Privacy Policy

ideaforge is responsible for the personal information described in this Privacy Policy. Contact info@ideaforge.ltd for privacy questions or requests.

This Policy covers our public website, waitlist, account services, idea evaluation, registration, private Workspaces, guided development, resource preparation and authorized connections. It explains what information we collect, how we use and disclose it, and your choices. Features may be limited by your access plan or product stage; we collect feature-specific information only when that feature is used.

Personal information includes information that identifies or can reasonably be linked to a person. Idea files and business information may contain personal information even when their main subject is a product or service. Contractual protections for nonpersonal confidential idea content are also addressed in our Terms and Conditions.

We ordinarily decide how information is used to operate ideaforge. If an institution separately engages us solely to process information on its documented instructions, the applicable data-processing agreement governs that processing. We will identify the relevant organization when a request concerns information it controls. Sponsorship alone does not give an institution access to private idea content.

Waitlist and communications. We collect your email address, signup date, communication preferences, interest in beta access and any messages you choose to send. Joining the waitlist does not require an idea description. Do not send confidential idea details in a waitlist form.

Account and access. When you create an account, we collect the contact, authentication, verification and eligibility information needed to administer it, along with your accepted terms, access entitlement and relevant institutional affiliation. Do not send passwords to us in support messages.

Idea and Workspace content. We process descriptions, answers, corrections, uploaded files, sketches, notes, source material, contributors, disclosure chronology, evidence, accepted revisions, AI conversations and development decisions. Files may contain embedded metadata, names or other information about you and third parties.

Registration and provenance. We record the IdeaID, version, confirmed snapshot, declarations, acceptance time, attribution and integrity information associated with your idea. Hashes and timestamps can be personal information when linked to an identifiable person. Registration does not make the underlying content public.

Resource preparation and sharing. We process package contents, selected recipients, authorization records, scope, correspondence, delivery events and returned work when you use an available resource feature. A package intended for counsel may contain sensitive material; upload only information you are authorized to process through the platform.

Payments and research. For paid features, we process the order, billing contact, invoice, payment status, subscription period and transaction reference supplied by a payment provider. Card entry and storage arrangements must be disclosed before payment. Optional pricing-research responses are separate from purchases and do not authorize charges.

Technical and usage information. We process information needed to operate, secure and measure the Services, such as IP address, browser or device information, authentication events, requests, errors, timestamps, feature usage and processing costs. We use identifiers to associate authorized activity with an account or idea. We do not put confidential idea text or files into ordinary analytics, notification emails or general application logs.

Attribution and browser storage. We may collect the referring page, campaign tags and first landing page to understand how visitors find ideaforge. The current waitlist uses browser-tab storage for attribution. Closing a tab may clear that local copy but does not delete signup records, messages, processor records or other information already transmitted.

Research and external sources. We obtain relevant public or licensed information from patents, publications, product and service sources, and research or search providers. These sources can include author names, professional affiliations, contact information and other personal information. We record source references and retrieval context where needed to support an evaluation.

Institutions and authorized recipients. An institution may provide membership or sponsorship information. A resource provider or collaborator may supply contact details, correspondence and work products associated with an authorized engagement. We do not treat these contributions as permission for unrelated sharing.

Generated information. The Services produce summaries, evaluations, comparisons, scores, development recommendations, inferred resource needs and proposed packages from available inputs. These outputs can contain information or inferences about identifiable people. An inference may be wrong and can be challenged or corrected.

We use information to manage the waitlist and invitations; create and secure accounts; process the evaluation you request; research existing work; assess differentiation and commercial opportunity; maintain registration and history; support guided development; prepare outputs and resource packages; and facilitate authorized non-counsel connections.

We also use necessary information to administer access, invoices and payment status; deliver service notices; respond to support and privacy requests; enforce agreements; prevent abuse; investigate incidents; comply with law; and establish or defend legal claims.

We use limited operational measurements and optional feedback to understand service performance and improve usability. We do not sell personal information, use it for targeted advertising, or use private idea content to train shared or general-purpose AI models. We require AI processing arrangements consistent with that restriction.

We send optional launch news and promotional messages according to your choices and applicable law. You may unsubscribe without losing access to service notices needed to operate your account. We do not use your private idea details in marketing without separate permission.

When we must collect information to provide a requested function, we identify it in the relevant flow. Declining required information may prevent that function from working. Optional marketing, pricing research or interest controls are not prerequisites to unrelated services.

When you request evaluation or development assistance, we may send necessary answers, accepted corrections, relevant file contents, prompts and contextual material to an AI provider. We receive generated responses and related processing information. Provider processing is part of delivering the requested feature; it is distinct from publishing your idea or sharing it with an outside specialist.

The currently identified AI provider is OpenAI. Its published data controls are available at https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/guides/your-data. Its API retention depends on the endpoint, feature and contracted configuration. Abuse-monitoring records may be retained for up to 30 days by default, subject to stated exceptions; some stored files or application state can persist longer until deleted. Do not assume all provider copies disappear when a browser tab closes.

Research may send search terms derived from your idea to search services, including web search through OpenAI. Those terms can reveal aspects of your concept. We limit the content included to what is needed for the research and avoid unrelated identifiers or private file material. Search providers may retain queries under their applicable terms. The use of a search function is not a professional confidential disclosure or a guarantee that a query cannot reveal a concept.

We do not authorize use of Your Content to train shared models. We do not claim that inference processing involves no storage, no automated safety checks or no restricted provider access. We select providers and configurations consistent with our confidentiality and data-use commitments.

You can review proposed content, correct accepted information and contact us about an output. Evaluations assist development decisions; they are not decisions about a person’s entitlement to credit, employment, insurance, housing or other essential services. We do not use idea scores to make solely automated decisions producing legal or similarly significant effects on individuals.

Service providers. We disclose necessary information to contracted hosting, database, storage, email, authentication, AI, search, security and payment providers. Their functions and access are limited by applicable agreements and law. The providers currently identified are Railway for hosting and database services in the United States, Google Workspace for email and related communications, and OpenAI for AI processing and associated search.

Provider responsibilities. Providers generally process information to deliver contracted services. Some may act independently for limited legal compliance, fraud prevention, billing or account-administration purposes under their own notices. We do not represent that every third party acts only on our instructions for every purpose. Contact us for information about providers relevant to your data.

Authorized collaborators and resources. You choose whether to share specific material with a collaborator, institution or resource provider. We record the recipient, scope and relevant authorization. Preparing a handoff package or receiving a recommendation does not send it. For available non-counsel connections, we disclose only the material authorized for the selected purpose.

Your own IP counsel. ideaforge prepares packages for counsel you independently select. We do not facilitate counsel connections. You control whether and how to provide that package to your counsel. Any subsequent professional use is subject to your relationship with that recipient.

Institutional programs. An institution may receive entitlement or participation information needed to administer its program under disclosed permissions. It does not automatically receive your private idea content or ownership rights merely because it sponsors access. Any additional program reporting or sharing must be explained before it occurs.

Legal and business events. We may disclose limited information to comply with binding legal obligations, protect people and systems, investigate misuse or establish legal claims. If the business is involved in a merger, financing, acquisition or restructuring, necessary information may be disclosed under appropriate confidentiality protections and transferred subject to continuing privacy obligations and required notice.

Access changes. Revoking a platform link can prevent future authorized access through that link where the feature supports revocation. It cannot recall previously downloaded copies or independently retained recipient records. We do not make private content public through registration or a score.

We use necessary browser storage and similar technologies for session management, authentication, security and remembering the progress or choices needed for a requested function. The current public site does not use advertising or analytics cookies. Basic attribution or operational measurement may occur without such cookies.

Browser-tab storage may hold an unfinished idea or preview before it is saved to an account. Clearing storage or closing a tab can remove local material. That action is not a deletion request for information already processed by a server, an AI provider or another recipient.

We will obtain consent for nonessential cookies where required and offer a way to change that choice. We will not introduce advertising or cross-context tracking inconsistent with this Policy without the required notice and choice.

Because we do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising, there is no such activity to opt out of under this Policy. We honor applicable universal opt-out signals, including Global Privacy Control, where required. We do not otherwise change necessary service processing in response to a legacy Do Not Track browser signal.

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the stated purposes, subject to legal obligations and legitimate preservation needs. We consider whether an account or idea remains active, whether you requested continued storage, relevant contracts, security needs, legal deadlines, deletion requests and provider backup cycles. We do not retain all private idea content indefinitely merely because it has an IdeaID.

Waitlist and marketing. We retain signup and preference records while needed to manage your request and communications. On withdrawal we remove you from active marketing and retain only a limited suppression record where necessary to respect your choice.

Account and idea records. We retain account content while providing the service and for the disclosed recovery or retention period afterward. Expiry of paid access pauses access but does not itself delete an idea. Renewing within the retention period restores retained content under the same IdeaID.

Pre-account processing. Some previews or temporary drafts may be stored only in the browser, while evaluation requests may be processed by servers and AI/search providers. The particular flow should identify whether it saves the idea. We do not promise that all copies are browser-only.

Deletion requests. We delete, de-identify or restrict information as required by applicable law after verifying a valid request. Some information may be retained for a legal hold, fraud prevention, security, tax/accounting obligations or legal claims; we limit it to the relevant purpose.

Historical integrity. A registered record is preserved against silent changes during its authorized life. That does not eliminate deletion rights. Where justified, we may retain minimal acceptance, transaction or integrity information separately from deleted idea content, but only for a stated lawful purpose and period. A linked hash is not automatically anonymous, and an integrity record must not be used to reconstruct deleted personal information.

Providers and recipients. Provider copies follow the applicable processing agreement and deletion process. Backup copies may remain until scheduled expiration and are isolated from ordinary use. If restored, deletion restrictions must be reapplied. Independent recipients may retain information under their own obligations; contact them directly for requests concerning their independent use.

Expired paid access does not prevent you from submitting a privacy access, correction or deletion request. We do not charge an access-renewal fee as a condition of exercising a statutory privacy right.

We use reasonable administrative, technical and organizational safeguards appropriate to the information processed. These include access restrictions and secure transmission, with controls for authentication, private storage, provider access, incident response and recovery. Authorized personnel may access information when needed for support, security, legal compliance or service operation, subject to appropriate restrictions.

No system can guarantee absolute security. You should protect account credentials, assess what you are authorized to upload, and avoid including unrelated sensitive details. Please report suspected unauthorized access or a security incident to info@ideaforge.ltd. Where required, we will notify affected people and authorities of a personal-information breach.

Private Workspace information is not automatically privileged. Preparing a document for IP counsel does not itself establish an attorney-client relationship or privilege. Your own counsel can advise on appropriate handling of privileged or otherwise restricted material.

You may request access to, correction of, export of or deletion of personal information by emailing info@ideaforge.ltd. Include the account email and the nature of your request, but do not send passwords or unnecessary identity documents. Available account controls may offer additional ways to exercise these choices.

We verify requests proportionately to prevent unauthorized disclosure or deletion. An authorized agent may act for you where permitted, subject to appropriate proof of authority and verification. We will respond within the time required by applicable law, explain permitted extensions and provide reasons for a denial where required.

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may also have rights to information about categories and recipients, portable copies, restriction of processing, objection, withdrawal of consent, appeal, and complaint to a regulator. Rights can be subject to exceptions, including protection of others’ information and legal preservation requirements.

You may appeal a denied request by emailing info@ideaforge.ltd with the subject Privacy appeal and identifying the decision. We will review and respond within the legally required period, with information about further complaint options where required. We will not unlawfully discriminate against you for exercising privacy rights.

You may unsubscribe from optional marketing through the available unsubscribe method or by email. Essential account, security, payment and legal communications may continue. Withdrawing consent does not invalidate processing that was lawful before withdrawal, and may affect only the feature that relies on that consent.

Where a United States state privacy law applies to us and your information, the categories described in sections 2 and 3 may include identifiers, account and commercial information, internet or network activity, professional or affiliation information, content you provide, and inferences generated from it. Sources, purposes and recipients are described in sections 2 through 6, and retention criteria in section 8.

We do not sell personal information, share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, or process it for targeted advertising. We do not knowingly sell or share information about minors. We use sensitive personal information, if incidentally provided or necessary for authorized account security, only for the requested service and other purposes allowed by applicable law, not to infer unrelated characteristics about you.

Where applicable, you may exercise rights to know or confirm processing, access, correct, delete and obtain a portable copy, and opt out of covered profiling, sale or targeted advertising. We do not use the Services to make solely automated consequential decisions about individuals. Submit requests or appeals using section 10.

For California residents where the CCPA applies, the categories in this Policy also describe categories disclosed for business purposes to the corresponding recipients. We do not disclose personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing.

The Services are initially directed to the United States. Information may be processed in the United States and other locations where authorized providers operate. Laws in those locations may differ from those where you live. A website visit or acceptance of Terms is not blanket consent to any international transfer.

Where European or United Kingdom data-protection law applies, we rely on contract necessity for requested account and service functions; legitimate interests for proportionate security, abuse prevention, support and service administration, balanced against your rights; consent for optional marketing or nonessential storage when required; and legal obligations for required records and disclosures. We do not treat acceptance of Terms as consent for all processing.

If a restricted international transfer requires a safeguard, we use the applicable legally recognized mechanism and supplementary protections where needed. You can request information about applicable safeguards at info@ideaforge.ltd.

Where applicable, you may request access, correction, erasure, restriction or portability; object to legitimate-interest processing and direct marketing; withdraw consent; and complain to your local data-protection authority. You may contact us first, but are not required to do so before a regulatory complaint.

Independent accounts require an adult aged at least 18 who is legally able to enter the Terms. Minors may participate only through a parent- or legal-guardian-managed account using an expressly supported enrollment process. We may process the participant’s age or age band, the adult’s contact information, relationship and authority confirmations, consent records and account permissions as necessary to administer that participation. Any identity or authority verification must use proportionate information and disclosed retention periods. We do not require banking identifiers merely because an account is managed by an adult.

The managing parent or guardian can access and manage the minor’s account and content within disclosed permissions and applicable law. The enrollment process must explain this access to both the adult and the participant. Parental management does not itself transfer ownership of the minor’s idea. When the participant qualifies for independent access, they may request a verified transition; adult access must not silently continue after that transition without a lawful basis or the independent user’s authorization.

Children under 13 may use the Services directly only through a specifically enabled process with the notices, verifiable parental consent and other protections required by applicable children’s privacy law. Until that process is enabled, direct use by children under 13 is not permitted. Ordinary account acceptance or school sponsorship does not by itself satisfy these requirements. Before enabling this participation, we will provide the applicable children’s privacy notice describing the operators, information collected, uses, recipients, retention and parental rights.

A parent or guardian may contact info@ideaforge.ltd to request review or deletion of their child’s information or to withdraw authorization for further collection, subject to verification and applicable law. We will explain any effect on continued participation. We collect only information reasonably necessary for the supported activity and do not sell children’s information, use it for targeted advertising or use private idea content to train shared models. If we discover information collected from a child without required authorization or safeguards, we will restrict the affected processing and delete or otherwise lawfully address the information promptly.

If you include information about contributors, interview participants, colleagues or other people, you must have an appropriate basis to provide it and give any required notices. Minimize personal information in evidence and obtain consent where required. Do not upload children’s information or regulated sensitive records without an expressly authorized arrangement.

We will post changes to this Policy and update its effective date. For material changes, we will provide an appropriate additional notice and obtain consent where legally required. We will not use previously collected private idea content for materially incompatible purposes merely by changing this text.

Privacy contact: info@ideaforge.ltd. You may use this contact for questions, complaints, provider information, rights requests or an accessible copy of this Policy.