Terms of Service

1. Definitions and Corporate Scope

• “Algorithmic Data Index” (or “Index”): The proprietary data arrays, composite score assignments, and category leaderboards displayed on VerifiedLayer, synthesized dynamically via multi-platform Large Language Model (LLM) queries.
• “Confidence Score”: The programmatic integer ranging strictly from 0 to 100 generated for a software vendor by executing forty-three (43) structured prompts across four (4) third-party AI platforms.
• “Buyer” or “Evaluator”: Any enterprise user, procurement specialist, business consumer, or casual visitor utilizing the public Site interfaces to browse, compare, filter, or evaluate third-party software products based on synthesized AI scores.
• “Vendor”: Any business entity, application developer, open-source maintainer, or corporation whose software applications or services are tracked, evaluated, or listed on the Index through third-party AI platform queries orchestrated by VerifiedLayer.
• “Vendor Representative”: An individual who has registered an account and passed identity and corporate domain validation to claim a specific corporate profile page (/company/{slug}) on behalf of a Vendor.
• “User Content”: Any text, data, documentation links, API structures, forum threads, reviews, metrics, or other materials uploaded, synced, or submitted to the Site or Services by an active User.

2. The Nature of an Orchestrated AI-Query Scoring System

2.1: Pure Prompt Synthesis Architecture

VerifiedLayer does not operate, maintain, or feed data from proprietary background web scrapers, raw text-harvesting bots, or custom data-mining software pipelines into its scoring infrastructure. The Services function strictly as an automated, programmatic query orchestration layer.

• All scores, insights, data gaps, and tier listings displayed on the platform are generated by executing exactly forty-three (43) highly structured prompts across four (4) major independent third-party AI platforms (comprising Claude Sonnet, GPT-4o, Gemini Pro, and Microsoft Copilot) to generate precisely one hundred and seventy-two (172) distinct programmatic queries per vendor, per month.
• The operational signals analyzed (including public API registries, engineering documentation schemas, developer repositories, user-generated forum discussions, and LLM citation ratios) are gathered, indexed, and evaluated directly by the third-party AI platforms at the immediate moment of prompt execution.

2.2: Disclaimer on Third-Party AI Data Outputs

Because the scoring mechanics rely entirely on what the chosen third-party AI platforms retrieve, interpret, and synthesize from their own independent training data sets, web indexes, and integrated real-time search capabilities:

• VerifiedLayer acts strictly as a passive orchestrator of these AI outputs and does not independently audit, check, verify, or maintain the primary or secondary source documents cited by the models.
• All scores, evidence gaps, confidence indicators, and tier placements are provided strictly on an “AS-IS” and “AS-AVAILABLE” basis. We make no legal representations or warranties regarding the absolute real-time accuracy, completeness, or historical truth of the data sets utilized by the third-party AI platform models.

2.3: Independent Evolution of Prompt Models

VerifiedLayer reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify, optimize, re-weight, or re-engineer its forty-three (43) structured prompts, internal scoring weights, and its selection of third-party AI platforms at any time. You acknowledge and agree that such adjustments can fundamentally alter how the underlying AI engines interpret, retrieve, and score a Vendor’s digital footprint, resulting in non-linear, material shifts in scores or leaderboard rankings (/{category}). VerifiedLayer is completely isolated from liability regarding mid-cycle score variations caused by third-party AI model updates or foundational prompt adaptations.

3. Absolute Exclusion of Commercial Endorsement & Financial Liability

3.1: Non-Reliance Policy

3.2: Total Waiver of Rank Fluctuations Claims

By agreeing to these Terms, Vendors and Vendor Representatives explicitly acknowledge that rank movements, score declines, or drops in tiers (e.g., falling from “Leader” to “High Performer” or “Developing”) are the programmatic result of external AI evaluations combined via our system formulas.

Vendors unconditionally agree to hold VerifiedLayer, its directors, employees, and technology partners harmless against any and all claims of reputational damage, loss of competitive edge, loss of profits, revenue shortfalls, market status changes, or traffic routing decreases stemming directly or indirectly from automated score adjustments or third-party model selection.

4. Intellectual Property and Reverse-Engineering Restrictions

4.1: Proprietary Data Assets & Prompt Frameworks

The specific phrasing, sequencing, and conditional logic of the forty-three (43) structured prompts, the weights of the eight (8) scored dimensions, the mathematical aggregation formulas, the internal matching taxonomy, the site’s layout schema, and the compiled historical snapshots (/history/*) are the exclusive intellectual property of VerifiedLayer, protected under international copyright, trademark, and database right protection frameworks.

4.2: Reverse Engineering of Prompt Logic

Users and Vendors are strictly prohibited from attempting to reverse-engineer, exploit, or extract the exact programmatic mathematical weights or prompt instructions behind our composite score generation. You may not deploy automated script arrays, iterative querying bots, or brute-force data collection tools against our public interfaces to deduce the foundational prompt engineering patterns used to query the underlying AI platforms.

5. User Accounts and Vendor Profile Management

5.1: Registration Integrity

To claim a profile page (/company/{slug}) or access the authenticated metrics dashboard, you must complete our mandatory verification funnel. You guarantee that all registration info is complete, accurate, and reflects an authorized corporate representative with the legal capacity to act on behalf of the Vendor.

5.2: Profile Correction and Category Mapping

Because our system relies on third-party AI platforms to categorize vendors based on independent market visibility data (prioritizing G2 classifications, analyst reports, and technology press over self-attested text), a Vendor’s category placement is determined algorithmically. If the AI incorrectly maps your primary taxonomy, your sole remedy is to claim your profile and request a category validation update via the authenticated dashboard.

6. Prohibition of Sentiment Manipulation and Review Fraud

6.1: Review Authenticity

If you participate in our community review channels or submit evaluation links, you warrant that your input reflects genuine operational software usage. Because our prompt architecture explicitly queries the AI models regarding community sentiment and practitioner voice across public web platforms (Reddit, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, etc.), Vendors are strictly prohibited from:

• Deploying synthetic, machine-written, or automated positive sentiment campaigns using generative text platforms to artificially inflate their broader web footprint.
• Running incentivized, forced, or compensated user review campaigns designed to distort the organic signals captured by the AI platform queries.

7. Dispute Resolution and Adherence to the Data Audit Protocol

7.1: Exclusivity of the Score Dispute Policy

Any dispute regarding an assigned rank, tier, or confidence score must be handled exclusively through the administrative steps detailed in our Score Dispute Policy. Because scores are generated entirely through automated AI prompts without manual editorial intervention, VerifiedLayer cannot and will not execute manual score overrides or custom ranking adjustments.

7.2: Programmatic Quality Gate Re-Runs

If an authorized Vendor successfully demonstrates through our dispute portal that a score was calculated based on an AI platform hallucination or fabrication exceeding the 15% threshold outlined in our methodology, VerifiedLayer’s sole obligation is to trigger a programmatic prompt re-run through the quality gate pipeline. We do not provide manual score overrides or custom ranking placement.

8. Specific Algorithmic Architecture Provisions (Methodology v2.0)

8.1: Zero-Human Pipeline Operation

You acknowledge and accept that no human editor or manual verification committee intervenes in the execution of the 172 monthly LLM calls or the calculation of the final integer. The pipeline runs automatically, and all outputs are mapped directly to the production site.

8.2: Statistical Normalization Acceptance

By using the platform, you accept that variance between the AI platform engines (Claude, GPT, Gemini, Copilot) is resolved programmatically via a computed Cronbach’s alpha (α) coefficient as defined in Methodology Version 2.0. Disagreements between platforms automatically result in a more conservative, mathematically discounted score, which is a structural feature of the system and does not constitute a processing error.

8.3: Quality Gate Calculations

The system enforces automatic calculation dampening under predetermined mathematical thresholds built into the orchestration code:

• Fabrication Limits: An AI platform fabrication level exceeding 15% triggers an absolute programmatic prompt re-run. Fabrication levels exceeding 30% trigger an absolute programmatic score floor of 45.
• Evidence Ceilings: If fewer than 2 independent sources are successfully cataloged during Step 1 of any query execution, an absolute score ceiling of 45 is applied programmatically to that item. More than 50% LOW confidence query returns enforce an aggregate profile ceiling of 55 with a “Limited Evidence” marker.

9. Warranty Disclaimers

The Services, Leaderboards, and Scores generated by VerifiedLayer are provided on an “AS-IS” and “AS-AVAILABLE” basis. VerifiedLayer explicitly disclaims all statutory warranties, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not guarantee that the third-party AI platforms will return unbiased, uninterrupted, or perfectly accurate evaluations of your product environments.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, in no event shall VerifiedLayer or its technology partners be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages (including lost profits, revenue shortfalls, or reputational harm) arising from the outputs of the automated AI prompt ecosystem. Our maximum aggregate liability for all claims shall not exceed one hundred United States dollars ($100.00 USD).

11. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and interpreted under the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any legal challenge arising under these Terms shall be filed exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Wilmington, Delaware.