Terms & Conditions

Terms of use for the ISBT Blood Group Database

Effective date: 1 April 2026

Below you can find the general Terms & Conditions for use of the website and the Application Programming Interface (API) of the Blood Group Database of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (further referred to as "ISBT"), accessible at https://blooddatabase.isbtweb.org and https://api-blooddatabase.isbtweb.org, respectively.

ISBT makes the website and API available on the following terms:

Acceptance of Terms

  1. By accessing and using this database, you agree to these Terms & Conditions and our Privacy Policy. The ISBT Blood Group Database is available to institutions and individuals. Users creating accounts must explicitly confirm acceptance.
  2. If you are using an offline browser that allows you to download content from a site and read it later, all terms of this agreement remain in effect.

Intellectual Property

  1. The concept of the ISBT Blood Group Database, including site layout, designs, images, programs, technical set-up, navigation and system features is the property of the ISBT.

Access Rights and Permitted Use

  1. The rights for your personal access cannot be transferred, sold or rented to anyone else.

User Attestation for Qualified Professionals

  1. By accessing this database, users attest that they are qualified healthcare professionals, researchers, or students working under appropriate supervision in fields related to transfusion medicine, immunohematology, genetics, or related disciplines. Users acknowledge they possess the necessary educational background and training to appropriately interpret and apply the scientific information contained herein. This database is not intended for use by the general public for self-diagnosis or medical decision-making.

Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation of Liability

  1. ISBT and the Working Party for Red Cell Immunogenetics and Blood Group Terminology accept no legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for purpose of the information contained in this database. While every effort is made to ensure the data is accurate and up-to-date, users should verify information independently before making clinical or research decisions.
  2. This database is provided for informational and educational purposes only. Healthcare professionals should always follow their institutional protocols and consult current literature when making clinical decisions related to blood group testing and transfusion medicine. Users agree to comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and ethical guidelines governing medical practice, research, and data protection in their jurisdiction.
  3. The ISBT Blood Group Database is permanently under development and changes may be made in the website and programs at any time. In no event shall ISBT or persons placing depositories on the system, nor any other party involved in the preparation of this material be liable for any indirect, special, incidental, punitive or consequential damages, including but not limited to loss of data, business interruption, or loss of profits, arising out of the use of or the inability to use the ISBT Blood Group Database.

Restrictions on Redistribution or Creating Derivative Databases

  1. Users may not redistribute, republish, or create derivative databases incorporating substantial portions of ISBT Blood Group Database content without prior written permission from ISBT. This restriction includes but is not limited to: creating mirror sites, incorporating data into commercial databases, or systematic extraction for compilation into alternative reference resources. Limited excerpts may be used in scientific publications, educational materials, or clinical documentation with proper citation.

API Usage Terms

  1. API access is provided openly for legitimate research, clinical, or educational purposes. Users are encouraged to use the API responsibly and avoid practices that may place unnecessary burden on system resources. While no registration is required, users should implement reasonable rate limiting in their applications to ensure continued availability for the broader community. ISBT reserves the right to implement technical safeguards if usage patterns significantly impact system performance or availability for other users.

Guidelines and Approval Process for Submitting New Alleles or Corrections

  1. Submissions of novel alleles, corrections, or updates to existing entries should be directed to the ISBT Working Party on Red Cell Immunogenetics and Blood Group Terminology through the designated submission portal. All submissions must include supporting evidence such as sequence data, serological findings, and relevant clinical context. Submitters must provide complete contact information and affirm that the data is original or properly authorized for submission.
  2. All submitted data undergoes scientific review by the ISBT Working Party on Red Cell Immunogenetics and Blood Group Terminology before inclusion in the database. The Working Party evaluates submissions for scientific validity, completeness, and adherence to established nomenclature standards. Review timelines vary based on submission complexity, and the Working Party's decisions regarding acceptance, modification, or rejection of submissions are final. Contributors will be notified of the outcome and may be contacted for additional information during the review process.

Intellectual Property Rights for Contributed Data

  1. By submitting data to the ISBT Blood Group Database, contributors (users who submit allele data) grant ISBT a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, distribute, and display the contributed information. Contributors retain ownership of their original data but acknowledge that approved submissions will be made publicly accessible and will remain available in the database unless removed at ISBT's sole discretion. The submitting party warrants that they have obtained all necessary permissions from co-owners, co-authors, patent holders, and other rights holders, and warrant that submissions do not infringe upon third-party intellectual property rights and patents. ISBT reserves the right to format, edit, or annotate contributed data to maintain database consistency and scientific standards.

Citation Requirements

  1. Any use of data or other information in whole or in part should include bibliographic citation, as outlined here: https://blooddatabase.isbtweb.org/about/citation

External Links and Third-Party Content

  1. ISBT may place links to other websites on the ISBT Blood Group Database. ISBT is not responsible for the content of external websites, as ISBT does not produce, maintain, or control them, and they can be changed without ISBT's knowledge or agreement. The inclusion of a link to an external website should not be understood to be an endorsement of that website, the content published, or the site's owners (or their products or services).
  2. Descriptions of, or references to products or publications neither constitutes nor implies a guarantee, endorsement or support of claims made of that product, publication or service.

Prohibited Activities

  1. You may not, without the approval of ISBT, use the ISBT Blood Group Database to publish or distribute any advertising, promotional material, or solicitation to other users of the ISBT Blood Group Database to use any goods or services.

Entire Agreement

  1. The terms of this Agreement constitute the entire agreement between you and ISBT with respect to the ISBT Blood Group Database and ISBT Services and supersede any prior written or oral representations or agreements.

Modifications to Terms

  1. ISBT reserves the right to modify the terms of this Agreement at any time. If we make any material changes, we will notify you by means of a notice on the website and by updating the "effective date" found at the top of this document. Registered users will additionally be notified by email.

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

  1. These General Terms & Conditions of Use are governed by the laws of the Netherlands. Any dispute that may arise shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

v1 April 2026 | See also our Privacy Policy