Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern access to and use of Meridian Data (the "Service"), operated by Meridian Data Ltd ("we", "us", "our"). By accessing or using the Service, you (the "Customer") agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

The Service provides B2B access to aggregated, cleaned UK public datasets including HMCTS court statistics, NHS England performance data, FCA enforcement actions, Companies House director records, Contracts Finder procurement data, and StreetManager roadworks data, delivered as dashboards and APIs.

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any order form, plan-tier description or written agreement signed between the parties, constitute the "Agreement" between you and us. In the event of conflict, an order form or signed agreement prevails over these Terms, and these Terms prevail over the Privacy Policy on commercial matters (the Privacy Policy prevails on data-protection matters).

You must be at least 18 years old and represent a legitimate business entity to use the Service. The Service is intended for business-to-business use only and is not directed at consumers.

You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide on registration, for maintaining the security of your account credentials, and for all activity under your account. You must promptly notify us of any unauthorised access or suspected breach of your account.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that breach these Terms, are associated with fraudulent activity, or misuse the Service or its underlying data.

You may use the Service for lawful business-to-business purposes only. You must not:

• Resell, sublicence, or redistribute raw data obtained through the Service without our prior written permission
• Use the Service or any data obtained through it to build, train, or improve a product or service that competes with the Service
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, scrape, decompile, or circumvent API rate limits or access controls
• Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Service, or breach any security or authentication measures, without our prior written permission
• Use the data to identify, target, or profile specific individuals in ways that breach UK GDPR or the Data Protection Act 2018
• Misrepresent the provenance or accuracy of Meridian Data outputs in downstream products or reports
• Use automated tools to exceed your plan's API call limits, or impose an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on our infrastructure
• Use the Service in any way that violates applicable law or that is fraudulent, defamatory, or harassing

We may suspend access immediately and without notice if your use threatens the security, availability, or integrity of the Service or the data of other customers. We will restore access promptly once the issue is resolved.

The Service incorporates data from the following open government sources under the Open Government Licence v3.0:

• HMCTS Civil Justice Statistics — Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service / Ministry of Justice.
• NHS England RTT and Diagnostics Data — Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS England.
• FCA Enforcement Actions — Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Financial Conduct Authority.
• Companies House Data — Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Companies House.
• GOV.UK Contracts Finder — Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Crown Commercial Service / Cabinet Office.
• StreetManager Roadworks Data — Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Department for Transport.

The Open Government Licence is available at: nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Meridian Data adds value through data cleaning, normalisation, and API delivery. We do not claim ownership of the underlying public data.

Access to the Service is provided on a subscription basis. Fees are charged in advance on a monthly or annual basis depending on your selected plan. All prices are exclusive of VAT unless stated otherwise.

Payments are processed by Stripe Payments UK Ltd. By providing payment-method details, you authorise us to charge the applicable fees to that method on the scheduled billing date for each renewal.

Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing period unless cancelled before the renewal date. You may cancel at any time from within your account; cancellation takes effect at the end of the then-current billing period, after which the Service ceases. No refunds are provided for unused portions of a paid period except where required by law.

If a payment is overdue, we may suspend access on 7 days' written notice and terminate the Agreement on a further 14 days' notice if the overdue amount remains unpaid. We may charge interest on overdue amounts at the rate set out in the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

We may modify pricing for a renewal term with at least 30 days' written notice before the renewal date. If you do not accept the new pricing, you may cancel before renewal and your Agreement will end at the end of the current term. Continued use into the new term constitutes acceptance of the new pricing.

Each subscription plan includes a defined number of API calls per day. Usage in excess of your plan limit will result in API requests being rejected with HTTP 429 until the limit resets at midnight UTC. Persistent or repeated overuse may result in account review, plan-tier upgrade requirements, or suspension.

We reserve the right to modify rate limits with at least 30 days' written notice. Material reductions to a paid plan's limits during a term will be matched by a pro-rata refund or service credit at your option.

Customer Data. "Customer Data" means data you submit to the Service or that the Service generates about your use, including saved queries, dashboard configurations, comments, uploaded files, and account information. You retain all rights, title, and interest in Customer Data.

Licence to us. You grant Meridian Data a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, store, process, transmit, display, and otherwise use Customer Data solely as necessary to provide the Service to you, to comply with applicable law, and to perform our obligations under the Agreement. The licence terminates when the Customer Data is deleted or returned per clause 17 (Term and Termination).

Licence to you (data and outputs). Subject to the Agreement and your continued payment of fees, we grant you a worldwide, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable licence during the term to access and use the Service and the data made available through it for your internal business purposes, including incorporating outputs into your own reports, analyses, and client deliverables, provided that the redistribution restrictions in clause 3 are observed.

Aggregated and anonymised data. We may generate aggregated, de-identified, or statistical information from usage of the Service (for example, total API call volumes, popular search terms, or performance metrics) for the purposes of operating, securing, and improving the Service. Such information does not identify you or any individual and may be retained and used by us after termination.

Mutual warranties. Each party warrants that (a) it has full power and authority to enter into and perform the Agreement, and (b) its performance of the Agreement will not breach any other agreement to which it is a party.

Our warranties. We warrant that we will perform the Service with reasonable skill and care, and that the Service will substantially conform to the description and functionality set out on our website and in any plan-tier documentation in force at the time of your order. Your sole and exclusive remedy for breach of this warranty is, at our option, re-performance of the affected element of the Service or pro-rata refund of fees attributable to the affected period.

Customer warranties. You warrant that (a) you will use the Service in accordance with these Terms and applicable law, (b) you have the right to provide any Customer Data you submit to the Service, and (c) your use of the Service will not infringe the intellectual property rights or privacy rights of any third party.

We make reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of data, but public-source data may contain errors, omissions, or delays. We do not guarantee that all information made available through the Service is complete, accurate, or current.

Except for the express warranties in clause 8, and to the maximum extent permitted by law, the Service is provided "as is" and "as available". We disclaim all other warranties, conditions, and representations, whether express or implied, including any implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, satisfactory quality, or non-infringement.

Data made available through the Service should not be used as the sole basis for legal, financial, regulatory, clinical, or operational decisions without independent verification. Where you use the Service to inform such decisions, you remain responsible for those decisions.

Unlimited liabilities. Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes either party's liability for: (a) death or personal injury caused by negligence; (b) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; (c) any liability that cannot be limited or excluded by applicable law.

Excluded losses. To the maximum extent permitted by law, neither party will be liable to the other (whether in contract, tort including negligence, breach of statutory duty, or otherwise) for any: (a) loss of profits, revenue, business, or anticipated savings; (b) loss of goodwill or reputation; (c) loss or corruption of data (beyond our obligations under the Privacy Policy and any DPA); (d) indirect, special, or consequential loss; (e) loss arising from the unavailability of any third-party service, public-data source, or sub-processor.

Aggregate cap. Subject to the unlimited liabilities above, each party's total aggregate liability arising under or in connection with the Agreement in any 12-month period will not exceed the total fees paid or payable by the Customer to Meridian Data Ltd in the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

The parties acknowledge that these limitations are reasonable in the context of B2B commercial subscriptions priced at the Service's tier, and that the fees would be materially higher without them.

By us (IP indemnity). We will defend you against any third-party claim that the Service, as provided by us and used in accordance with the Agreement, infringes that third party's UK copyright, trade mark, or registered design rights, and we will pay the damages and reasonable legal costs finally awarded against you by a court of competent jurisdiction (or agreed in settlement signed by us) in respect of such a claim. This indemnity does not apply to claims arising from: (a) your modification of the Service or its outputs; (b) combination of the Service with other products or data not supplied by us; (c) use outside the scope of the licence granted in clause 7; or (d) public-sector source data accessed via the Service (which is governed by the Open Government Licence and the relevant publisher's terms).

By you. You will defend us against any third-party claim arising from (a) your breach of clause 3 (Acceptable Use), (b) Customer Data you submit to the Service, or (c) your use of the Service outside the scope of the licence granted in clause 7, and you will pay the damages and reasonable legal costs finally awarded against us or agreed in settlement signed by you.

Indemnity process. An indemnified party must (a) promptly notify the indemnifying party in writing of the claim, (b) give the indemnifying party sole conduct of the defence and settlement (provided no settlement adverse to the indemnified party is agreed without consent, not unreasonably withheld), and (c) provide reasonable cooperation at the indemnifying party's expense.

Each party (the "Recipient") will keep confidential, and not disclose to any third party, all information of the other party (the "Discloser") that is marked as confidential or that should reasonably be understood to be confidential given its nature and the circumstances of disclosure ("Confidential Information"). The Recipient will use the Discloser's Confidential Information only as necessary to perform its obligations or exercise its rights under the Agreement.

Confidential Information does not include information that (a) is or becomes generally known to the public without breach of this clause, (b) was rightfully known to the Recipient before disclosure without obligation of confidentiality, (c) is rightfully received from a third party without obligation of confidentiality, or (d) is independently developed by the Recipient without reference to the Discloser's Confidential Information.

Each party may disclose Confidential Information to the extent required by law, regulation, or order of a court of competent jurisdiction, provided that (where lawful) it notifies the Discloser before disclosure and cooperates with reasonable efforts to limit the scope of disclosure.

This clause survives termination of the Agreement for three years.

The platform, APIs, dashboards, documentation, software, and all original content provided by us through the Service (excluding public-sector source data and excluding Customer Data) are and will remain owned by Meridian Data Ltd or its licensors and are protected by UK and international intellectual property law.

Except for the licences expressly granted in clause 7, no rights are granted to you in our or our licensors' intellectual property, by implication, estoppel, or otherwise.

You may not copy, reproduce, modify, create derivative works of, decompile, or reverse-engineer the Service or any part of it, except to the extent that such restriction is prohibited by applicable law.

If you provide us with suggestions, feedback, or recommendations for improvement of the Service, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide licence to use that feedback for any purpose without obligation to you.

Use of the Service is subject to our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

Where the Service involves the processing of personal data on your behalf, a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) consistent with UK GDPR Article 28 will apply. Our standard DPA is available on request from privacy@meridiandata.co.uk and forms part of the Agreement when countersigned. Where no signed DPA is in place, our standard DPA terms apply to such processing by default.

We may suspend your access to the Service (in whole or in part) immediately and without prior notice where: (a) we reasonably believe you are in material breach of clause 3 (Acceptable Use); (b) we reasonably believe your account has been compromised or is being used fraudulently; (c) your continued use is causing or is likely to cause significant harm to the Service or to other customers; or (d) we are required to do so by law or by order of a competent authority.

Where reasonably practicable, we will give you advance notice and an opportunity to remedy the issue. Suspension under this clause is not termination, and we will restore access as soon as the underlying issue is resolved.

Term. The Agreement begins on the date you first accept these Terms or first use the Service (whichever is earlier) and continues until terminated under this clause.

Termination for convenience. You may cancel your subscription at any time from within your account. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the then-current billing period. We may terminate the Agreement at any time on at least 30 days' written notice.

Termination for cause. Either party may terminate the Agreement on written notice with immediate effect if the other party: (a) commits a material breach of the Agreement and (where capable of remedy) fails to remedy that breach within 30 days of written notice requiring it to do so; (b) becomes insolvent, enters administration, makes any voluntary arrangement with creditors, or has a receiver, administrator, or liquidator appointed; or (c) ceases or threatens to cease to carry on business.

Effect of termination. On termination: (a) all licences granted under the Agreement immediately cease; (b) you will pay all fees due up to and including the effective date of termination; (c) we will, on written request received within 30 days of termination, make Customer Data available to you for export in a structured, commonly-used machine-readable format; (d) following the 30-day export window, we will delete Customer Data per our Privacy Policy and any DPA.

Survival. Clauses 7 (Customer Data and Licence — only where relevant to post-termination obligations), 9 (Disclaimers), 10 (Limitation of Liability), 11 (Indemnities), 12 (Confidentiality), 13 (Intellectual Property), 16 (this clause, sub-clause "Effect of termination"), 18 (Governing Law and Jurisdiction), and 19 (General) survive termination.

Neither party will be liable for any failure or delay in performance under the Agreement to the extent the failure or delay is caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, civil unrest, government action, labour disputes, internet or telecommunications outages, failure of a public utility, or unavailability of a third-party service or sub-processor (a "Force Majeure Event").

The affected party will promptly notify the other party of the Force Majeure Event and use reasonable efforts to mitigate its effects. If a Force Majeure Event prevents performance of a material part of the Service for more than 30 consecutive days, the unaffected party may terminate the Agreement on written notice without liability.

For the avoidance of doubt, this clause does not excuse the Customer's obligation to pay fees for the Service to the extent it has been provided.

The Agreement and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with it (including non-contractual disputes or claims) are governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of England and Wales.

Each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales to settle any such dispute or claim.

Changes to these Terms. We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you by email or in-product notice at least 14 days before material changes take effect. Continued use of the Service after the effective date of an update constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not accept an update, you may terminate the Agreement before it takes effect under clause 16.

Notices. Formal notices under the Agreement must be in writing and sent (a) to Meridian Data Ltd by email to legal@meridiandata.co.uk with a copy to hello@meridiandata.co.uk, or by post to our registered office; or (b) to the Customer by email to the contact address registered on the account. Notices are deemed received on the next business day after sending (email) or two business days after posting (post).

Assignment. You may not assign, sub-contract, or otherwise transfer your rights or obligations under the Agreement without our prior written consent. We may assign or transfer the Agreement to a successor entity in connection with a merger, acquisition, corporate reorganisation, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, on written notice to you.

Entire agreement. The Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes all previous agreements, understandings, and arrangements between them on its subject matter. Each party acknowledges that it has not relied on any statement, representation, or assurance not expressly set out in the Agreement.

Severability. If any provision of the Agreement is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force, and the parties will negotiate in good faith to replace the affected provision with one that achieves, so far as legally possible, the same commercial result.

Waiver. No failure or delay by either party to exercise any right or remedy under the Agreement constitutes a waiver of that right or remedy. A waiver is only effective if given in writing.

Third-party rights. The Agreement does not give rise to any rights under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 for any person other than the parties.

Relationship. The parties are independent contractors. Nothing in the Agreement creates a partnership, agency, joint venture, or employment relationship between them.

Commercial and contractual queries: legal@meridiandata.co.uk

Privacy and data-protection queries: privacy@meridiandata.co.uk

General: hello@meridiandata.co.uk