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Legal document · 05

Legal Notice & Medical Disclaimer

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Version
1.2
In force since
Last updated
Draft — pending legal review before publication
In this document
  1. 1. Identification
  2. 2. Nature of the service — decision support tool, not a healthcare provider
  3. 3. Does NOT replace medical advice
  4. 4. Notice for Athletes with clinical conditions
  5. 5. Limitations of the algorithmic engines — possibility of errors
  6. 6. Disclaimer of liability
  7. ⚠️ [UNDER LEGAL REVIEW] Qualification of the data controller
  8. 7. Responsible gamification — no incentive to harmful behaviour
  9. 8. Duty to validate sources
  10. 9. Intellectual property rights
  11. 10. External links
  12. 11. Governing law and jurisdiction
  13. 12. Contact

iBetterCoach Version: 1.2 Date: 27 July 2026

⚠️ Notice: Essential document for legal protection on a platform that touches on health. Requires review by a Portuguese lawyer before publication.

1. Identification

Legal name: [legal entity name TBD] VAT/Tax ID: [VAT/Tax ID TBD] Registered office: [Address TBD] Contact email: general@ibettercoach.com Website: [URL]

iBetterCoach is a technology platform that supports sport, wellness and health professionals (Personal Trainers, nutritionists, physical education teachers, physiotherapists) in prescribing and monitoring training and nutrition programmes for their clients ("Athletes").

2. Nature of the service — decision support tool, not a healthcare provider

iBetterCoach is NOT a healthcare provider. It is not a clinic, hospital, medical office, clinical nutrition practice or laboratory. It does not employ doctors, nutritionists or physiotherapists who provide care to the Athlete through the Platform.

iBetterCoach is a software tool that:

  • Organises clinical, anthropometric and sports data collected by the professional or by the Athlete
  • Applies calculations, rules and protocols configured from scientific references to suggest prescription options
  • Presents changes in records and results over time to support the professional's decisions

The qualified professional is always the final decision-maker. No Platform suggestion changes a prescription by itself: the professional must review it, adjust it where necessary and decide whether to apply it.

3. Does NOT replace medical advice

The suggestions, calculations, progress summaries, educational content and texts presented by the Platform:

  • Do not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment
  • Do not replace consultation with a doctor, nutritionist, physiotherapist or other legally qualified health professional
  • Should not be interpreted as individual medical recommendations
  • Are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease

In case of doubt about symptoms, clinical conditions, medication, intolerances, injuries or any other health issue, the user should seek a qualified health professional.

In case of medical emergency, the user must immediately call 112 (Portugal) or local emergency services.

4. Notice for Athletes with clinical conditions

Physical exercise and dietary changes may worsen pre-existing clinical conditions or trigger adverse events. Athletes presenting any of the following must mandatorily consult a doctor before starting any programme based on Platform suggestions:

  • Known or suspected cardiovascular disease
  • Uncontrolled hypertension
  • Diabetes (type 1 or 2)
  • Pulmonary disease (asthma, COPD)
  • Renal or liver disease
  • Eating disorders
  • Pregnancy or recent postpartum
  • Active musculoskeletal injury or recent surgery
  • Chronic medication
  • Age over 65 without recent screening
  • Family history of sudden death or early heart disease

The anamnesis integrated in the Platform aims to alert the professional to these signs but does not replace clinical screening. The anamnesis and sensitive health data (conditions, medication, surgeries) are entered by the Professional in the web application, and not by the Athlete in the mobile application.

Minors. The Platform is intended for Athletes from the age of 16. The submission of body photographs is prohibited for minors under 18 (technical block). For Athletes aged between 16 and 17 whose health data is processed, obtaining medical advice before starting any programme is especially recommended.

⚠️ [to be confirmed by legal counsel] whether, for Athletes aged between 16 and 17 and the processing of health data, the data subject's own explicit consent is sufficient, or whether the consent of the holder of parental responsibility is required.

5. Limitations of the algorithmic engines — possibility of errors

⚠️ Important notice: the Platform may produce incorrect information. iBetterCoach uses automated calculations that may generate results that are incorrect, outdated, incomplete or unsuitable for the specific case. No information presented by the Platform should be treated as absolute truth.

iBetterCoach uses deterministic calculation and rules engines:

  • These engines apply calculations, rules and protocols configured from scientific references, but do not know the Athlete as the professional does.
  • The rules engines may contain implementation errors, formulas outdated with respect to the most recent scientific guidelines, or rely on assumptions that do not apply to every person (e.g., specific clinical populations, elite athletes, pregnancy, paediatrics).
  • The knowledge bases (exercises, supplements, protocols) may be incomplete or contain inaccuracies, and scientific guidelines evolve.
  • The engines only process the data they receive — if the anamnesis is incomplete or contains input errors, suggestions will be limited or wrong.

The professional has the duty to critically validate every suggestion, complement it with their in-person assessment, cross-check it against their own reliable sources and adapt it to the specific case. The athlete has the duty to maintain a critical mindset and not to apply anything they are unsure about without first consulting their professional or a doctor.

6. Disclaimer of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, iBetterCoach shall not be liable, under any circumstances, for:

  • Clinical, prescription, training or nutrition decisions made by the professional or by the Athlete based on Platform suggestions
  • Injuries, adverse events, clinical worsening or other consequences resulting from exercise practice or dietary change
  • Decisions taken without validation by a qualified professional
  • Discrepancies between Platform suggestions and the best available scientific evidence at any given moment
  • Incorrect interpretation or improper use of information by the Athlete
  • Results not achieved (weight loss/gain, performance, hypertrophy, etc.)
  • Input errors by the professional or the Athlete

iBetterCoach acts as a support tool. Clinical and professional liability belongs to the qualified professional using the Platform. Personal responsibility belongs to the Athlete who undertakes to follow the programme. The allocation of responsibilities for data protection purposes (data controller / data processor) is subject to the qualification under legal review — see the relevant section.

This point is being determined through legal advice and may alter the framing of several sections of this document. There are two possible readings of iBetterCoach's role: (a) Data processor of the Athlete's data, processed on behalf of the Professional (data controller), under the DPA; or (b) Data controller, possibly as a joint controller with the Professional (Art. 26 GDPR), given that iBetterCoach maintains a direct relationship with the Athlete (their own account, acceptance of the Terms and consent provided directly to the Platform) and processes data for its own purposes (metrics/gamification, product improvement and security). The final determination will be reflected in this section, in the DPA document and in the consent flows. Pending validation by a lawyer specialised in GDPR.

7. Responsible gamification — no incentive to harmful behaviour

The Platform may present the Athlete with metrics, milestones and gamification elements designed to recognise adherence and the consolidation of healthy habits. These elements do not incentivise effort beyond the prescribed limits: the Platform does not promote exceeding goals at any cost (for example, "one more rep" or "one more kilometre"), it celebrates regularity and adherence, and it reinforces the Professional's prescription and never exceeds it.

Special care is applied to metrics relating to weight and body composition, as well as to the experience of underage Athletes, in order to avoid dynamics that could promote harmful relationships with exercise, food or body image.

8. Duty to validate sources

The educational content and scientific references on the Platform (e.g., ACSM, ISSN, Athlete's Plate, Meyer et al., FITT-VP) are summaries of the original sources. Users wishing to deepen their knowledge should consult:

  • Official guidelines from scientific societies (ACSM, ISSN, EFSA, WHO, DGS)
  • Scientific databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Scielo)
  • Qualified professionals for clinical clarification

iBetterCoach strives to keep content up to date but does not guarantee that it is always aligned with the latest evidence or most recent guidelines.

9. Intellectual property rights

All Platform content — including texts, layouts, code, prescription models, exercise and food databases, graphic design, the "iBetterCoach" brand and logos — is owned by iBetterCoach or licensed to it, and is protected by:

  • Portuguese Copyright and Related Rights Code (Decree-Law 63/85)
  • Portuguese Industrial Property Code (Decree-Law 110/2018)
  • Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 on the European Union trade mark
  • Directive (EU) 2019/790 on copyright in the Digital Single Market

Any reproduction, distribution, modification, automated scraping, reverse engineering or commercial use without prior written authorisation is prohibited.

The Platform may contain links to third-party sites (scientific societies, articles, equipment vendors). iBetterCoach is not responsible for the content, privacy policies or practices of those sites.

11. Governing law and jurisdiction

This Legal Notice is governed by Portuguese law. Any dispute regarding its interpretation or enforcement shall be submitted to the courts of [TBD], with express waiver of any other jurisdiction.

Without prejudice to the above, consumers may turn to alternative dispute resolution (ADR) bodies under Law 144/2015, namely:

⚠️ [to be confirmed by legal counsel] the competent jurisdiction and its interaction with mandatory consumer protection rules.

12. Contact

General email: general@ibettercoach.com Legal email: legal@ibettercoach.com DPO email: dpo@ibettercoach.com

Document prepared for iBetterCoach. Requires formal legal review before publication.

This document may be updated. The version in force is always the one available on this page.

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