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The purpose of these « General Conditions of Use (hereinafter GTCU) » is to define the terms and conditions under which La Rochelle Université, in its capacity as publisher of the https://bycatch-mitigation.eu website, makes available to users (hereinafter ‘the User’) all the services offered via the Marine Beacon platform, and the rules governing their access and use.

The GCU constitute a legally binding contract between the User and La Rochelle Université. They can be consulted at any time on the site, in the dedicated ‘Terms and Conditions’ section.

Any browsing of the site, creation of an account or use of the services implies the User's full and unreserved acceptance of these GCU. When registering (via the online form or via a federated authentication system - SSO), the User confirms that he/she has read the GCU and accepts their terms by ticking the box provided for this purpose, together with the following statement:

« I acknowledge that I have read, understood and accept the Terms and Conditions of Use ».

In the event of disagreement with any of the stipulations of these GCU, the User is invited not to access the services offered on the platform.

La Rochelle Université reserves the right to unilaterally modify all or part of these GCU at any time, particularly in order to adapt them to changes in legislation, regulations or the platform's functionality. Any modification will take effect as soon as it is put online. Users are advised to consult the GCU regularly to keep abreast of any changes.

1. Legal informations

The website https://bycatch-mitigation.eu is published by La Rochelle University, a public scientific, cultural, and professional institution, whose headquarters are located at:

• 23 avenue Albert Einstein – BP 33060 – 17031 La Rochelle Cedex 1 – France
• Tel.: +33 (0)5 46 45 91 14
• www.univ-larochelle.fr

The publication is managed by the President of La Rochelle University, Gérard Blanchard.

The publication manager is [insert contact information for the team responsible for publication and site management]

The website is hosted by the Information Systems Department (DSI) of La Rochelle University, located at:

• Communication, Multimedia, and Networks Center – 15 rue Fleming – 17000 La Rochelle – France
• Tel. : +33 (0)5 46 45 82 14

Certain services offered via the website, notably "Seven seas parliament" and "Echoes of the seven seas" are operated by external service providers selected through a public procurement process as part of the Marine Beacon project. These partners provide hosting and technical support for these modules, under the editorial responsibility of La Rochelle University.

Users are encouraged to consult, where applicable, the specific terms and conditions of use and privacy policies of these service providers, which can be accessed directly from the relevant interfaces. However, La Rochelle University remains responsible for the processing of data collected within the scientific framework of the project, including in these spaces, in accordance with the current privacy policy.

For more information on the publisher, the host, cookie management, intellectual property rights, and data security, you can consult the following documents:

• Complete legal informations
• Privacy policy

2. Acceptance of the GTCU

By accessing the website https://bycatch-mitigation.eu and using the services offered therein, you represent and warrant that you are a natural person of legal age according to the laws in force in your country of habitual residence, or, if you are a minor, that you have the express authorization of your legal representative (parent or guardian) to create an account and access the services.

You also acknowledge that you have the legal capacity to enter into a contract, in accordance with the laws, customs, or court decisions applicable in your country of residence.

Use of the website's services implies full, complete, and unreserved acceptance of these Terms of Use. This acceptance is demonstrated by an electronic signature, evidenced by one of the following actions:

• Checking a dedicated box marked "I accept the Terms of Use,"
• Clicking a validation button finalizing the creation of an account,
• Or clicking a confirmation link sent by email during a registration process.

This step is mandatory to access the site's personalized features, contributory areas, and associated services. If you disagree with all or part of the Terms and Conditions, you are asked not to check the box, not to click the confirmation button, and to refrain from using the services concerned.

If the Terms and Conditions are updated, you will be asked for new consent the next time you log in, via a checkbox or a specific button. Failure to confirm these new terms may result in temporary or permanent inability to access certain services on the platform.

3. Site access

The website https://bycatch-mitigation.eu is accessible free of charge, anywhere, to any User with an Internet connection and compatible computer equipment. All costs related to accessing the site, whether related to hardware, software, or the Internet connection, are the sole responsibility of the User.

Access to certain advanced features or dedicated spaces (document sharing, participation in debates, voting, spaces reserved for stakeholders or researchers) is reserved for registered Users with a personal account.

To benefit from these services, the User must:
• Complete a registration form (directly or via a federated authentication system – SSO),
• Provide accurate, complete, and truthful information (last name, first name, email address, institution, etc.),
• Accept the General Terms of Use,
• Then log in using the login details (login/password) communicated to them or defined at the end of the process.

Registered Users may unsubscribe at any time via the dedicated page in their personal space. The account will be effectively deleted within a reasonable timeframe, subject to secure data processing and any retention obligations related to research activities.

La Rochelle University strives to ensure continuous access to the site. However, access may be temporarily or permanently interrupted for technical reasons, maintenance, security, or force majeure (e.g., server incident, cyberattack, network outage). The publisher shall not be liable for such interruptions.

The User acknowledges and accepts that the publisher cannot be held liable for any unavailability or alteration of services, even without prior notice.

For any questions or technical difficulties, the User may contact the site team at the following address: dpo@univ-lr.fr .

4. Create an account

Creating a user account is required to access certain features of the https://bycatch-mitigation.eu website, including contribution spaces, discussion areas, shared libraries, and collaborative tools reserved for Marine Beacon project stakeholders.

To create an account, you must:
• Be a natural person who has reached the legal age of majority in your country of habitual residence;
• If you are a minor, have obtained the express authorization of your legal representative (parent or guardian), where required by the law of your country;
• Be legally capable of entering into contracts in accordance with applicable law.

In certain cases, La Rochelle University may require the email address of a legal representative to be provided to validate parental authorization.

a) Information to be provided:

Creating an account requires the entry of a set of mandatory information, at a minimum:
• First and last name
• Valid and active email address
• Date of birth
• Secure password.

The email address provided will be used for authentication, account management, and sending service-related communications (notifications, updates, project information, etc.).

b) Login and Access:

The account is personal and secure. You will be assigned a unique login (email address or username, as applicable) and a password, which you are solely responsible for keeping confidential.

Access to the services is conditional on the use of these login details. In the event of loss or fraudulent use, you must immediately notify the platform management team.

c) Account Creation Rules:

By creating an account, you agree to:
• Provide accurate, verifiable, complete, and up-to-date personal information;
• Not create an account under a false or fictitious identity, nor through an automated process;
• Update your personal information if it changes, either via your personal space or by contacting the support team as soon as possible;
• Create only one account per individual, unless specifically authorized by the publisher for justified professional activities.
La Rochelle University reserves the right to suspend or delete an account in the event of non-compliance with these rules or misuse of the services.

5. Data collection

The website https://bycatch-mitigation.eu processes personal data in compliance with applicable regulations, in particular Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of April 27, 2016, on the protection of personal data (GDPR) and French Law No. 78-17 of January 6, 1978, as amended, known as the "Informatique et Libertés" (Data Protection Act).

Personal data collected via the website, particularly when creating an account, using services, or participating in contributory spaces, is processed by La Rochelle University, as data controller, as part of its public interest missions related to higher education, scientific research, and civic participation.


In accordance with current regulations, all Users have the following rights regarding their personal data: the right to access their data, the right to rectify inaccurate or incomplete data, the right to erasure (also known as the "right to be forgotten"), the right to object to processing in certain situations, the right to restrict processing, and the right to data portability where applicable. When processing is based on consent, the User also has the right to withdraw their consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of the previous processing.

These rights may be exercised free of charge, at any time, by contacting the Data Protection Officer (DPO) of La Rochelle University:
• By email : dpo@univ-lr.fr
• By post : Délégué à la Protection des Données, La Rochelle Université – Technoforum, 23 avenue Albert Einstein – BP 33060 – 17031 La Rochelle Cedex 1 – France

For more information on the nature of the data collected, the purposes of processing, the security measures implemented, the retention periods, and the conditions for exercising your rights, the User is invited to consult the following documents, accessible at any time from the site:

• Privacy policy
• Complete legal informations

6. Rules of conduct

By accessing the website https://bycatch-mitigation.eu and using the services offered by La Rochelle University, the User agrees to behave respectfully, responsibly, and ethically. This particularly concerns the use of collaborative spaces, communication tools, comment areas, and document submission areas.

The User agrees to comply with the following rules:

• Respect for Others: Users are prohibited from making any insults, threats, or discriminatory, hateful, racist, sexist, xenophobic, homophobic, or otherwise derogatory remarks, including against other users, moderation teams, or La Rochelle University staff. This applies regardless of the language used.

• Prohibited Content: It is strictly prohibited to publish, share, or promote any content that is illegal, defamatory, threatening, harassing, obscene, pornographic, violent, shocking, revisionist, incites hatred or the commission of a crime, or is contrary to public order or morality.

• Appropriate Language: Contributions must be written in clear, understandable, and respectful language. Excessive use of telegraphic or "text message" language is prohibited in the participation areas. • Advertising and solicitation prohibited: It is prohibited to promote products, services, or events, whether commercial or not, without the express authorization of La Rochelle University. Any request for such dissemination may be considered, provided that the content complies with applicable laws and the values ​​of the Marine Beacon project.

• Security of exchanges: When the User communicates with other participants via the tools provided (forums, comments, discussions), they agree that their messages may be subject to moderation, temporary storage, and analysis, in accordance with the privacy policy, in order to ensure a secure environment and prevent abuse.

• Individual Responsibility: The User is solely responsible for the content they publish, transmit, or share via their account. They agree to use the site's services only within a legal framework and not to misuse their purpose for malicious or fraudulent purposes.

• Site Security and Integrity: The User agrees not to participate, directly or indirectly, in any attempt at hacking, intrusion, disruption, or attack (including DDoS) against the servers, databases, or infrastructure of La Rochelle University.

• Protection of Personal Information: For their own safety, the User agrees not to publicly disclose their login details, passwords, or any sensitive personal data. It is their responsibility to secure their account and digital environment.

• Prohibition of Identity Theft: It is prohibited to impersonate a third party, another user, La Rochelle University staff, a moderator, or any official representative of the project or its partners. • Compliance with the legal framework: Generally speaking, the use of the site's services must comply with applicable laws and regulations, whether national, European, or international. Any violation may result in the temporary or permanent suspension of the User's account without notice.

La Rochelle University reserves the right to moderate, suspend, or delete without notice any content or account that violates these rules, and, where appropriate, to take legal action in the event of a serious violation.

7. Responsibility and Moderation

The content published on the website https://bycatch-mitigation.eu is provided for informational, participatory, and scientific purposes. Although La Rochelle University strives to ensure the accuracy and regular updating of the information presented, it is provided without any guarantee of completeness, comprehensiveness, or absence of errors.

The information sources used are deemed reliable, but the site may contain omissions, inaccuracies, or failures to be updated. The information available cannot under any circumstances be considered contractually binding, nor can the publisher be held liable in the event of misinterpretation or misuse.

La Rochelle University cannot be held responsible for:
• The consequences related to the use of the information published on the site;
• Legislative, administrative, or scientific changes occurring after publication;
• The use made of the content by users or decisions made based on it; • Service interruptions, bugs, or temporary unavailability of the site, including during maintenance phases.

The User is solely responsible for the confidentiality of their login credentials. They agree not to disclose them to third parties and to take all necessary measures to prevent fraudulent use of their account. In the event of loss or unauthorized use, La Rochelle University declines all responsibility for any resulting consequences.

The site may include user contribution areas (comments, documents, forums, votes, etc.). La Rochelle University provides a posteriori or proactive moderation of this content and reserves the right to:
• Delete or hide without notice any content that violates the Terms of Use, the law, or basic courtesy rules,
• Temporarily or permanently suspend a user account in the event of abusive behavior or repeat offenses.

In the event of a technical incident beyond its control (e.g., cyberattack, virus, intrusion, security breach), La Rochelle University cannot be held liable for any direct or indirect damage suffered by the user, particularly in the event of data loss or computer hardware infection.

Finally, the publisher cannot be held liable in the event of force majeure, or unforeseeable and insurmountable acts of a third party, as defined by French and European case law.

If a User notices a breach of these Terms of Use or manifestly illicit or inappropriate content, they are encouraged to report it as soon as possible to the moderation team or the site administrators via the contact email address available on the platform.

To report any concerns, you can write to: dpo@univ-lr.fr

La Rochelle University undertakes to promptly review any serious alert and take appropriate action, in compliance with applicable laws and the proper functioning of the collaborative space.

8. Intellectual Property

The entire website https://bycatch-mitigation.eu, both in its structure and content (texts, documents, illustrations, images, videos, sound recordings, graphic elements, source codes, databases, etc.), is subject to French and international copyright and intellectual property law.

Unless otherwise stated, these contents are the property of La Rochelle University or their respective authors within the framework of the Marine Beacon project, and are protected by the French Intellectual Property Code (Articles L.111-1 et seq.).

a) Project and Content Status:

The Marine Beacon platform is part of an open research approach: certain parts of the site, including software developments, collaborative tools, and scientific publications, are made available under free or open source licenses. These cases are expressly noted, and the conditions of reuse are specified (license type, citation required, authorizations, etc.).

Collaborative content published by users in participatory spaces may be used for scientific research purposes, while respecting anonymity and confidentiality, or made public with the explicit consent of its author or the party concerned.

b) About the name Marine Beacon:

Marine Beacon is not a trademark registered by La Rochelle University. It is the name of a European research project funded under the Horizon Europe program, coordinated by the Marine Institute (Ireland). If the trademark were to be registered, its management would be the responsibility of the official project coordinator. Any commercial or institutional use of this name outside the intended framework must be subject to prior authorization.

c) Content Usage Rules:

Any reproduction, representation, modification, publication, adaptation, distribution, or exploitation, in whole or in part, of the content on the site, by any means or medium whatsoever, is strictly prohibited without the prior written authorization of La Rochelle University or the author concerned.

Use of the content is authorized solely for personal, educational, or scientific purposes, excluding any commercial or advertising purposes, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Any unauthorized use may be considered an infringement, within the meaning of Articles L.335-2 et seq. of the French Intellectual Property Code, and may give rise to legal action.

In accordance with Article L.122-5 of the French Intellectual Property Code, partial reproduction for the purposes of quotation or analysis is authorized provided that the following are clearly indicated:

• The name of the author(s),
• The source of the content,
• And, where applicable, the link to the original resource.

d) Contributions from third-party providers:

Certain parts of the site, notably the modules "Seven seas parliament" (developed and hosted by ID City) and "Echoes of the seven seas" (developed and hosted by Cartodébat), incorporate technical, graphic, or functional elements whose intellectual property rights belong to these providers.

These elements are used under license, as part of a contract with La Rochelle University. Their reproduction, modification, or distribution outside the site is strictly prohibited without the written authorization of the provider concerned.

The general terms and conditions of use specific to these providers, as well as their privacy policies, are available from the interfaces of the modules concerned.

9. Publication by the User

The platform https://bycatch-mitigation.eu allows its members, according to the rights granted to them, to publish or offer original content in various participatory spaces, such as:
• Personal works (texts, graphics, presentations, scientific contributions, etc.),
• Comments or observations in public or thematic debates,
• Articles or documents shared in collaborative libraries.

By publishing content on the platform, the User agrees to:
• Comply with applicable laws and regulations, particularly regarding copyright, defamation, privacy, and public order
• Not publish content that is unlawful, hateful, discriminatory, violent, obscene, or infringes the rights of third parties;
• Respecter les règles de bonne conduite et de civilité numérique, définies dans les présentes CGU.

La Rochelle University may exercise prior or subsequent moderation over published content. It reserves the right to refuse, hide, or delete any content that does not comply with the platform's ethical, legal, or editorial rules, without having to justify its decision to the content's author.

The User retains full ownership of the intellectual property rights relating to their creations. However, by publishing content on the platform, they grant La Rochelle University a non-exclusive, free, worldwide license, for the entire legal term of protection, for the following purposes:
• To represent, reproduce, host, adapt, modify, distribute, publish, and share the content,
• By any means or medium, digital or physical, existing or future (including on the website, the Marine Beacon project's partner networks, scientific or institutional media),
• As part of the University's public interest missions, related to research, scientific outreach, public information, or documentation. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the author's name or pseudonym will be mentioned near each public use of their publication, in accordance with good citation practices.

Each User is solely responsible for the content they post online. They guarantee that they have all necessary rights (particularly when incorporating third-party works) and agree to compensate La Rochelle University in the event of an appeal or dispute brought by a third party claiming that their rights have been violated.

Any published content may be modified or deleted at any time by the site editor, without prior notice, particularly in the event of removal requested by the author, a complaint filed, or non-compliance with the Terms of Use.

10. Hyperlinks

The website https://bycatch-mitigation.eu may contain hyperlinks to other external sites or resources, including those of Marine Beacon project partners, technical service providers, European institutions, or additional documentary content.

Users are informed that clicking on these links will redirect them to external sites over which La Rochelle University has no control. These sites may have their own privacy policies, terms of use, or content.

Consequently, La Rochelle University cannot be held responsible for:
• The content, accuracy, or updating of information available on these third-party sites,
• Advertisements, products, services, or any other element offered via these external links,
• Or any direct or indirect damage that may result from accessing or using these sites.

The presence of links on the Marine Beacon platform in no way constitutes an approval, validation, or endorsement of the content to which they refer. It is also possible, under certain conditions, to create a hyperlink to the homepage or certain public sections of the Marine Beacon website. Any link to the https://bycatch-mitigation.eu website must:
• Not harm the image or reputation of La Rochelle University or the Marine Beacon project
• Not mislead as to the nature of the content offered
• Comply with applicable legal provisions.

In case of doubt, La Rochelle University reserves the right to request the immediate removal of a link to its website, particularly in the event of improper or harmful use.

11. Cookies and trackers

When browsing the website https://bycatch-mitigation.eu, cookies or trackers may be placed on the User's device. These files are necessary for the proper functioning of the website, audience measurement, and improvement of the user experience.

Some cookies are strictly technical or exempt from consent (in accordance with the recommendations of the CNIL), while others, such as those placed by third-party services, may require the User's prior consent.

The User may accept, refuse, or configure the use of these cookies at any time via their browser or via the management tools offered during their first visit to the website. They are informed that refusing certain cookies may limit access to certain features.

For more information on the nature of the cookies used, their retention period, and configuration methods, the User is invited to consult the Legal Notices Complete legal informations and the Privacy Policy Privacy policy.

13. Applicable law and competent jurisdiction

These General Terms of Use are governed by French law, regardless of the User's country of origin or the location from which they access the website https://bycatch-mitigation.eu.

In the event of a dispute relating to the interpretation, validity, or execution of these Terms of Use, and in the absence of an amicable resolution, the French courts shall have sole jurisdiction, in accordance with the applicable rules of jurisdiction.

Before any legal action, the parties undertake to seek an amicable solution, including through written communication or mediation, if possible.

For any questions regarding the interpretation or application of these Terms of Use, the User may contact the website publisher using the contact information provided in Article 1 or consult the Complete legal informations.

14. Final provisions

BEFORE USING THE SERVICES, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND ACCEPTED THESE GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE AND OUR PRIVACY POLICY.

These General Terms and Conditions of Use express the entire agreement between the User and La Rochelle University regarding access to and use of the website https://bycatch-mitigation.eu within the framework of the Marine Beacon project.

La Rochelle University reserves the right to modify or update these Terms and Conditions at any time, in particular to adapt them to the evolution of the project or to technical, regulatory, or legislative developments.

Any new version will come into effect upon publication on the website and will prevail over any previous version.

The User is encouraged to regularly consult the Terms and Conditions to be aware of any changes. In the event of a substantial modification, the User may be required to reaffirm their consent to the updated version upon their next login.

These Terms of Use are written in French. In the event of a translation, only the French version will prevail in the event of a dispute or interpretation.



Last updated: April 2025