CogniNet Privacy Policy

Information you provide

• Account information, such as name, email address, age or age range, role, authentication details, and account preferences.

• Project Content, including invention ideas, problem statements, research, prompts, AI conversations, diagrams, specifications, files, evidence, notes, exports, and collaborator instructions.

• Vault information, including encrypted files, key-wrapping data, access permissions, audit events, and recovery-related settings. CogniNet does not store your Vault passphrase.

• Subscription and transaction information, such as plan, trial status, billing status, purchase history, and limited payment metadata. Payment card details are processed by the payment provider rather than stored in full by CogniNet.

• Communications, including support requests, feedback, survey responses, and records of communications with us.

• Collaboration information, such as invited users, attorney-review recipients, permission choices, link status, and access activity.

Information collected automatically

• Device and network information, such as browser type, operating system, device type, IP address, language, and approximate location derived from IP.

• Usage information, such as pages and features used, timestamps, session events, referring pages, errors, performance data, and interactions with controls.

• Security and audit information, such as login attempts, authentication events, permission changes, exports, sharing actions, Vault activity, and suspected abuse.

• Cookie and similar-technology information used for authentication, preferences, security, performance, and permitted analytics.

Information from other sources

We may receive information from authentication providers, payment processors, invited collaborators, public research sources, organizational administrators, fraud-prevention providers, and service providers acting for us. If an organization provides your account, that organization may control account membership and access to organizational projects.

Project Content may contain confidential business information, unpublished inventions, personal information, or other sensitive material. We treat nonpublic Project Content as Private Project Content. We do not intentionally publish Private Project Content or disclose it to other users unless you direct or authorize the disclosure, such as by inviting a collaborator or creating a review link.

Uploading information to CogniNet does not itself create attorney-client privilege, patent protection, a nondisclosure agreement, or a fiduciary relationship. Consider whether you have authority to upload third-party confidential information and consult patent counsel before making disclosures that could affect intellectual-property rights.

• Provide, personalize, and operate accounts, workspaces, AI features, research tools, exports, collaboration, Vault functions, and support.

• Process trials, subscriptions, transactions, cancellations, and entitlements.

• Authenticate users, enforce permissions, detect misuse, investigate incidents, prevent fraud, and protect users and the Service.

• Maintain, debug, measure, and improve reliability, accessibility, usability, and performance.

• Communicate about the account, security, billing, support, policy changes, and requested services.

• Comply with law, respond to valid legal process, establish or defend legal claims, and enforce agreements.

• Create aggregated or deidentified statistics that do not reasonably identify a person or reveal the substance of a private invention.

CogniNet sends the information reasonably necessary to process a user request to authorized AI and technology service providers. Those providers act under contractual and technical restrictions applicable to their services. AI systems may generate inaccurate, incomplete, or similar Output for different users.

We do not use Private Project Content to train general-purpose AI models and do not authorize our AI service providers to use Private Project Content for their general-purpose model training, unless you provide separate affirmative consent. We may use limited feedback, safety signals, and deidentified operational data to improve CogniNet when that information cannot reasonably identify you or reconstruct the substance of a private invention.

If we offer an optional program allowing users to contribute Project Content to improve models or products, participation will be off by default, described separately, and based on affirmative consent that may be withdrawn prospectively.

We may disclose personal information to the following categories of recipients for the purposes described in this Policy:

• Service providers that supply hosting, storage, databases, authentication, encryption support, AI processing, research infrastructure, payments, communications, analytics, customer support, security, and fraud prevention.

• Collaborators, attorneys, reviewers, or organizations you select or authorize, according to the permissions you set.

• Professional advisers, auditors, insurers, financing sources, and transaction advisers subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations.

• Government authorities, courts, regulators, law enforcement, or other parties when disclosure is required by law or reasonably necessary to protect rights, safety, security, and service integrity.

• A successor or participant in a proposed or completed merger, financing, acquisition, reorganization, bankruptcy, or sale of assets, subject to applicable law and protections consistent with this Policy.

We do not disclose Private Project Content to advertisers. We do not sell personal information for money. We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. If our practices change, we will update this Policy, provide required notices and controls, and obtain consent where required, including for users under 16.

CogniNet may use cookies, local storage, and similar technologies that are necessary for authentication, session continuity, security, preferences, load balancing, and performance. We may use limited analytics to understand use and diagnose problems. Where required, nonessential technologies will be controlled through consent or preference tools.

Browser settings may block some technologies, but essential account functions may not work properly without them. CogniNet does not respond to every legacy “Do Not Track” signal. Where legally required, we process recognized opt-out preference signals for covered sale, sharing, or targeted-advertising activities.

We retain personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including providing the Service, honoring user choices, maintaining security, resolving disputes, collecting fees, meeting legal obligations, and enforcing agreements. Retention depends on the type of information and account status.

• Active account and Project Content is retained while the account remains active or as needed to provide requested services.

• After account deletion, information is removed from active systems according to the deletion workflow, subject to legal holds, fraud prevention, security records, and limited backup cycles.

• Backups may persist for a limited period before being overwritten through normal operations.

• Transaction and tax records may be retained for legally required accounting periods.

• Deidentified information may be retained when it cannot reasonably be linked to you and we commit not to reidentify it.

We will publish or provide a more specific retention schedule when operationally established. A subscription cancellation does not automatically delete an account or its projects; account deletion is a separate action.

We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information. Current controls may include encrypted transmission, access controls, row-level permissions, audit logging, and client-side AES-GCM-256 encryption for eligible Vault files. Vault passphrases are not stored by CogniNet. No security method is perfect, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Users are responsible for protecting credentials, choosing strong passphrases, maintaining secure devices, limiting sharing, and promptly revoking links or permissions that are no longer needed. If we discover a qualifying data breach, we will investigate and provide notices required by applicable law.

• Access and update profile information through account controls.

• Export available Project Content and account information.

• Control project invitations, review links, and permissions.

• Cancel a subscription to stop future renewals.

• Request deletion of the account and Project Content through account controls or Contact Support.

• Manage available communications and cookie preferences.

• Withdraw optional consent prospectively where processing depends on consent.

Depending on your state, applicable law may give you rights to confirm processing; access, correct, delete, or obtain a portable copy of personal data; opt out of targeted advertising, sale, or certain profiling; obtain a list of categories of third parties; limit certain uses of sensitive data; and appeal a denied request.

To submit a request, use https://cogninet.app/contact-support and identify the right you wish to exercise. We may take reasonable steps to verify your identity and authority. An authorized agent may submit a request where permitted by law, but we may require proof of authorization and direct verification. We will respond within the period required by applicable law. If we deny a request, you may appeal through the same contact method with “Privacy Appeal” in the request.

We will not discriminate against you for exercising a privacy right. Some information may be exempt, and we may retain information when required or permitted by law, including for security, fraud prevention, legal claims, and completion of requested transactions.

Delaware residents may have rights under the Delaware Personal Data Privacy Act, including rights to access, correct, delete, and obtain a portable copy of personal data, and to opt out of covered targeted advertising, sale, and certain profiling. We apply data-minimization, reasonable-security, transparency, and accountability principles to covered processing. Requests and appeals may be submitted through the Contact Support page.

California residents may have rights under California privacy law, subject to applicable thresholds and exceptions. These may include rights to know, access, correct, delete, and obtain personal information; opt out of sale or sharing; limit certain uses of sensitive personal information; and receive equal service and pricing when exercising rights.

CogniNet does not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of users under 16. If that practice changes, we will obtain the affirmative authorization required by law before doing so.

CogniNet is available only to users age 13 or older. Users ages 13 through 17 must use the Service with a parent or legal guardian’s consent and supervision. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 provided information, contact us so we can investigate and delete it as required.

We do not knowingly sell or share personal information of users under 16 for targeted advertising. We do not intentionally display public profiles or publicly publish a minor’s invention Project Content. A parent or guardian may contact us regarding a minor’s account, subject to reasonable verification and applicable law.

CogniNet is operated from the United States. If you use the Service from another country, information may be processed in the United States and other locations where authorized service providers operate. Local laws may differ. We will use legally required transfer safeguards when applicable. Availability outside the United States does not mean the Service is designed to satisfy every foreign legal requirement.

CogniNet may link to public patent databases, research sources, professional services, payment providers, and other external services. Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies. Review those policies before providing information directly to them.

We may update this Policy to reflect changes in the Service, law, or processing. We will post the revised Policy with a new effective date and provide reasonable advance notice of material changes. We will request affirmative consent when required. We will not quietly expand the use of Private Project Content for model training, advertising, or unrelated product development.

Questions, privacy requests, appeals, complaints, and reports concerning a child’s information may be submitted at https://cogninet.app/contact-support. Select or state the subject “Privacy” when available. You may also contact the attorney general or privacy regulator in your state if you believe a request was not handled according to applicable law.