Terms of Service

What the Training Data Registry is

The Training Data Registry ("TDR", "the registry", "we", "us") is a public registry where content creators can record their preference regarding AI training use of their content. These terms of service ("these terms") govern your use of the registry. The registry:

• Creates a timestamped record of your opt-out preference.
• Makes that preference publicly discoverable by AI companies, data brokers, and other third parties.
• Provides tools to help you express your preference (meta tags, robots.txt guidance, verification badges, WordPress plugin).
• Offers domain verification to strengthen the credibility of your registration.
• Provides an API for third parties to check opt-out preferences at scale.

A note on tools vs registry records: TDR provides tools to generate robots.txt directives, ai.txt files, EU TDM meta tags, and noai meta tags. These tools are provided as a convenience to help you express your preferences across multiple channels. Only your TDR registration itself is timestamped and recorded in the registry. Directives and tags generated for use on your own website are implemented and maintained by you, and are not monitored, verified, or timestamped by TDR.

What the Training Data Registry is not

It is important to understand what the registry does not do:

• We are not a legal service. Registering content with TDR does not constitute legal advice, and we make no guarantees about legal outcomes in any jurisdiction.
• We do not prevent AI training. We record your preference — we cannot technically prevent any party from accessing or using your content. However, as AI companies and data brokers adopt the registry as part of their compliance processes, your registered preferences may be checked and honoured by those parties.
• We are not a substitute for legal counsel. If you need advice about your rights regarding AI training, consult a qualified legal professional.
• We do not verify content ownership. Domain verification confirms you have administrative access to a domain, not that you authored all content on it. Unverified registrations are self-declared.
• A TDR registration is not legal evidence in itself. It may help demonstrate your preference and when you expressed it, but whether that record carries weight in any legal or regulatory context depends on the jurisdiction, the circumstances, and the applicable law — none of which we control.

As the legal landscape around AI training continues to evolve, a clear, timestamped, verifiable record of your preferences may become increasingly relevant. That is what we provide.

Your account

• You must provide a valid email address to create an account.
• You are responsible for keeping your account credentials secure.
• Each account is associated with one person or entity. If you require multiple users under a single organisation, please contact us.

Registering content

When you register a URL with the registry, you are declaring that:

1. You own the content at that URL, or you are authorised by the content owner to act on their behalf.
2. You want your opt-out preference to be publicly recorded and discoverable by third parties including AI companies and data brokers.
3. The information you provide is accurate to the best of your knowledge.

Prohibited use

You must not:

• Register URLs for content you do not own or are not authorised to register.
• Register content on behalf of someone else without their authorisation.
• Use the registry to make false or misleading claims about content ownership.
• Attempt to manipulate the registry to interfere with others' legitimate registrations.
• Use automated tools to submit registrations without our prior consent (approved integrations such as the WordPress plugin and sitemap scanning are excepted).

We reserve the right to remove registrations that violate these terms and to suspend or terminate accounts engaged in prohibited use. Where possible, we will notify you before taking action and give you an opportunity to address the issue. In cases of clear abuse, we may act immediately.

Domain verification

Domain verification confirms that you have administrative access to a domain. It does not:

• Confirm you authored the content on that domain.
• Guarantee that all content on the domain is eligible for opt-out.
• Transfer or establish any intellectual property rights.

Verified domains may be re-verified periodically. If verification lapses (e.g., the meta tag is removed), the verification status of associated registrations may be downgraded.

Public nature of the registry

The registry is public by design. When you register content, your opt-out preference, the registered URL, verification status, registration date, and any metadata you add are publicly visible and queryable via the registry search and API.

Your email address is never made public.

You should not register any URL that you do not want publicly associated with an opt-out preference.

Access to the public registry search may be subject to rate limits to ensure fair use and service availability.

The API

The registry API allows third parties to check whether content has been opted out of AI training. By registering content, you consent to your registration data being made available through the API.

API usage is subject to rate limits and may require an API key. Commercial API access (including for AI companies and data brokers) is subject to separate API Terms of Service.

Currency of registry data

Registry data reflects opt-out preferences at the time of the API response. Preferences may change between queries — for example, a creator may register or withdraw a URL after a third party's most recent check. It is the responsibility of each API consumer to query the registry at reasonable intervals appropriate to their use case. We do not guarantee that data remains current between checks, and we accept no liability for actions taken on the basis of data that has changed since it was last retrieved.

Use of registry data by third parties

Third parties who access registry data (whether via the public search or the API) may use that data to check and respect opt-out preferences. Third parties may not redistribute, resell, or republish registry data in bulk without our written consent.

Service availability

We aim to keep the registry available at all times, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted access. The service may be temporarily unavailable due to maintenance, updates, or circumstances beyond our control. We will endeavour to provide advance notice of planned maintenance where practicable.

If we decide to permanently discontinue the registry, we will endeavour to provide registered users with reasonable notice and an opportunity to export their data before closure.

Intellectual property

• Your content remains yours. Registering with TDR does not transfer any rights to us. We claim no ownership over your content.
• Registry data. The registration records, verification data, and associated metadata you create within the registry are provided by you and remain associated with your account. We maintain the right to operate the public registry and API using this data, which is the core service you are using.
• Our materials. The TDR website, branding, tools, badges, and code are owned by Daniel Gage, trading as Training Data Registry. Verification badges and compliance badges are provided for use under the terms described on their respective pages.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law:

• We make no representations or warranties, whether express or implied, regarding the registry, including but not limited to implied warranties of satisfactory quality or fitness for a particular purpose.
• We do not guarantee that the registry will be available without interruption, that registrations will achieve any particular legal outcome, or that third parties will respect your registered preferences.
• We are not liable for any damages arising from your use of the registry, including but not limited to reliance on a registration in any legal context, third parties' failure to check or respect your preferences, or loss of data.
• Our total liability to you for any claim arising from your use of the registry is limited to the amount you have paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim, or £100, whichever is greater.

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under English law, including your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Account deletion

You can delete your account at any time from your account settings. Deletion is permanent and removes all associated data from our systems, including:

• Your account and login credentials.
• Your email address.
• All registered URLs and associated metadata.
• All verified domains.
• All API keys.
• All verification lookup logs.

Important: Once your account or a registration is deleted, your content is no longer recorded as opted out of AI training. AI companies and data brokers checking the registry will receive no result for your previously registered URLs, and your content may be used for AI training without restriction. If you registered your content to cover a specific period (for example, to ensure your preference was recorded ahead of a known training event), be aware that deleting your account removes that record from the live registry. We strongly recommend exporting your data before deletion.

Cryptographic timestamps that have been published to public transparency logs (Merkle root hashes only) cannot be removed, as they exist on third-party platforms. These do not contain individual URLs or personal data.

After deletion, any third-party caches of your registration data (e.g., badges, API responses) may take a reasonable period to update.

Dispute resolution

Before bringing any formal claim relating to your use of the registry, you agree to contact us at contact@trainingdataregistry.org and attempt to resolve the dispute informally. We will endeavour to respond within 14 days. If the dispute cannot be resolved informally within 30 days, either party may pursue formal proceedings.

You may also be entitled to use an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) service. We are not currently registered with an ADR provider, but we are committed to resolving disputes fairly and promptly.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. For material changes, we will notify registered users by email and provide at least 30 days' notice before the changes take effect. If you do not agree with the changes, you may delete your account before they take effect. Continued use of the registry after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

If you are a consumer in the EU or UK, this does not affect any mandatory consumer protection rights available to you under the law of your country of residence, including any rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Contact

For questions about these terms:

Email: contact@trainingdataregistry.org

Operated by: Daniel Gage, trading as Training Data Registry, based in England.