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Publisher Agreement

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Summary Publisher Agreement Content Ownership and Limited License Pricing and Payments Relationships with Subscribers Acceptable Use Privacy Termination of Account Changes to this Agreement

Summary

Publisher Agreement

Welcome to PolicyCON! We are pleased that you have chosen to publish with us.  

This Publisher Agreement (“Agreement”) is a binding contract between you and PolicyCON Limited. (“we”, “us”, “our”). It contains the rules and restrictions that govern your use of PolicyCON’s products and services (referred to below simply as “PolicyCON”) to publish policy reviews, newsletters on developments within the policy areas of interest and consultation with subscribers, and any other content, and any content therein. If you use PolicyCON for this purpose, you are a Publisher and must create a Publisher account. This Agreement refers to people who subscribe to your Publications as Subscribers.  

Using PolicyCON in any way means that you agree to this Agreement, which will remain in effect while you use PolicyCON. This Agreement includes everything in this document, as well as those in the Terms of Use,Privacy Policy, and all other rules and procedures that we may publish from time to time on PolicyCON. In the event of any conflict between this Agreement and any other terms and conditions you have agreed to with PolicyCON, this Agreement will prevail concerning its subject matter.

You must be of legal age to form a binding contract to use PolicyCON. If you are not, you need to get your parent’s or guardian’s permission to use PolicyCON, and your parent or guardian will agree to this Agreement on your behalf.  

Content Ownership and Limited License

License Granted to PolicyCON: When you share a Post on PolicyCON, you grant PolicyCON a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to distribute, supply, and perform your Post. This license is necessary to ensure your content is available and functional within the platform.

Rights of Other Users:

Subscribers:
Viewing: Subscribers can view your content as per the platform’s functionalities.
Sharing: Subscribers may share your content within the platform.
Restrictions: Subscribers do not have the right to modify, copy, or create derivative works from your content without your explicit permission.
Other Publishers:
Viewing and Commenting: Publishers can view, comment on, and share your content within the platform.
Restrictions: Publishers do not have the right to modify, copy, or create derivative works from your content without your explicit written permission.

These permissions are intended to facilitate engagement and interaction while ensuring your content's integrity and ownership remain protected.

Content Removal: You retain the right to remove your own content from the platform at any time. Once removed, PolicyCON will no longer have the license to distribute, supply, or perform your content.

Intellectual Property Protection: PolicyCON respects the intellectual property rights of all users. Any content found to infringe upon intellectual property rights will be removed promptly, and appropriate action will be taken against the infringing party.

Indemnity: You agree to indemnify and hold PolicyCON harmless from any claims arising from your content that infringes upon third-party intellectual property rights. This includes any legal fees and damages that may be incurred.

Pricing and Payments

The following standards guide your interactions with Subscribers and other PolicyCON users:

Publication Pricing

Setting Subscription Fees:

As an analyst (publisher) on PolicyCON, you have the flexibility to set your own subscription fees. These fees can vary based on the duration (monthly, annually) and any special packages you may offer.
Each subscription plan you offer will be unique to you and clearly detailed on your profile page, allowing subscribers to understand what they are paying for and the value they will receive.
For example, you may offer a monthly subscription for £100, an annual subscription for £1,000, and a special early supporter’s package for £10,000. Each package should outline the specific benefits and content access included.

Adjusting Subscription Fees:

You may adjust your pricing at your discretion. However, any price changes will take effect immediately for new subscribers who subscribe after the change.
For existing subscribers, price changes will take effect after the expiry date of their current subscription. This ensures subscribers have ample time to decide whether to continue with the new pricing or cancel their subscription.
Subscribers will be notified via email of any price changes. If a price change occurs in the middle of a subscription period (e.g., monthly or annually), the current rate will remain in effect until the end of the current billing cycle.
No Circumvention

Payment processing should happen only per our designated procedure, using the chosen third-party platform (Payment Processor) and following our specified guidelines. You commit not to bypass payment obligations by seeking external payments or using alternative methods. Inform us promptly of any attempt to bypass payment obligations.
Taxes
UK-Based Analysts:Non-UK Analysts:PolicyCON's Tax Handling:
As a UK-based analyst, you are responsible for accounting for VAT on the subscription fees collected from your subscribers if you are VAT registered.
PolicyCON will withhold the relevant VAT amount during each transaction to simplify the process and ensure compliance. This means that PolicyCON, as a UK-based company, will handle the VAT filing on behalf of the analysts.
The subscription fees you set should be exclusive of VAT, and the applicable VAT will be added at checkout, visible to the subscriber before payment is made.
As a UK-based analyst, you are responsible for accounting for VAT on the subscription fees collected from your subscribers if you are VAT registered.
PolicyCON will withhold the relevant VAT amount during each transaction to simplify the process and ensure compliance. This means that PolicyCON, as a UK-based company, will handle the VAT filing on behalf of the analysts.
The subscription fees you set should be exclusive of VAT, and the applicable VAT will be added at checkout, visible to the subscriber before payment is made.
To streamline the process and ensure compliance, PolicyCON will withhold the relevant taxes during each transaction.
These withheld taxes will be paid to the appropriate tax authorities on behalf of the analysts.
Analysts will receive tax advice from Stripe, which they can use to file for reimbursement or other tax purposes as needed.
Revenue Share
PolicyCON operates on an 80:20 revenue-sharing model in favour of the analyst. This means analysts receive 80% of the subscription fees paid by their subscribers, while PolicyCON retains 20%.
The exact revenue share percentage will be clearly stated during your account registration process and is agreed upon when you join PolicyCON.
Throughout the term of this agreement, Stripe, our designated Payment Processor, will handle all financial transactions, including the disbursement of your entitled Revenue Share.
Payments will be processed routinely as you accumulate revenue from your subscribers.
Revenue Share payments are non-refundable. Once a subscriber has paid for your subscription and the revenue has been processed, it is final and cannot be reclaimed by either the subscriber or PolicyCON.
Transparency in Calculations

We highlight transparency by providing a detailed breakdown of how Revenue Share percentages are calculated as shown above. This information is prominently displayed during Publisher account registration, ensuring clarity from the outset.
Data Accuracy

You are responsible for providing accurate and up-to-date payment and tax identification information. This data includes requesting information about your Publications helping in smooth financial transactions.
By enhancing these provisions, we aim to facilitate a transparent and clear framework for pricing, revenue sharing and payments, improving trust and ensuring compliance with consumer protection laws.

Relationships with Subscribers

Your engagement with clients, Subscribers and other PolicyCON users are subject to the following terms:

Sole Responsibility

You recognise that you bear exclusive responsibility for the content you distribute and the advice you offer to Subscribers through PolicyCON. Our role under this Agreement is to facilitate distribution, acknowledging that the ultimate accountability for your Publications lies with you. This underpins that you are responsible for the correct distribution of your content.
Stopping or Deleting Publications

You have the independence to halt or delete the publication of your content on PolicyCON as per your preference. However, it is significant to note that removing or ceasing a Publication before a Subscriber’s paid subscription terms places the obligation – including potential refunds – solely on your shoulder. We hold no obligation to issue, retain and refund any Revenue Share previously remitted.
Account Closure Process:

Handling Existing Subscriptions:

Compensation for Subscribers:
Analysts wishing to close their accounts must provide written notice to PolicyCON at least 30 days before the desired closure date. This allows PolicyCON sufficient time to manage existing subscriptions and communicate changes to subscribers.
Upon receipt of the closure notice, PolicyCON will acknowledge the request and provide guidance on any necessary steps or outstanding actions required for account closure.
Analysts with active subscribers must honour their existing subscriptions until the end of the current billing cycle. For example, if an analyst has subscribers on a monthly plan and decides to close their account in the middle of the month, they must continue providing their services until the month’s end.
PolicyCON will inform subscribers of the impending account closure, providing them with alternative recommendations for other analysts they might be interested in subscribing to.
If an analyst chooses to close their account regardless of the existing subscriptions in place, the analyst will be required to pay the full subscription amount, including the portion paid to PolicyCON, as compensation to the affected subscribers.
This ensures that subscribers are adequately compensated for any inconvenience caused by the sudden termination of the analyst’s services.
Disputes

In disputes with users about payments or other matters, we are not obligated to intervene, nor can we be held responsible for such disagreements. We would not provide legal counsel regarding these issues, and the responsibility for your relationships with users lies with you.
Initial Resolution Attempts:
If a dispute arises between you (the Analyst) and PolicyCON, or between you and subscribers, or any other third party, you should first report the issue via the "Contact Us" page on our website. We will review your report and respond via email with the appropriate course of action within 10 business days.
Formal Resolution Process:
Should the initial resolution attempt be unsatisfactory, the following formal process will be initiated:
Written Notice: You must provide written notice to PolicyCON detailing the nature of the dispute, relevant facts, and desired resolution.
Response Time: PolicyCON will respond in writing within 30 days, either agreeing to the proposed resolution or suggesting an alternative solution.
Negotiation: Both parties will negotiate in good faith to reach a mutually agreeable solution within 60 days of the initial written notice.
Mediation:
If the dispute remains unresolved, both parties agree to engage in mediation with a neutral third-party mediator mutually agreed upon.
Mediation will be confidential and conducted according to the rules of the chosen mediation service.
Each party will bear its own costs for the mediation, and the costs of the mediator will be shared equally.
Arbitration:
If mediation does not resolve the dispute, the matter will be referred to arbitration in accordance with the rules of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA).
The arbitration decision will be final and binding, and enforceable in any court of competent jurisdiction.
Each party will bear its own costs for arbitration, and the costs of the arbitrator(s) will be shared equally.
Governing Law:
This Agreement and any dispute or claim arising from it shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.
Confidentiality:
All proceedings related to the dispute, including negotiation, mediation, and arbitration, will be conducted confidentially. Both parties agree not to disclose information related to the dispute without prior written consent from the other party, except as required by law.
Exclusions:
This clause does not prevent either party from seeking interim relief, such as an injunction, in a court of competent jurisdiction to preserve the status quo or prevent irreparable harm.
Support

You are required to provide an active email address through which we can address inquiries from Subscribers and other PolicyCON users about your Publications. This allows effective communication between you, Subscribers and other users.
Reporting a User

If a user breaches our Terms of Use, you can contact us through our Contact Us form to notify us of it. Following notification, we will judge whether the user’s access to your Publications and other services should be terminated or suspended. The user’s overall access to PolicyCON is at our discretion.

Acceptable Use

Your actions within PolicyCON are your responsibility! Ensure your conduct correlates with legal requirements and this Agreement. If using PolicyCON breaches any applicable laws, your authorisation to use the platform is null. We cannot be held responsible if you use PolicyCON illegally.

You also commit to using PolicyCON in a manner that respects consumer protection laws. Specifically, you will not:

Engage in deceptive, harmful, or abusive practices that breach PolicyCON's Content Guidelines.
Damage, disrupt, or illegitimately access PolicyCON's or any third party's devices, services or networks.
Infringe on regulations, laws, or the rights of any third party. This includes 3rd party intellectual property laws.
PolicyCON is not responsible for any consequences resulting posting anything that infringes any intellectual property including third party intellectual property. This means any claim of the sort that is received by PolicyCON will be passed over to you for your perusal.
Introduce malicious software like viruses, trojan horses, or other harmful code.

We highly encourage you to thoroughly review our Terms of Use. These rules are vital to creating a trustworthy and secure environment for all users, ensuring compliance with consumer protection laws and safeguarding everyone’s rights.

Privacy

We prioritise your privacy at PolicyCON, conforming to robust data and privacy protection laws. Your personally identifiable information (‘Personal Information’) and that of other users are processed per relevant regulations. To delve into our data procedure practices for Personal Information, please refer to our up-to-date PolicyCON Privacy Policy.

Correlated with our Privacy Policy, we may collect specific information about how Subscribers interact with Publishers’ Services. We may share some of this data with you at our discretion, including metrics such as page views, referral data, Subscriber counts and open rates. It is significant to recognise that PolicyCON retains the sole right to share this information with you.

It is pivotal to comprehend that our Privacy Policy pertains solely to PolicyCON’s role as a data controller, which covers situations where we process Personal Information for our own purposes. When PolicyCON processes Personal Information on your behalf as a Publisher, PolicyCON takes on the role of a data processor while you act as a data controller, as stated by relevant data protection laws. In such cases, the subsequent terms regulate this data processing relationship, ensuring correlation with consumer protection regulation.

Termination of Account

Either party holds the power to terminate this Agreement at their discretion, and this termination can be established at any time and for any reason. Once this Agreement is terminated, your access to PolicyCON will immediately cease.

Termination by the Analyst:

Analysts retain the right to terminate this Agreement at their discretion. Termination can be effectuated at any time by providing written notice to PolicyCON at least 30 days before the desired termination date.
Upon the termination of this Agreement, your access to PolicyCON will promptly cease. You will no longer be able to publish content or interact with subscribers through the platform.

PolicyCON’s Right to Terminate:

PolicyCON reserves the right to terminate, limit, or suspend your access to or use of the platform at any time and for any reason. This may include circumstances such as a breach of the terms and conditions outlined in this Agreement, engagement in unacceptable or offensive conduct, dissemination of objectionable material, or any actions contravening our specified guidelines.
In the event of technical issues affecting the platform, PolicyCON will make reasonable efforts to promptly notify you about the suspension or significant limitations of access to PolicyCON.

Impact on Active Subscriptions:

If you choose to terminate this Agreement, you must honour all existing subscriptions until the end of the current billing cycle. This ensures that subscribers receive the full value of their subscriptions without disruption.
If termination occurs in the middle of a billing cycle, you are responsible for compensating subscribers for the remaining period. You must pay the full subscription amount, including the portion paid to PolicyCON, as compensation to the affected subscribers.

Termination by the Subscriber:

Subscribers can terminate their subscription at any time by accessing their account settings on the PolicyCON platform and cancelling their subscription. Termination will take effect at the end of the current billing cycle.
If a subscriber terminates their subscription in the middle of a billing cycle, they will continue to have access to the subscribed content until the end of the current billing cycle, after which no further payments will be charged.
PolicyCON will notify subscribers of any price changes by the analyst. Subscribers have the right to reject the new price by cancelling their subscription before the next billing cycle. If a price change occurs in the middle of a subscription period, subscribers will be notified immediately to prevent automatic payment of the new fee and will have the option to opt-out.

Content and Data Management:

Upon termination, all content published by you will be archived and removed from public view on the PolicyCON platform.
You must ensure that all outstanding consultations and engagements are completed before the termination date.
PolicyCON will retain certain data for legal and compliance purposes, but this data will no longer be publicly accessible.

Changes to this Agreement

In our constant pursuit of improving our products and services, it is possible that this Agreement may need to develop alongside PolicyCON. We retain the right to modify this Agreement at any time, but we are committed to notifying you in the event of such modification. We will accomplish this by prominently showcasing a notice on the website, emailing you, or using other effective means.

The consumer protection principle underpins our approach to changes in this Agreement. Should you find yourself in disagreement with the revised terms, you are at freedom to reject them. Regrettably, this course of action would assume your inability to continue using PolicyCON. Nevertheless, if you continue using PolicyCON in any capacity following the execution of new terms and the provision of notice, this indicates your acceptance of all the changes.

It is vital to recognise that, apart from changes we made as described above, no other modification or amendment to this Agreement will hold importance unless put in writing and signed by you and us. This framework aligns with consumer rights, upholding your ability to make informed choices about your continued use of PolicyCON while abiding by the principles of consent and transparency.