IDC Terms of Service

Last Updated: July 2, 2026

1. AGREEMENT TO TERMS
These Terms of Use (“Terms“) govern your access to and use of the websites, online services, content, data, research publications, analysis, reports, AI Features (as defined below) and related materials (collectively, the “Service“) provided by IDC Research, Inc. and its affiliates (“IDC,” “we,” “us,” or “our“) .

By accessing, browsing, or using any part of the Service, you (“you” or “your“) acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

If you have a separate written agreement with IDC governing subscription access to the Service (an “Enterprise Agreement”), you agree to comply with both these Terms and your Enterprise Agreement.

2. YOUR USE OF MATERIALS

2.1 License. Subject to your compliance with these Terms, IDC grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable right to access and use content such as articles, blog posts, press releases, research, data, analysis, reports, and related materials available through the Service (collectively “Materials”) for your internal, non-commercial use. Certain Materials and features of the Service, including premium research, data, and analysis, are available only to users who maintain an active paid subscription, and IDC may restrict access to such Materials and features based on your subscription status.

2.2 Restrictions on Materials. You agree that you will not:

(a) reproduce, distribute, sell, sublicense, or otherwise make Materials available to any third party;

(b) reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble the Materials

(c) create derivative works or competitive products based on Materials;

(d) quote, cite, or excerpt Materials for any external use without prior written permission from permissions@idc.com;

(e) input, upload, or transfer the Materials to any platform that incorporates, utilizes, or provides Advanced Analytics or AI System unless expressly permitted by your Enterprise Agreement;

(f) use Materials to train, fine-tune, improve or enhance, any artificial intelligence or machine learning model, algorithm, or system;

(g) use robots, spiders, crawlers, scrapers, deep-link tools, or any other automated program, algorithm, or device to search, scrape, extract, index, or systematically access Materials or any part of the Service;

(h) remove, alter, or obscure any proprietary notices, copyright markings, or attribution on Materials; or

(i) use Materials in any manner that violates applicable laws or regulations.

For purposes of these Terms: (i) “Advanced Analytics” means functionality that analyzes data or content to predict outcomes, classify information, or generate insights using statistical methods, machine learning, or artificial intelligence beyond basic data visualization, charting, dashboarding or reporting; and (ii) “AI System” means artificial intelligence systems that generate new content such as text, data, images, audio, video, or code based on user prompts, including large language models, image generators, and code generators.

3. AI FEATURES

3.1 AI Features. The Services may also include AI-powered features, including AI-generated summaries, a conversational research assistant, and AI-assisted search and recommendations (“AI Features“). AI Features use artificial intelligence, including third-party AI models, which you may use solely to help you interact with and navigate Materials. AI Features are supplemental tools designed to assist your use of Materials. They are not a substitute for IDC’s analyst-backed research, and the outputs they generate (“AI-Generated Material“) are not themselves Materials, but may incorporate Materials as set forth in Section 3.3.

3.2 Permitted Use. You may use AI Features to interact with, search, and navigate Materials. AI-Generated Material is provided for informational purposes only and is subject to the disclaimers in Section 7. To the extent AI-Generated Material is derived from, incorporates, summarizes, or is based on Materials, such AI-Generated Material is subject to the same access and use restrictions as Materials under Section 2.

3.3 AI-Generated Material. AI-Generated Material that is derived from, incorporates, summarizes, or is based on Materials is subject to the same access and use restrictions as Materials under Section 2. You may not redistribute, publish, or present AI-Generated Material as Materials or as IDC’s official position on any topic, or create AI-Generated Material that impersonates IDC analysts or fabricates Materials. All Materials, including any excerpts, quotations, summaries, or adaptations thereof, that appear in or are incorporated into AI-Generated Material remain the exclusive property of IDC and may be used only as permitted by these Terms.

3.4 Third-Party AI Models. AI Features rely in part on third-party artificial intelligence models and infrastructure. IDC does not control the underlying behavior of these third-party models and is not liable for errors, inaccuracies, or service interruptions attributable to them.

3.5 Messaging Channels. If you access AI Features by submitting queries via email, messaging platforms, collaboration tools, or other third-party communication channels, you consent to receive AI-generated responses through the channel or address from which your query was sent. Responses may note that IDC’s published research on a given topic extends beyond the materials available under your current subscription and any such reference is provided solely to inform you of the scope and limitations of the response and does not constitute a commercial solicitation, promotional communication, or advertisement. IDC is not responsible for the availability, security, or functionality of any third-party platform through which you access AI Features. IDC reserves the right to decline to process any submission in its sole discretion and without liability.

4. YOUR INPUTS

4.1 What This Covers. “User Inputs” means the prompts, queries, documents, datasets other content you submit to the Service, including through AI Features and/or messaging channels.

4.2 Your Responsibility. You are solely responsible for your User Inputs. You represent that you have all necessary rights and authorizations to submit your User Inputs and that they do not:

(a) infringe or misappropriate any third party’s intellectual property or proprietary rights;

(b) contain personal data of any individual unless all of the following conditions are met: (i) you are using the Service under an Enterprise Agreement, (ii) you have a lawful basis for providing it, (iii) you have made any required disclosures to the individual, and (iv) such personal data is strictly necessary to use the applicable Service functionality;

(c) contain special categories of personal data or sensitive personal information, including data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data processed for identification purposes, data concerning health, sex life, or sexual orientation; government-issued identifiers (such as social security numbers, national identification numbers, or passport numbers); financial account numbers, payment card data, or access credentials for financial accounts; precise geolocation data; protected health information as defined under HIPAA; or personal data of children under the age of sixteen (16);

(d) include restricted data (such as classified information, or export-controlled data);

(e) contain unlawful, defamatory, obscene, or harmful content; or

(f) include third-party communications or content for which you lack the necessary rights, consents, or authorizations to share with IDC and its service providers.

4.3 License to IDC. You grant IDC a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, process, store, analyze, and transmit User Inputs to provide the Services and for the purposes set forth in Section 14.7. IDC will not (a) use your User Inputs to train the underlying artificial intelligence or machine learning model; or (b) share your User Inputs with third parties except as needed to provide the Services or as permitted under Section 14.7.

4.4 Ownership and Confidentiality. You retain ownership of your original User Inputs, subject to the licenses granted in this Section 4.  If you submit User Inputs through paid subscription features, IDC will treat those User Inputs as confidential and will use them to provide the Service to you and as permitted under these Terms, including the license set forth in Section 4.3. You acknowledge that the Materials, the Service, IDC’s pricing and fee structures, and any other proprietary or non-public information made available to you by IDC constitute IDC’s confidential information. You will not disclose IDC’s confidential information to any third party or use it for any purpose other than as permitted under these Terms. IDC’s confidentiality obligations do not apply to User Inputs that: (a) are or become publicly available through no fault of IDC; (b) were already known to IDC without restriction before you submitted them; (c) are independently developed by IDC without reference to your User Inputs; or (d) IDC is required to disclose by law, regulation, or legal process. User Inputs submitted through free or public features of the Service are not subject to any confidentiality obligation. Do not submit information through the Service that requires a higher level of protection than IDC’s Privacy Policy and these Terms provide.

5. COMPLIANCE AND SECURITY

5.1 Representations. You represent and warrant that your access to and use of the Service and Materials complies, and will at all times comply, with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations. You are solely responsible for determining whether your use of the Service and Materials is lawful in your jurisdiction and for ensuring ongoing compliance with any applicable legal requirements. You further represent that you have legal authority to enter into and be bound by these Terms.

5.2 Your Credentials. You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security of your valid login credentials (“Access Credentials”) and for all activity that occurs under your account. You may not share or disclose your Access Credentials to any third party or allow unauthorized access to the Service through your account.

5.3 Security Breach Notification. You must immediately notify IDC at idc_support@idc.com (or, if in Japan, JP_Support@idc.com) if you become aware of any unauthorized use of your Access Credentials or any security breach involving your account.

5.4 Monitoring and Suspension. IDC may monitor your use of the Service to verify compliance with these Terms. IDC may suspend or terminate your access immediately and without prior notice if IDC reasonably believes your account has been compromised, you have violated these Terms, or continued access poses a security risk.

6. PROHIBITED CONDUCT

You agree not to:

(a) access data or systems you are not authorized to use, or attempt to probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of any IDC system or network;

(b) interfere with or disrupt the Service, any server, or any network connected to the Service;

(c) overburden the Service’s infrastructure through excessive automated requests, denial-of-service attacks, or similar conduct;

(d) forge headers, impersonate another person, or otherwise misrepresent your identity or affiliation;

(e) attempt to reverse-engineer, extract model weights or parameters from, derive the training data or underlying Materials incorporated into, or circumvent any safety controls, filters, or access restrictions in the AI Features;

(f) take any action to obtain services, features, or access to which you have not been granted rights under these Terms or an Enterprise Agreement;

(g) upload, transmit, or distribute any viruses, malware, worms, or other harmful or malicious code designed to interrupt, destroy, or limit the functionality of the Service or any connected systems; or

(h) use the Service for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by these Terms.

IDC may investigate suspected violations and cooperate with law enforcement authorities in prosecuting users involved in such violations.

7. DISCLAIMERS

7.1 As-is basis. The service, materials, and ai-generated material are provided “as is” and “as available.” to the maximum extent permitted by law, IDC disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

7.2 No professional advice. IDC is not an investment advisor or other professional advisor. Neither materials nor ai-generated material constitutes investment, financial, legal, tax, or other professional advice. You are solely responsible for evaluating materials and ai-generated material and for any decisions you make based on them.

7.3 AI-generated material. AI-generated material is produced by artificial intelligence systems, including third-party models, and may contain errors, inaccuracies, outdated information, or content that does not reflect IDC’s views. AI-generated material is not reviewed or approved by IDC analysts before it is presented to you. You should independently verify ai-generated material before relying on it.

7.4 No guarantee of availability. IDC does not warrant that the service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free, or that any materials or ai-generated material will be accurate, complete, reliable, or current. You acknowledge that materials and ai-generated material may contain inaccuracies or errors.

7.5 No ip warranty for ai outputs. IDC makes no representation or warranty that ai-generated material is original, non-infringing, or eligible for copyright protection. You assume all risk associated with your use, distribution, or reliance on ai-generated material.

8. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

8.1 Exclusion of damages. To the maximum extent permitted by law, IDC shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, including damages for loss of profits, goodwill, use, data, or other intangible losses, regardless of the theory of liability and even if IDC has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This exclusion applies to all claims arising out of or relating to the service, including claims related to ai-generated material, user inputs, or the conduct of third-party ai providers.

8.2 Liability cap. IDC’s total aggregate liability arising out of or relating to these terms or your use of the service shall not exceed the total amount paid by you to IDC, if any, during the twelve (12) month period immediately preceding the event giving rise to liability. If you have not paid any fees to IDC, IDC’s total liability shall not exceed one hundred u.s. dollars (us $100).

8.3 Essential terms. The limitations and exclusions in this section 8 are essential elements of the agreement between the parties and will apply even if any limited remedy specified in these terms is found to have failed of its essential purpose.

8.4 Exceptions. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits IDC’s liability for fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, death or personal injury caused by negligence, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

8.5 Your responsibility. You agree to indemnify IDC for any losses, damages or expenses that IDC incurs arising out of your (a) User Inputs, including any third-party claim that User Inputs infringe or misappropriate that third party’s rights (b) breach of these Terms, (c) distribution of Materials or AI-Generated Material, or (d) violation of applicable law.

9. PRIVACY

IDC’s Privacy Policy governs our collection, use, processing, and protection of your personal data that IDC collects and processes as a data controller, including account registration data, usage data, and device information. By using the Service, you acknowledge that your personal data will be processed in accordance with the Privacy Policy. We may periodically modify the provisions of this Privacy Policy and encourage you to review it from time to time in order to stay up to date with the most recent developments in the area of the protection of your personal data.

10. SANCTIONS AND TRADE COMPLIANCE

By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you: (a) have not and will not offer, pay, promise, or authorize the payment of money or anything of value for the purpose of bribery, kickbacks, or any other improper means of obtaining business in violation of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, the U.K. Bribery Act 2010, or any other applicable anti-corruption or anti-bribery laws or regulations (“Anti-Corruption Laws”); (b) are not in violation of, and will not violate, any Anti-Corruption Laws, sanctions imposed by the United States, United Kingdom, European Union or any member state thereof, United Nations, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or Japan (“Sanctions”), or applicable export or import controls (collectively, together with Anti-Corruption Laws and Sanctions, “Trade Laws”) in connection with your use of the Service; (c) are not, and are not acting for or on behalf of, any person who is (i) the target of Sanctions, (ii) organized, located, or resident in any country or territory that is the target of comprehensive Sanctions (including Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Crimea, Donetsk People’s Republic, Luhansk People’s Republic, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, or any country or territory whose government is the target of Sanctions (including Venezuela) or that is otherwise the target of broad Sanctions restrictions (including Afghanistan, Russia, and Belarus)) (each, a “Sanctioned Country”), or (iii) owned or controlled by any person described in (i) or (ii) above (collectively, “Sanctioned Persons”); and (d) have not and will not engage, directly or indirectly, in any activity, transaction, or dealing involving a Sanctioned Person or Sanctioned Country in connection with these Terms, including reexporting the Service to a Sanctioned Person or transferring funds to IDC from or through a financial institution that is a Sanctioned Person. You will not, directly or indirectly, fund any payment to IDC out of proceeds derived from criminal activity or any activity in violation of Trade Laws, or that would otherwise cause IDC to be in violation of any Trade Laws. You agree to notify IDC in writing at legal@idc.com promptly if any of the above representations become untrue. Further, you agree to only use AI Features from supported countries and territories as defined by IDC from time to time.

11. THIRD-PARTY CONTENT AND LINKS

The Service may contain links to third-party websites, data from third-party sources, or integrations with third-party services. These are provided for convenience only and do not constitute an endorsement by IDC. IDC is not responsible for the content, accuracy, or availability of any third-party site or service. If you access a third-party site through the Service, you do so at your own risk and subject to that site’s terms and conditions.

12. OWNERSHIP

12.1 IDC’s Intellectual Property. IDC retains all right, title, and interest in and to the Service, Materials, AI-Generated Material, and Service Data (as defined in Section 14.7), including all associated intellectual property rights, and any analyses, insights, research, data products, or other materials derived therefrom. The Service, Materials, AI-Generated Material, and Service Data are protected by copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws. For the avoidance of doubt, all Materials that appear in or are incorporated into AI-Generated Material remain the exclusive property of IDC. Your retained ownership of your original User Inputs under Section 4.4 is not affected by this Section.

12.2 Reservation of Rights. All rights not expressly granted under these Terms are reserved by IDC. These Terms do not grant you any right to use IDC’s trademarks, service marks, or trade names.

12.3 Feedback. IDC may use any feedback, suggestions, or ideas you provide regarding the Service without restriction or obligation to you but will not identify you as the source.

13. TERMINATION

13.1 IDC’s Right to Terminate. IDC may, in its sole discretion, terminate or suspend your access to the Service immediately and without prior notice if you violate any provision of these Terms or for any other reason deemed appropriate by IDC.

13.2 Effect of Termination. Upon termination or expiration of these Terms, your right to access and use the Service and Materials will immediately cease. You must promptly discontinue all use of the Materials and destroy or return all copies in your possession or control.

13.3 Survival. Sections 2.2 (Restrictions on Materials), 4 (Your Inputs), 5.3 (Security Breach Notification), 6 (Prohibited Conduct), 7 (Disclaimers), 8 (Limitation of Liability), 9 (Privacy), 12 (Ownership), 13.2 (Effect of Termination), and 14 (General Provisions) survive termination of these Terms. Any other provision that by its nature is intended to survive termination will also survive.

14. GENERAL PROVISIONS

14.1 Governing Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution. These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, USA, without regard to conflict of laws principles. Any dispute will be submitted to mediation before a mediator appointed by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”). If mediation fails, the matter will be submitted for binding arbitration under the AAA’s Commercial Arbitration Rules in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The arbitrator will decide all questions, including whether the parties have agreed to arbitrate and/or whether the agreement to arbitrate covers the dispute.

14.2 Modifications. We may modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service, in whole or in part, at any time and without prior notice. We will not be liable to you for any such changes. Further, IDC reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time by posting updated terms on the website.  Your continued use of the Service after modified terms are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.

14.3 Severability & No Waiver. If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect. IDC’s failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not waive its right to do so in the future.

14.4 Electronic Communications. By using the Service, you consent to receive communications from IDC electronically, including by email or by posting on the Service. You agree that electronic communications satisfy any legal requirement that communications be in writing.

14.5 Entire Agreement. These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and, where applicable, your Enterprise Agreement, constitute the entire agreement between you and IDC regarding the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior or contemporaneous understandings.

14.6 Assignment. You may not assign these Terms without IDC’s prior written consent. IDC may assign these Terms without restriction.

14.7 Service Data. In the course of providing the Service, IDC collects and generates various categories of data from your use of and interactions with the Service (collectively, “Service Data”), including: (a) data generated from User Inputs and AI-Generated Material; and (b) session data, feature usage, interaction patterns, and other information about how you access and use the Service. IDC may use Service Data for any lawful business purposes provided that any external use of Service Data will be  on an anonymized and aggregated basis that does not identify Client or any individual Authorized User. Personal Data in Service Data is processed by IDC as an independent Controller in compliance with IDC’s published privacy policy, as amended from time to time.

15. CONTACT INFORMATION

For questions regarding these Terms, please contact IDC at legal@idc.com.

For requests to quote, cite, or excerpt Materials or AI-Generated Material, please visit IDC Permissions or contact permissions@idc.com.