Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions of Use of the Digital Libraries UC Digitalis, UC Pombalina and UC Impactum
 
Welcome to UC Digitalis
 
UC Digitalis is a global project of the University of Coimbra for the collection and dissemination of digital contents. It aims to place knowledge transfer dynamics at the service of economic, social and cultural development, thereby intensifying the University’s links with the community at national and international level. UC Digitalis hosts UC Pombalina, a digital book repository named in honour of the Marquis of Pombal, who founded Coimbra University Press (IUC) in 1772, and UC Impactum, a digital library of periodicals, designed to promote and boost the editorial status of the knowledge produced in the Portuguese-speaking world. Hereafter these platforms shall be referred to as UC Digitalis.
 
Note
 
The browsing, consultation and download of titles included in the digital libraries presumes knowledge of the terms and conditions of use, and awareness of the fact that that all works, and all material included on the UC’s digital platforms, are protected by Portuguese law under the terms of Copyright and Related Rights, Industrial Property Rights and Computer Crime laws. Ignorance of the law may not be invoked. The aforementioned operations presume full and unreserved acceptance of the conditions and provisions laid out in the following paragraphs, and ignorance or non-acceptance of them may not be invoked.
 

  1. Access to information

While the UC makes every effort to minimize the inconveniences resulting from technical errors, certain information or data contained in UC Digitalis may be created or structured in files or formats that are not error-free. Hence, it is not possible to guarantee uninterrupted service. Access to the digital libraries may also be disrupted occasionally for repair and maintenance, or for the insertion of new services or contents. The UC will make every effort to ensure that these disruptions or suspensions of service are infrequent and short-lasting, declining any responsibility for any problems that may arise while consulting this website.?This disclaimer is not designed to restrict the UC’s liability in terms that run counter to the applicable legislation, nor to exclude its liability in cases where that is not legally permitted.

 

  1. User registration

To create a new account, open the separator “Personal Area”, choose the option “Create New Account” and insert your username and email address. You will then receive an email confirming registration and asked to enter your password. Through the option “Personal Area”, registered users may consult or alter their details, edit their list of citations, favourites/addresses and saved searches. Registration does not automatically confer the right to download documents that are not on free access. This requires the licensing of your institution and documents must be accessed via that institution’s IP address. If you are registered but have forgotten your password, you may request another by selecting the option “Request new password” on the “Personal Area” page and inserting your username and email address. The UC will not divulge, sell or transfer users’ personal details to third parties; hence all information supplied is confidential.  The data is collected and processed securely to avoid loss or manipulation.  Access to personal information is restricted and is used only to communicate with the user and process his/her requests. The UC reserves the right to cancel the user’s registration in cases of improper use of UC Digitalis, irrespective of the legal procedure applicable.  
 

  1. Personal Accounts

The user is responsible for providing accurate information for registration and for updating that information whenever requested to do so. The user must also maintain the confidentiality of their account and password, and restrict access to their computer, so as to prevent any unauthorized use of that account. The user accepts all and any responsibility for acts practised through or with recourse to their account and password. Thus, the user should take all necessary measures to maintain the confidentiality and security of their password, and should inform the UC if they have reason to believe that their password is known by third parties, or that it is being or may be used in an unauthorized way.
 

  1. Accessing the platforms’ functions

All users may view the first page of each title without having to log in (preview option). They can also acquire the work in paper format by selecting the option Purchase, which will redirect them to the Virtual Store of Coimbra University Press, where they can place their order. Titles included in UC Pombalina and UC Impactum also have a download option, available for all users or for licence-holders only, depending on whether the document in question is free or restricted access. Users that wish to download restricted-access titles should do so from an IP address of an institution that holds a valid licence for that purpose.
 

  1. Licence

As indicated in the previous paragraph, the download of restricted-access titles is dependent upon the existence of a valid user licence. The acquisition of user licences is reserved for institutions that apply for one upon celebration of a specific contract for the purpose. Institutions interested in learning more about the terms of this licence should contact Coimbra University Press (imprensauc@ci.uc.pt).  The user licence is valid for the period of a year, coinciding with the calendar year.  In the 60 days preceding expiry, the UC will notify the access-holder by email of the terms, conditions and procedure for the renewal of the licence. Without prejudice to any other rights, the UC may immediately terminate the user’s rights under the terms of the licence if there has been failure to comply with any of the terms or conditions laid out herein.
 

  1. Legitimate use of the contents of UC Digitalis

The registered user is allowed to:

  1. Consult and print the content of free-access documents (and restricted-access documents if they possess the relevant licence) for personal use;
  2. Use excerpts of the content of the titles available for the purpose of quotation.

 
The UC guarantees that downloaded files are defect-free; hence, in the event that a defect is detected, it will undertake to provide a new document.
 

  1. Illicit/forbidden use of the contents of UC Digitalis

Users may not:

  1. Copy, reproduce, disseminate, transmit, modify, publish or distribute the titles available on UC Digitalis, except in circumstances prescribed by law;
  2. Transfer, sell, rent or lend downloaded titles to another user under any condition whatsoever;
  3. Translate, or undertake the reverse engineering, decompilation or disassembly of the works, unless this activity is legally permitted and only to the extent prescribed by law.

 

  1. Conduct

The UC Digitalis library may not be used in a way that causes or may cause problems for the usage of the website or which disrupts its availability. It may only be used for legal purposes, and it is absolutely forbidden to use it for the following:

  • To restrict or impede its use by any other user including, without restriction, the use of techniques such as data hacking, denial-of-service attacks or disfiguration of any part of these digital libraries;
  • For purposes that are fraudulent or connected to illicit activities;
  • To send, use or reuse any material that is illegal, offensive, abusive, defamatory, obscene or threatening, or which disrespects copyright, trust, privacy or any other acquired right; or material that contains computer viruses, political propaganda, advertising, chain or mass mailings, or spam.
  • To allow others, including those whose accounts have been closed, to access this portal using their account, username and password.

 

  1. Copyright

With the exception of duly identified contributions from authors, all pieces used in the composition of these digital libraries, including texts, images, sounds or any other information, are the property of the UC and are protected by Copyright and Related Rights and by Industrial Property Law. The legal protection of these pieces extends to all reproductions or copies obtained from the content of this portal. Without prejudice to the copyright held by publishers associated to the UC Digitalis Project for contents supplied by them, the compilation of data and contents in UC Digitalis and its availability and presentation are the property of the University of Coimbra. Hence, the use of data-mining tools, robots or similar data extraction and compilation tools for the reuse of substantial parts of the digital libraries is prohibited without written authorization of the UC.
 

  1. Suggestions and Complaints

The UC Digitalis portal has a function that enables suggestions and complaints to be sent by email to an occurrence reporting and handling system. The user will receive a copy of the message sent with a claim identifier. Responses will be sent to the email address supplied by the user, who may at any moment request information about the processing of it. If the user does not consider that the question/complaint has been effectively dealt with, a new claim may be made.
 

  1. Privacy and Security

 
Please consult our Privacy and Security Policy.