TERMS OF OPERATION / BETA POLICY

1. Independence & Liability

All researchers, validators, and contributors operating within THE LAB protocol are independent actors. They are not employees, agents, or formal representatives of THE LAB, HELIORADAR, or any affiliated entity.

The platform charges ZERO FEES on deterministic payouts and does not automatically resolve disputes between parties. Any disputes regarding data quality, methodology, interpretation, or payout eligibility must be handled directly between the involved participants via Discord.

THE LAB may only be called upon to act as a guarantor or arbitrator if ALL THREE parties — the Data Provider, the Validator, and the Protocol stewards — explicitly agree to such intervention in writing. Absent this explicit tri-party consent, the protocol has no obligation to intervene, reverse payouts, or mediate disagreements.

2. Deterministic Payout Rules

All bounties and tasks within THE LAB are governed by deterministic conditions. Inputs, algorithms, and expected outputs are specified upfront. Where ambiguity exists, the task should be treated as invalid until clarified in writing within the canonical bounty description.

Payouts are only considered valid when the submitted output satisfies the deterministic criteria and passes manual verification. Failure to meet format, timing, or reproducibility requirements may result in rejection, even if the submitter believes the result to be "close enough" or "interpretable."

3. Compliance, Tax, and Intellectual Property

Researchers are solely responsible for their own tax liabilities in their respective jurisdictions. THE LAB does not provide tax advice, reporting, or withholding services.

By submitting a result, you confirm that you are not a resident of any OFAC-sanctioned jurisdiction and that you are not otherwise prohibited from participating in cryptographic networks or receiving rewards under applicable law.

Unless explicitly stated otherwise within a given bounty, all submissions, derivative works, and artifacts are provided under an MIT / Open Source license. The Protocol and the wider community may reuse, remix, or extend these outputs for research, tooling, and public-benefit applications.

4. Beta Status

THE LAB is an experimental platform. Outages, schema changes, and adjustments to bounty mechanics may occur without notice during the beta period. Participants should maintain independent backups of any critical work products, datasets, or proofs.