Terms of Service

Our Intellectual Property

Your Use of Our Services

Your Submissions and Contributions

Account Registration

You may be required to register to use the Services. You agree to keep your password confidential and will be responsible for all use of your account and password. You must notify us immediately at [email protected] upon becoming aware of any unauthorized access to or use of your account.

Username Policy

We reserve the right to remove, reclaim, or change a username you select if we determine, in our sole discretion, that such username is inappropriate, obscene, or otherwise objectionable.

Age Requirement

You must be at least 18 years old to use this Service. By using StoryForMoney, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under 18, you may not create an account or use any part of the Service.

One Account Per Person

Each user may only maintain one account unless expressly authorized by us in writing (e.g., for business or institutional purposes). Creating unauthorized multiple accounts may result in termination of all accounts.

Product Types

StoryForMoney offers the following categories of digital products and services: (a) free access to user-generated content supported by advertising; (b) voluntary tips and donations to creators; (c) NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) representing digital collectibles of creative works on the Polygon blockchain, including book NFTs and standalone illustration NFTs; (d) commercial licenses for intellectual property exploitation across categories such as merchandise, film & TV, gaming, audio, publishing, and short video; and (e) illustration commercial use rights, allowing buyers to obtain commercial use authorization for illustrations when purchasing illustration NFTs. All products are digital in nature and subject to availability.

Digital Delivery

All products are delivered digitally. Free content is accessible instantly through the platform. Tips are processed via Stripe and credited to the creator's account. NFTs are minted and delivered to your blockchain wallet (powered by Coinbase Smart Contract Wallets) upon successful payment. Commercial licenses take effect upon execution of the electronic contract. No physical goods are shipped unless explicitly stated.

License, Not Ownership

Unless explicitly stated otherwise, purchasing a product on StoryForMoney grants you a limited license to access or use the product, not ownership of the underlying intellectual property. NFT purchases grant ownership of the digital token only and do not transfer any copyright or commercial rights to the underlying content. Commercial license purchases grant specific usage rights as defined in the applicable license agreement. For details, refer to our NFT Purchase Agreement and Commercial License Agreement.

Availability and Discontinuation

All products are subject to availability. We reserve the right to discontinue any products at any time for any reason. Prices for all products are subject to change. If a product you have purchased becomes unavailable due to platform action (not including content removal for Terms violations), we will make reasonable efforts to provide continued access or, where applicable, offer a pro-rata credit for unused commercial license periods.

Accepted Payment Methods

We accept credit and debit card payments processed via Stripe (including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover). All payments are processed securely through Stripe's payment infrastructure.

Payment Terms

You agree to provide current, complete, and accurate purchase and account information for all purchases made via the Services. You further agree to promptly update account and payment information, including email address, payment method, and payment card expiration date, so that we can complete your transactions and contact you as needed. All payments shall be in US dollars. You are responsible for any applicable sales tax or VAT as required by your jurisdiction. We may change prices with at least 30 days' advance notice via email and in-app notification. Price changes do not affect existing commercial license agreements.

Charges and Pricing

You agree to pay all charges at the prices then in effect for your purchases, and you authorize us to charge your chosen payment provider for any such amounts upon placing your order. For NFT purchases, an additional blockchain service fee applies as detailed in our Fee Schedule. We reserve the right to correct any errors or mistakes in pricing, even if we have already requested or received payment.

Order Limits

We reserve the right to refuse any order placed through the Services. We may, in our sole discretion, limit or cancel quantities purchased per person or per account. We reserve the right to limit or prohibit orders that, in our sole judgment, appear to be placed for purposes of market manipulation or abuse of platform features.

Creator Revenue

Creators receive revenue from their content minus applicable platform fees as detailed in our Fee Schedule. Platform fees vary by transaction type: 20% for tips and NFT sales, 30% for standard commercial licenses, 40% for exclusive commercial licenses, and 50% for advertising revenue. For derivative works, 20% of revenue is automatically distributed to the original creator as royalty. Non-advertising revenue (tips, NFT sales, commercial licenses) is settled immediately via Stripe Connect. Advertising revenue is settled monthly, with payouts processed within 10 business days of month-end. There is no minimum withdrawal amount.

Taxes

You are responsible for all applicable taxes related to your use of the Service. Creators are responsible for reporting and paying taxes on their earnings. Please consult with a local tax advisor to understand your specific tax obligations.

Payment Disputes

If you believe a charge is incorrect, please contact us at [email protected] within 30 days of the transaction. We will investigate and respond within 10 business days. If you initiate a chargeback through your card issuer, we may suspend your account pending resolution. We reserve the right to dispute any chargeback we believe to be fraudulent or unjustified. For failed payments, we will notify you and provide a reasonable period to update your payment information before canceling the order.

General Policy

Due to the nature of digital products and services, all sales are final and no refunds will be issued, except where required by applicable law.

Product-Specific Terms

• Tips and Donations: Tips are voluntary gifts to creators and are non-refundable once processed.
• NFTs: Blockchain transactions are technically irreversible. Once an NFT is minted or transferred to your wallet, the transaction cannot be undone.
• Commercial Licenses: License fees are non-refundable once the electronic contract is executed. For unsigned contracts, a 50% refund may be available if requested within 7 days of payment, as detailed in the Commercial License Agreement.

Consent to Immediate Digital Delivery

By completing a purchase, you expressly consent to the immediate delivery of digital content and acknowledge that you waive any applicable cooling-off or withdrawal rights to the extent permitted by law. Where local consumer protection laws provide mandatory refund or withdrawal rights that cannot be waived (such as the EU Consumer Rights Directive), those rights shall apply notwithstanding this policy.

Overview

The Services may invite you to chat, contribute to, or participate in blogs, message boards, online forums, and other functionality, and may provide you with the opportunity to create, submit, post, display, transmit, perform, publish, distribute, or broadcast content and materials to us or on the Services, including but not limited to text, writings, video, audio, photographs, graphics, comments, suggestions, or personal information or other material (collectively, "Contributions"). Contributions may be viewable by other users of the Services and through third-party websites. You retain all proprietary rights in your Contributions as set forth in Section 11 (Contribution License).

Content Warranties

When you create or make available any Contributions, you thereby represent and warrant that:

• The creation, distribution, transmission, public display, or performance, and the accessing, downloading, or copying of your Contributions do not and will not infringe the proprietary rights, including but not limited to the copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, or moral rights of any third party
• You are the creator and owner of or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, releases, and permissions to use and to authorize us, the Services, and other users of the Services to use your Contributions in any manner contemplated by the Services and these Legal Terms
• You have the written consent, release, and/or permission of each and every identifiable individual person in your Contributions to use the name or likeness of each and every such identifiable individual person to enable inclusion and use of your Contributions in any manner contemplated by the Services and these Legal Terms
• Your Contributions are not false, inaccurate, or misleading
• Your Contributions are not unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, pyramid schemes, chain letters, spam, mass mailings, or other forms of solicitation
• Your Contributions are not obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, harassing, libelous, slanderous, or otherwise objectionable (as determined by us). Content containing sexual or violent elements must be properly labeled through the Platform's content rating system and restricted to age-verified users only; failure to properly label adult content will be considered a violation
• Your Contributions do not ridicule, mock, disparage, intimidate, or abuse anyone
• Your Contributions are not used to harass or threaten (in the legal sense of those terms) any other person and to promote violence against a specific person or class of people
• Your Contributions do not violate any applicable law, regulation, or rule
• Your Contributions do not violate the privacy or publicity rights of any third party
• Your Contributions do not violate any applicable law concerning child pornography, or otherwise intended to protect the health or well-being of minors
• Your Contributions do not include any offensive comments that are connected to race, national origin, gender, sexual preference, or physical handicap
• Your Contributions do not otherwise violate, or link to material that violates, any provision of these Legal Terms, or any applicable law or regulation

Violation Consequences

Any use of the Services in violation of the foregoing violates these Legal Terms and may result in, among other things, termination or suspension of your rights to use the Services.

Content Ownership and License

You and the Services agree that we may access, store, process, and use any information and personal data that you provide and your choices (including settings). By submitting suggestions or other feedback regarding the Services, you agree that we can use and share such feedback for any purpose without compensation to you. By posting Contributions through the Services, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, copy, reproduce, display, distribute, and create derivative works of your Contributions solely to the extent necessary for operating, promoting, and improving the Services. This license continues for as long as your Contributions remain on the Services and for a reasonable period thereafter for archival and backup purposes.

No Ownership Claim

We do not assert any ownership over your Contributions. You retain full ownership of all of your Contributions and any intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights associated with your Contributions. We are not liable for any statements or representations in your Contributions provided by you in any area on the Services. You are solely responsible for your Contributions to the Services and you agree not to hold us liable for any third-party claims arising from your Contributions, including claims of intellectual property infringement, defamation, or violation of applicable law.

Our Rights to Remove Content

We have the right, in our sole discretion, (1) to re-categorize any Contributions to place them in more appropriate locations on the Services; and (2) to pre-screen, take down, or delete any Contributions at any time and for any reason. For urgent matters (such as illegal content, DMCA takedowns, or imminent safety concerns), we may act without prior notice. In all other cases, we will make reasonable efforts to notify the creator of the removal reason. We do not edit, redact, or modify the content of your Contributions. We have no obligation to monitor your Contributions.

Third-Party Account Linking

As part of the functionality of the Services, you may link your account with online accounts you have with third-party service providers (each such account, a "Third-Party Account") by either: (1) providing your Third-Party Account login information through the Services; or (2) allowing us to access your Third-Party Account, as is permitted under the applicable terms and conditions that govern your use of each Third-Party Account. You represent and warrant that you are entitled to disclose your Third-Party Account login information to us and/or grant us access to your Third-Party Account, without breach by you of any of the terms and conditions that govern your use of the applicable Third-Party Account, and without obligating us to pay any fees or making us subject to any usage limitations imposed by the third-party service provider of the Third-Party Account.

Access to Social Network Content

By granting us access to any Third-Party Accounts, you understand that (1) we may access, make available, and store (if applicable) any content that you have provided to and stored in your Third-Party Account (the "Social Network Content") so that it is available on and through the Services via your account, including without limitation any friend lists and (2) we may submit to and receive from your Third-Party Account additional information to the extent you are notified when you link your account with the Third-Party Account.

Privacy and Availability

Depending on the Third-Party Accounts you choose and subject to the privacy settings that you have set in such Third-Party Accounts, personally identifiable information that you post to your Third-Party Accounts may be available on and through your account on the Services. Please note that if a Third-Party Account or associated service becomes unavailable or our access to such Third-Party Account is terminated by the third-party service provider, then Social Network Content may no longer be available on and through the Services.

Disabling Connections

You will have the ability to disable the connection between your account on the Services and your Third-Party Accounts at any time. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDERS ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR THIRD-PARTY ACCOUNTS IS GOVERNED SOLELY BY YOUR AGREEMENT(S) WITH SUCH THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDERS.

Social Network Content Disclaimer

We make no effort to review any Social Network Content for any purpose, including but not limited to, for accuracy, legality, or non-infringement, and we are not responsible for any Social Network Content. You can deactivate the connection between the Services and your Third-Party Account by contacting us using the contact information below or through your account settings (if applicable). We will attempt to delete any information stored on our servers that was obtained through such Third-Party Account, except the username and profile picture that become associated with your account.

Notifications

We respect the intellectual property rights of others. If you believe that any material available on or through the Services infringes upon any copyright you own or control, please immediately notify our Designated Copyright Agent using the contact information provided below (a "Notification"). A copy of your Notification will be sent to the person who posted or stored the material addressed in the Notification. Please be advised that pursuant to federal law you may be held liable for damages if you make material misrepresentations in a Notification. Thus, if you are not sure that material located on or linked to by the Services infringes your copyright, you should consider first contacting an attorney.

All Notifications should meet the requirements of DMCA 17 U.S.C. 512(c)(3) and include the following information:

• A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed
• Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works on the Services are covered by the Notification, a representative list of such works on the Services
• Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material
• Information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact the complaining party, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an email address at which the complaining party may be contacted
• A statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law
• A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed upon

Counter Notification

If you believe your own copyrighted material has been removed from the Services as a result of a mistake or misidentification, you may submit a written counter notification to our Designated Copyright Agent using the contact information provided below (a "Counter Notification"). To be an effective Counter Notification under the DMCA, your Counter Notification must include substantially the following:

• Identification of the material that has been removed or disabled and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or disabled
• A statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court in which your address is located, or if your address is outside the United States, for any judicial district in which we are located
• A statement that you will accept service of process from the party that filed the Notification or the party's agent
• Your name, address, and telephone number
• A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good faith belief that the material in question was removed or disabled as a result of a mistake or misidentification of the material to be removed or disabled
• Your physical or electronic signature

If you send us a valid, written Counter Notification meeting the requirements described above, we will restore your removed or disabled material, unless we first receive notice from the party filing the Notification informing us that such party has filed a court action to restrain you from engaging in infringing activity related to the material in question. Please note that if you materially misrepresent that the disabled or removed content was removed by mistake or misidentification, you may be liable for damages, including costs and attorney's fees. Filing a false Counter Notification constitutes perjury.

Processing Timeline

• Within 24 hours: Acknowledgment of receipt of your DMCA notice
• Within 1-3 business days: Initial review of the claim
• Within 3-5 business days: If valid, content will be removed or disabled
• Within 5 business days: Notification sent to the alleged infringer

Strike System

• First Strike: Warning and content removal. The user is notified of the infringement.
• Second Strike: Account suspension for 30 days and removal of infringing content.
• Third Strike: Permanent account termination. All content is removed from the platform.

False Claims Penalties

Submitting false DMCA notices is illegal and may result in liability for damages. Using the DMCA process to harass competitors or remove legitimate content is prohibited and may result in rejection of future claims, account termination, or referral to legal authorities.

Terms in Effect

These Legal Terms shall remain in full force and effect while you use the Services.

Termination by Us

WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF THESE LEGAL TERMS, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION AND WITHOUT NOTICE OR LIABILITY, DENY ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SERVICES (INCLUDING BLOCKING CERTAIN IP ADDRESSES), TO ANY PERSON FOR ANY REASON OR FOR NO REASON, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION FOR BREACH OF ANY REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, OR COVENANT CONTAINED IN THESE LEGAL TERMS OR OF ANY APPLICABLE LAW OR REGULATION. WE MAY TERMINATE YOUR USE OR PARTICIPATION IN THE SERVICES OR DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT AND ANY CONTENT OR INFORMATION THAT YOU POSTED AT ANY TIME, WITHOUT WARNING, IN OUR SOLE DISCRETION.

Post-Termination Restrictions

If we terminate or suspend your account for any reason, you are prohibited from registering and creating a new account under your name, a fake or borrowed name, or the name of any third party, even if you may be acting on behalf of the third party. In addition to terminating or suspending your account, we reserve the right to take appropriate legal action, including without limitation pursuing civil, criminal, and injunctive redress.

Effect of Termination

Upon termination: (a) your right to use the Service will cease immediately; (b) your published content may be removed from the platform; (c) all pending revenue will be paid out to your Stripe account according to our standard payment schedule. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination shall survive, including ownership provisions, warranty disclaimers, indemnification, and limitations of liability.

Right to Modify

We reserve the right to change, modify, or remove the contents of the Services at any time or for any reason at our sole discretion. For material changes that significantly affect your use of the Services (such as removing core features, changing monetization models, or discontinuing the Services entirely), we will provide at least 30 days' advance notice via email and/or in-app notification. Minor updates, bug fixes, and routine improvements may be made without prior notice. We will not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, price change, suspension, or discontinuance of the Services, provided that we have complied with the notice obligations set forth herein.

Service Interruptions

We cannot guarantee the Services will be available at all times. We may experience hardware, software, or other problems or need to perform maintenance related to the Services, resulting in interruptions, delays, or errors. We reserve the right to change, revise, update, suspend, discontinue, or otherwise modify the Services at any time or for any reason without notice to you. You agree that we have no liability whatsoever for any loss, damage, or inconvenience caused by your inability to access or use the Services during any downtime or discontinuance of the Services. Nothing in these Legal Terms will be construed to obligate us to maintain and support the Services or to supply any corrections, updates, or releases in connection therewith.

Binding Arbitration

Court Proceedings

If for any reason, a Dispute proceeds in court rather than arbitration, the Dispute shall be commenced or prosecuted in the state and federal courts located in New Castle County, Delaware, and the Parties hereby consent to, and waive all defenses of lack of personal jurisdiction, and forum non conveniens with respect to venue and jurisdiction in such state and federal courts.

International Law Exclusions

Application of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and the Uniform Computer Information Transaction Act (UCITA) are excluded from these Legal Terms.

Statute of Limitations

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, no Dispute brought by either Party related in any way to the Services shall be commenced more than one (1) year after the cause of action arose. Where applicable law requires a longer limitation period, the minimum period required by such law shall apply. If this provision is found to be illegal or unenforceable, then neither Party will elect to arbitrate any Dispute falling within that portion of this provision found to be illegal or unenforceable and such Dispute shall be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction within the courts listed for jurisdiction above, and the Parties agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of that court.

Restrictions

The Parties agree that any arbitration shall be limited to the Dispute between the Parties individually. To the full extent permitted by law, (a) no arbitration shall be joined with any other proceeding; (b) there is no right or authority for any Dispute to be arbitrated on a class-action basis or to utilize class action procedures; and (c) there is no right or authority for any Dispute to be brought in a purported representative capacity on behalf of the general public or any other persons.

Exceptions to Arbitration

The Parties agree that the following Disputes are not subject to the above provisions concerning binding arbitration: (a) any Disputes seeking to enforce or protect, or concerning the validity of, any of the intellectual property rights of a Party; (b) any Dispute related to, or arising from, allegations of theft, piracy, invasion of privacy, or unauthorized use; and (c) any claim for injunctive relief. If this provision is found to be illegal or unenforceable, then neither Party will elect to arbitrate any Dispute falling within that portion of this provision found to be illegal or unenforceable and such Dispute shall be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction within the courts listed for jurisdiction above, and the Parties agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of that court.

Blockchain Features

StoryForMoney offers optional blockchain-based features including intellectual property registration and NFT creation on the Polygon blockchain network. NFTs are minted using the ERC-721 standard (unique, single-edition tokens for original works) and the ERC-1155 standard (multi-edition tokens for derivative works and collectibles). Wallets are provided through Coinbase Smart Contract Wallets (email-based registration, no cryptocurrency or seed phrases required).

Blockchain Risks

By using blockchain features, you acknowledge and accept the following risks:

• Blockchain transactions are irreversible once confirmed
• The value of NFTs may fluctuate significantly or become worthless; NFTs should not be purchased as investments
• You are responsible for securing your wallet credentials (email and recovery information)
• Lost wallet access may result in permanent loss of assets; StoryForMoney and Coinbase cannot recover lost wallet credentials
• While the NFT record exists on the blockchain, the availability of associated content may depend on external storage systems (such as IPFS) and is not permanently guaranteed
• Regulatory changes may affect blockchain functionality or NFT ownership

Smart Contracts

NFT operations are executed through smart contracts deployed on the Polygon blockchain. The Platform makes every effort to ensure that smart contracts undergo security audits, but cannot guarantee that contracts are completely free of vulnerabilities. If a vulnerability is discovered, we will notify affected users as soon as reasonably practicable and take appropriate remedial action.

Transaction Fees

The Platform covers blockchain gas fees on your behalf through a fixed Web3 Blockchain Technology Service Fee (e.g., $1.00 per NFT purchase). You are not required to hold cryptocurrency or pay gas fees directly. For detailed fee rates, please refer to our Fee Schedule.

Wallet Security

Your wallet is managed through Coinbase's smart contract infrastructure. The Platform does not custody your wallet and cannot access, control, or recover your wallet or the assets within it. You are solely responsible for maintaining the security of your wallet credentials (email and recovery information) and for all activities conducted through your wallet.

Transfer and Secondary Sales

The Platform currently does not provide a secondary marketplace for NFT resale. You may transfer or sell NFTs through external channels (e.g., third-party marketplaces or direct blockchain transactions). The Platform bears no responsibility for transactions conducted outside the Platform. There is no automatic royalty mechanism for secondary sales conducted off-platform.

Complete NFT Terms

This section provides a summary of blockchain and NFT terms. For complete terms governing NFT purchases, including detailed rights, restrictions, refund exceptions, and dispute resolution, please refer to our NFT Purchase Agreement.

Reporting Violations

Users may report content that violates these Terms. We will review reports and take appropriate action, which may include content removal, account suspension, or termination.

Content Removal

Content may be removed or suspended if: (a) it is reported and found to violate these Terms; (b) it fails originality verification; (c) it is subject to a valid DMCA takedown notice; or (d) it violates applicable laws. We will notify the content owner of the removal reason when possible.

Appeals

If your content is removed, you may appeal by contacting us within 14 days. For content removed due to originality verification failure, you may revise and resubmit the content for review.

No Liability for Removal

We are not liable for any content removal decisions made in good faith. We reserve the right to remove any content at our sole discretion.

Overview

StoryForMoney is a digital content creation and publishing platform that enables creators to publish, monetize, and protect their original works, including novels, stories, manga, comics, illustrations, visual artworks, and other creative content.

Platform Features

• Content creation and publishing tools
• Digital marketplace for selling and purchasing content
• Blockchain-based intellectual property registration and NFT creation (including books and standalone illustrations)
• Derivative works creation with automatic revenue sharing to original authors
• Community features including comments, reviews, and social interactions
• Analytics and creator dashboard
• Payment processing and revenue distribution

Derivative Works

Creators may optionally enable derivative works for their content. By default, derivative works are disabled; the original creator must explicitly enable this feature. By enabling it, you grant other users a limited license to create new works based on your original content, subject to automatic revenue sharing. Derivative creators must clearly attribute the original work, obtain authorization through the platform's derivative works system, and comply with the original creator's settings. For detailed fee breakdowns, please refer to our Fee Schedule.

Content Rating

You must accurately rate your content according to our content rating system. Failure to properly rate mature or adult content may result in content removal or account suspension.