Legal Documentation

1.1 Data Controller Identification

The data controller responsible for the processing of personal data collected through this platform is GranitePulseCore, registered at 4020, Rue Grétry 120, Liège, Belgium. For all data protection inquiries, the designated contact point is [email protected].

1.2 Categories of Personal Data Processed

We collect and process the following categories of personal data as defined under Article 4 of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Identity Data: Full name, professional title, and organizational affiliation provided via contact forms or project onboarding documentation.
• Contact Data: Email address, telephone number, and physical mailing address submitted through our inquiry and service request channels.
• Technical Data: Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, operating system, device identifiers, and page interaction metrics collected automatically through standard server logging.
• Usage Data: Page navigation patterns, session duration, referral source URLs, and feature interaction logs captured through essential operational cookies.
• Communication Data: The full content of messages, project briefs, and file attachments transmitted through our contact forms, email correspondence, or project management interfaces.

1.3 Legal Basis for Processing

All personal data processing activities are conducted under one or more of the following lawful bases as specified in Article 6(1) GDPR:

• Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): Where you have given explicit, informed, and freely given consent for specific processing purposes, such as receiving marketing communications.
• Contractual Necessity (Art. 6(1)(b)): Where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party, or for pre-contractual measures taken at your request.
• Legitimate Interest (Art. 6(1)(f)): Where processing is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests, including service improvement, fraud prevention, and network security, provided such interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights.

1.4 Data Retention Periods

Personal data is retained only for the duration necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected:

• Contact form submissions: Retained for a maximum of 24 months from the date of submission, or until the conclusion of any resulting contractual relationship, whichever is later.
• Project-related data: Retained for the duration of the active engagement plus a 36-month post-completion archive period as required for warranty and legal compliance obligations.
• Server access logs: Automatically purged after 90 days in accordance with our infrastructure retention schedule.
• Cookie consent records: Retained for 12 months from the date of the consent decision to demonstrate regulatory compliance.

1.5 Data Subject Rights

Under Articles 15–22 of the GDPR, you are entitled to exercise the following rights with respect to your personal data:

• Right of Access (Art. 15): Obtain confirmation of whether we process your personal data and receive a copy of all data held.
• Right to Rectification (Art. 16): Request correction of inaccurate personal data or completion of incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure (Art. 17): Request deletion of your personal data where there is no compelling legal reason for continued processing.
• Right to Restriction (Art. 18): Request limitation of processing in specific circumstances, including during the verification of accuracy or assessment of balancing tests.
• Right to Data Portability (Art. 20): Receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
• Right to Object (Art. 21): Object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing.

To exercise any of these rights, submit a written request to [email protected]. We will respond within 30 calendar days in accordance with Article 12(3) GDPR.

1.6 International Data Transfers

Where personal data is transferred to countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA), we ensure adequate protection through one of the following mechanisms: an adequacy decision by the European Commission (Art. 45), Standard Contractual Clauses (Art. 46(2)(c)), or Binding Corporate Rules approved by the relevant supervisory authority (Art. 47).

1.7 Supervisory Authority

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Belgian Data Protection Authority (Autorité de protection des données) at Rue de la Presse 35, 1000 Brussels, Belgium, or via www.dataprotectionauthority.be, should you believe that the processing of your personal data violates applicable data protection law.

2.1 What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They serve to remember your preferences, maintain session state, and enable essential platform functionality. This policy explains how GranitePulseCore uses cookies and similar tracking technologies across our digital infrastructure.

2.2 Cookie Categories We Deploy

• Strictly Necessary Cookies: These cookies are essential for the operation of our website. They enable core functionalities such as page navigation, form submission, and session persistence. Without these cookies, the platform cannot function as intended. No consent is required for these cookies under Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive.
• Functional Cookies: These cookies remember your preferences and settings (e.g., cookie consent choice, language preference) to provide a personalized experience. They are set only upon your explicit consent.
• Analytics Cookies: These cookies collect aggregated, anonymized data about how visitors interact with our website, including page views, navigation paths, and session duration. They are set only upon your explicit consent.

2.3 Specific Cookies in Use

2.4 Managing Your Cookie Preferences

You may withdraw or modify your cookie consent at any time by accessing the cookie preference center, which is accessible via the cookie banner displayed on your first visit, or by clearing your browser cookies. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of specific platform features.

2.5 Third-Party Cookies

GranitePulseCore does not embed third-party tracking cookies, advertising pixels, or social media trackers without explicit prior consent. The Google Maps integration on our contact page is loaded in a privacy-enhanced mode that minimizes data collection. For full details on Google's data practices, consult the Google Privacy Policy.

3.1 General Refund Framework

GranitePulseCore provides premium enterprise digital services. All pricing, deliverables, and timelines are established in written project agreements executed prior to work commencement. Refund eligibility is evaluated on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the following framework, consistent with EU consumer protection directives.

3.2 Pre-Contractual Cancellation

For standard service engagements, you may cancel within 14 calendar days of signing the project agreement without penalty, provided that no substantive work has commenced. Any deposits paid will be refunded in full within 14 business days of the cancellation request. If work has commenced during this period, a pro-rata refund will be calculated based on the percentage of deliverables completed against the total project scope.

3.3 Milestone-Based Refund Assessment

All enterprise projects are structured around defined milestones with explicit acceptance criteria. Refund requests submitted after project initiation are assessed against the following criteria:

• Delivered Milestones: Milestones that have been formally accepted by the client in writing are non-refundable.
• In-Progress Milestones: For milestones currently in execution, a partial refund proportional to remaining uncompleted work may be issued at GranitePulseCore's discretion.
• Undelivered Milestones: Milestones that have not yet been commenced are fully refundable.

3.4 Non-Refundable Items

The following are explicitly excluded from refund eligibility:

• Third-party licensing fees, hosting deposits, or domain registration costs already disbursed to external providers.
• Completed discovery, audit, or scoping deliverables that have been formally presented and accepted.
• Custom development work that has been deployed to a staging or production environment.

3.5 Refund Processing

Approved refunds are processed within 14 business days via the original payment method. Where the original payment method is no longer available, an alternative reimbursement method will be agreed upon. All refund decisions are documented in writing and communicated to the client within 5 business days of the refund request receipt.

4.1 Acceptance of Terms

By accessing, browsing, or using any digital property operated by GranitePulseCore, located at 4020, Rue Grétry 120, Liège, Belgium, you acknowledge and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, you must immediately discontinue all use of our platform and services.

4.2 Scope of Services

GranitePulseCore provides premium web development, digital infrastructure engineering, API integration, and enterprise technology consulting services. The specific scope, deliverables, timelines, and pricing for each engagement are defined in a separate written Project Agreement executed between the parties. These Terms of Service govern the general relationship and platform usage; the Project Agreement governs specific project execution.

4.3 Payment Terms

All project payments follow a milestone-based structure as defined in the applicable Project Agreement:

• Invoices are issued upon milestone completion and are payable within 14 calendar days of issuance.
• Late payments incur a statutory interest rate of 8% per annum plus a fixed recovery fee of €40, in accordance with the Belgian Act on Late Payments in Commercial Transactions.
• GranitePulseCore reserves the right to suspend all ongoing work if payment is overdue by more than 14 calendar days, with written notice provided.
• All prices are stated in Euros (€) and are exclusive of applicable value-added tax (VAT), which will be charged at the prevailing rate where required by law.

4.4 Intellectual Property

Unless otherwise specified in the Project Agreement:

• All intellectual property rights in deliverables created specifically for the client transfer to the client upon full payment of the final milestone invoice.
• GranitePulseCore retains ownership of all pre-existing frameworks, libraries, utilities, and methodologies used in the creation of deliverables. A perpetual, non-exclusive license to use these components is granted to the client as part of the delivery.
• Neither party may use the other party's trademarks, logos, or brand assets without prior written consent.

4.5 Confidentiality

Both parties agree to maintain strict confidentiality of all proprietary information, trade secrets, business strategies, and technical documentation shared during the course of the engagement. This obligation survives the termination of the contractual relationship for a period of 36 months. Exceptions apply for information that: (a) is or becomes publicly available through no fault of the receiving party; (b) was known to the receiving party prior to disclosure; or (c) is required to be disclosed by law or regulatory authority.

4.6 Limitation of Liability

GranitePulseCore's total aggregate liability under any Project Agreement shall not exceed the total fees paid by the client under that agreement. In no event shall GranitePulseCore be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, business opportunities, or goodwill, regardless of the theory of liability.

4.7 Force Majeure

Neither party shall be liable for any failure or delay in performance resulting from causes beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to natural disasters, pandemics, government actions, war, terrorism, cyberattacks, or infrastructure failures affecting third-party service providers. The affected party shall promptly notify the other party and use commercially reasonable efforts to mitigate the impact.

4.8 Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms of Service and all Project Agreements are governed by the laws of Belgium. Any dispute arising from or relating to these terms shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Liège, Belgium. Prior to initiating formal proceedings, the parties agree to engage in good-faith mediation for a minimum period of 30 calendar days.

4.9 Amendments

GranitePulseCore reserves the right to modify these Terms of Service at any time. Updated terms will be published on this page with the revision date. Continued use of our platform after publication constitutes acceptance of the amended terms. For active Project Agreements, material changes will be communicated with 30 days' prior written notice.