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RIPE NCC Certified Professionals Service Terms and Conditions

Introduction

This document stipulates the Terms and Conditions for the RIPE NCC Certified Professionals Service which define your rights and responsibilities when using the RIPE NCC Certified Professionals Service.

Article 1 - Definitions

In the Terms and Conditions, the following terms shall be understood to have the meanings assigned to them below:

RIPE NCC - Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre, a membership association under Dutch law, operating from its registered office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Service – The RIPE NCC Certified Professionals Service that the RIPE NCC makes available to Candidates.

Candidate – The natural person using the Service.

Exam – A set of instructions, questions, problems, and/or procedures and associated organisational and scoring parameters. An Exam can be taken online at the Candidates’ convenience or in person when offered by the RIPE NCC at a RIPE NCC-organised event.

SSO Account – The RIPE NCC Access Single Sign-On account.

Exam Platform Provider – The third-party service provider, namely Better Examinations with whom the RIPE NCC has entered into a contract for the provision of exam management services via their platform.

Certification Service Provider – The third-party service provider, namely Credly Inc. with whom the RIPE NCC has entered into a contract for the issuance and distribution of Certificates.

Certificate – A digital representation of a specific achievement or status granted to the Candidate by the RIPE NCC upon the passing of a particular Exam in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.

Proctoring Service Provider – The third-party service provider namely Proctorio with whom the Exam Platform Provider has entered into a contract to act as a Proctor.

RIPE NCC Certified Professional – A Candidate who has been granted one or more Certificates.

Materials – The Exam and all preparatory and study materials, instructions, worksheets, drawings, graphics, and information related to or accompanying the Exam.

Voucher – A unique alphanumerical code distributed by the RIPE NCC that can be used by the Candidate to receive a discount on the Exam.

Proctor – The party appointed to identify and monitor the Candidate during the Exam.

Article 2  – General

2.1.   By ticking the box next to the text “I acknowledge that I have read and understood all information and agreements attached, and agree to abide by and be bound by these Terms and Conditions.”, the Candidate confirms that they have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.

2.2.   The RIPE NCC reserves the right to amend these Terms and Conditions. If these Terms and Conditions are amended before the Candidate takes the scheduled Exam, the RIPE NCC shall notify the Candidate of such amendments. After such amendments, a Candidate may proceed to take the Exam, provided they read, understand and agree to the amended Terms and Conditions. If the Candidate takes the Exam, they confirm that they have read, understood and agreed to the amended Terms and Conditions. If the Candidate does not agree to the amendments and does not want to proceed with the Exam, they are entitled to a refund of fees (where applicable) only in the event that the amendment causes a material change to the Terms and Conditions.

2.3.   These Terms and Conditions shall prevail over explanatory documents regarding the Service.

Article 3 – Use of the RIPE NCC Certified Professional Service

3.1.   The Candidate acknowledges that they are required to have an SSO Account with the RIPE NCC and must accept these Terms and Conditions to be able to use the Service.

3.2.   Upon the Candidate agreeing to these Terms and Conditions and for the purpose of enabling the Candidate to log in to the Exam Platform Provider platform, the RIPE NCC will share personal data from the Candidate’s SSO Account with the Exam Platform Provider.

3.3. To take an Exam online, the Candidate will be required to accept the terms and conditions of the Proctoring Service Provider.

3.4. If the Candidate successfully passes the Exam, the Exam Platform Provider will share the Candidate’s personal data with the Certification Service Provider for the purposes of issuing the Certificate. The Candidate agrees that that they will be required to create an account with the Certification Service Provider and accept their terms and conditions.

3.5.   The Candidate understands that if they cannot agree to these requirements, they cannot use the Service and therefore, the Candidate cannot become a RIPE NCC Certified Professional.

Article 4 – Control of Use

4.1.   The RIPE NCC is entitled to restrict any unauthorised use or to correct unauthorised use of the Service. For this purpose, the RIPE NCC may perform security checks and audits.

4.2.  Candidates must assist the RIPE NCC with security checks and audits as appropriate.

4.3.   The Candidate may be prohibited from taking any Exams and may be decertified from the Service if the Candidate has violated these Terms and Conditions or engaged in any misconduct as described in Article 5.6.

Article 5  –  Exam Rules

5.1. The Candidate may choose to take an Exam online at their convenience at their preferred date and time. The RIPE NCC may also offer the opportunity to take exams in-person at certain RIPE NCC-organised events. To take an Exam in person, the Candidate must follow the registration procedure as announced on the RIPE NCC event’s website.

5.2. The Candidate acknowledges and agrees that, prior to the Exam, the Candidate may be required to identify themselves for the RIPE NCC (directly or via the Proctoring Service Provider) to be able to confirm their identity. Identification can take place by using any identification document, which includes the Candidate’s name and photo. Examples include a student ID, a public transportation card or an employee card. If the Candidate chooses to use a government-issued identification document (e.g. a passport, driver’s license or ID card), the Candidate may block personal data other than the Candidate’s name and photo (e.g. passport number, social security number, date of birth). Especially in the case of Exams taken online, this is necessary to avoid the recording of personal data that is not necessary for this purpose. The RIPE NCC will provide specific and sufficient instructions on the identification process and what personal data is required to be visible before identification takes place.

5.3. In the case of in-person Exams, the RIPE NCC will act as the Proctor and no information shown on the identification document or the Exam-taking process will be recorded. In the case of Exams taken online, the Proctoring Service Provider will act as the Proctor and the identification process will be recorded. The Proctoring Service Provider’s software will also record and automatically detect and flag circumstances and/or Candidate behaviour which could indicate  misconduct or misuse as described in section 5.6. The Exam recording will be made available to and reviewed by the RIPE NCC at a later stage for the purposes described in section 5.5.

5.4. The Candidate acknowledges and agrees that, in case of in-person Exams, Proctors, at their own discretion, are authorised to take immediate and appropriate measures, including suspending or stopping an Exam, whether or not in progress, against Candidates who are engaged in any misconduct as described in Article 5.6. Candidates who engage in misconduct are not entitled to any refund of fees (if applicable).

5.5. In the case of Exams taken online, the RIPE NCC, at its own discretion, is authorised to conduct reviews of Exam recordings. The Candidate acknowledges and agrees that, based on this review, the RIPE NCC is authorised to take appropriate measures, including the invalidation of an Exam of a Candidate who has engaged in misconduct as described in Article 5.6. Candidates who engage in misconduct or have misused the Service are not entitled to any refund of fees (if applicable).

5.6.   Misconduct or misuse of the Service or the Exam include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Using materials during the Exam that are not explicitly permitted in accordance with the instructions provided.
  • Disseminating actual Exam content or answers.
  • Modifying or altering the original results or score reports for an Exam, or any other Exam records.
  • Fraudulently impersonating another to gain access to the Exam.
  • Providing or accepting assistance without the permission of the Proctor.
  • Misconduct as determined by statistical analysis.
  • Copying, publishing, disclosing, transmitting, selling, offering to sell, posting, taking screenshots, downloading, distributing in any way, or otherwise transferring, modifying, making derivative works of, reverse engineering, decompiling, disassembling or translating any Exam in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, verbal or written, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose.
  • Using the Exam content in any manner that violates applicable law.

Article 6 – Payment

6.1.   The Candidate acknowledges and agrees that fees for the Service shall be set out on the RIPE NCC Certified Professionals Service Vouchers and Fees and that the payment will be made as designated by the RIPE NCC.  

6.2 The Candidate shall be responsible for any costs incurred to attend the Exam whether in person or online.

Article 7 - Vouchers

7.1. Vouchers are distributed at the discretion of the RIPE NCC.

7.2. The Voucher is transferable and not linked to any particular person or organisation. The Voucher cannot be redeemed for other services and has no monetary value.

7.3. The Voucher shall expire at the end of the calendar year (23:59 PM CET  31 December) in which it was distributed.

7.4. The Voucher is strictly single use. Vouchers may not be used in conjunction with other Vouchers or discount codes.

7.5. The RIPE NCC is not responsible for how the Vouchers are used or transferred after they have been distributed to the appropriate contact.

Article 8 - License 

8.1. On completion of the Service and the issuance of a Certificate, the RIPE NCC grants to the Candidate a non-transferable, non-exclusive, revocable, royalty free, worldwide license to use the RIPE NCC trademark, copyrights and logo contained on the Certificate, to market, advertise or promote themselves as a RIPE NCC Certified Professional, until the expiry or otherwise cancellation of the Certificate.

8.2. The Candidate may not alter, modify or obscure the RIPE NCC trademark, copyrights and logo on the Certificate or use them in any other form than on the Certificate received.

8.3. The Candidate acknowledges that the Certificate and relevant trademark, copyrights and logo are the intellectual property of RIPE NCC.

Article 9 - Privacy

9.1. The Candidate acknowledges that for the successful provision of the Service the RIPE NCC, the Exam Platform Provider, the Proctoring Service Provider and the Certification Service Provider collect and process certain personal data of the Candidates for the purpose of performing their respective parts of the Service as described in Article 3.

9.2. The RIPE NCC will share the Candidate’s name, email address and unique user ID from their SSO Account with the Exam Platform Provider for the purpose described in Article 3.

9.3. The Exam Platform Provider will collect from the Candidate, personal data, including but not limited to, the Candidate’s name, email address, scoring, ranking, and assessment data. The data will be shared and processed by the Exam Platform Provider as described in the relevant document available on their website: https://www.betterexaminations.com/privacy-policy/

9.4.  The Proctoring Service Provider will collect from the Candidate, personal data, including but not limited to, information shown on their identification documents and recordings of the Exam taking process as described in sections 5.2 and 5.3. The data will be processed by the Proctoring  Service Provider as described in the relevant document available on their website: https://proctorio.com/privacy

9.5 The Proctoring Service Provider and the Exam Platform Provider will make the Exam recordings available to the RIPE NCC, via a secure environment, for the RIPE NCC to review in accordance with section 5.5.  The RIPE NCC will ensure that sufficient organisational measures are put in place for the Exam recordings (including the identification part where applicable) to be deleted as soon as the period for appealing the outcome of an Exam has lapsed and in any case, no later than thirty days after the Exam date.

9.6. The Exam Platform Provider will share the Candidate’s name, email address, the Exam they have qualified for and the date the Exam ended with the Certificate Service Provider for the purposes of issuing the Certificate as described in Article 3. The Certificate Service Provider will process the personal data it collects as described in the relevant document available on their website:
https://info.credly.com/

9.7. The RIPE NCC may also use the Candidate’s contact details to ask for their feedback on the Service and Exam, provide personalised advice to them (if desired) in case they failed the Exam, send announcements on new Exams and other learning and development activities or other news relevant to the RIPE NCC activities. If the Candidate does not want to receive this information anymore, they can unsubscribe via the unsubscribe button at the end of the email (where applicable) or by sending an email to [email protected].

9.8.  If, for the fulfilment of any of the above mentioned purposes, it is required that the RIPE NCC transfers personal data outside the EEA, the RIPE NCC shall ensure that this transfer occurs based on an adequacy decision or the adoption of standard contractual clauses adopted by the European Commission. The RIPE NCC Privacy Statement applies to all personal information that the RIPE NCC processes for the provision of RIPE NCC Services.

Article 10 - Liability

10.1. The Candidate shall be liable for all aspects of their use of the Service and the Certificate.

10.2. The RIPE NCC is in no way liable for any damages, including, but not limited to, damages to the Candidate’s business, loss of profit, damages to third parties, personal injury or damages to property, except in cases involving wilful misconduct or gross negligence on the part of the RIPE NCC.

10.3. The RIPE NCC shall, in any event, not be liable for non-performance or damages due to force majeure, including but not limited to industrial action, strikes, occupations and sit-ins, pandemics, blockades, embargoes, governmental measures, denial of service attacks, war, revolutions or comparable situations, power failures, defects in electronic lines of communication, fire, explosions, damage caused by water, floods and earthquakes.

10.4. The RIPE NCC is not liable in the case that local legislation prohibits the use of the Service or of the Certificate.

10.5. The Candidate shall indemnify the RIPE NCC against any and all third party claims filed against the RIPE NCC in relation to the Candidate’s use of the Service or the Certificate.

10.6. The RIPE NCC shall not be liable for damage as a result of a failure to meet any obligation under these Terms and Conditions if such failure is due to circumstances for which the RIPE NCC is not considered accountable pursuant to the law, contract or trade custom. The RIPE NCC cannot be held responsible for the Service not being available in certain countries or to certain nationalities due to international restrictions or sanctions.

Article 11 - Term

11.1 The Candidate acknowledges that the Certificate will be valid for a term of three years. The expiry date will be stated on the Certificate.

11.2 The Candidate shall not copy, share, modify or involve themselves in any behaviour that can result in disclosing the Exam, including questions and/or content of the Exam, to any other third party.

11.3 Any violations of these Terms and Conditions by the Candidate may, in addition to other legal action available to the RIPE NCC, result in the termination or cancellation of their Certificates or suspension from the Service.

Article 12 - Miscellaneous

12.1 The RIPE NCC’s intellectual property (agreements, documents, software, databases, website, etc.) may only be used, reproduced and made available to third parties upon prior written authorisation from the RIPE NCC.

12.2 If any provision in these Terms and Conditions is determined to be unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, such provision shall be modified to be enforceable and consistent with the intent of said provision. Further, if the remainder of these Terms and Conditions is not materially affected by such determination and is capable of substantial performance, then the remainder will be enforced to the extent permitted by law.

12.3 The failure to enforce or the waiver by either the RIPE NCC or Candidate of one default or breach shall not be considered a waiver of any subsequent default or breach.

12.4 Provisions that survive termination or expiration include those pertaining to liability and others that by their nature are intended to survive.

12.5 If the Candidate challenges the quality of a question, the evaluation of their answers or the outcome of their Exam, the Candidate may place an appeal. The appeal process must be initiated within fourteen days from the completion of the Exam by contacting the RIPE NCC at [email protected]. For more information on the appeals process please visit:
https://getcertified.ripe.net/rules/

Article 13 - Governing Law

13.1 These Terms and Conditions shall be exclusively governed by the laws of the Netherlands. The competent court in Amsterdam shall have exclusive jurisdiction with regard to disputes arising from these Terms and Conditions.