For the use of the platform https://sovereign-institute.com/
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE OF THE PLATFORM https://sovereign-institute.com/
Last updated: 03.09.2026
This document establishes the legal framework, technical conditions of access and mandatory standards of conduct applicable to any user who accesses, browses or interacts with the digital infrastructure and informational resources made available through the web domain https://sovereign-institute.com/ (hereinafter the "Platform").
The launch and operation of this digital interface have as their primary objective the dissemination of academic research, the facilitation of doctrinal study and the provision of a transparent communication infrastructure with the legal community and the general public. Accessing and using the Platform is conditional upon strict compliance with these rules, the legal relationship arising between the user and the operator concerning the technical and functional conditions of use of the website, without taking the form of a contract for the provision of services or specialist consultancy.
The digital Platform is exclusively owned, administered and operated, in technical, editorial and administrative terms, by Asociația Sovereign Institute for Liberty & Justice, a Romanian legal entity governed by private law, non-profit, established and functioning in accordance with the provisions of Government Ordinance no. 26/2000 on associations and foundations.
The entity carries out its activity with its registered office in Bucharest, B-Dul Unirii No. 11, Bl. 2b, Sc. 1, Et. 1, Ap. 2, Sector 4, identified fiscally by Unique Registration Code (CIF) 55448673. For any official communication, requests regarding usage rights or complaints regarding the technical operation of the Platform, the official electronic correspondence address is office@sovereign-institute.com.
Access to the public content of the Platform is free of charge and is made through public electronic communications networks. The Operator takes all necessary technical and organizational measures to maintain the Platform operational in a regime of continuous availability, but does not assume any obligation of result regarding uninterrupted accessibility or complete absence of system errors. The Association reserves the right to limit, suspend or temporarily interrupt access to the Platform or to certain functionalities thereof, without prior notice, for the purposes of carrying out preventive or corrective maintenance work, updating the infrastructure or remedying cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
Ensuring the hardware and software compatibility necessary for accessing the Platform falls exclusively upon the user. The user bears full responsibility for the proper configuration of the terminal from which they browse, the operating system and web browsing applications (browser), as well as for securing their own internet connection. The Operator is exonerated from any liability for errors, malfunctions or technical incompatibilities generated by the use of unsuitable equipment, outdated systems or unstable data connections.
Browsing the Platform is open to the general public, however the use of interactive modules, such as registration, application or contact forms, is reserved exclusively for natural persons who have reached the age of 18 and have full legal capacity, as well as legally represented legal entities. By completing and submitting data through the forms provided on the Platform, the user declares and warrants on their own responsibility that they meet the age and legal capacity requirements imposed by law.
All content hosted on the Platform, including but not limited to research studies, doctrinal analyses, specialist articles, legislative projects, editorial notes, trademarks, logos, visual identity elements, graphic interfaces, information architecture, source code, databases and multimedia materials, constitutes the exclusive intellectual property of Asociația Sovereign Institute for Liberty & Justice or of the authors and licensors who have granted rights of use to the entity. All these elements are protected by Romanian and international legislation on copyright and related rights (Law no. 8/1996).
By accessing the Platform, the Operator grants the user a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable and limited licence to view and run the content intended for the public, strictly for personal, educational, non-commercial and informational purposes. The granting of this licence does not transfer any property right over the materials and does not authorise the user to commercially exploit the Platform's resources.
Reproduction or partial use of studies and articles published on the Platform is permitted exclusively for academic, research or critical analysis purposes, in strict compliance with usage limits. Such use is conditional upon the cumulative fulfilment of conditions regarding the limited extent of the excerpt (strictly necessary as justified by the purpose of citation), the express and visible mention of the source ("Source: Sovereign Institute for Liberty & Justice - https://sovereign-institute.com/"), the indication of the authors' names and the unaltered preservation of the content, with any distortion of the original meaning of the text being prohibited.
Strictly prohibited are automated data collection, unauthorised content extraction through the use of data scraping, web crawling, screen scraping programmes or systematic indexing of the Platform without the prior written consent of the Association. Also expressly prohibited is the use of texts, analyses or any other materials published on the Platform for the purpose of training, developing, testing or fine-tuning Artificial Intelligence (AI) models, Machine Learning algorithms or generative content systems, as well as the alteration or removal of copyright notices or industrial property rights pertaining thereto.
The incorporation of the Platform within third-party frames (framing techniques) or the creation of hyperlinks to the Platform from websites with illegal, defamatory content or which create the false impression of an association or official partnership with the Association is prohibited.
Users are obliged to access and use the Platform exclusively for legitimate purposes, in compliance with the principle of good faith and the rights of other users or the Operator. Any use of the interfaces or resources of the Platform that could generate functional disruptions, reputational damage or financial prejudice to Asociația Sovereign Institute for Liberty & Justice is strictly prohibited.
In their use of the Platform, users are strictly prohibited from carrying out, attempting or facilitating the following actions:
The Association monitors traffic and logs security events on the Platform to ensure data protection and system integrity. In the event of any identified attempts to compromise security or breach the rules of conduct, the Association will immediately block access from the IP addresses involved and restrict the use of the Platform. Furthermore, if the act constitutes the elements of a computer offence or an unlawful act causing damage, the Association will refer the matter to the prosecution authorities and competent authorities, providing the technical data necessary for the identification and prosecution of the perpetrators.
The user undertakes to indemnify the Association, its governing bodies, members and collaborators against any claims, legal actions, damages, administrative fines or expenses (including legal assistance fees) resulting from the user's breach of these terms of use or infringement of third-party rights.
The Platform includes electronic forms designed to receive applications within the various programmes run by the Association (expert recruitment, registration of young jurists, training internships, newsletter subscriptions or donation submissions). The user bears exclusive responsibility for the accuracy, truthfulness, legality and completeness of the data entered in these forms. The deliberate submission of false, inaccurate data or data belonging to third parties without their prior consent constitutes a serious breach of these terms.
By submitting any materials, opinions, essays or documents through the digital forms, the user warrants that they are the exclusive holder of rights over these and grants the Association a non-exclusive, free and indefinite licence to store, analyse and use them for the purpose of evaluating the application, without the user being able to claim any remuneration or patrimonial right.
The completion and submission of a form through the Platform constitutes a simple expression of intent to interact and does not create a contractual obligation on the part of the Association nor any right of claim in favour of the applicant. The Association is not obliged to respond favourably to all requests received and reserves the right to select, evaluate or reject applications based on its internal eligibility criteria and institutional capacity, without being required to justify its selection decisions, except in cases where the law requires otherwise.
The content published on the Platform, including articles, case analyses, doctrinal opinions, research materials or legislative commentaries, has a strictly informative, educational and legal and political culture promotion purpose. The information presented does not constitute personalised legal or political advice and cannot under any circumstances substitute specialist legal assistance or representation offered by a lawyer or other legal professional, in accordance with the provisions of Law no. 51/1995 on the organisation and practice of the legal profession. Users are fully aware and accept that the mere reading of materials on the Platform does not create a representation relationship or a client-lawyer relationship between them and the Association or the article authors.
Opinions, studies and commentaries expressed in materials signed by external authors or collaborators belong exclusively to them and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Association, with any liability of the entity for opinions formulated by third parties being excluded.
The Platform is made available on an "as is" and "as available" basis, without express or implied warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness or currency of the information. Asociația Sovereign Institute for Liberty & Justice cannot be held liable for any errors or omissions in published materials, for decisions taken by users based on information obtained from the site, nor for any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages resulting from the use or inability to use the Platform. Furthermore, the Association is not liable for damages caused by possible network errors, hosting service interruptions or infection of the user's equipment with malicious programmes as a result of accessing the Platform or downloading the resources made available.
The Platform may contain hyperlinks to external web pages or digital resources owned and administered by third parties. The insertion of these links is made exclusively for informational purposes and does not imply an endorsement or assumption of that content by the Association. The Operator exercises no control over the privacy policies, terms of use or security of third-party sites and assumes no liability for any damages arising from the user's access to these.
Amounts transferred to the Association through the financial support section of the Platform have the legal nature of unconditional donations or sponsorship contracts, constituting acts of liberality intended exclusively for the realisation of the statutory purposes, financing of research projects and ensuring the institutional functioning of Sovereign Institute for Liberty & Justice. The technical processing of electronic payments does not transform the Platform into a virtual store and does not generate a sale-purchase transaction for goods or services.
In accordance with the provisions of art. 1011 and following of the Civil Code, donations made in favour of the Association become irrevocable from the moment of completion of the bank transfer or processing of the electronic transaction. Transferred funds are not refundable, the right of withdrawal specific to distance contracts for the supply of goods or services being inapplicable. Exceptionally, the Association will proceed to refund amounts only in the event that the transfer was made due to a proven technical error of the payment processing system or in cases expressly provided for by the mandatory provisions of Law no. 129/2019.
Sponsorships and donations received do not confer on donors or sponsors any right of interference, control, direction or veto over research topics, publication content or doctrinal opinions formulated by the Association's experts. Sovereign Institute for Liberty & Justice maintains full academic and decision-making independence. In accordance with anti-money laundering provisions, the Association reserves the right to immediately refuse or return any funds originating from uncertain, unidentifiable or illicit sources.
The collection and processing of personal data of users who browse the Platform or complete interactive forms is carried out in strict compliance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), Law no. 190/2018 and related national legislation. The Association acts as the Controller of personal data, ensuring appropriate technical and organisational measures to guarantee the confidentiality, integrity and security of the data processed.
Details regarding the categories of data collected, the purposes of processing, legal bases, storage periods, data recipients, as well as the mechanisms for exercising the rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection and portability are comprehensively regulated in the Data Processing Notice (GDPR), available directly on the Platform, which constitutes an integral part of this normative framework of use.
Asociația Sovereign Institute for Liberty & Justice reserves the exclusive right to unilaterally revise, modify or update the structure, content and provisions of this document at any time, without the need for individual prior notification. The updated version will have legal effect from the moment of its publication on the Platform, bearing the date of the last modification.
Accessing or continuing to use the Platform after publication of the modified version constitutes the user's full and unconditional acceptance of the new Terms and Conditions. Users have the responsibility to periodically check the content of this section to be aware of any applicable updates.
This document, the interpretation of its clauses, as well as any legal relationship or dispute arising from the access, use or inability to use the Platform are governed exclusively by Romanian substantive and procedural law, supplemented by directly applicable European regulations.
In the event of any dispute or disagreement regarding the use of the Platform, the user may first address a written and reasoned complaint to the Association at office@sovereign-institute.com. The parties will take all necessary steps to resolve the dispute amicably within a maximum of 30 calendar days from the date of receipt of the notification.
In the event that amicable settlement of the dispute is not possible within the stipulated period, any dispute arising from or in connection with these terms of use will be submitted for resolution to the competent Romanian courts at the registered office of the Operator (Bucharest).
If a court or competent authority declares a provision of this document null, invalid or unenforceable, that clause will be deemed severed, without affecting the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions, which will remain in full force.
Built on a rigorous balance between doctrinal rigour and cybersecurity imperatives, this regulatory framework transforms the digital interface of Sovereign Institute for Liberty & Justice into a protected virtual environment. Through the precise delimitation of freedom of will and the securing of intellectual resources, the document ensures institutional independence and the academic dignity of the association, guaranteeing a transparent, equitable and legally impeccable dialogue with the entire legal community.
For any clarifications, technical complaints or requests regarding the conditions of use of the Platform, please contact us through the following official channels: