Invent Together | Privacy Policy Privacy Policy | Invent Together

Privacy Policy

Effective Date:  02/24/2024

Invent Together is committed to protecting the privacy and security of the information we collect and to informing you about the ways in which we collect and process your information.  Invent Together is the controller responsible for your personal information.  This statement (the “Privacy Policy”) sets forth Invent Together’s policies and practices for handling the information we collect from or about you. It applies to the websites and online services that we operate and that link to this Privacy Policy (the “Services”).

I.      COLLECTION OF INFORMATION

We may collect the following categories of information when you use our Services:
  • Information you provide directly to us. We collect the information you provide in your use of our Services. You may provide information directly to us in several different ways. For example, if you sign up for our mailing list, register for an event, or sign-on to support our advocacy efforts, you may be asked for contact information such as name, address, email, and phone number. In addition, we may ask for other information about you, such as your interests, preferences, feedback, educational or professional information, employment, employment history, and age. Where you consent, we may process health information and other sensitive information, such as disability status, and racial or ethnic origin.
  • Information We Collect Automatically. We collect certain information about you and your computer automatically when you use the Services. Automatically collected information may include device information, such as the type of web browser and operating system you have used to access the Services; Internet and electronic network activity information, such as your IP address; information about the time and duration of your use of the Services; and information about the content you view and the features you access on the Services.
  • Without this information, we may not be able to provide you with all the requested Services. We may aggregate or de-identify the information described above. Aggregated or de-identified data is not subject to this Privacy Policy.

II.    USE OF INFORMATION AND PURPOSE OF DATA PROCESSING

We use your personal information for the purpose for which we collected it. We have set out the descriptions of the way in which we use your personal information, and the legal basis that we rely on to do so in the table below:
Purpose/Activity   Categories of Personal Information In jurisdictions that require a lawful basis for processing, the lawful basis for processing, including basis of legitimate interest
To provide you with the Services and information you request and contact you with information, either directly or on a third party’s behalf, about our Services and our mission. • Information you provide us directly, including identity and contact information, login details and survey and feedback data. • Information we collect automatically, including device information and internet and electronic network activity information; service usage data. (a) Necessity to perform our contract with you   (b) Necessity for our legitimate interests (for instance, to keep our records updated)
To conduct research and analysis on users of our Services • Information you provide us directly, including identity and contact information and survey and feedback data. • Information we collect automatically, including service usage data. (a) Necessity for our legitimate interests (for instance, to assess how people use our Services)   (b) Consent (for instance, we will only process sensitive information with your explicit consent)
To better understand your interests in order to provide you (and enable our partners to provide you) with promotional materials, relevant content, surveys and questionnaires, event invitations, and other materials. • Information you provide us directly, including identity and contact information and survey and feedback data. • Information we collect automatically, including service usage data. (a) Necessity for our legitimate interests (for instance, to improve our services)   (b) Consent (for instance, where we are sending marketing material on our behalf or on behalf of our partners)
To continually improve the Services and enhance your experience with the Services • Information we collect automatically, including device information and internet and electronic network activity information; service usage data. Necessity for our legitimate interests (for instance, to study how people use our Services, to develop the Services, to keep our Services updated and relevant, and to inform our communications strategy)  
To keep our Services, organization, users, and others safe and secure. • Information you provide us directly, including identity and contact information, login details and survey and feedback data. • Information we collect automatically, including device information and internet and electronic network activity information; service usage data. (a) Necessity to comply with a legal obligation   (b) Necessity for our legitimate interests (for instance, to ensure a high level of security for our Services)
To comply with applicable laws and regulations. • Information you provide us directly, including identity and contact information, login details and survey and feedback data. • Information we collect automatically, including device information and internet and electronic network activity information; service usage data. Necessity to comply with a legal obligation (for instance, our obligations to ensure our Services are secure, or to respond to legal process)
To protect or exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims. • Information you provide us directly, including identity and contact information, login details and survey and feedback data. • Information we collect automatically, including device information and internet and electronic network activity information; service usage data. Necessity for our legitimate interests

Where legally required and we have no other valid legal basis to process your information, we will obtain consent (for example, to provide you with marketing information or share information with third parties), which may subsequently be withdrawn at any time by contacting us. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before it is withdrawn.

III.   DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION

We are committed to maintaining your trust, and we want you to understand when and with whom we may share the information we collect.
  • Coalition Members. We may share your information with certain coalition members of Invent Together as necessary to fulfill the business purposes described above. For a list of the founding members of the coalition, you can visit this page.
  • Service Providers. We may share your information with entities that provide services to us, including companies that provide web analytics, data processing, advertising, email distribution, and other services.
  • Business transfers. We may share your information in connection with a substantial corporate transaction, such as the sale of a website, a merger, consolidation, asset sale, initial public offering, or in the unlikely event of bankruptcy.
  • Legal purposes. We may disclose information to respond to subpoenas, court orders, legal process, law enforcement requests, legal claims or government inquiries, and to protect and defend the rights, interests, safety, and security of Invent Together, our affiliates, users, or the public.
  • With your consent. We may share information for any other purposes disclosed to you at the time we collect the information or pursuant to your consent.
Invent Together does not sell your personal information, and shares it only as described in this Privacy Policy.

IV.  COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES

When you use our Services, we use cookies, pixel tags, local storage, and other similar technologies (collectively, “cookies”) to collect information from your browser or device.

The following types of cookies are used on our Services:
  • Essential cookies – These cookies enable you to use our Services. These cookies are essential to enable you to browse our Services and use certain features. Disabling them may prevent you from using certain parts of the Services. These cookies also help keep our Services safe and secure.
  • Preference cookies – These cookies store information such as your preferred country and language selection, login data and website preferences. Without these cookies, our Services may not be able to remember certain choices you've previously made (such as a saved country / language preference) or personalize your browsing experience by providing you with relevant information. These cookies can also be used to recognize your device so that you do not have to provide the same information more than once.
  • Performance cookies – These cookies collect information about how you use our Services such as which pages you visit regularly. These cookies are used to provide you with a high-quality experience by doing things such as tracking page load, site response times, and error messages. In particular, we use Google Analytics. For more information about how Google uses data please visit their site here.

To the extent permissible under applicable law, you consent to the use of non-essential cookies and other technologies as identified above. For certain jurisdictions, we will seek your consent for non-essential cookies the first time you access the Services. If you wish to withdraw your consent at a later time, you can do so through your settings [here].

Do-Not-Track Signals and Similar Mechanisms. Some mobile and web browsers transmit "do-not-track" signals.  Because of differences in how web browsers incorporate and activate this feature, it is not always clear whether users intend for these signals to be transmitted, or whether they even are aware of them.  We currently do not take action in response to these signals.

V. YOUR RIGHTS AND CHOICES

You may be entitled, in accordance with applicable law, to object to or request restriction of processing of your information, and to request access to, rectification, erasure, and portability of your information or more information about our information practices.  Requests should be submitted in writing as set out below.  If you become aware of changes or inaccuracies in your information, you should inform us of such changes so that the information may be updated or corrected. Once we receive your request, we may verify it by requesting information sufficient to confirm your identity if required.

You may be entitled, in accordance with applicable law, to submit a request through an authorized agent or to appeal a refusal to take action on your request.  To designate an authorized agent to exercise your rights and choices on your behalf, please provide evidence that you have given such agent power of attorney or that the agent otherwise has valid written authority to submit requests to exercise rights on your behalf.  To appeal a refusal to take action on your request, please submit your appeal in writing as set out below.

You may be able to refuse or disable cookies by adjusting your web browser settings or withdrawing your consent to non-essential cookies.  Some browsers have options that allow the visitor to control whether the browser will accept cookies, reject cookies, or notify the visitor each time a cookie is sent.  Because each web browser is different, please consult the instructions provided by your web browser (typically in the “help” section).  If you choose to refuse, withdraw consent to, disable, or delete these technologies through your browser or through our Services, some of the functionality of the Services may no longer be available to you and any differences in service are related to the data. Deleting cookies may in some cases cancel the opt out selection in your browser.

We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights and choices.

You may lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority if you believe our processing of your information is unlawful.

VI. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS

Any processing of personal information about you from your use of the Services may involve a transfer of your information outside your resident jurisdiction, including the United States.

Whenever we transfer personal information about you outside of your resident jurisdiction, we will comply with all applicable privacy and data protection laws. If you reside in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we will ensure such transfers are subject to appropriate safeguards and controls, including the EU Commission’s standard contractual clauses and the UK International Data Transfer Addendum.

You may obtain a copy of the appropriate safeguards implemented by Invent Together to transfer your personal information to another country by contacting us in writing, as set out below.

VII. CHILDREN

We do not knowingly collect or sell any personal information from children, as defined by applicable law, without parental consent or as otherwise permitted by applicable law.

VIII. DATA RETENTION, SECURITY, AND INTEGRITY

Information will be retained only for so long as reasonably necessary for the purposes set out above and consistent with our retention policies, in accordance with applicable laws.

We maintain reasonable security measures to safeguard information from loss, theft interference, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.  We also maintain reasonable procedures to help ensure that such data is reliable for its intended use and is accurate, complete, and current.  You should understand that no data storage system or transmission of data over the Internet or any other public network can be guaranteed to be 100 percent secure, accurate, complete, or current.

IX. PROGRAM-SPECIFIC SUPPLEMENTS

We may set out additional policies and practices for handling the information we collect with respect to our particular programs.  In the event of a conflict between the additional policies described in this section and the terms of the Privacy Policy, the terms of these policies will control.
  • The Inventors Patent Academy. In addition to the categories of information outlined above, we may also ask for other information about you, such as your demographic information to promote our diversity efforts (such as gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, military status, and any other demographic information that you choose to provide to us). We may disclose this information to trusted partners only in aggregated or de-identified form.

X. CHANGES TO THE PRIVACY POLICY

We may modify this Privacy Policy from time to time.  When we update the Privacy Policy, we will revise the “Effective Date” date above and post the new Privacy Policy.  We recommend that you review the Privacy Policy each time you visit the Services to stay informed of our privacy practices.

XI. CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our practices, please contact us via info@inventtogether.org.