Terms and Conditions: Data Maturity Matters Consortium

Terms and Conditions of Membership

Effective Date: 1st October 2025

1. Introduction and Sign-Up Conditions

Welcome to the Data Maturity Matters Consortium. These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") are binding sign-up conditions that govern your participation as a member of our collaborative community.

By subscribing to membership via our website and clicking "I Accept" or "Subscribe," you explicitly agree to be bound by these Terms in full. Membership is contingent upon your acceptance of and ongoing compliance with these Terms and Conditions.

Data Maturity Matters is a collaborative initiative between Lumenai and The Talent Intelligence Community, dedicated to establishing academically rigorous standards in people data maturity.

No individual or organisation may join or maintain membership in the Consortium without accepting these Terms and Conditions.

1.1 Email Address Requirements

All membership applications must be submitted using an organisational domain-based email address. Personal email addresses (such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, or similar free email services) are not accepted for Consortium membership.

Your organisational email address:

•       Verifies your affiliation with a legitimate organisation

•       Ensures accountability and professional standing

•       Facilitates communication within your organisation regarding Consortium activities

•       Demonstrates commitment to the Consortium's professional standards   

Applications submitted with personal email addresses will be rejected. If your organisational circumstances change, you must update your email address to reflect your current organisational affiliation or notify the Committee of your situation.

2. Membership Categories

The Consortium welcomes participation from five key stakeholder groups:

•       Academics: Contributing research rigour, theoretical foundations, and scholarly perspectives

•       Business Leaders: Sharing practical implementation experience and organisational insights

•       Policy Makers: Providing regulatory, ethical, and governance expertise

•       Developers: Offering technical knowledge, tool development, and platform innovation

•       Vendors: Contributing to the evolution of standards and participating in the transparent development and implementation of frameworks for the benefit of the Consortium and the broader people data maturity initiative

3. Active Contribution Requirements

3.1 Minimum Contribution Frequency

All Consortium members are required to make at least one substantive contribution every six (6) months to maintain active membership status. This requirement ensures the vitality and ongoing development of our collaborative community.

3.2 Acceptable Forms of Contribution

Contributions may take any of the following forms:

•       Hosting or presenting a talk at a Consortium event, webinar, or conference

•       Participating in a podcast or recorded discussion on topics related to People Data maturity

•       Sharing use case results demonstrating the application of Consortium frameworks or standards

•       Documenting implementation experiences detailing how you have successfully implemented any part of the Consortium toolbox within your organisation

•       Contributing to research papers or white papers published by the Consortium

•       Participating in working groups that develop or refine standards and frameworks

•       Providing peer review of tools, frameworks, or research produced by the Consortium

•       Other contributions as approved by the Consortium Committee that advance our mission

3.3 Documentation of Contributions

Members are responsible for notifying the Consortium Committee of their contributions. The Committee maintains a record of member contributions to ensure compliance with these Terms.

3.4 Vendor-Specific Obligations

Vendors, in addition to the general contribution requirements, agree to:

•       Actively participate in the evolution and refinement of Consortium standards and frameworks

•       Contribute transparently to the development process, sharing insights, data, and learnings that advance the collective knowledge

•       Implement standards in a manner that demonstrates commitment to the Consortium's mission of transparency and rigorous methodology

•       Share implementation feedback that helps improve the practical application of standards across the industry

•       Collaborate openly with other members to ensure vendor solutions align with and advance Consortium objectives rather than narrow commercial interests

Vendors acknowledge that their participation serves the greater good of the people data maturity initiative and the Consortium community, not solely their individual commercial objectives.

4. Intellectual Property and Creative Commons Licensing

4.1 Copyright Ownership and Open Licensing

All frameworks, standards, toolboxes, research, and materials developed by the Consortium remain the copyright of Data Maturity Matters and its founding organisations, Lumenai. However, to promote widespread adoption and collaborative development, all Consortium materials are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.

4.2 What the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence Allows

Under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence, members and the broader community may:

•       Share and distribute Consortium materials in any medium or format

•       Adapt, remix, transform, and build upon Consortium materials for non-commercial purposes

•       Use materials for academic research, education, and policy development

•       Implement standards and frameworks within organisations for internal, non-commercial use

•       Create derivative works, provided they are shared under the same CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence

4.3 Licence Requirements

All use of Consortium materials under this licence must:

•       Provide appropriate attribution to Data Maturity Matters and the Consortium

•       Include a link to the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence

•       Indicate if changes were made to the original material

•       Be limited to non-commercial purposes only

•       Share any derivative works under the same CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence

4.4 Prohibited Uses

The CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence specifically prohibits:

•       Commercial use, including using Consortium materials as the primary basis for commercial products or services offered to third parties for financial gain

•       Use that is primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation

•       Reverse engineering, decompiling, or attempting to extract proprietary methodologies for commercial exploitation

•       Rebranding or repackaging Consortium materials as proprietary offerings

•       Removing attribution or misrepresenting the source of Consortium materials 

4.5 Commercial Licensing

Members or organisations interested in commercial applications of Consortium materials beyond the scope permitted by the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence may request commercial licensing arrangements. Such requests must be submitted to the Consortium Committee for review and discussion.

The Committee will evaluate commercial licensing requests on a case-by-case basis, considering factors including: 

•       Alignment with the Consortium's mission and values

•       Potential benefit to the broader data maturity community

•       Commitment to ongoing collaboration and contribution to the Consortium

•       Appropriate compensation or value exchange for the Consortium

Commercial licensing discussions require Committee consensus and may involve additional terms, conditions, and ongoing obligations beyond standard membership requirements.

4.6 Protection of the Open Commons

Members acknowledge that the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licensing approach is designed to:

•       Ensure widespread access to data maturity standards and frameworks

•       Prevent commercial appropriation that would limit community access

•       Encourage collaborative development and improvement of standards

•       Maintain the academic integrity and rigour of the Consortium's work

Any attempt to circumvent the licensing terms or use Consortium materials in ways that undermine the open commons principles may result in immediate membership termination and potential legal action.

4.7 Anonymised Use Case Sharing

The Consortium reserves the right to share anonymised use cases, implementation examples, and research findings derived from member activities for the following purposes:

•       Academic research and publication

•       Development and refinement of standards and frameworks

•       Educational content and training materials

•       Best practice guidance and thought leadership

•       Community knowledge sharing and collaboration

All use cases will be thoroughly anonymised to protect member confidentiality, with identifying information removed or generalised. Members will be notified when their contributed use cases are being considered for broader sharing and may request specific confidentiality measures beyond standard anonymisation.

This sharing supports the Consortium's mission of advancing data maturity standards through evidence-based research and collaborative learning across the community.

4.8 Member Logo Usage and Marketing Rights

As a recognised member of the Data Maturity Matters Consortium, organisations may use their consortium membership in marketing and communications, subject to the following terms:

4.8.1 Permitted Marketing Uses

Members may:

•       Display the official Data Maturity Matters Consortium member logo on their website, marketing materials, and professional communications

•       Reference their consortium membership in company profiles, case studies, and thought leadership content

•       State that they are "working within consortium standards and the academic rigour of research principles outlined at www.datamaturitymatters.tech"

•       Include consortium membership in professional bios, speaker profiles, and company credentials

•       Reference their commitment to data maturity excellence through consortium participation

4.8.2 Marketing Standards and Requirements

When using consortium branding or referencing membership, organisations must:

•       Use only official consortium logos and branding provided by the Committee

•       Maintain current membership status and active contribution compliance

•       Ensure marketing content aligns with consortium values of transparency, collaboration, and academic rigour

•       Include accurate links to www.datamaturitymatters.tech when referencing consortium standards

•       Avoid misrepresenting the scope or nature of consortium endorsement

4.8.3 Prohibited Marketing Uses

Members expressly may NOT:

•       Imply exclusive partnership or special endorsement beyond standard membership

•       Use consortium branding to promote products or services that violate CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licensing terms

•       Modify or alter official consortium logos or branding

•       Continue using consortium branding after membership termination or suspension

•       Suggest consortium approval of specific commercial products or proprietary methodologies

4.8.4 Automatic Marketing Rights Suspension

Marketing rights automatically cease upon:

•       Membership termination or suspension

•       Failure to meet contribution requirements for two consecutive periods

•       Violation of CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licensing terms

•       Misuse of consortium branding as determined by the Committee

Former members must immediately remove all consortium branding and membership references from their materials upon cessation of marketing rights.

4.8.5 Consortium's Right to Display Member Company Logos

Data Maturity Matters reserves the right to display on its website and marketing materials the logos and company names of organisations that employ current consortium members in good standing.

4.8.6 Scope of Company Logo Representation

When displaying member company logos, the Consortium will:

•       Only display logos of companies where consortium members are currently employed

•       Clearly indicate that the representation shows "participating members of Data Maturity Matters"

•       State that displayed companies "are committed to the open-source sharing of best practice that is built by the consortium"

•       Reference that materials are "shared under the CC licence for the benefit of the wider community within the membership categories"

•       Ensure representation aligns with the consortium's values of transparency, collaboration, and academic rigour

4.8.7 Company Logo Display Standards

The Consortium commits to:

•       Use official company logos without modification or alteration

•       Remove company logos promptly when members' employment status changes or membership ceases

•       Present company representation in a professional manner consistent with consortium branding

•       Avoid implying specific product endorsements or exclusive partnerships beyond standard membership participation

•       Include appropriate disclaimers clarifying the nature and scope of the representation

4.8.8 Member Consent and Opt-Out Rights

By accepting consortium membership, members provide consent for their employing organisation's logo to be displayed as outlined above. However, members may:

•       Request their company logo not be displayed for confidentiality or strategic reasons

•       Provide specific guidelines for how their organisation should be represented

•       Notify the Committee of employment changes that affect logo display rights

•       Request immediate removal of their company's representation upon membership termination

The Consortium will respect reasonable requests for non-display whilst maintaining the right to showcase the diversity and quality of organisations represented within the membership.

This representation serves to demonstrate the broad professional and organisational commitment to advancing data maturity standards across business, academic, policy, development, and vendor communities.

4.9 No Liability for Material Use and Dissemination

The Data Maturity Matters Consortium, its founding organisations (including Lumenai) Committee members, and contributors expressly disclaim all liability arising from the use, application, or dissemination of Consortium materials by third parties.

4.9.1 No Endorsement of Third-Party Use

The Consortium does not endorse, validate, or assume responsibility for:

•       Promises, claims, or representations made by organisations or individuals using Consortium materials

•       Commercial products, services, or methodologies that incorporate or reference Consortium frameworks

•       Implementation outcomes, results, or consequences experienced by users of Consortium materials

•       Modifications, adaptations, or derivative works created by third parties

•       Professional advice, consulting services, or recommendations provided by others referencing Consortium standards

4.9.2 Limitation of Accountability

Whilst the Consortium endeavours to make academically informed standards, frameworks, and toolboxes available for honest use and distribution, we expressly disclaim accountability for:

•       Any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from the use of Consortium materials

•       Business losses, operational failures, or financial damages resulting from implementation of Consortium frameworks

•       Misinterpretation, misapplication, or inappropriate use of standards and guidelines

•       Technical errors, data inaccuracies, or methodological limitations in shared materials

•       Third-party claims, disputes, or legal actions arising from use of Consortium materials

•       Regulatory compliance failures or legal violations by users of Consortium materials

4.9.3 User Responsibility and Due Diligence

Users of Consortium materials acknowledge that:

•       They are solely responsible for evaluating the suitability and appropriateness of materials for their specific context

•       Professional judgement and expert consultation should be sought before implementing any framework or standard

•       Compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and industry requirements remains their responsibility

•       The Consortium materials are provided for educational and research purposes and do not constitute professional advice

•       Implementation results may vary based on organisational context, data quality, and execution methodology

4.9.4 Academic and Research Context

Consortium materials are developed within an academic research context aimed at advancing knowledge and best practices in data maturity. Users acknowledge that:

•       Research findings and frameworks may evolve as new evidence emerges

•       Academic rigour does not guarantee universal applicability or success in all contexts

•       Standards and toolboxes represent current best practice understanding and may require adaptation

•       The Consortium's commitment to transparency and collaboration does not extend to guaranteeing specific outcomes

This limitation of liability applies regardless of the legal theory on which any claim is based, including contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, or otherwise, even if the Consortium has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

5. Removal and Termination

5.1 Grounds for Removal

The Consortium Committee reserves the right to suspend or terminate membership for any of the following reasons:

•       Failure to contribute as required under Section 3.1 for two consecutive six-month periods

•       Failure to meet vendor-specific obligations as outlined in Section 3.4 (applicable to vendors)

•       Violation of Creative Commons licensing terms as outlined in Section 4

•       Commercial use of Consortium materials without appropriate licensing

•       Reverse engineering of Consortium tools, frameworks, or methodologies for commercial purposes

•       Misrepresentation of Consortium affiliation or materials

•       Behaviour inconsistent with the collaborative, transparent, and academically rigorous values of the Consortium

•       Breach of confidentiality regarding materials designated as confidential or pre-publication

•       Lack of transparency in development or implementation activities (particularly applicable to vendors)

•       Circumvention or violation of the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licensing terms

•       Misuse of consortium branding, logos, or marketing rights as outlined in Section 4.8

•       Attempts to hold the Consortium liable in contradiction of the terms outlined in Sections 4.9 and 9

•       Failure to notify the Committee of employment changes affecting company logo display rights as outlined in Section 4.8.8

5.2 Removal Process

Before termination, the Committee will:

•       Provide written notice of the concern or violation

•       Allow the member thirty (30) days to respond or rectify the situation

•       Make a final determination based on the member's response

In cases of egregious violations (such as intellectual property theft or commercial exploitation), the Committee may implement immediate suspension pending investigation.

5.3 Voluntary Withdrawal

Members may voluntarily withdraw from the Consortium at any time by deleting their membership account. In this instance, all rights to access Consortium materials under the membership agreement cease immediately, though the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence rights for previously accessed materials continue in accordance with Creative Commons licensing terms.

6. Confidentiality and Data Protection

Members agree to:

•       Maintain confidentiality of any materials designated as confidential or pre-publication

•       Respect the privacy and data protection requirements of all Consortium members

•       Comply with applicable data protection regulations (including GDPR where applicable) when handling any personal or organisational data shared within the Consortium

7. Amendments to Terms

The Consortium Committee reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. Members will be notified of material changes via email and will have thirty (30) days to accept the revised Terms or withdraw their membership.

All new members must accept the current version of these Terms and Conditions as part of their sign-up process. Historical versions do not apply to new memberships.

8. Dispute Resolution

Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be resolved through:

•       Good faith negotiation between the parties

•       Mediation, if negotiation is unsuccessful

•       Arbitration or legal proceedings as a final resort, governed by the laws of England

9. Limitation of Liability

In addition to the specific liability limitations outlined in Section 4.9, the Consortium, its founding organisations, and Committee members provide all materials, frameworks, and standards "as is" without warranties of any kind. Members and users of Consortium materials assume all risks associated with their use and implementation.

The Consortium is not liable for any damages arising from the use, misuse, or implementation of its materials, including but not limited to direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, business interruption, loss of profits, or loss of data.

This comprehensive limitation of liability applies to all interactions with Consortium materials, whether accessed through membership, Creative Commons licensing, or any other means, and extends to all activities including research collaboration, implementation guidance, and professional development.

Members and users acknowledge that they have read and understood the detailed liability provisions in Section 4.9 and accept full responsibility for their use of Consortium materials.

10. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England.

11. Contact Information

For questions regarding these Terms or your membership, please contact:

Data Maturity Matters Consortium Committee

Email: antonia@lumenai.tech

Mandatory Acceptance of Terms and Conditions

IMPORTANT: Acceptance of these Terms and Conditions is a mandatory requirement for membership in the Data Maturity Matters Consortium.

By clicking "I Accept" or "Subscribe" on our website, you confirm that you:

•       Have read and fully understood these Terms and Conditions

•       Agree to be legally bound by all provisions contained herein

•       Commit to fulfilling the contribution requirements outlined in Section 3

•       Acknowledge the Creative Commons licensing terms in Section 4

•       Understand the marketing rights and branding usage terms in Section 4.8

•       Consent to the consortium's right to display their employing organisation's logo as outlined in Sections 4.8.5-4.8.8

•       Accept the comprehensive liability limitations outlined in Sections 4.9 and 9

•       Understand the grounds for removal outlined in Section 5

•       Accept that failure to comply with these Terms may result in suspension or termination of membership

•       Are using a valid organisational domain-based email address as required in Section 1.1

Your membership application will not be processed without your acceptance of these Terms and Conditions via our website subscription process.

Website Subscription Process

To complete your membership application:

1.    Visit the Data Maturity Matters Consortium website @ www.datamaturitymatters.tech

2.    Complete the membership application form using your organisational email address

3.    Select your membership category (Academic, Business Leader, Policy Maker, Developer, or Vendor)

4.    Review these Terms and Conditions in full

5.    Click "I Accept These Terms and Conditions"

6.    Submit your application

Upon submission, you will receive a confirmation email at your organisational email address. The Consortium Committee will review your application and notify you of approval status within 5 business days.

Your acceptance is recorded electronically and constitutes a legally binding agreement.