Collective Media501(c)(3)
List workSign inProfile
Legal

Terms of Service

Version v1.0 Last updated: [EFFECTIVE_DATE]

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using the Collective Media platform (the "Platform"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, you may not use the Platform.

These Terms apply to all visitors, registered users, creators, and donors. By creating an account or submitting a project, you represent that you are at least 18 years of age and have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.

2. Platform Description

Collective Media is operated by Collective Media, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization ("we," "us," or "Collective Media"). The Platform enables independent creators to submit creative projects for crowdfunding by the public.

A project closes funded when allocations reach its full funding goal, or when its Creator settles early at a minimum funding goal as described in Section 3. When a project closes funded, its Creator is bound to assign all intellectual property rights in the work to Collective Media. Once Collective Media confirms delivery of the completed work and the assignment, it dedicates the work to the public domain under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication (Section 7). Projects that do not close funded by the stated deadline expire, and all donor allocations to them are returned to the donors' Platform wallets.

Collective Media does not guarantee that any project will reach its funding goal or that any deliverable will be produced after funding.

3. Creator Terms

By submitting a project to the Platform, you ("Creator") agree to the following:

  • IP Assignment upon Funding. Submission of a project constitutes your binding agreement to assign and transfer all intellectual property rights in the funded work — including copyright, moral rights to the extent waivable by law, and any related rights — to Collective Media when the project closes funded, whether by reaching its full funding goal or by an early settlement under "Minimum Funding Goal" below. This assignment is irrevocable once the project closes funded.
  • Minimum Funding Goal. You may set a minimum funding goal below your full funding goal. While the project is open and allocations to it meet or exceed that minimum, you may close the project early. An early close has the same effect as reaching the full funding goal for every purpose of these Terms, including the IP assignment, compensation, and refund provisions. A project without a minimum funding goal closes funded only on reaching its full funding goal.
  • Ownership Warranty. You represent and warrant that you own, alone or jointly with the other Creators listed on the project, all intellectual property rights in the work described in your project submission (or have full legal authority to assign them), and that the work does not infringe any third-party rights.
  • Co-Creators. Where a project lists more than one Creator, each Creator makes the warranties and the assignment in this Section for their own interest in the work, and each is bound by these Terms individually. The shares the Creators agree for dividing project funding do not limit what each Creator assigns.
  • No Reversal After Funding. Once a project closes funded, the IP assignment to Collective Media is final and cannot be reversed, rescinded, or challenged. You may not submit a DMCA takedown or any other IP claim against works you assigned under these Terms.
  • Creator Compensation. 100% of project funding goes to the rights holder. When a project closes funded, Collective Media disburses the full amount allocated to it to the Creator, or, for a project with more than one Creator, divides it among them according to their agreed shares. No fee is deducted from project funding. Disbursement follows the schedule communicated at the time of project approval.
  • Delivery and Transfer. Compensation is disbursed when a project closes funded, before the work is delivered. Within [DELIVERY_PERIOD] of the project closing, you must deliver the completed work described in your project submission and sign any documents Collective Media reasonably requests to confirm the IP assignment. If you do not, Collective Media may suspend your account, withhold any disbursement not yet paid, and seek recovery of amounts disbursed for the project.

Collective Media reserves the right to reject or remove any project submission at its sole discretion, including for violations of the Prohibited Content policy in Section 8.

4. Donor Terms

By funding your wallet or allocating funds to a project, you ("Donor") acknowledge and agree:

  • Pure Donation. All contributions made through the Platform are charitable donations to Collective Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. You do not receive any goods, services, equity, or other consideration in exchange for your contribution. Each contribution is a completed gift when it settles.
  • Tax Deductibility. Because Collective Media is a 501(c)(3) organization and no goods or services are provided in exchange, your contributions may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by applicable law. Collective Media issues a written acknowledgment for each wallet contribution when it settles, showing the amount you contributed and the amount credited to your wallet after fees, and an annual donation summary for each tax year. You are solely responsible for verifying deductibility with your tax advisor.
  • Restricted Gifts. Funds allocated to a specific project are restricted gifts intended solely for that project. If a project expires without closing funded, restricted funds are automatically returned to your Platform wallet. Collective Media will not redirect restricted funds to another project without your consent.
  • No Ownership Rights. Funding a project does not grant you any intellectual property rights, ownership interest, royalties, or ongoing rights in the funded work. All funded works are released under CC0 and are freely available to everyone, including Donors.

5. Fees

Collective Media retains an operations fee of 5% of each wallet contribution, taken when the contribution settles, to cover platform development, hosting, and nonprofit overhead. Payment processing fees charged by Stripe are deducted from the contribution at the same time. Your wallet is credited with the amount that remains after both.

No fee is taken from project funding: 100% of the funds allocated to a project go to its rights holder. Because fees are taken when a contribution settles, they are not returned when an allocation comes back to your wallet after a project expires.

6. Refunds

  • Expired Projects. If a project reaches its funding deadline without closing funded, all donor allocations to that project are automatically returned to each Donor's Platform wallet. No action is required by the Donor.
  • Funded Projects. Allocations to projects that close funded are non-refundable. Once a project closes funded and the IP assignment is triggered, funds are committed and are disbursed to the Creator.
  • Wallet Balance. Wallet contributions are completed charitable gifts and are not refundable, including any balance you have not yet allocated. Collective Media refunds a contribution only where required by law. To report a billing error or an unauthorized charge, contact support.

7. Public Domain Dedication

Upon confirming delivery of the completed work and receipt of all intellectual property rights in it from a project that closed funded, Collective Media irrevocably dedicates the work to the public domain under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication (creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/).

Under CC0, the work is released with no restrictions whatsoever. Anyone — anywhere in the world — may copy, modify, distribute, perform, or build upon the work, even for commercial purposes, without asking permission or providing attribution.

Collective Media will maintain a public registry of all CC0-dedicated works accessible through the Platform.

8. Prohibited Content

The following project submissions are strictly prohibited on the Platform:

  • Works that are plagiarized or substantially derived from third-party material without authorization.
  • Works for which the Creator does not hold full and unencumbered intellectual property rights.
  • Works that infringe any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, or other intellectual property right of any third party.
  • Content that is defamatory, harassing, obscene, or otherwise illegal under applicable law.
  • Content that promotes hate, discrimination, or violence against any person or group.
  • Any submission that misrepresents the nature, scope, or ownership of the proposed work.

Violations of this policy may result in immediate project removal, account suspension, and reporting to appropriate legal authorities. Collective Media reserves the right to determine, in its sole discretion, whether content violates this policy.

9. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the [State of Incorporation], without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any dispute arising under or relating to these Terms that cannot be resolved informally shall be submitted to binding arbitration in [State of Incorporation] under the rules of the American Arbitration Association, except that either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction.

10. Changes to Terms

Collective Media reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. For material changes — including changes to the IP assignment provision, fees, or donor refund policy — we will provide at least 30 days' notice via email to all registered users and a prominent notice on the Platform prior to the changes taking effect.

Non-material changes (such as typographical corrections or clarifications that do not alter your rights or obligations) may take effect immediately. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date of any changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

11. Contact

Questions about these Terms should be directed to our legal team:

Collective Media, Inc.
Email: legal@collectivemedia.org