Terms of Service

1. Introduction & Acceptance

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) constitute a legally binding agreement between you (“User,” “you,” or “your”) and Protoco, a proprietorship operating from Dibrugarh, Assam, India (“Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), governing your access to and use of the Protoco platform, including our website at protoco.in, web application, and all related services (collectively, the “Service”).

By accessing or using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you are using the Service on behalf of a school, educational institution, or organisation, you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that entity to these Terms, and “you” shall refer to that entity.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the Service. We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify registered users of material changes via email or in-app notification. Your continued use of the Service after such modifications constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

2. Definitions

• “Platform” means the Protoco web application, APIs, and associated digital infrastructure.
• “School” means any educational institution, coaching centre, or training organisation that registers for and uses the Service.
• “School Administrator” means an authorised representative of a School who manages the School’s account on the Platform.
• “Parent/Guardian” means a parent or legal guardian of a student enrolled at a School using the Service, who may receive communications from the Platform.
• “Student Data” means information about students including names, class/section details, and fee records.
• “Payment Record” means a record of a fee payment logged on the Platform by a School Administrator, including amount, date, payment mode, and any reference identifiers such as UPI transaction IDs or bank transfer details.
• “Content” means all data, text, records, and other information uploaded to or generated through the Platform.

3. Description of the Service

Protoco is a digital fee management platform designed for schools and educational institutions. The Service enables Schools to:

• Create and manage student fee structures, including class-wise and category-wise fee heads.
• Record fee payments made by students via various modes including cash, UPI, bank transfer, and cheque.
• Track fee payment status, outstanding dues, and generate financial reports.
• Send automated fee payment reminders and notifications to parents and guardians via WhatsApp using the WhatsApp Business API.
• Generate and share digital fee receipts.

4. Eligibility & Account Registration

4.1 Eligibility

The Service is available to Schools and educational institutions operating lawfully in India. You must be at least 18 years of age and legally competent to enter into a binding contract under the Indian Contract Act, 1872, to create an account and use the Service.

4.2 Account Registration

To access the Service, you must register for an account by providing accurate, current, and complete information. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities conducted under your account. You must notify us immediately at hello@protoco.in if you become aware of any unauthorised use of your account.

4.3 Account Security

You are solely responsible for safeguarding your login credentials. We shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to maintain the security of your account. We recommend using strong, unique passwords and enabling any additional security features we may offer.

5. User Obligations & Acceptable Use

By using the Service, you agree to:

• Use the Service only for its intended purpose of school fee management and related educational administration.
• Ensure all data entered into the Platform is accurate, lawful, and up to date.
• Obtain all necessary consents from parents, guardians, and staff before entering their personal data on the Platform, in accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
• Use the WhatsApp notification feature responsibly and not for unsolicited marketing, spam, or any communications unrelated to fee management.
• Comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and these Terms while using the Service.
• Not attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise derive the source code of the Platform.
• Not interfere with, disrupt, or attempt to compromise the security or integrity of the Platform or its infrastructure.
• Not use automated scripts, bots, or scrapers to access or extract data from the Platform without our prior written consent.
• Not sublicense, resell, rent, or lease access to the Service to any third party.

Violation of these obligations may result in immediate suspension or termination of your account, at our sole discretion and without prior notice.

6. Data Ownership & Responsibilities

6.1 Your Data

You retain full ownership of all Content and data you upload to or create on the Platform (“Your Data”). Protoco does not claim any ownership rights over Your Data. By using the Service, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to store, process, and display Your Data solely to provide and improve the Service.

6.2 Data Accuracy

You are solely responsible for the accuracy, completeness, and legality of Your Data. Protoco is not responsible for verifying the accuracy of fee records, payment details, student information, or any other data entered by School Administrators. Any financial discrepancies arising from incorrect data entry are the sole responsibility of the School.

6.3 Data of Minors

Schools uploading data pertaining to students who are minors (below 18 years of age) represent and warrant that they have obtained verifiable consent from the parent or legal guardian of each such minor, as required under Section 9 of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. Protoco acts solely as a data processor with respect to student data and relies on the School (as data fiduciary) to ensure lawful collection and consent.

6.4 Data Export & Portability

We support your right to data portability. You may request an export of Your Data in a commonly used, machine-readable format at any time by contacting us at hello@protoco.in. We will fulfil such requests within a reasonable timeframe, not exceeding 30 days.

7. Privacy & Data Protection

Your privacy is important to us. Our collection, use, storage, and disclosure of personal data is governed by our Privacy Policy, which forms an integral part of these Terms.

We process personal data in compliance with the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. By using the Service, you consent to such processing and warrant that all data provided by you is accurate and lawfully obtained.

8. WhatsApp Communications

The Service includes the ability to send fee-related notifications and reminders to parents and guardians via WhatsApp, using the official WhatsApp Business API. By using this feature, you acknowledge and agree that:

• You, as the School, are responsible for obtaining prior consent from parents/guardians before their phone numbers are used for WhatsApp communications.
• Messages sent through the Platform will be transactional in nature (fee reminders, payment confirmations, due date alerts) and shall not constitute unsolicited commercial communication.
• Protoco acts as an intermediary for message delivery and is not responsible for the content of messages customised by Schools.
• Parents/guardians may opt out of receiving messages. Schools must honour such opt-out requests promptly.
• WhatsApp’s own terms of service and privacy policies apply to messages delivered through their platform, in addition to these Terms.

9. Intellectual Property

9.1 Our Intellectual Property

The Platform, including its source code, design, user interface, logos, trademarks, documentation, and all related intellectual property, is the exclusive property of Protoco and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws of India, including the Copyright Act, 1957, and the Trade Marks Act, 1999. Nothing in these Terms grants you any right, title, or interest in our intellectual property except the limited right to use the Service as expressly permitted herein.

9.2 Feedback

If you provide us with feedback, suggestions, or feature requests regarding the Service, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to use, modify, and incorporate such feedback into the Service without any obligation to you.

10. Payment & Subscription Terms

Access to the Service may be subject to subscription fees as communicated to you at the time of registration or renewal. The following terms apply:

• All fees are quoted in Indian Rupees (INR) and are exclusive of applicable taxes, including Goods and Services Tax (GST).
• Subscription fees are non-refundable unless otherwise specified in writing or required by applicable consumer protection law.
• We reserve the right to modify pricing with at least 30 days’ prior written notice. Continued use after the price change takes effect constitutes acceptance.
• Failure to pay subscription fees may result in suspension or downgrade of your account. Following suspension, institutional records are preserved in full for a 90-day grace period to allow account renewal or data export. Upon expiry of 90 days, personal identifying data is permanently anonymized, while financial transaction records are retained in anonymized form for 6 years in accordance with Indian tax rules.

11. Service Availability & Modifications

We strive to maintain high availability of the Service but do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation. The Service is provided on an “as available” basis. We may:

• Perform scheduled or emergency maintenance that may temporarily limit access to the Service. We will endeavour to provide advance notice of scheduled maintenance.
• Modify, update, or discontinue features of the Service at any time. Material changes will be communicated to users in advance.
• Discontinue the Service entirely with at least 60 days’ prior written notice, during which time you may export Your Data.

12. Disclaimers

13. Limitation of Liability

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Protoco, its founders, employees, and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) your use of the Service; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any applicable law or regulation; (d) any data you upload or enter on the Platform; (e) your failure to obtain necessary consents from parents, guardians, or other data principals; or (f) any dispute between you and a parent, guardian, student, or other third party.

15. Termination, Data Retention & Anonymization

15.1 Termination by You

You may terminate your account at any time by contacting us at hello@protoco.in. Upon termination, all institutional data is preserved in full for a 90-day grace period to facilitate data export by the School. After 90 days, personal identifying data (names, phone numbers, emails, and login credentials) is permanently anonymized, while financial transaction records are retained in anonymized form for 6 years in compliance with Indian tax regulations, after which they are permanently deleted.

15.2 Termination by Us

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service immediately and without prior notice if: (a) you breach any provision of these Terms; (b) you engage in fraudulent, abusive, or unlawful conduct; (c) your subscription fees remain unpaid beyond the grace period; or (d) we are required to do so by law or a lawful order from a competent authority.

15.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. Sections relating to intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, governing law, and dispute resolution shall survive termination.

16. Force Majeure

Protoco shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations under these Terms where such failure or delay results from events beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to natural disasters, pandemics, acts of government, war, terrorism, power outages, internet or telecommunications failures, cyberattacks, or failures of third-party service providers (including cloud infrastructure and messaging platforms).

17. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

17.1 Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

17.2 Dispute Resolution

In the event of any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to these Terms, the parties shall first attempt to resolve the matter amicably through good-faith negotiation for a period of thirty (30) days. If the dispute remains unresolved, it shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration in accordance with the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, as amended. The seat of arbitration shall be Dibrugarh, Assam, India. The arbitration shall be conducted in English by a sole arbitrator mutually appointed by the parties.

17.3 Jurisdiction

Subject to the arbitration clause above, the courts of Dibrugarh, Assam, India, shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any disputes arising under these Terms.

18. Consumer Protection

Nothing in these Terms shall be construed to limit or exclude any rights available to you under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, including your right to approach Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions. Where any provision of these Terms conflicts with mandatory consumer protection law, the applicable statutory provision shall prevail.

19. Grievance Redressal

In accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the rules made thereunder, the Grievance Officer for the purposes of these Terms and the Service is:

Grievances will be acknowledged within 24 hours and resolved within 15 days from the date of receipt, in compliance with applicable rules.

20. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, such provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid and enforceable, or if modification is not possible, it shall be severed from these Terms. The remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

21. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any subscription agreement or order form entered into between you and Protoco, constitute the entire agreement between you and Protoco with respect to the Service and supersede all prior or contemporaneous understandings, proposals, negotiations, or communications, whether written or oral.

22. Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us: