Terms of Service

Last updated: 9 May 2026 · Effective date: 9 May 2026

These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) govern your access to and use of the website enigma.ist and all related services (the “Platform”) operated by IAIC AI RESEARCH & TRADING - FZCO (“IAIC FZCO”, “we”, “us”, “our”).

By accessing the Platform, creating an account, or purchasing any product or subscription, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.

1. The Platform and what we provide

ENIGMA.IST is an academic publishing and research-collaboration platform. We provide:

• Access to peer-reviewed open-access scientific journals (the “Journals”);
• Conference registration and attendance services for events organised by the International AI Committee (IAIC);
• Membership programmes for individual researchers and academic institutions;
• Article submission, peer-review, editorial workflow, and publication services for authors.

2. Eligibility and account registration

You must be at least 18 years old (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction) to use the Platform. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep that information up to date. You are responsible for safeguarding your account credentials and for all activity under your account.

3. Subscriptions and one-time purchases

The Platform offers paid subscriptions (for example, journal subscriptions, IAIC membership, all-journals bundles) and one-time purchases (for example, single-article PDF access, author publication fees, lifetime memberships). Current prices are listed on our Pricing page and are denominated in US Dollars unless otherwise stated.

3.1 Subscription billing

Subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each billing period (monthly or annual, as selected) unless you cancel before the renewal date. You may cancel at any time through your account settings or by contacting billing@enigma.ist; cancellation takes effect at the end of the current paid period.

3.2 One-time purchases

One-time purchases (article PDFs, author publication fees, lifetime memberships) grant you the access or service described on the product page. Lifetime memberships do not expire under normal operation of the Platform; we do not commit to operating the Platform indefinitely, however we will give at least 90 days’ notice before any material change in service.

3.3 Payment processor

Payments are processed by Paddle.com Market Limited and/or affiliated entities, which acts as the Merchant of Record for transactions on the Platform. Paddle handles billing, tax compliance, and refund processing on our behalf. By purchasing, you also agree to Paddle’s Buyer Terms.

4. Refunds and cancellations

Our refund policy, including conditions, time limits, and how to request a refund, is described in detail on our Refund Policy page, which is incorporated by reference into these Terms.

5. Author publication and content

Authors who submit manuscripts for publication agree that:

• The submission is the author’s original work and does not infringe any third-party rights;
• The author has obtained necessary permissions for any included material;
• By accepting publication, the author grants IAIC FZCO a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual licence to host, distribute, and display the article on the Platform under the terms of the open-access licence (Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 unless otherwise specified);
• The author retains copyright in their work.

6. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Use the Platform to upload, distribute, or transmit any content that is unlawful, defamatory, fraudulent, or infringes intellectual property rights;
• Attempt to bypass security or access-control measures;
• Use automated means to scrape or harvest content;
• Submit fabricated, plagiarised, or AI-generated work as original research without proper disclosure;
• Resell, redistribute, or sublicense access to paid content without our written permission.

7. Intellectual property

All content on the Platform — including software, design, trademarks, and original editorial content — is the property of IAIC FZCO or its licensors, except for user-submitted content (which remains the property of its respective authors, subject to the licences described in Section 5).

8. Disclaimers

The Platform is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. We do not warrant uninterrupted operation, error-free service, or any specific outcome from the use of the Platform or its content. Peer-reviewed content represents the views of individual authors and not those of IAIC FZCO.

9. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, IAIC FZCO and its officers, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising from or related to your use of the Platform. Our total liability for any claim arising from these Terms shall not exceed the amount you paid to us in the twelve months preceding the claim.

10. Termination

You may stop using the Platform at any time. We may suspend or terminate your account if you breach these Terms, after giving reasonable notice where practicable. Upon termination, the relevant provisions of Sections 5, 7, 8, 9, and 11 shall survive.

11. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Emirate of Dubai and the federal laws of the United Arab Emirates as applicable. Any dispute arising from these Terms shall be brought before the courts of Dubai. EU/UK consumers retain the protections of their local consumer-protection law where applicable.

12. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated by email to registered users at least 30 days before they take effect. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.

13. Contact

For questions about these Terms, please contact legal@enigma.ist. For billing questions, contact billing@enigma.ist. For general support, support@enigma.ist.