Terms of Use

1. Applicability

These Terms of Use of iSense AG, Brandschenkestrasse 76, 8002 Zürich, UID CHE-302.649.526 (hereinafter "iSense"), shall apply to the use of the following applications, services and content of iSense (hereinafter „Services“) by an individual, acting on his/her own or and his/her company’s behalf, from within any country in the world (hereinafter „User“ or „Users“):

  • the use of the website, the applications of iSense, the iSense Platform and the iSense digital tools, e.g. [www.isensegroup.com; app.isensegroup.com] ;
  • the use of a user account.

By using the Services and/or their functions, the User accepts these Terms of Use in their most recent version, as amended by iSense from time to time. Amendments will be effective upon iSense’s publication of such updated Terms on the Services.

Unless otherwise defined, terms used in these Terms of Use have the same meaning as in iSense’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

2. Services provided by iSense

2.1 In General

The Services provided by iSense are visible on iSense’s website and on the iSense Platform and include the iSense digital tools and sensory services.

iSense is free to change, extend or cease providing Services in terms of content or format at any time.

iSense may at any time change the prices and offers of the Services.

iSense shall take reasonable efforts to always use up-to-date and accurate data in its Services, although data may contain errors or incomplete information as a result of technical or other incidents. The User shall have no claims against iSense on the basis of the foregoing.

The operation and management of the Services are executed by iSense. iSense strives to operate its Services as free from disruptions as possible and to minimize interruptions for correcting malfunctions, performing maintenance work, introducing new technologies and the like, but it cannot completely exclude the same. Technical developments are implemented at the sole discretion of iSense.

For security purposes and in order to enhance the quality of the Services, iSense may monitor the usage of the Services and collect metadata on anonymous basis. Further information can be found in the Privacy Policy.

2.2 Registration, User Account

In order to use the Services, it may be necessary to register. Upon registration iSense will create a User Account based on the information given.

Only Users with a legal capacity to act (natural and legal persons) are permitted to register and/or hold a User Account. Each User may only have one active User Account. iSense may at any time cancel and/or delete any additional User Accounts (see below).

The User shall be obliged to provide accurate, current and complete information and to keep the information up-to-date at all times. The User shall be solely responsible for the content of his/her User Account and, as a result, for the information he/she provides. iSense is not obliged to check such information in terms of accuracy or completeness but is free to do so. iSense may at any time cancel and/or delete any User Account that proves to be inaccurate, fraudulent, not current or incomplete (see below).

When registering the User must specify whether he/she is applying for a User Account for a flavor house (hereinafter: Flavor House), a food and beverage manufacturer (hereinafter: F&B Manufacturer), an Ingredient Distributor(hereinafter: Distributors), or Other (hereinafter: Others).

By doing so, the User confirms that he/she is only active in the chosen field. iSense may at any time cancel and/or delete any User Account for which the chosen field proves to be inaccurate or fraudulent (see below).

Flavor Houses: Manufacturer of Food and Beverage ingredients and flavors, Distributor of flavors, Independent flavorists.

Food and Beverage Manufacturers: it is self-explanatory and includes brands, third party F&B manufacturers, and any industrial user of flavors for the purpose of formulating and manufacturing food and beverages.

Distributors: Third Party promotors or re-sellers of flavors and other taste ingredients. Distributors can sign-up on iSense as “Flavor Houses” or as “Distributors”. When registering as Distributors, the Distributor has to to requestits referent flavor house to invite them from the platform and set-up their flavor collection.

The User shall be obliged to treat his/her access data (user name/password) confidentially and protect it against any misuse. To further secure the Users usage of the User Account, iSense shall determine the type of access protection deployed and shall take measures in order to protect its Services against any unauthorised interference by third parties. Nonetheless, the User shall have no claims against iSense for any misuse of access data or any loss or damage caused through any improper access of the User Account and use of the Services. If the User detects or assumes any misuse or other unlawful offers and content, he/she shall immediately notify iSense of such event ([contact@isensegroup.com]).

iSense may, at their discretion and without liability to the User, with reasonable cause, refuse a registration or with or without prior notice and at any time, decide to limit, suspend, deactivate or cancel a User Account. In such a case, any or all of the following shall occur with or without prior notice or explanatory statement to the User:

  • (a) the User Account may be deactivated or suspended, the User’s password may be disabled and the User may no longer be able to access the Services, the User Account and/or the Users content;
  • (b) the User may no longer receive assistance from iSense’s customer service; and
  • (c) any pending or accepted future orders or contract between the User and iSense may immediately be terminated.

iSense cannot be held responsible for any compensation for orders (even if confirmed) that were cancelled as a result of a suspension, deactivation or termination or any other losses in relation to a suspension, deactivation or termination of a User Account.

The User is free to cancel his/her User Account at any time by sending an e-mail to the following address: [contact@isensegroup.com].

2.3 iSense Platform

iSense operates the iSense Platform. The iSense Platform is the IT infrastructure of iSense consisting of the iSense Flavor Manager and the iSense Marketplace. The iSenseFlavor Manager is a private and protected digital tool that allows uploading and managing User Content (in particular information about flavors and taste ingredients; hereinafter “Flavors”) in order to create and manage the User’s personal Flavor collection. In addition, the Flavor Manager allows viewing and managing Users Flavors Sensory Profiles (see Section 2.4).

User Content and Sensory Profiles (see Section 2.4) saved in the iSense Flavor Manager can also be shared with other Users (hereinafter: “Shared User Content”). It is at the sole discretion of iSense to allow or refuse the sharing of User Content and to define requirements that need to be met in order to share User Content.

A Flavor can be shared vis-à-vis a specific other User of the Users choice.

Users registered as Flavor Houses can share their Flavors with all current and future Users registered as F&B Manufacturers, Distributors, or Others via the iSense Marketplace. The iSense Marketplace is a digital tool with which iSense intends to connect Flavor Houses and non Flavor House Users (F&B Manufacturers, Distributors, or Others). .

F&B Manufacturers, Distributors, or Others, will therefore have the possibility to contact Users registered as Flavor Houses with the purpose of:

  • transferring specific flavor information (hereinafter “Flavor ID”) to their own Flavor Manager. This action creates a notification to the Flavor House that published the Flavor ID on the iSense Marketplace.
  • requesting a Flavor sample of a Flavor shared on the iSense Marketplace. This requires an approval by the Flavor House. Upon approval the Flavor ID related to the sample request is transferred automatically to the requestor Flavor Manager. The Product Data Sheet and Safety Data Sheet of the FLavor become visible to the requestor.
  • Issuing Flavor Briefs to a maximum of 3 selected Flavor Houses Users.

Users registered as Flavor Houses:

  • have a limited access to the iSense Marketplace: they can see anonymized flavors only from other Flavor Houses and do not have access to costing and other details.
  • can see the detail of their own Flavor Data on the iSense Marketplace
  • can share or unshare User Content, ie their own Flavor IDs.

iSense is authorised but not obligated to monitor User Content on the Platform and/or to verify its accuracy, completeness and lawfulness. iSense may, at its sole discretion and without liability to the User, with reasonable cause, refuse the upload and/or sharing of User Content or without prior notice and at any time, decide to delete or change already uploaded private or Shared User Content or to refuse a User to contact other Users through the Services. The User has no right vis-à-vis iSense to the sharing of User Content , Flavor Data and Sensory Profiles (see Section 2.4), the use of the Flavor Manager, the use of the Marketplace, the contacting of other Users via the Services or to any other Service provided by iSense.

The User expressly undertakes not to use the information and content made available on the iSense Platform in any manner or form outside the iSense Platform, whether it is information provided by iSense or User Content provided by other Users.

In particular, Users shall refrain from copying, publishing or otherwise reproducing (e.g. on the Internet) in any form the data made available on iSense Platform or to link those data to other data. iSense may at any time and at its sole discretion admit and/or exclude Users from the use of the iSense Platform. The User has no right vis-à-vis iSense to a use of the iSense Platform or any other Service provided by iSense.

User Content and Sensory Profiles (see Section 2.4) uploaded to the Users Flavor Manager will not be accessible for other Users or third parties without the consent of the User. Consent is considered given:

  • with regard to all (existing and future) Users registered as F&B Manufacturers, Distributors or Others, when the User registered as Flavor House uploads User Content to the Marketplace;
  • with regard to a specific other User, when the User shares User Content with said User;
  • with regard to other User colleagues, registered under the same Company or Group, when the User uploads the User Content to the Flavor Manager.

By requesting a Flavor sample or issuing a Flavor Brief, the User undertakes to complete all questionnaires and answer all questions by iSense in connection with the Request in a truthful and complete manner.

The data collected by iSense in this manner will eventually be used by iSense in an anonymous manner (ref Privacy Policy).

2.4 iSense Flavor Sensory Profiling

iSense offers Sensory Services. A Flavor Sensory Profiling is the sensory profiling of a Flavor executed by iSense, for the User’s Flavors. When profiling a Flavor, iSense creates a net diagram of the Flavor, the iSense Sensory Profile.

The User requesting a Flavor Sensory Profiling must create the related Flavor ID on its Flavor Manager. Once a Flavor Sensory Profiling is completed by iSense, the related flavor sensory profile is attached by iSense to the Flavor ID and appears in green color.

The User is free to create its own flavor sensory profile on iSense. It will appear on the Flavor ID in orange color,

iSense may at any time and at its sole discretion decide to accept or refuse an order for an iSense Flavor Sensory Profiling. The User has no right vis-à-vis iSense to demand an iSense Flavor Sensory Profilingor any other Service provided by iSense.

The User is entitled to use the iSense Flavor Sensory Profiling on the iSense Platform only for internal research purposes and linked to his/her own product development and intelligence building. Other than that the User expressly undertakes not to use any iSense Sensory Profile, be it of his own Flavor or that of any other User in any manner or form outside the iSense Platform.

In particular, Users shall refrain from copying, publishing outside of the iSense Platform or otherwise reproducing (e.g. on the Internet) in any form any iSense Sensory Profile. The iSense Sensory Profile of a User’s Flavor may, however, be shared by the User only on the iSense Marketplace, on a User Distributor sub-collection or a Customer sub-collection, as Shared User Content.as

2.5 Sharing Flavors Data to Third Party Users on iSense

Users Data remains private and accessible only to same Company Users so long it is on the Company Flavor Manager, and not published to the ISense Marketplace -Ref 2.3 iSense Platform.

A Flavor House User can decide to publish flavors to the iSense Marketplace, to a Distributor Account, or to a Customer Account.

The iSense Marketplace is accessible to all non Flavor House Users, ie Users registered as F&B Manufacturers, Distributors, and Others. Product Data Sheet, Safety Data Sheet and Recipes of Flavors published on the iSense Marketplace are not visible to Users unless released by the Flavor House User. The release of Product Datasheet, Safety Datasheet and Recipes becomes effective upon Sample request acceptance by the Flavor House.

Flavor House Users can create Distributors Account and Customer Accounts, and invite Distributor Users and Customer Users to join. A distributor or a Customer User is considered as a User from the Flavor House inviting.

Flavor House Users have control on their invited Distributor and Customer Users, they can invite new Users to join an existing Distributor or Customer Account, and remove Users access immediately from Distributor or Customer Accounts.

Flavor House Users can publish selectively flavors to Distributor and Customer accounts. Related Flavors become visible with all their details to the Distributor and Customer Users.

2.6 Briefing a new flavor

F&B Manufacturers, Distributors and Others users can create a flavor brief on iSense and share it with up to 3 selected Flavor Houses. To receive a brief, the Flavor House need to be registered on iSense.

The Brief is a questionnaire to full-fill. The brief data are not disclosed and remain private until the Users submit the brief to a maximum of 3 flavor houses. A truncated brief is then disclosed to the 3 Flavor Houses. Upon acceptance of the Brief by a Flavor House, the full brief is then disclosed to the Flavor House Users.

2.7 iSense ToolkitTM

An iSense Toolkit is a set of chemical references associated to sensory attributes. It represents the sensory language used by iSense to profile flavors and create iSense sensory profilings.

iSense sells iSense Toolkits. iSense may at any time and at its sole discretion decide to accept or refuse an order for an iSense ToolkitTM. The User has no right vis-à-vis iSense to demand an iSense ToolkitTM or any other Service provided by iSense.

3. Obligations of Users

The User undertakes to use the Services in accordance with these Terms of Use and the applicable law and to refrain from any non-intended, improper and unlawful use, e.g. the introduction of malware (such as viruses, worms or other spyware). He/she explicitly undertakes not to use the Services or the User Content of other Users for any commercial or other purposes that are not expressly permitted by these Terms of Use. Moreover, the Services must not be used in a way that negatively affects their availability for iSense or for other Users or that negatively impacts their usage in any other way (e.g. through the deployment of automatic devices, scripts and robot, spider, crawler or scraper services).

The User undertakes to use iSense Platform (see Section 2.3), the iSense Sensory Profiles (see Section 2.4), and iSense ToolkitTM (see Section 2.5) in accordance with these Terms of Use, the law and any specific contract. The User represents and warrants, in particular, that:

  • he/she will supply all data transferred to iSense or its partners and/or uploaded to the User Account and/or Flavor Manager in the form and quality specified by iSense;
  • he/she is entitled to all data provided to iSense or its partners, uploaded to the User Account and/or the Collection Manager and/or shared with other Users via the iSense Marketplace, directly or indirectly, and may use the same within the scope of the contractual agreements with iSense
  • the data transferred to iSense or its partners, uploaded to the User Account and/or the Collection Manager and/or shared with other Users via the iSense Marketplace are complete, accurate and truthful, not misleading or unfair and will continuously be kept current by the User;
  • the Shared User Content is described in an accurate and truthful manner, exhibit the specified qualities and does not infringe applicable laws or rights of third parties (in particular intellectual property rights and privacy rights);
  • he/she will not use, display, mirror or frame the Services or User Content of other Users, or any individual element within the Services or User Content of other Users, iSense’s name, any iSense trademark, logo or other proprietary information, or the layout and design of any page or form contained on a page in the Services without iSense’s express written consent;
  • he/she accepts and will abide by these Terms of Use at all times.

Moreover, the User undertakes not to recruit or otherwise solicit any User to join third-party services or websites that are competitive to iSense, without iSense’s prior written approval.

If legal action is taken against iSense by a third party or another User in connection with the use of the Services, an agreement with the User, data provided by the User, the User Content or products or services offered by Users, as applicable, the User shall be responsible for fully indemnifying and holding iSense harmless, upon first request, against and from any claims and losses, including covering all court and out-of-court costs incurred by iSense. Upon request by iSense, the User must also make available all documents deemed useful by iSense for defending against the action and must become a party to the proceedings.

4. Intellectual Property and Copyright

4.1 Copyright

iSense respects copyright law and expects its Users to do the same. It is iSense's policy to delete all User Content and/or terminate in appropriate circumstances the User Accounts which infringe or are believed to be infringing the rights of copyright holders (see Section 2.2).

The Services are protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws of Switzerland and other countries. The User acknowledges and agrees that the Services, including all associated intellectual property rights, are the exclusive property of iSense and its licensors, as far as it is not User Content. The User agrees not to remove, alter or obscure any copyright, trademark, service mark or other proprietary rights incorporated in or accompanying the Services, whether it is owned by iSense or other Users.

The User acknowledges and agrees that he/she is solely responsible for all User Content that he/she uploads to the Services and/or shares with other Users. Accordingly, the User represents and warrants that:

  • he/she either is the sole and exclusive owner of all User Content that he/she makes available through the Services or he/she has all rights, licenses, consents and releases that are necessary to grant to iSense the rights in such User Content, as contemplated under these Terms of Use; and
  • neither the User Content nor the User’s posting, uploading, publication, submission or transmittal of the User Content or iSense's use of the User Content (or any portion thereof) on, through or by means of the Services will infringe, misappropriate or violate a third party's patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, moral rights or other proprietary or intellectual property rights, or rights of publicity or privacy, or result in the violation of any applicable law or regulation
4.2 License to the User

Subject to the User’s compliance with these Terms of Use, iSense grants the User a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license, to

  • access and view any personal and generally available iSense content solely for the User’s purposes, the purposes of his company or the purpose of his/her own or his/her company’s business partners;
  • access and view any personal iSense content that is only accessible with a User Account (i.e. content of iSense Platform), if a User Account has been created by iSense, only for the User’s purposes, the purposes of his company or the purpose of his/her own or his/her company’s business partners
  • access and view any other Users’s Content to which the User is permitted access, solely for the Users business purposes, the purposes of his company or the purpose of his/her own or his/her company’s business partners.

The User has no right to sublicense the license rights granted in this section.

It is an essential term of the license that the User will not use, copy, adapt, modify, prepare derivative works based upon, distribute, license, sell, transfer, publicly display, publicly perform, transmit, broadcast or otherwise exploit the Services, except as expressly permitted in these Terms of Use. No licenses or rights are granted to the User by implication or otherwise under any intellectual property rights owned or controlled by iSense or its licensors, except for the licenses and rights expressly granted in these Terms of Use.

4.3 License to iSense and other Users

By requesting a User Account the User grants to iSense all necessary licenses to:

  • create the User Account;
  • access the User Account and all uploaded User Content in order to ensure its accuracy and lawfulness;
  • limit, suspend, deactivate or cancel the User Account in accordance with Section 2.2;
  • amend or delete all uploaded User Content in accordance with Section 2.3.
  • publish the User company logo on iSense website
  • when User publishes flavors to the iSense Marketplace, promote the iSense Marketplace association with the Users company.

By giving consent to making User Content accessible to other Users (See Section 2.3), the User grants to iSense all licenses necessary to make the User Content visible and accessible to the other Users for whom consent has been given. This does not grant the receiving Users any right on such information or content. The User Content remains in the full property of the User who shared it. The User expressly commits not to copy, publish or reuse any information that has been shared with him, which he/she has no right upon.

iSense claims no ownership on any User Content and nothing in these Terms of Use will be deemed to restrict any rights that the User may on his User Content.

By ordering an iSense Flavor Sensory Profiling the User grants to iSense all necessary licenses needed carry out the iSense Flavor Sensory Profiling and to create its result, the iSense Sensory Profile, on the User Flavor Manager.

5. Data Privacy

All Data (especially Personal Data) are handled according to the Data Privacy Policy.

6. Liability and warranty

6.1 In General

iSense is only liable for any direct or immediate damage caused by wilful intent or gross negligence. Under no circumstance is iSense liable for indirect, collateral or consequential damages or for lost profits.

iSense is not liable for any misuse of the Internet or for associated damages caused to the User by third parties or other Users, for safety defects and interruptions of the telecommunications networks of third parties and the Internet, or for interruptions of operation and disruptions of the Services.

iSense does not and is not obligated to examine the content of websites linked to the Services and is not liable for the content of such linked websites.

In all cases (whether arising under contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, through indemnification or otherwise), iSense’s liability per claim, and the User’s exclusive remedy, with respect to the Services which fall under these Terms of Use, shall be limited to the lesser of:

  • the direct and immediate loss or damage caused by iSense’s misconduct in connection with the Services and
  • the amount invoiced by iSense to the User in relation to the Services within the last 12 months up to CHF5’000.
6.2 iSense Platform in particular

The iSense Platform contains information and content owned by iSense, as well as by iSense’s Users (User Content). iSense strives to ensure the accuracy of this information and content but makes no express warranties or representations in this respect. This relates, in particular, to the truthfulness, accuracy, completeness and currency of the information and content. iSense rejects any liability for losses that may arise from the retrieval, access or use of information and content of the iSense Platform. Such information and content are retrieved and used exclusively at the Users’ own risk.

The User is fully responsible for his/her User Content uploaded to the Flavor Manager as well as for Shared User Content. In particular it is the sole responsibility of the User that the Shared User Content is complete and truthful, not misleading or unfair and will continuously be kept current by the User. iSense denies any liability for private or Shared User Content. In particular, iSense makes no warranties or guarantees for the Flavors and Flavors Data, ie the information related to such Flavors offered by Users via the iSense Marketplace, as well as for any contracts potentially resulting therefrom, e.g. sale contracts made among Users or third parties. No reference or description on Services is an endorsement, certification or guarantee by iSense about any User Content or User, including the identity of the User and whether the User is trustworthy, safe or suitable.

The User may be able to rate other Users and/or their Shared User Content. The User must be honest and accurate in their appraisals. No User rating is an endorsement, certification or guarantee by iSense about any User or User Content.

6.3 iSense Flavor Sensory Profiling in particular

iSense makes no warranties or guarantees for accuracy and completeness of the iSense Sensory Profiles, made available on the iSense Platform, the iSense Marketplace, the internet or in any other way or place. iSense rejects any liability for losses that may arise from the use of iSense Flavor Sensory Profiles, or information related to such. The iSense Sensory Profile, and information related to such are used exclusively at the User’s own risk. In addition the Terms and Conditions for iSense Sensory Profiling are applicable.

7. Legal status of iSense

iSense is not a party to contracts between Users or between a User and a third party regarding Flavors offered by Users via the iSense Marketplace. iSense is in no way responsible for the conclusion of the contract and for any associated risks.

The information and content reproduced by Users on the iSense Marketplace does not establish an offer, an invitation to make an offer or a recommendation concerning a purchase by iSense.

8. General provisions

If any provision of these Terms of Use proves invalid or unenforceable, it shall cease to apply only to the extent to which it is invalid or unenforceable, and shall be replaced by a provision that is as consistent as possible with the economic intent of the invalid or unenforceable provision. Any omissions in the respective agreement must be filled with provisions that are as consistent as possible with that which the parties would have agreed upon, based on the spirit and purpose of the agreement, if they had considered the specific issue when they concluded these Terms of Use.

9. Applicable law and jurisdiction

These Terms of Use are exclusively subject to Swiss law, excluding its international conflict of laws rules [Swiss Act on International Private Law (IPLA)]. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) is expressly and entirely excluded. The exclusive place of jurisdiction and performance is Zurich, Switzerland.

iSense AG, Zurich, September 2023