Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of terms

Welcome to Dock (moleculardocking.online). By accessing or using this website, creating an account, submitting docking jobs, or purchasing Credits or subscriptions, you agree to these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree, do not use the Service. These Terms form a binding agreement between you and the operator of Dock ("we," "us," or "our").

2. Nature of the service (important)

Dock is an online computational tool platform that runs molecular docking, interaction analysis, and report export using AutoDock Vina and other open-source or third-party software. We provide automated computation and file delivery only. We are not involved in your experimental design, research decisions, or any offline activities.

• All docking scores, poses, PLIP interaction tables, RDKit ADMET flags, PyMOL figures, and PDF/ZIP reports are computational predictions and are not experimentally validated by us or any third party.
• AI-assisted draft text (where offered) is a writing aid only and may contain errors. You must verify all content before use in coursework, papers, or reports.
• For apo structures, predicted pockets, and similar cases, the Service may show uncertainty notices; you must decide whether they are appropriate for your research purpose.
• The Service is not medical, pharmaceutical, toxicological, clinical, regulatory, or legal advice, and is not a substitute for laboratory experiments, clinical trials, or licensed professional judgment.

3. Accounts and eligibility

• You must be at least 18 years old (or use the Service with guardian consent) and able to enter a binding contract.
• You are responsible for safeguarding your account credentials and for all activity under your account.
• You represent that you have the legal right or authorization to upload receptor/ligand data and that your use complies with applicable laws, institutional policies, export controls, biosafety, and ethics requirements.

4. Your uploaded data and responsibilities

• You are solely responsible for the accuracy, legality, and research use of PDB, SMILES, SDF, and other structures you upload.
• You must back up your ZIP/PDF results locally. After the retention period expires, files are deleted from storage and we are not liable for loss of data.
• You may not use the Service for unlawful, infringing, public-safety-threatening, or academically dishonest purposes.
• Any research, commercial, regulatory, clinical, or publication decision you make based on Service outputs is at your sole risk and responsibility.

5. Dock Credits and charges

• Docking jobs: 1 Credit for 1–3 ligands; 1 Credit per 5 ligands rounded up for larger batches.
• Optional PyMOL figures: +0.5 Credit per job.
• Credits are deducted when you submit a docking job (not on completion). Subscription Credits are used before purchased pack Credits.
• Pricing, plan limits, and billing rules are as shown on the pricing page and in your dashboard; we may change them with reasonable notice where practicable.

Full details are in the Credits policy section on the home page.

6. Failed jobs and Credit refunds

Credits pay for a computation and delivery attempt. The following rules distinguish normal scientific outcomes from platform failures on our side:

• No refund: a ligand did not dock, invalid SMILES/structure, prep failure, weak affinity, or some ligands skipped in a batch when the job still delivered a report/ZIP — these are normal scientific or input-level outcomes.
• Full refund: only when our platform fails to complete or deliver any report/ZIP (system error, crash, or timeout before delivery). Refunds are automatic; see Credit history in your dashboard.
• Batch jobs are charged once at submit for the whole batch; partial ligand outcomes are not partially refunded.
• Failures caused by invalid user inputs (receptor/ligand issues, incompatible formats) are not refunded when compute was consumed.

7. Subscriptions and one-time purchases

Monthly subscriptions are billed through third-party payment processors such as PayPal or Creem (card) and include monthly Credits plus plan limits (concurrency, priority queue, etc.). Batch size is gated by Credits (up to 300 ligands per job on any plan). Single Run and Screening Pack are separate one-time purchases. You may cancel a subscription anytime to stop future charges; past subscription invoices are generally non-refundable except where required by mandatory consumer law. Docking job Credits are separate from subscription payments.

8. Result retention and data processing

Result files are available for download for 7 days after completion (same for all plans), then removed from storage. Structures you upload are used only to perform your requested jobs. See our Privacy Policy for data handling details.

9. Prohibited conduct

• Interfering with, attacking, or attempting unauthorized access to the Service, other accounts, or underlying systems.
• Uploading malware, unlawful content, or data that infringes intellectual property or privacy rights.
• Circumventing billing, abusing free allowances, mass account creation, or fraud.
• Using the Service to design, manufacture, or distribute weapons, illicit drugs, or other regulated purposes unless you hold all required authorizations and accept full legal responsibility yourself.
• Representing that the Service or we endorse, certify, or guarantee any scientific, clinical, or commercial conclusion.

10. Intellectual property

The website interface, documentation, branding, and our software orchestration (excluding your uploads and open-source third-party engines themselves) are owned by us or respective rights holders. You retain ownership of data you upload; you grant us a limited license to process, store, and generate output files solely to run jobs you request. You may not reverse engineer, copy, or resell the Service except as permitted by law.

11. Third-party software and services

The Service integrates or calls third-party open-source or commercial components such as AutoDock Vina, Meeko, RDKit, PyMOL, and PLIP, as well as payment and infrastructure providers including PayPal and Creem. We are not responsible for the availability, accuracy, licensing, or conduct of third-party software or services and do not speak for their providers. Your use may be subject to their respective license terms.

14. Your indemnification

To the maximum extent permitted by law, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless us and our affiliates, officers, employees, and agents from any claims, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from: (a) your use of the Service; (b) your uploaded data or decisions based on outputs; (c) your violation of these Terms or applicable law; or (d) your infringement of third-party rights. We may assume control of defense at your expense.

15. Changes, suspension, and termination

• We may modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service or any feature at any time without liability for resulting losses, except where mandatory law requires otherwise.
• We may suspend or terminate your account if you violate these Terms; unused consumed Credits or paid subscription fees are generally not refunded except where required by law.
• You may stop using the Service at any time; submitted and charged jobs are handled under Section 6.

16. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction where our operator is established, excluding conflict-of-law rules, unless mandatory consumer protection law in your country requires otherwise. Disputes arising from these Terms or the Service shall be brought in the courts of competent jurisdiction where our operator is located, unless mandatory law gives you the right to sue elsewhere.

17. General provisions

• If any provision is held invalid, the remaining provisions remain in effect.
• Our failure to enforce a right is not a waiver of that right.
• These Terms are the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Service and supersede prior understandings.
• We may assign our rights and obligations under these Terms; you may not assign your account or rights without our written consent.

18. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms by posting a revised version on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Material billing or liability changes will be communicated when practicable. Continued use after posting constitutes acceptance; if you disagree, stop using the Service and contact us regarding your account.

19. Contact us

Questions about these Terms: support@moleculardocking.online