorporated by reference into these Terms of Use. Please review the Privacy Policy carefully.

12. Security and Incident Response

The Program implements reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect the Site and its data against unauthorized access. Detected security incidents are handled in accordance with the Program's internal incident response procedures and, where required, with applicable data protection law.

You agree to notify the Program promptly at joe@usbracademic.org if you become aware of any security vulnerability, suspicious activity, or potential unauthorized access concerning the Site.

13. Modifications to the Site and to These Terms

The Program reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the Site at any time, with or without notice.

These Terms of Use may be updated periodically. Material changes will be announced on the Site, and the "Last updated" date at the top of this document will be revised accordingly. Continued use of the Site after such updates constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

14. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms of Use are governed by the laws of the Federative Republic of Brazil. Any dispute arising out of or related to these Terms, the Site, or the Program shall be submitted to the courts of the city of São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil, with express waiver of any other forum, however privileged it may be.

Where the data subject or user is located in another jurisdiction, mandatory provisions of local law that cannot be waived by contract will continue to apply.

15. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable under applicable law, that provision shall be severed from the Terms, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

16. Entire Agreement

These Terms of Use, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Program concerning your use of the Site, and supersede any prior understandings or agreements on the same subject.

17. Contact

For any questions or concerns regarding these Terms of Use, please contact:

Joe Douglas
Founder and Strategic Director
Brazil-US International Academic Relations
Email: joe@usbracademic.org
Phone: +1 321 331 2531
Web: usbracademic.org

This document is issued in good faith as a preliminary institutional Terms of Use. It is subject to formal legal review prior to definitive enforcement.