Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the KERF website (kerf.co) and any research sprint services provided by KERF ("we," "us," or "our"). By accessing our website or engaging our services, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

If you are entering into these Terms on behalf of a company or other legal entity, you represent that you have authority to bind that entity.

KERF provides customer evidence sprint services, including participant recruitment, moderated research interviews, thematic synthesis, and report delivery. The specific scope, timeline, deliverables, and fees for each engagement are set out in a Statement of Work ("SOW") agreed in writing before the sprint commences.

We reserve the right to decline any engagement at our discretion, including where we determine that the requested research scope conflicts with our methodology or capacity constraints.

Fees are invoiced as specified in the relevant SOW. Payment is due within 14 days of invoice unless otherwise agreed in writing. Engagements do not commence until a deposit or full payment (as specified in the SOW) has been received.

Late payments may attract interest at 1.5% per month on the outstanding balance. All fees are exclusive of applicable taxes, which are the client's responsibility.

Client deliverables. Upon receipt of full payment, KERF assigns to you all rights in the final deliverables produced for your engagement (PDF reports, Notion workspace, transcripts), except as noted below.

KERF methodology. Our research frameworks, synthesis methods, interview guides, and internal processes remain the exclusive intellectual property of KERF. Nothing in these Terms grants you a licence to our underlying methodology.

Website content. All content on kerf.co — including copy, design, and case study materials — is owned by KERF and may not be reproduced without written permission.

Both parties agree to keep confidential all non-public information disclosed during an engagement, including research findings, participant identities, and commercial terms. This obligation survives termination of the engagement for a period of three years.

Research participants are anonymised in all deliverables. Raw participant identity data (names, contact details) is never shared with clients.

Cancellations made more than 7 days before the sprint start date are eligible for a full refund of any deposit paid, minus any recruitment costs already incurred. Cancellations within 7 days of the start date will forfeit the deposit.

Changes to scope requested after the sprint has commenced will be assessed individually. Where a scope change materially affects timeline or cost, a revised SOW will be issued. We do not guarantee that mid-sprint scope changes can be accommodated.

KERF provides research evidence to inform your decision-making. We do not guarantee any particular business outcome as a result of our findings. All strategic and commercial decisions based on our deliverables remain your responsibility.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, our aggregate liability for any claim arising out of or related to our services is limited to the fees paid by you for the engagement giving rise to the claim. We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages.

You agree not to use our website or services to facilitate any unlawful activity, to misrepresent your identity or organisation when applying for an engagement, or to use deliverables in a way that misrepresents the research findings.

We reserve the right to terminate an engagement without refund if we determine that a client has provided materially false information in their application or brief.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising under these Terms will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Delaware.

For clients located in the European Union or United Kingdom, nothing in these Terms limits your statutory consumer or business rights under applicable local law.

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of our website or services after a change constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. Active engagements are governed by the Terms in effect at the time the SOW was signed.

For questions about these Terms, write to us at legal@kerf.co.