Data Publishing Service Terms of Use

Version: 1.0. Last modified: 07/07/25 

The Edinburgh International Data Facility, (hereafter referred to as ‘the EIDF’), operated by EPCC at The University of Edinburgh, (hereafter referred to as ‘the University’, or ‘we/us’ as appropriate), brings together regional, national and international datasets to create new products, services, and research. It is funded by the UK and Scottish Governments under the Data Driven Innovation Programme of the Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal.

The EIDF Data Publishing service provides researchers with an EIDF Open Research Data Repository (hereafter referred to as ‘the Repository’) for the preservation of datasets arising from their research, educational and informational content and to make these available to other researchers through the EIDF Data Catalogue. There is no charge for the use of this service if a dataset can be processed with free tools, distributed and used freely without restriction, (but subject to a suitable open data licence), and fits within EIDF’s acceptable usage policy. The terms and conditions for the  Repository operate over and above the existing EIDF terms and conditions of access,  which will apply as appropriate. 

For the purposes of these Terms of Use, a researcher making use of, or intending to make use of these services, will be referred to as ‘you’.

What datasets can be deposited 

1. Only datasets that you own and have the right to redistribute may be deposited in the Repository. The dataset(s) you contribute must be made available under a free and open license, e.g., from Creative Commons, Open Data Commons, Open Government Licence, etc. You are not transferring ownership of your dataset(s), and you retain the right to deposit your dataset(s) elsewhere in its present or future version(s). You also retain all moral rights including the right to be acknowledged.
2. The University reserves the right not to accept dataset(s) and/or to remove material that it does not deem to be appropriate for deposit. 

Responsibilities of those depositing data 

3. If you are depositing a dataset for publication, then you are responsible for ensuring that you have the authority and permission to make that dataset available and that any dataset deposited in the Repository has been generated in accordance with the UKRIO's Code of Practice for Research and the policies of relevant funders, (if any).
4. You are responsible for the content of your submitted dataset(s), including that your dataset(s):

• do not breach any law,
• do not infringe any copyright,
• permission has been obtained for the redistribution of any third-party data and that it is properly acknowledged,
• if the dataset(s) has/have been sponsored or subsidised by any institution or organisation other than your employer, that you have fulfilled all obligations to that institution or organisation regarding publication.

5. You will indemnify the University against any legal action arising from the content of your dataset(s).
6. You will ensure that any content uploaded is organised and suitable for open dissemination and reuse, including the use of open or widely available standard file formats; that you use metadata standards that will facilitate the discovery, interpretation and reusability of the dataset; and that any associated and supporting documentation to enable its interpretation will be provided. This metadata will be made publicly available through the EIDF Data Catalogue, in line with the FAIR data principles. 

Permissions granted to the service 

7. You will grant the following permissions/releases to the University:

• To distribute copies of your dataset(s) world-wide, in electronic format via any medium for the lifetime of the Repository.
• To incorporate metadata or documentation into public access catalogues for your dataset(s).
• To remove your dataset(s) from the Repository for administrative reasons, or if it is found to violate the legal rights of any person. Should the Repository cease to operate you will be notified of this.
• That the University shall not be under any obligation to take legal action on your behalf or on behalf of any other rights holder in the event of a breach of intellectual property rights or any other right in any dataset(s) deposited.
• That the University shall not be under any obligation to reproduce, transmit, broadcast or display your dataset(s) in the same format in which it was originally uploaded.  

Notice and takedown policy

8. Please contact us in writing by submitting to the contact details at the end of these Terms of Use if you have found material in the Repository which you believe is unlawful, e.g., breaches of copyright (either yours or that of a third party) or any other law, including but not limited to patent, trademark, confidentiality, data protection, obscenity, defamation or libel. Please include the following information:

• Your contact details;
• Sufficient information needed to identify the relevant item/s, i.e. author, title and full URL;
• The nature of your complaint, and what action you request in respect thereof;
• If your complaint relates to copyright or related rights, evidence to demonstrate that you are the rights holder or affected subject or are authorised to act for the rights owner.

9. On receipt of such a notification, the following procedure will be invoked:

• We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint and request, (if any), by email and will make an initial assessment of such complaint and/or request and pending our investigation may withdraw or disable access to the relevant material;
• We will contact the Depositor, if this is reasonably possible and if we consider such contact appropriate, (as we shall, in our sole discretion, determine). We will, where we elect to make contact, notify the Depositor that the material is subject to your complaint, and will request that such Depositor take appropriate steps to remedy or remove the cause of the complaint;
• We will, if necessary, provide the Depositor with your contact details, and you and the Depositor will be encouraged to resolve the issue swiftly and amicably to the satisfaction of both parties, with the possibility of the material being reinstated on the Repository unchanged, or with changes, or permanently removed from the Repository;
• If you and the Depositor are unable to agree on a workable solution, the dataset will be temporarily made unavailable from the Repository until a resolution is reached [1];
• All takedowns will be signalled openly on the Repository by indicating the domain, the reason for takedown and the date of takedown. 

General terms 

10. To the extent permitted by law, the University excludes all conditions, warranties, representations or other terms which may apply to the Repository or any content on it, whether express or implied. In no event shall the University be liable for damages arising from any use of the datasets it provides.
11. The University will not be liable for any loss or damage, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, even if foreseeable, arising under or in connection with the use of, or inability to use the Repository, or use of or reliance on any content displayed on the Repository, nor for loss of profits, business or revenue, loss of anticipated savings, loss of business opportunity, goodwill or reputation of any indirect or consequential loss or damage. Nothing in these Terms of Use excludes or limits the University's liability for death or personal injury arising from the University’s negligence, or our fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited by Scottish law.
12. Where the Repository contains links to other sites or resources provided by third parties, the University has no control over the content of those sites or resources.
13. These Terms of Use, their subject matter and formation are governed by Scottish law and the parties agree that the courts of Scotland will have non-exclusive jurisdiction in case of disputes or claims.
14. These Terms of Use (together with the documents referred to in it) explain the terms on which you may make use of the Repository, whether as a guest or a registered user. By using the Repository, you agree to be bound by and to comply with these Terms of Use, (including any additional conditions referred to herein). Without limitation, these Terms of Use shall be deemed to incorporate the following Policy, the terms of which will also apply to your use of the Repository.

• The Privacy Policy, sets out the terms on which any personal data collected from you, or provided by you is processed. By using this Site, you consent to such processing, and you warrant that all data provided by you is accurate. 

End of service provision 

15. Should we have to terminate the Repository we will give you at least 3 months' notice to retrieve your dataset(s). It is important to keep your contact details up to date.
16. We reserve the right to remove any dataset(s) that is not legal or inappropriate as well as any dataset(s) that remains at the end of service provision. You should not use the Repository as the single source of your golden copy (i.e. the authoritative version) of your data. 

If you already have a SAFE account, the best way to get in touch with the University is to use the EIDF portal, otherwise, email eidf@epcc.ac.uk. 

Acknowledgements: some of these terms are based on the Cardiff Research Data Repository terms of use, with additions from the University of Edinburgh Data Share's depositor agreement.