Terms of Use

Effective Date: October 18, 2025

Welcome to SmartEdge Institute's academic portal. These Terms of Use govern your access to and use of our website, services, and resources related to smart home technologies, IoT systems, home automation, energy-efficient technologies, and connected living. By accessing or using our portal, you agree to be bound by these terms. Please read them carefully.

Acceptance of Terms

By accessing, browsing, or using the SmartEdge Institute portal, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. These terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and SmartEdge Institute. If you do not agree with any part of these terms, you must immediately discontinue use of our portal and services. We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time, and your continued use after such modifications constitutes acceptance of the updated terms. Certain features or services may be subject to additional terms and conditions, which will be presented to you when you access those specific features. You represent that you have the legal capacity to enter into this agreement and that you are at least 18 years old or have parental/guardian consent if you are between 16 and 18 years old.

Use of Portal and Services

SmartEdge Institute grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use our portal for personal, educational, or professional purposes related to smart home technology, IoT research, and home automation. You agree to use our services only for lawful purposes and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. You must not use our portal to transmit harmful code, viruses, or malware; attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems or other users' accounts; interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of our services; collect or harvest information about other users without their consent; impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation; or engage in any activity that could damage, disable, or impair our portal. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account. You must immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your account.

Intellectual Property Rights

All content on the SmartEdge Institute portal, including but not limited to text, graphics, logos, images, videos, audio clips, research papers, articles, software, code examples, and compilation of content, is the property of SmartEdge Institute or its content suppliers and is protected by international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. Our trademarks, service marks, and logos used on the portal are registered and unregistered trademarks of SmartEdge Institute. You may not use our trademarks without prior written permission. You may access and view portal content for personal, non-commercial use only. Any reproduction, distribution, modification, republication, or commercial exploitation of our content requires express written consent from SmartEdge Institute. Research papers and academic materials available for download are provided for educational purposes and may be subject to additional usage restrictions as specified in individual documents. You may cite or reference our content in academic work with proper attribution in accordance with standard academic citation practices.

User-Generated Content

Our portal may allow you to post comments, participate in forums, submit reviews, share experiences with smart home technologies, or contribute other content. You retain ownership of the content you create and post on our platform. However, by submitting content, you grant SmartEdge Institute a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, transferable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, distribute, and display your content in connection with operating and promoting our portal. You represent and warrant that your content does not infringe upon any third-party rights, violate any laws, contain defamatory or libelous material, include confidential information without authorization, or contain viruses or harmful code. We reserve the right to monitor, edit, or remove any user-generated content that violates these terms or is otherwise objectionable. We are not responsible for user-generated content and do not endorse any opinions expressed by users. You are solely responsible for your content and the consequences of posting it.

Third-Party Links and Services

Our portal may contain links to third-party websites, services, products, or resources related to smart home technologies, IoT devices, automation systems, and energy management solutions. These links are provided for your convenience and informational purposes only. SmartEdge Institute does not endorse, control, or assume responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services. We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of third-party content. Your interactions with third-party sites are solely between you and the third party, and you acknowledge that SmartEdge Institute is not liable for any loss or damage resulting from your use of third-party services. We recommend reviewing the terms and privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit. Some third-party services may require separate accounts, agreements, or payments, which are your responsibility. We may receive compensation or referral fees from some third-party providers, which will be disclosed where applicable.

Disclaimer of Warranties

The SmartEdge Institute portal and all content, services, and materials are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. To the fullest extent permissible by law, SmartEdge Institute disclaims all warranties, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that our portal will be uninterrupted, secure, error-free, or free from viruses or other harmful components. We make no guarantees about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of our content, including information about smart home technologies, IoT systems, product specifications, or technical data. The information provided on our portal is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice regarding home automation installations, energy management systems, or purchasing decisions. You acknowledge that technology information evolves rapidly and that smart home and IoT product specifications, compatibility, and security features may change. We recommend consulting with qualified professionals before making decisions based on our content.

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, SmartEdge Institute, its officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses, resulting from your access to or use of or inability to access or use our portal and services; any conduct or content of third parties on our portal; any content obtained from our portal; or unauthorized access, use, or alteration of your transmissions or content. This limitation applies whether the alleged liability is based on contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, or any other basis, even if SmartEdge Institute has been advised of the possibility of such damage. In no event shall our total liability to you for all claims exceed the amount you paid to SmartEdge Institute, if any, for accessing our portal in the twelve months preceding the claim, or one hundred US dollars ($100), whichever is greater. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain warranties or damages, so some of the above limitations may not apply to you.

Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless SmartEdge Institute, its affiliates, licensors, and service providers, and its and their respective officers, directors, employees, contractors, agents, licensors, suppliers, successors, and assigns from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, expenses, or fees (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to your violation of these Terms of Use or your use of the portal, including but not limited to your user-generated content, any use of the portal's content, services, and products other than as expressly authorized in these terms, or your use of any information obtained from the portal. This indemnification obligation will survive the termination of your account or your use of our services. SmartEdge Institute reserves the right to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by you, in which event you will cooperate with SmartEdge Institute in asserting any available defenses.

Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms of Use shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these terms or your use of our portal shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Before initiating any legal proceedings, you agree to first attempt to resolve any dispute informally by contacting us at info@smartedgeinstitute.com. We will make reasonable efforts to resolve the matter through good-faith negotiations. If the dispute cannot be resolved within thirty (30) days, either party may pursue formal legal remedies. You agree to waive any right to a jury trial for any claims arising under these terms. These terms constitute the entire agreement between you and SmartEdge Institute regarding the use of our portal and supersede all prior agreements and understandings. If any provision of these terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

Contact Information

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

SmartEdge Institute

280 Baizakov Street

Almaty, Kazakhstan

Phone: +7 (727) 312 77 00

Email: info@smartedgeinstitute.com