Terms of service

Terms of Use – Levantine Ceramics Project

1. Acceptance of the Terms and Conditions


These ‘Terms of Use’ (this "Agreement"), provide the terms and conditions under which you may use the Levantine Ceramics Project’s (“LCP”) website and portal (the "Site"). Please read this Agreement carefully. This Site contains information relating to the LCP Site and the content uploaded, accessible through and published on the Site in the form of photos, images, data, text, graphics, news, reports, and other materials concerning the field of Levantine ceramics, including materials contributed by other users and researchers (collectively, "Content"). By accessing, browsing, uploading or downloading Content and/or using this Site you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agree to be legally bound by this Agreement. If you do not accept the terms of this Agreement do not use this Site. The Site and the LCP are managed by the Levantine Ceramics Project and Professor Andrea Berlin (“We”). We reserve the right to amend this Agreement at any time by posting amended terms on our Site.


2. The LCP And Research Goals


The LCP is an open, interactive online tool focused on ceramics produced in the Levant from the Neolithic era (c. 5500 B.C.E.) through the Ottoman period (c. 1920 C.E.). Here you can submit and find information—whether long published or newly discovered—about ceramic wares, shapes, specific vessels, scientific analyses, kiln sites, and chronology. The LCP makes it simple to access, share, use, and refine data, to link scholars and to foster collaborative research. Our goal is to share Content as much as possible.


The LCP represents a new, experimental model for communicating, linking, and expanding the use of archaeological ceramic data. At the front end, the LCP is a public, crowd sourced archive and repository. Anybody may register as a contributor and upload data. At the back end, the Site runs on a relational database developed specifically for archaeological ceramics. Intellectual credibility is maintained because the specific contributor(s) for every piece of information is entered, and displayed with that information.


3. Uploading of Content


The LCP actively and gratefully encourages the uploading of new data, text, graphics, photos and other materials to the Site as Content by contributors (“Contributors”). By uploading any Content, Contributor expressly represents that he or she has the right to upload the Content, owns all rights to the Content and/or has the express permission and any authorization(s) necessary to upload such Content from whomever created said materials. Contributor further represents that he/she is able to authorize the use of the Content consistent with the terms of this Agreement and consistent with the expectations of LCP users, academics and researchers. For purposes of clarity, in general Contributors are agreeing that their Contributions can and will be shared and may be published across multiple mediums, around the world for free, non-commercial, informational and research purposes.


Subject to the setting of “Allowed Restrictions” (as defined below), Contributor expressly grants to LCP a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual right and license to use, reproduce, display, and distribute the Content uploaded by Contributor. Contributor further agrees that all Content that is uploaded is subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Creative Commons Public License, (“CCPL”) available here.


Contributors that upload Content may designate Content as “Open Access” or under specific “Allowed Restrictions” as described below:


  1. Open Access. This is the default level of access that all Content is subject to UNLESS Contributor designates a higher access level for his or her Content as defined in paragraphs 2 and 3 below. Please note that if a Contributor does not restrict access to Content, said Content will be fully visible to all users of the Site, including unregistered users, and all Content may be shared with other institutions, databases or repositories without further permission from the Contributor.


  2. Restricted Access. Users may limit the access to Content they upload to a select group of users. This can be useful when a user is part of a research group, or is sharing Content that has other restrictions on it.


  3. Contributor Only Access. A user may elect to allow access only to him or herself as Contributor. This option allows an uploader to put information on the site for personal research and comparison purposes.


Together the designations “Restricted Access” and “Contributor Only Access” shall be referred to collectively as “Allowed Restrictions” under this Agreement.


Any Contributor to the LCP who wishes to remove or edit Content that he/she previously uploaded, or who needs to make any changes to restrictions or attribution of said Content can do so simply by logging in and making those changes.


4. Use of Content


Except as otherwise expressly noted within the LCP, (such as Content designated “Restricted Access”), all Content on the LCP Site (excluding the underlying database and all of the software or code that runs or drives the Site) is freely and openly accessible to any user or browser of this Site. We believe that open access and open licensing of research data, including the Content contributed and displayed here as “Open Access” Content, comprises a valuable tool for encouraging collaborative, scientific practice. However, not all use or re-use of the Content is consistent with this philosophy nor with the terms of the CCPL. Accordingly, there are some “rules of the road” that our users must abide by. Users may download, reproduce, display, distribute, create derivative works from and otherwise exploit the Content available through the Site, with the following restrictions:


  1. No Commercial Use. Users may not use any of the Content from the Site for commercial purposes without the express, prior written consent of the LCP and the contributor of the Content. In addition, users may not combine the Content with other Content and create a derivative work

  2. Attributions. All use of the Content for non-commercial, research or other permitted purposes must be accompanied by an appropriate attribution of the Content to the LCP and the Contributor(s) of the Content, as identified in the LCP. Attribution should be given as generated by that page’s citation generator.

  3. No Challenges. Users shall not assert any claims of exclusive ownership over any Content appearing on the Site.

  4. Compliance with CCPL. Users who seek to publish, reproduce or otherwise exploit the Content must comply with the terms of the CCPL.


5. Notice About Source of Content


The LCP is a tool for scholars and researchers. It is by its nature, incomplete, inchoate and evolving. Users should exercise scholarly judgment when reviewing the Content supplied through the Site. The LCP makes no representations or warranties concerning the reliability, completeness or veracity of the Content.


6. No Framing Allowed


Elements of this Site, including the database, software, look and feel and branding of this Site are protected by copyright, trade dress, trademark, unfair competition, and other state and federal laws and may not be copied or imitated in whole or in part by any means, including but not limited to, the use of framing or mirrors.


7. Copyright Complaints


If you believe that your work has been copied and posted on this Site without permission and/or in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, you should provide our Copyright Agent with a written notice that sets forth the infringement details. To be effective, the notice must contain the following information:


  1. a description of the copyrighted work that you believe has been infringed;

  2. a description of the material that you claim is infringing the copyrighted work identified in (a), and a detailed description of where it is located on this Site;

  3. your address, telephone number, and email address;

  4. a written statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law;

  5. a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner's behalf; and an electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright interest.


Please send the written communication to our Copyright Agent at the following address:

By mail: Andrea Berlin, Department of Archaeology, 675 Commonwealth Avenue, Suite 347, Boston University, Boston MA, 02215.
Phone: 617-358-1651.
Email: aberlin@bu.edu.


8. Use of Personally Identifiable Information


The LCP practices and policies with respect to the collection and use of personally identifiable information is governed by our Privacy Policy, which can be found here , and is incorporated by reference into this Agreement. Users may not use any names or contact information available on the Site or through the LCP for any purpose other than to pursue scholarly, research or educational goals. Without limiting the foregoing, users may not download and retain email addresses or any other personally identifiable information about any other user or Contributor for commercial or private use, including but not limited to sale, lease or transfer of such information for any purpose whatsoever. Any breach of this section or violation of our Privacy Policy shall be cause for immediate termination from the LCP as a user or Contributor and may result in reporting of violations to local authorities.


9. Termination


The LCP reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to restrict, suspend, or terminate this Agreement and access to all or any part of our Site or the Content, at any time and for any reason without prior notice or liability. The LCP reserves the right to suspend or terminate the access of any user or Contributor to the Site, or to remove any Content from the Site at any time without prior notice or liability.


10. Miscellaneous


In the event that any portion of the Agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the invalid or unenforceable portion(s) shall be construed in accordance with the applicable law as nearly as possible to reflect the original intentions of the parties, and the remainder of the Agreement shall remain in full force and effect. The paragraph headings herein are provided only for reference and shall have no effect on the construction or interpretation of the Agreement. LCP's failure to enforce your strict performance of any provision of this Agreement will not constitute a waiver of its right to subsequently enforce such provision or any other provision of this Agreement. Neither the course of conduct between parties nor trade practice shall act to modify any provision of the Agreement. The Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, USA, except with regard to its conflicts of law rules. Any action relating to the Content, Site or this Agreement must be brought in the federal or state courts located in Massachusetts, and you hereby irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of such courts. Any cause of action you may have with respect to the Content, Site or this Agreement must be commenced within one (1) year after the claim or cause of action arose, or be barred. This Agreement contains the entire agreement of the parties for this Site and supersedes all existing agreements and all other oral, written or other communication between the parties concerning its subject matter. You agree to use the Content and Site only for lawful purposes. You are prohibited from any use of the Content or Site that would constitute an illegal offense, give rise to liability or otherwise violate any applicable local, state, national or international law or regulation.