Effective Date: Dec 4, 2025
Entity: VoxDash Inc., federally incorporated in Ontario, Canada
Jurisdiction: Ontario and Canada

This policy applies to all public and private datasets, metadata, documentation, and related content hosted on the VoxDash Platform, including materials generated through normal platform operations.

This Copyright Policy describes how ownership, licensing, and reuse rights apply to materials uploaded to, generated by, or displayed on VoxDash. It complements the VoxDash Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and should be read together with those documents. If any conflict exists between these documents, VoxDash Terms of Service is the ruling document.

Scope of This Policy

This policy governs:

1. Client Data uploaded by data providers.

2. Public datasets, metadata, and documentation published through VoxDash.

3. Platform-generated materials created or produced by any VoxDash systems, processes, or features.

4. VoxDash Advanced Voice-Based Research and Data Collection outputs, transcripts, and audio recordings.

5. VoxDash interface elements, taxonomies, geographies, schemas, and metadata structures.

6. DOI-linked dataset landing pages and associated citation records.

7. Rights related to scraping, indexing, or model-training on VoxDash content.

This policy does not modify ownership of Personal Information, which remains governed by the Privacy Policy.

Ownership of Client Data (Client-Uploaded Content)

Clients retain ownership of all datasets, files, variables, survey instruments, documentation, and metadata they upload to VoxDash.

Uploading Client Data does not transfer copyright to VoxDash.

By uploading content, Clients grant VoxDash the limited license necessary to:

• host, store, index, and display the content,
• provide analytical tools and exports,
• support DOI generation,
• create citation-grade metadata and structured search records, and
• operate and improve the Platform.

This license also includes any rights reasonably required for VoxDash to maintain platform functionality, ensure data integrity, and support future platform features. This license applies to all current and future VoxDash features, tools, and processing workflows. This license also applies regardless of whether such features are optional, automated, or enabled by default.

Licensing of Public Datasets

When making a dataset public, the data provider selects a license. VoxDash supports multiple licenses, including:

• CC-BY 4.0
• CC0 (Public Domain)
• All Rights Reserved
• Custom license text (discouraged unless necessary)

The license chosen by the provider governs how the public may reuse that dataset. If the client provides no license of their own, VoxDash treats their upload under this policy’s rules by default.

VoxDash does not modify, reinterpret, or enforce third-party licensing terms. VoxDash does not monitor or enforce compliance with selected licenses and bears no responsibility for third-party misuse.

File Types Not Treated as Public Dataset Files

Sample Files. Sample Files are limited preview materials intentionally made public for evaluation purposes. Sample Files do not constitute publication of the underlying dataset, do not activate the dataset’s selected public license for any non-sample materials, and grant no rights to access, reuse, infer, or reconstruct non-sample data. Rights to Sample Files are limited exclusively to the scope described for the sample itself. No additional permissions are granted for the underlying dataset.

Catalog Files. Catalog Files are public-facing marketing or informational materials associated with a dataset or Vendor. Catalog Files are not part of the dataset, do not reflect the dataset’s structure or contents, and do not grant any rights to the dataset. Catalog Files do not activate or modify any dataset license.

Placeholder Files. Placeholder Files represent a provider’s declaration that a file exists (or can be created/collected by the Vendor) but has not been uploaded to VoxDash. Placeholder Files are not licensed content, confer no rights of access or reuse, and are not treated as public dataset materials under any dataset license.

Relationship to Marketplace Data. Sample Files, Catalog Files, and Placeholder Files do not alter or override the Marketplace Data licensing terms in the VoxDash Terms of Service. Marketplace Data is governed exclusively by its Marketplace license, regardless of whether a dataset record, metadata, or sample file is publicly visible. The provider-selected license for public datasets does not apply to Marketplace Data unless the provider intentionally makes the full dataset publicly downloadable under that license.

Public visibility of sample, catalog, placeholder, or metadata files does not modify the Marketplace license terms. The classifications of a file in VoxDash by Data Provider as a Sample File, Catalog File, or Placeholder File are determinative for licensing purposes. Provider intent or mislabeling does not grant additional rights or expand the scope of any dataset license.

Catalog Mode and Licensing Interpretation

Catalog Mode displays public-facing metadata, descriptions, and citation records for discovery, indexing, and referencing, while restricting access to the underlying files, variable-level information, question-level results, or other data elements. A dataset displayed in Catalog Mode is not considered a ‘public dataset’ for licensing purposes, and the provider-selected license does not apply to any files or data that are not made publicly accessible. The selected license applies only when the provider intentionally makes the dataset’s files or other substantive data publicly downloadable. Catalog Mode does not grant users any rights to reuse, download, or redistribute any non-public data. If a dataset is offered through the VoxDash Marketplace, the Marketplace licensing terms set out in the VoxDash Terms of Service govern all access and reuse rights, regardless of Catalog Mode visibility. Sample Files and Catalog Files made visible in Catalog Mode do not convert the underlying dataset into a public dataset for licensing purposes.

Copyright and Preservation of DOI-Linked Materials

When a dataset receives a DOI, VoxDash aims to preserve a stable landing page and essential metadata, even if the uploader later hides the dataset or closes their account. This follows scholarly repository norms and maintains citation integrity.

• DOI records and their metadata remain public.
• Files themselves may be withdrawn, but the record persists.
• VoxDash may show a “record withdrawn by provider” message.

Providers cannot require deletion of DOI landing pages because this would break citations already in the scholarly record.

Copyright in Platform-Generated Materials

Materials generated by the Platform in the course of providing services are the property of VoxDash. This includes any data, statistics, insights, structures, operational outputs, or transformations generated by the Platform that do not reproduce the underlying Client Data in its raw form. These materials are managed at VoxDash’s discretion and are not provided to users as independent datasets or records. VoxDash has no obligation to describe, disclose, or enumerate these materials.

 Copyright in User Interactions

User Interactions (feedback, comments, ideas) grant VoxDash a broad, perpetual license to use them within the Platform. Ownership of the original expression remains with the user, but VoxDash has the right to use, reproduce, modify, display, or commercialize those contributions.

Copyright in the VoxDash Platform and UI

VoxDash owns all intellectual property in:

• software, source code, and architecture
• metadata schemas
• structured field definitions
• the Questionnaire Builder’s logic framework
• the geographies system and internal map layers
• platform graphs, UI components, and visual design
• the VoxDash Public Archive interface
• system-generated metadata and structured documentation
• any page layout, landing-page templates, DOI display templates
• system icons, diagramming conventions, and data-workflow structures

No license is granted to replicate, modify, or mirror these elements.

Rights and Limitations on Scraping, Bulk Downloading, or AI Training

a. Scraping and Automated Access

The following are prohibited without written permission:

• scraping or harvesting of platform metadata
• bulk downloading
• mirroring or replicating public dataset landing pages
• using automated agents without an API key

VoxDash may block or restrict access to any account, IP address, or automated agent engaged in prohibited activities at its sole discretion. However, search-engine indexing of DOI landing pages is permitted and encouraged for open-science discoverability. VoxDash has no obligation to restore access or provide notice before imposing technical or administrative restrictions.

Use of external search engines or AI providers to index dataset landing pages is subject to the dataset-level searchability settings selected by the data provider. VoxDash forwards these settings as requests to external services, but does not control or guarantee third-party behavior.

b. AI/ML Model Training

Users may train models on public datasets only in accordance with the license chosen by the dataset owner.

Users may not train models on:

• VoxDash operational outputs
• indexing layers
• internal platform structures or classifications
• VoxDash UI elements
• proprietary geographies
• any non-public dataset

c. Systematic Harvesting of Public Materials

This requires written permission and may require an enterprise agreement.

d. Dataset-Level Indexing Preferences

Public datasets include provider-selected indexing preferences that determine whether search engines or AI providers are requested to index or refrain from indexing specific dataset pages. VoxDash transmits these preferences to external services when possible, but cannot require or verify compliance by third parties. Indexing settings apply only to public content and affect future requests; they do not remove existing cached or stored copies outside VoxDash. VoxDash has no responsibility for the actions of external search engines or AI providers, including indexing, caching, training, storage, or reuse of public content. For datasets where the provider does not prohibit indexing, VoxDash may enhance visibility, crawlability, and discoverability of those public pages across search engines and AI providers.

Reuse of VoxDash Metadata and Schemas

VoxDash metadata structures (taxonomy, variable-level ontology, extended metadata fields, question-level schemas, geographies) are copyright VoxDash. They may not be:

• replicated
• redistributed
• incorporated into third-party products

…without written permission.

However, metadata displayed on DOI landing pages is subject to scholarly indexing and may appear in standard academic harvesters consistent with open-science norms. VoxDash is not required to separate VoxDash-created metadata from Client-supplied metadata for reuse or extraction purposes. VoxDash has no obligation to identify, label, or disclose which components are VoxDash-created.

Public Archive and Open-Science Content

Public Archive content is governed by the license chosen by the data provider.

VoxDash maintains copyright in:

• the public archive interface, filters, structures, and maps
• structured metadata derived from, but not duplicating, Client Data
• the dataset landing page framework and index

This preserves FAIR compliance while maintaining VoxDash’s IP.

DMCA and Takedown Procedures

VoxDash accepts notices regarding:

• copyright infringement
• improper publication
• unauthorized distribution of third-party materials
• violation of dataset licensing terms

VoxDash may remove or restrict access to allegedly infringing public datasets while conducting a review. VoxDash may, but is not obligated to, review or investigate claims. VoxDash does not guarantee restoration of removed content and is not responsible for any loss resulting from removal or restriction.

VoxDash does not adjudicate ownership disputes between third parties; these must be resolved by the disputing parties.

Effect of Account Deletion or Organization Deletion

Deleting a user account does not remove:

• public datasets previously published
• DOI landing pages
• citation metadata
• internal operational records
• User Interactions already integrated into platform features

This is necessary to preserve scholarly citations and platform integrity. VoxDash retains sole discretion to determine what materials must remain available to preserve platform integrity, scientific citations, or operational continuity. Requests to delete or alter historical records, logs, or published materials may be declined at VoxDash’s discretion.

Updates to our copyright policy

We may change this Copyright Policy. Any changes will become effective when we post the revised Copyright Policy on the Site. Continued use of the Platform after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of all modifications without additional notice.

Contacting us

If you have any questions about this Copyright Policy, please contact us:

Email: [email protected]
Website: www.VoxDash.com/contact

Please note that online communications are not always secure; so please do not include sensitive information in your inquiry to us.