Terms of Use

Last updated: February 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing and using Pilus ("the App"), you accept and agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the App.

2. Description of Service

Pilus is a scientific notebook application designed for researchers. The App allows users to create cards for scientific entities (genes, organisms, researchers, articles, conferences, biological processes), take notes, and create relations between cards to build a personal knowledge graph.

3. User Account

  • You must sign in with a valid Google account to use the App.
  • You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account.
  • You are responsible for all activities that occur under your account.
  • You must be at least 18 years old to use this App.

4. User Data

  • All data you create (cards, notes, relations) is stored securely and associated with your account.
  • Your data is private and only accessible to you.
  • We do not sell, share, or use your data for advertising purposes.
  • You can export or delete your data at any time from the Settings.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

  • Use the App for any unlawful purpose.
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the App.
  • Interfere with or disrupt the App or servers.
  • Upload malicious content or code.

6. Intellectual Property

  • The App and its original content are owned by the Pilus team.
  • Scientific data imported from external sources (NCBI, PubMed, UniProt) remains the property of their respective owners.
  • Content you create remains your intellectual property.

7. Third-Party Services

The App integrates with third-party services including:

  • Google Authentication
  • NCBI Gene Database
  • NCBI Taxonomy
  • PubMed
  • CrossRef
  • UniProt

These services have their own terms and privacy policies.

8. Disclaimer

The App is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not guarantee that the App will be error-free or uninterrupted. Scientific information imported from external databases should be verified independently.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Pilus team shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the App.

10. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. Continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the new terms.

11. Contact

For questions about these Terms, please contact us through the App's support channels.