/

TERMS OF SERVICE

Terms of service

Last updated

November 1, 2025

Terms of Service (Kova)
Legal entity: [Kova Protocol, Inc.] (“Kova,” “we,” “our,” or “us”)
Services: The Kova website, marketplace, software agents, APIs/SDKs, and related services (collectively, the “Services”).


By creating an account or using the Services, you agree to these Terms of Service (the “Terms”). If you use the Services on behalf of an organization, you represent that you are authorized to accept these Terms for that organization.

1. Use of Services

1.1 Eligibility & Accounts

You must be 18+ (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction). You will provide accurate registration information, keep credentials secure, and are responsible for activity under your account.

1.2 Lawful Use

You agree to use the Services only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms and all applicable laws, export controls, and sanctions regulations.

1.3 Roles

Kova serves two primary user types:

  • “Buyer” — submits workloads and purchases compute micro-units.

  • “Provider” — supplies compute capacity via the Kova agent.

You may act as both, subject to these Terms.

2. Intellectual Property

2.1 Kova IP

The Services, including the Kova marketplace, scheduler agent, software, designs, and trademarks (e.g., “Kova”), are owned by Kova or its licensors and protected by IP laws. Except as permitted by these Terms or applicable OSS licenses, you may not copy, distribute, modify, reverse engineer (except to the extent such restriction is prohibited by law), or create derivative works of the Services.

2.2 Your Workloads & Outputs

As a Buyer, you retain ownership of your workloads, models, data, and outputs. You grant Kova and participating Providers a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to process, store, transmit, and display your workloads and outputs solely to operate the Services, fulfill your jobs, and provide support, observability, billing, and fraud prevention.

2.3 User Content

If you submit other content to the Site (e.g., comments, reviews, forum posts), you grant Kova a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable license to use, reproduce, modify, display, and distribute such content to operate and improve the Services.

3. Buyer Terms (Use of Services)

3.1 Workload Responsibilities

You are responsible for the legality and safety of your workloads and data, including obtaining all necessary rights and consents. You will not submit Prohibited Content (see Section 9).

3.2 Resource Requests & Preemption

Kova enables requests for micro-units (e.g., vCPU-minutes, GPU-core-hours, GB-hours RAM). Jobs may be preempted or migrated. You should implement checkpointing and resiliency. Kova does not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation or specific throughput/latency unless stated in a written SLA.

3.3 Data Storage

Temporary storage may be provided to execute your job. You are responsible for maintaining your own backups. Kova is not responsible for data loss due to interruptions, preemption, or Provider failures.

4. Provider Terms (Use of Services)

4.1 Agent, Capacity & Compliance

To provide capacity, you must install and run the Kova provider agent, accurately declare available resources (CPU threads, fractional GPU, RAM, disk), and maintain hardware and software in good working order. You must comply with applicable laws, data protection rules, and export controls.

4.2 Accuracy & Integrity

You will not falsify capacity, tamper with metering, or interfere with Proof-of-Utilization mechanisms. You will promptly install agent updates addressing security, performance, or metering integrity.

4.3 Security & Isolation

You must follow reasonable host hardening, isolation, and network hygiene practices and promptly remediate vulnerabilities that could impact Buyers or the network.

4.4 Reputation & Penalties

Kova may maintain reputation scores (e.g., uptime, completions, dispute rate). Poor performance or malicious activity may reduce job routing, forfeit incentives, trigger slashing or holdbacks (if staking or deposits are part of your program), or lead to suspension (Section 5).

5. Termination & Suspension


We may suspend or terminate access (or remove workloads) at our discretion if you violate these Terms, pose a security or integrity risk, fail to pay amounts due, or if required by law. You may stop using the Services at any time. Provisions that by their nature should survive (e.g., IP, confidentiality, limitations, payment obligations incurred) will survive termination.

6. Metering, Proofs, & Billing

6.1 Metering & Proof-of-Utilization

Usage is measured via Kova’s metering and cryptographic proof mechanisms (e.g., checkpoints, signed records). Metering and proofs are authoritative for billing, dispute handling, and reputation unless demonstrably erroneous.

6.2 Billing & Invoices

Buyers are billed for consumed micro-units and applicable fees/taxes. Charges may accrue in real-time or at completion. Providers are credited for verified utilized units after applicable fees, holdbacks, adjustments, and taxes.

6.3 Disputes

Raise billing disputes within [30] days of invoice/statement. Provide logs, IDs, and evidence. Kova will review metering/proofs. Adjustments, if any, are made to future invoices/credits.

7. Pricing, Fees, Taxes, & Payouts

7.1 Pricing

Prices for micro-units may be dynamic. Quotes shown in dashboards or APIs are estimates until confirmed on job acceptance.

7.2 Fees & Taxes

You are responsible for applicable taxes. Kova may add transaction, network, or marketplace fees. Prices exclude taxes unless stated.

7.3 Payouts to Providers

Provider payouts are issued on a periodic schedule (e.g., weekly/monthly) after verification, applicable holdbacks, and compliance checks (including KYC/AML where required). Payout methods and minimums may vary by region.

7.4 Refunds

Given the consumptive nature of compute, refunds are limited to demonstrable billing errors validated by Kova’s metering/proofs.

8. Service Levels, Preemption, & Data Risk


Kova operates a marketplace and orchestrates multi-tenant scheduling. No SLA is provided unless a specific written SLA is executed. Jobs may experience queuing, throttling, preemption, or migration. You acknowledge the risk of interruption and data loss; use checkpoints and backups accordingly.

9. Acceptable Use & Prohibited Content


You will not use the Services to:

  • Violate laws, IP, privacy, or export controls;

  • Run malware, botnets, DDoS, spam, penetration testing against third parties without authorization, or activities that could harm the network;

  • Process illegal, exploitative, or abusive content;

  • Mine cryptocurrencies or run coin-mixing/tumbling where prohibited or in violation of Provider rules or regional laws;

  • Attempt to bypass metering, proofs, quotas, or security controls;

  • Interfere with or degrade other users’ jobs or the marketplace.

Kova may investigate and take action, including removal, suspension, or reporting to authorities.

10. Confidentiality & Data Protection


Kova will implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the Services. Providers must not access Buyer data except as technically necessary to execute the job through the agent. Buyers should avoid uploading sensitive personal data unless the relevant compliance/SLA is in place. Use of the Services is also subject to our Privacy Policy.

11. Third-Party Services & Open Source


The Services may interoperate with third-party services (e.g., model hubs, storage, observability). Your use of those services is governed by their terms. The Services may include open-source software governed by applicable OSS licenses; to the extent of a conflict, those licenses control for that code.

12. Warranties; Disclaimers


THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” KOVA DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE OPERATION; METERING AND PROOFS ARE PROVIDED AS OUR GOOD-FAITH BASIS FOR BILLING AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION.

13. Limitation of Liability


TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, KOVA AND ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, OR GOODWILL.
OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SERVICES WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) USD $100 OR (B) THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID TO KOVA FOR THE SERVICES IN THE THREE (3) MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations; in those cases, the limitation applies to the maximum extent permitted.

14. Indemnification


You will indemnify and hold harmless Kova and its affiliates from any claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from or related to: (a) your workloads, data, or User Content; (b) your use of the Services; (c) your violation of these Terms or law; or (d) your infringement of third-party rights.

15. Changes to Terms & Services


We may update these Terms and modify or discontinue parts of the Services. We will post changes with a new Effective date. Your continued use constitutes acceptance. If you do not agree, stop using the Services.

16. Dispute Resolution; Governing Law


These Terms are governed by the laws of [State/Country], without regard to conflicts of law.
Optional arbitration clause (replace if you prefer court venue): Any dispute arising under these Terms will be resolved by binding arbitration in [City, State], before a single arbitrator under the rules of [AAA/JAMS]. You and Kova waive the right to a jury trial and to participate in a class action. Injunctive relief for IP or security abuse may be sought in court.

17. Miscellaneous


  • Assignment: You may not assign these Terms without Kova’s consent; Kova may assign in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

  • Entire Agreement: These Terms plus any order forms, SLAs, or policies referenced herein constitute the entire agreement.

  • Severability: If any provision is unenforceable, the remainder remains in effect.

  • Notices: We may provide notices via email or through the Services. Contract/legal notices to Kova must be sent to [Legal@kovanetwork.com].

18. Contact Us


Questions about these Terms?
Email: [hello@kovanetwork.com]