Terms of Use - Harvard Health

Please read this Terms of Use ("Agreement") carefully before using https://www.health.harvard.edu (the "Website"), a website maintained by President and Fellows of Harvard College acting through the Harvard Health Publishing Division of Harvard Medical School ("Harvard"). The Agreement constitutes a binding agreement between you and Harvard, and by accessing or using the Website, you consent to be bound by the Agreement. If you do not agree, please do not use the Website. Your use of the Website is also subject to our Privacy Policy, available at https://www.health.harvard.edu/privacy-policy.

Use of the Website

You may use the Website to read and access Content (defined below) for personal, non-commercial purposes. You agree not to: (i) copy, reproduce, or distribute any Content without permission; (ii) use the Website for any unlawful purpose; or (iii) attempt to disrupt or interfere with the operation of the Website.

Content; Intellectual Property Rights

The text, audio, images, photographs, graphics, descriptions, and other material provided on the Website are collectively referred to as the "Content." All Content is owned by Harvard or its content providers and is protected by applicable copyright laws.

You may use the Content only for personal and non-commercial purposes in connection with your use of the Website. You may not use Content without express prior written consent from Harvard Health Publishing for any other purpose, including, without limitation, any use in connection with: (1) the development of any software program, including, but not limited to, training a machine learning or artificial intelligence system; or (2) providing archived or cached data sets containing Content to another person or entity. You may not use robots, spiders, scripts, software, or any manual or automatic device, tool, or process designed to data mine or scrape the Content or other data or information from the Website, or otherwise use, access, or collect the Content, data, or information from the Website using automated means.

Harvard expressly reserves all rights in the Content, including, without limitation, the rights to reproduce, display, distribute, create derivative works from, and otherwise exploit the Content. You may not reproduce, display, distribute, create derivative works from, or otherwise exploit the Content without Harvard's express written consent. Please visit this link for information on our permissions policy.

User Accounts

Some features of the Website may require you to create an account. By creating an account, you agree to the following:

Accurate Information. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information when registering and to keep that information up to date.
Account Security. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately at hhp_info@hms.harvard.edu if you suspect unauthorized use of your account.
No Sharing; One Account. Your account is personal to you. You may not share your login credentials with or transfer your account to any other person, create more than one account, or create an account on behalf of someone else.
Account Termination. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, if we believe you have violated this Agreement or for any other reason at our discretion.

You are solely responsible for any activity conducted through your account. Harvard is not liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to maintain account security.

General Compliance with Laws

All users shall comply with all applicable laws, statutes, ordinances, and regulations regarding use of the Website.

Links to Other Websites / No Harvard Endorsement

Harvard may include links to other websites solely as a convenience to users of the Website. Harvard does not necessarily endorse any such websites or the information, material, products, or services contained on or accessible through such websites. Users access and use such websites, including information, material, products, and services therein, solely at the users' own risk. Harvard is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such other websites.

Harvard Health Online Learning

The Website may contain links to educational content made available on the Harvard Health Online Learning platform. Your use of that platform may be subject to separate and additional terms of use.

Disclaimers

Harvard makes the Website and the Content available to you "as is," and your use of the Website and the Content is at your own risk. Harvard makes no warranties or representations as to the Content and assumes no liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions therein. Harvard also assumes no responsibility, and shall not be liable for, any damages to, or viruses that may infect, your computer equipment or other property on account of your access to, use of, or browsing in the Website or your downloading of any materials from the Website.

Without limiting the foregoing, the Content and the Website do not constitute medical advice for individual health issues or decisions, and are not meant or intended to substitute for the expertise or advice of trained healthcare professionals. Individual circumstances may vary. For medical concerns, users should always consult their physician or other trained medical practitioners. Content on the Website is intended for general informational purposes and may not reflect the most current medical research or developments. Harvard does not undertake any obligation to update Content. Harvard disclaims all responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any Content on the Website.

Limitation of Liability

EXCEPT INSOFAR AS THE FOLLOWING LIMITATION MAY BE PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW, HARVARD SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU OR TO ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY DIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, WHETHER FORESEEABLE OR UNFORESEEABLE (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF PROFITS OR EARNING POWER, LOSS OF DATA, OR LOSSES DUE TO ERRORS OR INTERRUPTION IN AVAILABILITY OF THE WEBSITE), ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE WEBSITE OR THE CONTENT, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE WEBSITE OR THE CONTENT, OR YOUR RELIANCE UPON INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM OR THROUGH THE WEBSITE OR THE CONTENT, WHETHER BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT, STATUTORY, OR OTHER LAW. THE DISCLAIMERS AND LIMITATIONS SET FORTH IN THIS SECTION SHALL APPLY, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE BEEN NEGLIGENT OR OTHERWISE AT FAULT.

General

This Agreement shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for any disputes arising under this Agreement. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be struck and the remaining provisions shall be enforced. Headings are for reference purposes only and in no way define, limit, construe, or describe the scope or extent of such section. Harvard's failure to act with respect to a breach by you or others does not waive Harvard's right to act with respect to subsequent or similar breaches. This Agreement sets forth the entire understanding and agreement between Harvard and users of the Website with respect to the subject matter hereof.

Changes to this Agreement

Harvard may post updates to this Agreement at any time. Continued use of the Website after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Agreement. For material changes, Harvard will make reasonable efforts to notify registered users, such as by email or by posting a prominent notice on the Website, prior to the changes taking effect.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Agreement or the Website, please contact hhp_info@hms.harvard.edu.

Harvard Health Publishing Terms of Use