Terms of Use

1. Who We Are

TICM is an initiative of Texas Pulmonary Foundation. The website is intended to provide information about the institute, its mission, research interests, collaborations, partnerships, programs, donations, and related activities.

2. Informational Purposes Only

The website is provided for general informational purposes only.

Content on this website does not constitute:

• medical advice
• diagnosis
• treatment advice
• legal advice
• financial advice
• research enrollment approval
• a binding sponsorship, grant, employment, or collaboration offer

You should not rely on website content as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional regarding a medical condition or health concern.

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or seek immediate emergency assistance.

3. No Doctor-Patient or Research-Participant Relationship

Use of this website, including submitting a contact or inquiry form, does not create:

• a doctor-patient relationship
• therapist-patient relationship
• research-participant relationship
• fiduciary relationship
• confidential advisory relationship
• contractual relationship with TICM or Texas Pulmonary Foundation

Formal relationships, if any, arise only through separate written agreements, consents, approvals, or official onboarding processes.

4. Eligibility and Acceptable Use

You may use the website only in compliance with applicable law and these Terms.

You agree not to:

• use the website for unlawful, fraudulent, or harmful purposes
• interfere with website operation or security
• attempt unauthorized access to any systems, accounts, or data
• upload malicious code or harmful material
• harvest or scrape personal information without authorization
• impersonate another person or entity
• submit false, misleading, or abusive content
• use the website in a way that could damage TICM, TPF, other users, or third parties

5. Submissions and Communications

If you submit information, inquiries, comments, ideas, or materials through the website:

• you represent that the information you provide is accurate to the best of your knowledge
• you will not submit information you do not have the right to provide
• you will avoid sending unnecessary medical, financial, or other highly sensitive personal information through general website forms unless specifically requested through an appropriate process

Subject to our Privacy Policy and applicable law, we may use submissions to review inquiries, respond to requests, improve operations, evaluate collaboration opportunities, administer programs, and carry out our nonprofit mission.

6. Donations

If the website enables donations, contributions are processed subject to the terms and requirements of the applicable donation or payment platform.

Unless expressly stated otherwise:

• donations are voluntary
• donations are not refundable except as required by law or expressly stated by the applicable donation platform or campaign terms
• we may decline, return, or refund a contribution in our discretion where appropriate for legal, administrative, or operational reasons

Tax treatment of donations depends on applicable law and the donor's individual circumstances. Donors should consult their own tax advisors.

7. Intellectual Property

The website and its contents, including text, graphics, branding, logos, layout, design elements, documents, and other materials, are owned by or licensed to TICM, TPF, or their licensors and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws.

You may view and use the website for personal, informational, noncommercial purposes. You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, publicly display, create derivative works from, republish, or exploit website content except as permitted by law or with prior written permission.

Nothing in these Terms grants you any ownership rights or license other than the limited right to use the website in accordance with these Terms.

8. Third-Party Links and Services

The website may link to third-party websites, donation processors, articles, publications, vendors, or services. We provide those links for convenience only.

We do not control and are not responsible for third-party content, availability, privacy practices, security, products, or services. Your use of third-party sites is at your own risk and subject to their terms.

9. No Warranties

THE WEBSITE AND ALL CONTENT, FEATURES, AND SERVICES MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH IT ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, TICM AND TEXAS PULMONARY FOUNDATION DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, AVAILABILITY, OR FREEDOM FROM VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS.

We do not warrant that:

• the website will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free
• content will always be current, complete, or accurate
• defects will be corrected
• the website or servers are free of harmful components

10. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, TICM, TEXAS PULMONARY FOUNDATION, AND THEIR OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, VOLUNTEERS, AGENTS, ADVISORS, AND AFFILIATES WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF DATA, REVENUE, PROFITS, GOODWILL, OR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE WEBSITE.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE TOTAL LIABILITY OF TICM AND TEXAS PULMONARY FOUNDATION FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE WEBSITE OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100) OR THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO USE THE WEBSITE, IF ANY, WHICHEVER IS GREATER.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so portions of this section may not apply to you.

11. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless TICM, Texas Pulmonary Foundation, and their officers, directors, employees, contractors, volunteers, agents, advisors, and affiliates from and against claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, losses, costs, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of or related to:

• your violation of these Terms
• your misuse of the website
• your violation of law or another party's rights
• information or materials you submit through the website

12. Termination or Suspension

We may suspend, restrict, or terminate access to the website or any portion of it at any time, without notice, if we believe it is appropriate to protect the website, users, TICM, Texas Pulmonary Foundation, or third parties, or if required by law.

13. Changes to the Website or Terms

We may modify, suspend, or discontinue all or part of the website at any time.

We may update these Terms from time to time by posting the revised version and updating the Effective Date above. Your continued use of the website after revised Terms become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms, to the extent permitted by law.

14. Governing Law and Venue

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the website shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Harris County, Texas, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts, except where applicable law requires otherwise.

15. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held unlawful, invalid, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect to the maximum extent permitted by law.

16. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any additional terms expressly incorporated by reference, constitute the entire agreement between you and TICM/Texas Pulmonary Foundation regarding the website.