Terms of Service

These terms govern your use of cloudanalyst.net, including the editorial content, the vendor directory, the paid profile and sponsorship services, and any other feature published under the same domain. The site is published by Higashi Interactive Analytics, an independent research and publishing company founded by Steven Higashi. By visiting the site, creating an account, submitting information, or otherwise using any feature of the site, you agree to the terms set out below.

Editorial nature of the site

The Cloud Analyst publishes original research, opinion, and analysis on cloud computing, artificial intelligence, infrastructure, and related industries. The content reflects the views of the analyst at the time of writing, and it is offered for general informational purposes only. Nothing on the site constitutes investment advice, legal advice, procurement advice, tax advice, or professional consultation of any kind, and readers who need such advice should engage a qualified professional in the relevant jurisdiction.

Accuracy

Substantial effort goes into making the analysis on the site accurate, current, and well sourced, however the technology industry changes quickly and errors can occur. The site is provided on an "as is" basis without warranty of any kind, whether express or implied, including warranties of accuracy, completeness, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. If you spot an error or believe a claim on the site is materially wrong, the operator welcomes corrections through the contact form.

Intellectual property and use of content

All articles, papers, frameworks, named concepts, rankings, illustrations, and other original material on the site are the copyrighted work of Higashi Interactive Analytics unless otherwise indicated. The names of analytical frameworks introduced on the site, such as those identified by capitalized phrases within articles, are used as proper-noun marks of the publication.

What you may do

• Read, share links to, and quote short passages of articles for personal, non-commercial, or journalistic use, provided the quotation is accompanied by clear attribution to The Cloud Analyst and a link to the original article
• Reference named frameworks and analytical conclusions, provided the reference attributes them to cloudanalyst.net and does not imply that they originated elsewhere
• Cite the site in academic, professional, or editorial work using a standard citation that includes the title, the author, the publication name, the URL, and the date of access

What you may not do

• Reproduce articles, papers, or substantial extracts on another site, in a newsletter, in social-media posts, or in any commercial product without prior written permission
• Use the site's content to train, fine-tune, or evaluate machine-learning models, including large language models, retrieval systems, generative-AI products, and automated summarization tools
• Scrape, crawl, or systematically extract content from the site in violation of the robots.txt directives, including any honeypot or trap path
• Rewrite, paraphrase, or laundered-summarize the analysis on the site and present it as your own work or the work of a third party
• Use any name, logo, framework name, or branding associated with The Cloud Analyst or Higashi Interactive Analytics in a way that suggests endorsement or partnership where none exists

Use of automated agents

Access by automated agents, crawlers, scrapers, and AI-training pipelines is governed by the site's robots.txt file and by the meta directives on each page. The site explicitly prohibits use of its content for AI training and for retrieval-augmented generation systems that do not pass user queries through to the original article with full attribution. Agents that ignore these directives may be blocked, rate-limited, or subjected to legal action.

Vendor and directory listings

The directory and vendor profile sections of the site include information about technology companies. Listings are created and edited at the discretion of the editor. Companies may claim their own listing through the vendor claim process, however a claim does not entitle the company to remove independent analysis, ratings, or commentary about the company. Inaccurate or out-of-date factual details will be corrected on reasonable request, and analytical opinions about a company will be reviewed but are not subject to removal at the company's demand.

Sponsored and partner content

The Cloud Analyst may from time to time publish sponsored content, partner profiles, or whitepapers produced in collaboration with vendors. Any such material is labelled clearly so readers can tell editorial work apart from sponsored work. Sponsorship of one piece of content does not buy favorable coverage anywhere else on the site, and editorial independence is preserved as a condition of any commercial arrangement.

Paid directory profiles, sponsorships, and partner work

Companies that wish to enhance their presence in the vendor directory or to sponsor research can purchase one of the packages listed on the packages page. Use of any paid service is governed both by these terms and by the specific scope, deliverables, and price set out at the point of purchase.

• Paid profile content remains the property of the company that submitted it, however by submitting that content you grant The Cloud Analyst a non-exclusive licence to display, format, and promote it within the site and in associated marketing material for the duration of the subscription
• An enhanced or featured directory profile improves visibility, formatting, and the amount of information shown, however it does not influence editorial ranking, awards, or analytical commentary about the company elsewhere on the site
• Sponsored research and showcase placements are clearly labelled as sponsored. Sponsorship does not grant the sponsor any right of approval over independent editorial coverage of the same vendor, product, or market
• Refunds, renewals, plan changes, cancellation, and any service-level commitment are handled per the terms shown at checkout. Where no such terms are shown, paid services are non-refundable for the remainder of the billing period in progress, however cancellation will stop future renewal
• Account credentials created to manage a paid profile are personal to the authorized user and may not be shared with parties outside the company or used to manage profiles for unrelated third parties

User submissions

If you send a message through the contact form, submit a vendor claim, or contribute any other material to the site, you confirm that you have the right to share that material, that it does not infringe anyone else's rights, and that you grant the operator permission to use it for the purpose for which it was submitted. The operator may decline to publish or act on submissions for any reason, and submissions do not create any obligation of reply or compensation.

Third-party links

Articles and rankings on the site often include links to external sources, vendor websites, regulatory filings, and other independent publications. Those external sites are not under the control of The Cloud Analyst, and the operator is not responsible for their content, privacy practices, or availability. Inclusion of a link is not an endorsement.

Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Higashi Interactive Analytics, Steven Higashi, and any contributors to the site are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the site or any content published on it, including loss of profits, loss of data, loss of goodwill, or business interruption, even if the operator has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Where law in your jurisdiction does not allow a full disclaimer, the operator's total liability for direct damages relating to your use of the site is limited to the amount you paid for the relevant service in the twelve months preceding the claim, or one hundred euros, whichever is greater. Nothing in this clause limits liability that cannot be excluded under French law or under mandatory consumer-protection rules in your place of residence.

Indemnification

If your use of the site, your violation of these terms, or your misuse of any material on the site causes a third-party claim against the operator, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold the operator harmless from that claim, including reasonable legal fees and costs.

Termination

The operator may suspend or terminate access to the site or to any paid product, with or without notice, for conduct that violates these terms, that harms other users, or that exposes the operator to legal risk. Termination of an account does not by itself entitle the user to a refund of unused credits, however the operator will consider refunds in good faith where the facts of the case warrant.

Changes to these terms

These terms may be updated periodically as the site evolves. The date at the top of the page shows when the terms were last revised, and continued use of the site after a revision constitutes acceptance of the revised terms. Material changes that affect paying customers will be announced by email to the address on file before they take effect.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of France, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. Disputes that cannot be resolved through good-faith negotiation will be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent French courts, except where mandatory consumer-protection law in your place of residence reserves jurisdiction to the courts of that country. Nothing in this clause limits the rights granted to consumers established in the European Economic Area under Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation, or any equivalent successor regulation.

Contact

Questions about these terms, requests for permission to reproduce content, partnership inquiries, and legal notices should be sent to steve@higashi.edu, or through the contact form.