These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the WritersBlock platform and services (collectively, the “Service”) operated by WritersBlock Inc. (“we,” “us,” or “our”). By creating an account or using the Service in any way, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
1. Eligibility and Account Registration
You must be at least 18 years of age to create an account or use the Service. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you meet this requirement.
To access certain features of the Service, you must register for an account. When registering, you agree to:
• Provide accurate, current, and complete information
• Maintain and promptly update your account information
• Keep your login credentials secure and confidential
• Accept responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account
• Notify us immediately at legal@writersblock.com if you suspect unauthorized use of your account
You may maintain only one account unless we have expressly authorized additional accounts in writing. We reserve the right to terminate duplicate accounts.
We may offer different account types with different features, permissions, and obligations. The specific terms applicable to each account type are described in our Account Types Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.
2. The Service
WritersBlock is a content publishing platform that allows users to publish, share, and discover written works. We provide tools to create, format, and distribute content to readers on the platform.
We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the Service at any time, with or without notice. We will use reasonable efforts to provide advance notice of material changes that may affect your use of the Service. We are not liable to you or any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuation of the Service.
We strive to make the Service available at all times but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. The Service may be temporarily unavailable due to maintenance, updates, or circumstances beyond our reasonable control.
3. User Content
You retain full ownership of all content you submit, post, or display on or through the Service (“User Content”). WritersBlock does not claim ownership of your content. These Terms do not transfer any intellectual property rights from you to us.
By submitting User Content to the Service, you grant WritersBlock Inc. a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, display, and perform your User Content solely for the purposes of operating, providing, promoting, and improving the Service. This license exists only for as long as your content remains on the platform, subject to Section 3.4.
We will not alter the substance of your User Content without your consent. We may, however, format, resize, or technically adapt content as necessary to display it properly across different devices and interfaces.
You may remove your User Content from the Service at any time through your account settings. Upon removal, the license granted in Section 3.2 terminates with respect to that content, except:
• To the extent copies exist in backups, which will be purged on our regular backup cycle
• Where removal is not technically feasible due to caching or third-party distribution that has already occurred
• Where retention is required by applicable law
• Where a user has purchased access to the content prior to removal; such users retain a personal, non-transferable license to access the content through the Service for the duration of their account in good standing
By submitting User Content, you represent and warrant that:
• You own the content or have all necessary rights, licenses, and permissions to submit it and grant us the license in Section 3.2
• Your content does not infringe any third-party intellectual property rights, including copyright, trademark, or trade secret
• Your content does not violate any applicable law or regulation
• Your content does not contain material that is defamatory, harmful, or otherwise violates the Terms of our Content Guidelines
• Your content does not contain explicit pornographic content, defined as material that depicts sexual acts in graphic detail with arousal as its purpose and no predominant literary purpose
• You have obtained any necessary consents from individuals whose personal information or likeness appears in the content
We respect intellectual property rights and respond to notices of alleged copyright infringement that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”). To submit a notice of claimed infringement, please contact our designated agent at legal@writersblock.com with the information required by 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3). We reserve the right to terminate accounts of repeat infringers.
4. Acceptable Use
You may use the Service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You agree to use the Service in a manner consistent with its intended purpose as a content publishing platform.
You agree not to:
• Post content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, or explicitly pornographic as defined in Section 3.5
• Infringe upon or violate the intellectual property rights or privacy rights of others
• Post spam, unsolicited communications, or deceptive content
• Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity
• Use the Service to distribute malware, viruses, or any other harmful or disruptive code
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Service or any other systems or networks connected to the Service
• Use automated means (bots, scrapers, crawlers) to access, collect, or extract content from the Service without our express written permission
• Interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Service
• Circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the Service
• Engage in any activity that imposes an unreasonable or disproportionate load on our infrastructure
• Sell, resell, or commercially exploit any part of the Service without our express written authorization
• Submit content that impersonates the voice, style, or identity of any real author whether living or deceased, regardless of whether such content would otherwise constitute copyright infringement
User Content must comply with our Content Guidelines, which are incorporated into these Terms by reference and may be updated from time to time. We reserve the right to remove any content that violates these Terms or our Content Guidelines, with or without notice.
5. Privacy
Your privacy is important to us. Our Privacy Policy, incorporated into these Terms by reference, explains how we collect, use, and share information about you when you use the Service. By using the Service, you agree to the collection, use, and sharing of your information as described in the Privacy Policy.
6. Fees, Payments, and Revenue
The Service may offer both free and paid features. We reserve the right to modify our pricing at any time. Where features are offered on a subscription basis, you will be notified of any pricing changes in advance.
If you purchase any paid features or subscriptions, you agree to pay all applicable fees as described at the time of purchase. All fees are stated in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated. Payments are non-refundable except as expressly stated in our Refund Policy or required by applicable law.
Where the Service offers revenue-sharing features, the specific terms governing payments to content creators are described in the Revenue Share Policy. We reserve the right to modify the revenue-share structure with reasonable advance notice to affected users.
You are responsible for all applicable taxes associated with your use of the Service or any revenue you receive through the Service. We may be required by law to collect and remit taxes on transactions processed through the platform.
7. Third-Party Content and Links
The Service may contain links to third-party websites, services, or content. We do not control, endorse, or assume responsibility for any third-party content or services. Your interactions with third-party services are governed by those parties’ own terms and privacy policies. We encourage you to review those policies before engaging with any third-party service.
8. Disclaimers
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WRITERSBLOCK INC. DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS.
WritersBlock Inc. does not endorse, verify, or assume responsibility for any User Content posted on the Service. You access and rely on User Content at your own risk.
9. Limitation of Liability
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, WRITERSBLOCK INC. AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE, EVEN IF WRITERSBLOCK INC. HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
IN NO EVENT SHALL OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE TWELVE MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM OR (B) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100).
10. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless WritersBlock Inc. and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including reasonable legal fees, arising out of or related to: (a) your use of the Service; (b) your User Content; (c) your violation of these Terms; or (d) your violation of any rights of another person or entity.
11. Term and Termination
These Terms are effective from the date you first access or use the Service and remain in effect until terminated.
You may terminate your account at any time by following the account deletion process available in your account settings. Termination does not relieve you of obligations incurred prior to termination.
We may suspend or terminate your account and access to the Service at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice. Grounds for termination may include, without limitation:
• Violation of these Terms or our Content Guidelines
• Conduct that we determine, in our sole discretion, to be harmful to other users, third parties, or the Service
• Extended periods of account inactivity
• Requests from law enforcement or regulatory authorities
Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. We may delete your account and User Content after termination, subject to our data retention obligations under applicable law. Sections 3.1, 9, 10, 13, and 14 survive termination.
12. Modifications to These Terms
We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. When we make material changes, we will notify you by email (to the address associated with your account) or by posting a prominent notice on the Service, at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of the modified Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes. If you do not agree to the modified Terms, you must stop using the Service and may terminate your account.
13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of [STATE], without regard to its conflict of law provisions.
Any dispute arising from or relating to these Terms or the Service shall first be subject to good-faith negotiation between the parties. If the dispute cannot be resolved through negotiation within 30 days, the parties agree to submit to binding arbitration in accordance with the rules of [ARBITRATION BODY], to be conducted in [CITY, STATE].
TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, YOU AGREE THAT ANY DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCEEDING WILL BE CONDUCTED ONLY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AND NOT IN A CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION.
14. General Provisions
These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, Content Guidelines, and any other policies incorporated by reference, constitute the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Service and supersede any prior agreements.
If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.
Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not be considered a waiver of that right or provision.
You may not assign or transfer your rights under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations under these Terms without restriction, including in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
We will not be liable for any delay or failure to perform our obligations under these Terms to the extent such delay or failure is caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, labor disputes, or internet or infrastructure failures.
Questions about these Terms may be directed to us at legal@writersblock.com or by mail to:
WritersBlock Inc.
Legal Department
P.O Box 28205
Bellingham, WA 98228