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Creator agreement

Version 2

Sophia Creator Agreement

Version 2, draft. To be reviewed by counsel before public launch.

1. The parties

This agreement is between Sophia ([legal name, form, address, registration number], "Sophia"), which publishes the Sophia app and the website sophia-culture.com, and you, the author who creates a creator account and signs this agreement online (the "Author").

2. Purpose

The Author writes general-knowledge courses to be published in the Sophia app and related services (website, audio narration, short formats). Sophia reviews, translates, illustrates, narrates and publishes these courses and pays the Author a fixed amount per validated course, under the terms below.

3. What the Author provides

The Author writes each course in their own language, in the Studio editor, following the writing guide: a title, a description, two to twelve sections, a glossary, sources. The Author warrants that:

  • the text is their original work, or cites its sources where it uses a fact, an idea or a quotation;
  • the images they choose are free to use or under a compatible licence (public domain, CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA), with credit;
  • the content is accurate to their knowledge, defames nobody, contains nothing unlawful, and treats sensitive topics (religion, borders, current politics, health) with care and neutrality;
  • they tell Sophia about any error they learn of after publication.

4. Proposal, review and publication

Every course starts as a proposal: a title and a few lines of description, sent from the Studio. Sophia accepts the proposal, returns it with a remark or another angle, or sets it aside, with no justification owed beyond a comment. An accepted proposal opens the writing: the Author writes the course in the editor and sends it for review.

Sophia reviews every submitted course and may accept it, request changes or decline it. Sophia's final acceptance ("Accept and launch production") counts as the validation of the course. After validation, Sophia writes the quiz, completes the glossary, selects or adjusts the cover, translates the course into the app's languages, and may record an audio narration and derive a short format. Sophia may correct form (spelling, length, layout); it does not change meaning without informing the Author.

Sophia sets the number of courses it can validate per author and per period: at present three courses during the first seven days after the account is approved, then one course per calendar week (Monday to Sunday), with no carry-over from one week to the next. The Author may not have more courses in progress (proposed, being written or in review) than this limit. Sophia may adjust the limit for an author, up or down, including to zero; the limit in force is shown in the Studio.

5. Rights granted

The Author keeps the copyright in their text. They grant Sophia, worldwide, for the duration of publication and twelve months after withdrawal, the exclusive right to reproduce, adapt, translate, narrate, illustrate, distribute and promote the course in the Sophia app and its services, on any digital medium. Translations, the quiz, the enriched glossary, the narration and derived formats made by Sophia belong to Sophia. The Author keeps the right to use their knowledge and publish other texts on the same subject, and may mention and link to their Sophia courses anywhere.

6. Withdrawal

The Author may ask for a course to be withdrawn at any time with thirty days' notice; Sophia then stops distribution within that time. Sophia may withdraw a course at any time, in particular if it proves inaccurate or disputed. A withdrawn course remains available to readers who had started it until they finish their current reading. Withdrawal does not affect the amount earned for a validated course.

7. Attribution

Each course shows the Author's name, title and institution as entered, with their photo or the avatar they chose. The Author can update this information from their account.

8. Payment

Sophia pays the Author a flat 15 US dollars (USD) per validated course, whatever the number of readings and the languages it is published in. The amount is earned at validation and added to the Author's pot, shown in the Studio with the list of courses it covers.

Sophia settles the pot every Monday, for the courses validated up to the previous Sunday, by the means agreed between Sophia and the Author. Payment is in dollars; any fees or exchange rate applied by the Author's bank are theirs to bear. The Author is solely responsible for their taxes and contributions, and provides on request the documents needed for invoicing, or authorises Sophia to self-bill.

A course that is never validated earns nothing; a validated course remains paid even if later withdrawn. Sophia may change the amount or the payment terms with thirty days' notice announced in the Studio; the Author may then withdraw their courses without notice.

9. Personal data

Sophia processes the Author's data (identity, contact, Studio log, payments) to perform this agreement, in line with the General Data Protection Regulation. Public profile information (name, title, institution, biography, photo or avatar) is shown to readers. The Author has the rights of access, rectification and erasure described in the privacy policy.

10. Liability

Each party is liable for its own breaches. The Author holds Sophia harmless against any third-party claim based on content they provided. Sophia guarantees no level of readership, nor that a proposal will be accepted or a course validated.

11. Term and termination

This agreement runs for an indefinite term. Either party may end it with thirty days' notice; Sophia may suspend the account without notice for a serious breach (plagiarism, unlawful content, fraud). Termination counts as a withdrawal request for all of the Author's courses; amounts already earned remain due and are paid on the following Monday.

12. Governing law

This agreement is governed by [French] law. Failing an amicable settlement, the courts of [Paris] have jurisdiction.

13. Electronic signature

By typing their name and ticking the box, the Author signs this agreement. Sophia records the signed version, the date, the network address and the browser used; this signature has the same value as a handwritten one.