Questel’s Artificial Intelligence
Policy

This AI Policy is issued by Questel group, comprising Questel SAS and its affiliated entities (hereinafter “Questel”), and governs the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence across its technologies. 

Artificial intelligence may be integrated into Questel’s SaaS software solutions, databases and services for the management of intellectual property assets (hereinafter the “Services”). The integration of artificial intelligence (hereinafter “AI”), particularly generative AI, raises new and essential questions regarding ethics, transparency, and responsibility. 

This AI Policy represents Questel's commitment to developing and deploying AI responsibly, ensuring that its innovations adhere to clear ethical principles, serving its clients, and protecting their data.

The Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) is a European Union regulation concerning AI which came into force on July, 12th 2024. Questel commits to comply with the European AI legislation, and other applicable laws regarding AI systems.

Questel embraces this transparency principle as an essential foundation of its AI innovations. This commitment is 
reflected not only in this policy but also through a clear and effective guarantee in Questel’s Services.

Questel also maintains a robust contractual framework to govern the protection of data and the use of its Services, in compliance with the Master Services Agreement (MSA), Data Processing Agreement (DPA), including Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), signed between Questel and its clients. These contractual documents establish a clear and legally binding framework to safeguard client data and ensure the responsible and transparent use of Services.

More broadly, Questel is committed to full transparency regarding the third-party providers Questel works with, as outlined in Questel’s Personal Data Protection Policy. Additionally, Questel provides clear information about the capabilities and limitations of its Services, so its clients can use the said Services with full confidence.

Questel ensures to prioritize security and confidentiality of client’s data incorporated into Questel’s Services. As an ISO 27001-certified company, Questel adheres to the highest international standards for information security management.

When using Questel’s Services, Questel commits to:
- Implementing robust organizational and technical security measures to safeguard client data, including access control, encryption, continuous monitoring, and regular audits.

- Ensuring that any third-party providers involved in Questel’s Services comply with Questel’s security and data protection standards.

- Providing full confidentiality and integrity on how client’s data is processed and stored. Questel ensures that its third-party providers undertake not to use client data to train or improve any of their own AI or machine learning models.

All AI systems deployed by Questel adhere to the personal data protection principles (data minimization, transparency, and lawful processing), ensuring compliance with applicable personal data protection regulations. Personal data processed by Questel as part of the Services are secured with appropriate technical and organizational measures, as mentioned in the previous section, with safeguards to prevent unauthorized access, bias, or misuse. Questel commits to protect personal data protection rights.

For further details on Questel’s data privacy practices, please refer to Questel’s General Personal Data Policy. For any privacy-related inquiries or concerns, you may contact Questel’s group Data Protection Officer (DPO) at dpo@questel.com.

Questel’s Services are designed to provide advanced AI functionalities to support its clients. However, the use of these Services remains under the professional responsibility of each client. Additionally, by using Questel’s Services, client acknowledges and agrees that Questel’s Services are not intended to replace or substitute the expertise and judgment of legal professionals. Clients are responsible for reviewing and verifying the accuracy and completeness of any AIgenerated outputs and should seek professional legal advice before relying on them. Clients should ensure that any personal or confidential information that they do not wish to be processed by the AI engine is not submitted to such Services as prompts.

Questel does not guarantee the absolute accuracy of the AI content generated by its Services. Given the potential for errors or "hallucinations" in the output, which are inherent to AI, Questel expressly disclaims any liability for such inaccuracies. 

Nonetheless, Questel is committed to:
• Respecting this AI Policy and its principles.
• Providing transparency on the capabilities and limitations of its AI Services.
• Safeguarding privacy and ensuring the protection of personal data in compliance with applicable data protection regulations.
• Maintaining robust security measures to prevent unauthorized access and misuse of its Services. 

To ensure the practical implementation and ongoing evaluation of its AI ethical principles, Questel has established an AI Committee and a dedicated AI taskforce, as part of its internal governance framework. This committee brings together representatives from Legal, Information Security, Data Privacy, and Business Development teams to align AI innovations with Questel’s commitment to responsible and transparent AI development. Additionally, Questel ensures the ongoing internal training of its employees on AI related topics, including ethical considerations, data privacy and security. This initiative is fully in line with Questel’s values helping our clients succeed in the modern knowledge-based economy, in an efficient, secure and sustainable way.