Terms of Use
Last updated: 13 August 2026
Welcome to the website of the Society for Microbial Ecology and Disease (SOMED), available at somed.nu.
These Terms of Use govern access to and use of this website and its content. By accessing, browsing or using the website, you acknowledge that you have read and understood these Terms and agree to comply with them.
1. About SOMED
The Society for Microbial Ecology and Disease (SOMED) is an international, non-profit scientific society dedicated to promoting scientific knowledge, research, education and international collaboration in the field of microbial ecology and its relationship to human health and disease.
SOMED is registered in France and operates in accordance with its Constitution and Bylaws and the applicable legal framework.
The Society may be contacted at:
Society for Microbial Ecology and Disease (SOMED)
38 cours Georges Clémenceau
33000 Bordeaux, France
Email: sandrine.claus@l-n-c.fr
Telephone: +33 5 57 83 15 03
2. Purpose of the Website
The website provides information about SOMED, its objectives, governance, membership, scientific meetings and congresses, publications, official journal activities, newsletters, news and other scientific or organisational activities.
The website is intended primarily for informational, educational and scientific communication purposes.
SOMED may modify, update, reorganise, suspend or discontinue any part of the website or its content when reasonably necessary.
3. Scientific and Medical Information
Content published on this website may concern microbiology, microbial ecology, human health, disease, biomedical science and related fields.
Such content is provided for scientific, educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, treatment advice or an individual clinical recommendation.
Visitors should not rely on information published on the website as a substitute for advice from an appropriately qualified healthcare or scientific professional.
Scientific knowledge develops continuously. Although SOMED aims to provide accurate and reliable information, it does not guarantee that every item of scientific content is complete, current or applicable to a particular individual or circumstance.
4. Membership and Membership Applications
Information concerning eligibility, membership categories, rights, obligations, annual dues and membership procedures is governed primarily by the Constitution and Bylaws of SOMED and by decisions validly adopted by its competent bodies.
Submission of a membership application through the website does not automatically create membership.
Applications may be reviewed by the competent officers, Council members or other authorised representatives of SOMED in accordance with the Society’s applicable membership procedures.
Where information on the website conflicts with the formally adopted Constitution, Bylaws or valid decisions of SOMED’s governing bodies, those official documents and decisions shall prevail.
5. Scientific Meetings, Congresses and Events
Information concerning scientific meetings, congresses, programmes, venues, dates, speakers, organisers and related documents is published in good faith on the basis of the information available to SOMED.
Schedules, programmes, speakers, venues and other event details may be modified where circumstances require.
Where an event is organised jointly with another organisation or by a local organising committee, additional terms, registration conditions or privacy notices may apply.
6. Intellectual Property
Unless otherwise indicated, the website, its design, SOMED name and branding, original texts, graphics, documents and other original material are protected by applicable intellectual property laws and belong to SOMED or are used with appropriate permission.
Third-party trademarks, journal names, photographs, logos, publications and other third-party material remain the property of their respective owners.
Visitors may view and download material for lawful personal, educational or scientific reference purposes where such use is permitted.
Content may not be reproduced, republished, commercially exploited, systematically distributed, altered or presented as originating from another source without appropriate authorisation, except where such use is expressly permitted by law or by the applicable licence.
Proper academic citation and acknowledgement of authorship and source must be respected where applicable.
7. Material Submitted to SOMED
When you submit information through a contact form, membership application or other communication channel, you are responsible for ensuring that the information you provide is accurate and that you are entitled to provide it.
You must not submit unlawful, defamatory, malicious, misleading, infringing or harmful material, or content containing malware or other code intended to interfere with the website or its systems.
Please do not submit sensitive personal data, confidential patient information or identifiable medical records through general website forms unless SOMED has expressly requested such information through an appropriate and secure process.
8. Acceptable Use
You may not use the website in a manner that interferes with its normal operation, compromises its security, attempts unauthorised access to systems or data, introduces malicious code, performs abusive automated scraping, impersonates another person, infringes intellectual property rights, or violates applicable law.
SOMED reserves the right to take reasonable technical or legal measures to protect the website, its users and its infrastructure against misuse.
9. Third-Party Websites and Services
The website may contain links to external websites or services, including scientific publishers, journals, universities, research institutions, social media platforms, mapping services and other third-party resources.
Such links are provided for information or convenience. SOMED does not control third-party websites and is not responsible for their content, availability, security, privacy practices or terms of use.
Access to a third-party website is subject to the terms and privacy policies of that third party.
10. Website Availability and Security
SOMED takes reasonable measures to maintain the security and availability of the website. Nevertheless, uninterrupted or error-free operation cannot be guaranteed.
Temporary interruptions may occur as a result of maintenance, technical failure, hosting issues, cyber-security incidents, network problems or circumstances beyond SOMED’s reasonable control.
Users are responsible for maintaining appropriate security on their own devices and internet connections.
11. Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, SOMED provides the website and its informational content without warranties concerning uninterrupted availability, fitness for a particular purpose or the absence of every error or omission.
SOMED shall not be liable for losses resulting solely from reliance on general informational or scientific content where such reliance is inappropriate for the user’s particular circumstances.
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where exclusion or limitation would be prohibited by mandatory applicable law, including liability arising from fraud, wilful misconduct or other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.
12. Privacy and Cookies
The processing of personal data through the website is governed by the Privacy Policy.
The use of cookies and similar technologies is described in the Cookie Policy.
Where consent is legally required for a particular cookie, tracker or third-party technology, such technology should only be activated after the visitor has made the relevant choice.
13. Changes to These Terms
SOMED may update these Terms when necessary to reflect changes to the website, its activities, applicable law or organisational requirements.
The current version will always be published on this page together with its date of last update.
Continued use of the website following publication of an updated version constitutes use of the website subject to the updated Terms.
14. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
These Terms shall be interpreted in accordance with directly applicable European Union law and the national law applicable to SOMED as a society registered in France.
Nothing in these Terms is intended to deprive a user of any protection that cannot lawfully be excluded under mandatory provisions applicable to that user, including mandatory provisions that may apply in another Member State of the European Union.
Where a dispute cannot be resolved amicably, jurisdiction shall be determined in accordance with the applicable rules of national and European Union law.
15. Contact
Questions regarding these Terms may be addressed to:
Society for Microbial Ecology and Disease (SOMED)
38 cours Georges Clémenceau
33000 Bordeaux, France
Email: sandrine.claus@l-n-c.fr
Telephone: +33 5 57 83 15 03
