Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of These Terms

Chronica ("Chronica", "we", "us", or "our") operates an online platform at chronica.ink that allows readers to discover and read comics, manga, and similar serialized visual fiction, and allows creators to publish their work (the "Service"). By creating an account, accessing, or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree, you must not use the Service.

The Service is operated by [SOLE TRADER LEGAL NAME], based in [STATE], Australia. These Terms are governed by the laws of [STATE], Australia.

2. Eligibility and Age Requirement

Chronica hosts comics that may include mature themes and mild suggestive content (e.g. romance, stylized violence) but does not permit explicit sexual content or nudity - a mainstream, PG-13 standard. You must be at least 13 years old (or older where required for paid subscriptions or by local law) to create an account or use the Service.

During signup you must provide your date of birth. By using the Service you represent and warrant that you are 13 or older and that the information you provide is accurate. We use an age gate to restrict access, and we reserve the right to suspend or terminate any account we reasonably believe belongs to a person under 13.

3. Accounts

To access most features you must create an account and verify your email address. You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure and for all activity under your account. Notify us immediately at hello@chronica.ink of any unauthorized use.

You may not share your account, sell it, or allow others to use it. One person, one account, unless we expressly permit otherwise.

4. Subscriptions, Billing, and Refunds

4.1 Premium subscription

Chronica offers a paid subscription ("Premium") at $12.99/mo, which unlocks access to the full library of comics on the Service for the duration of your subscription. The free tier allows reading the first chapter of each comic and browsing the catalogue.

4.2 Billing

Premium is billed in advance on a recurring monthly basis through our third-party payment processor, Stripe. By subscribing, you authorize us and our processor to charge your payment method on each renewal date until you cancel. Prices are stated in USD and may exclude taxes, which will be added where applicable.

4.3 Cancellation

You may cancel at any time from your account settings. Cancellation stops future renewals; it does not retroactively refund the current billing period, and you retain Premium access until the end of the period you have already paid for.

4.4 Refunds

Except where required by law (including the Australian Consumer Law), payments are generally non-refundable. We may, at our discretion, issue refunds; where we do, access tied to the refunded payment may be revoked immediately. Nothing in these Terms excludes rights you have under the Australian Consumer Law that cannot lawfully be excluded.

4.5 Price changes

We may change subscription pricing. We will give reasonable advance notice of any increase, and it will take effect on your next renewal after the notice period. Continuing your subscription after a price change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the new price.

5. Creators and Creator Content

5.1 Becoming a creator

Any eligible user may opt to become a creator and publish content. A creator's first submitted work is subject to review and approval by us before it is published. After approval, a creator may publish subsequent works without per-work pre-approval, though all content remains subject to these Terms and to removal.

5.2 Ownership and licence

You retain ownership of the content you upload ("Creator Content"). By uploading, you grant Chronica a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, display, distribute, promote, and make your Creator Content available to users of the Service, for as long as the content is on the Service and as reasonably needed to operate and market the Service. You can remove your content (see 5.6); some residual copies may persist in backups for a limited period.

5.3 Your warranties

You represent and warrant that you own or have all rights necessary to upload your Creator Content and to grant the licence above; that it does not infringe any third party's intellectual property, privacy, or other rights; and that it complies with these Terms and the Content Policy (Section 6).

5.4 Revenue share and payouts

Where Chronica pays creators, the revenue share is 70% to the creator and 30% to Chronica of the applicable net subscription and tip revenue attributable to that creator, calculated as described in our [INSERT: the creator payout policy]. Tips are subject to a platform fee of 15%. Payout timing, minimum thresholds, methods, and the precise attribution method are set out in [INSERT: the creator payout policy], which forms part of these Terms.

5.5 Taxes

Creators are responsible for their own taxes on payouts received. You agree to provide any tax or identity information we reasonably require to make payments or comply with law.

5.6 Removal

You may unpublish or request removal of your Creator Content. We may remove or restrict any content that violates these Terms, the Content Policy, or applicable law, and may suspend or terminate creators for serious or repeated violations.

6. Content Policy and Acceptable Use

Whether you are reading, commenting, or publishing, you must not use the Service to create, upload, share, or solicit any of the following:

• Any sexual content involving minors, or any content that sexualizes minors, in any form (real or fictional/drawn). This is strictly prohibited without exception and will be reported to authorities where required by law.
• Content depicting real, non-consensual acts, or content created or shared without the consent of identifiable real people.
• Content that is unlawful, that infringes intellectual property or other rights, or that you do not have the rights to upload.
• Harassment, hate speech, threats, doxxing, or content that incites violence or self-harm.
• Spam, malware, scraping, bulk downloading, or attempts to circumvent the paywall, age gate, or security of the Service.
• Impersonation or misrepresentation of your identity or affiliation.

Content must remain within a mainstream / PG-13 standard: no nudity and no explicit sexual content. Mild suggestive content and mature themes (e.g. romance, stylized violence) are allowed within these limits, subject to this Content Policy and applicable law. We may further restrict categories of content at our discretion or as required by partners and law.

7. Comments and Community Conduct

Subscribers may post comments and, where available, replies and announcements (for creators). You are responsible for what you post. We may moderate, remove, or restrict content and accounts that violate these Terms. Reading of comments may be available to all users; posting may be limited to subscribers and, for announcements, to approved creators.

8. Chronica Intellectual Property and Anti-Piracy

The Service, including its design, software, branding, and compilation of content, is owned by Chronica or its licensors and is protected by intellectual property laws. Except for Creator Content (owned by creators) and your own content, you receive no ownership rights by using the Service.

You must not copy, screen-record, redistribute, resell, or publicly post comics or other content from the Service outside the Service, except as expressly permitted. Content may be watermarked or otherwise traceable to your account; sharing or leaking paid content is a serious violation and may result in immediate termination and legal action. We pursue takedowns of infringing copies, including under applicable notice-and-takedown procedures.

9. Copyright and Intellectual Property Complaints

If you believe content on the Service infringes your copyright or other rights, contact us at hello@chronica.ink with: a description of the work, the location (URL) of the allegedly infringing content, your contact details, a statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is unauthorized, and a statement that your notice is accurate and that you are the rights holder or authorized to act. We will review and may remove content and, for repeat infringers, terminate accounts.

10. Suspension and Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access at any time for violation of these Terms, for conduct that risks harm to the Service, other users, or us, or as required by law. You may stop using the Service and delete your account at any time. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination (including ownership, licences granted, disclaimers, and limitations of liability) survive.

11. Disclaimers

Except for guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law or other applicable law, the Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, or that content will meet your expectations. Creator Content reflects the views of creators, not Chronica.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, and subject to any rights under the Australian Consumer Law that cannot be excluded, Chronica and its operators will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising from your use of the Service. Where liability cannot be excluded but can be limited, our total liability is limited to the greater of the amount you paid us in the [INSERT, e.g. 12] months before the claim, or [INSERT, e.g. AUD 100].

13. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Chronica and its operators from claims, damages, and reasonable expenses arising from your breach of these Terms, your content, or your misuse of the Service, to the extent permitted by law.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will post the updated Terms with a new "last updated" date and, for material changes, provide reasonable notice. Continuing to use the Service after changes take effect means you accept the updated Terms.

15. Governing Law and Contact

These Terms are governed by the laws of [STATE], Australia, and you submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of its courts. Questions about these Terms can be sent to hello@chronica.ink.

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