Licence and royalty agreement
Parties. BukTale, the platform where the works are published ("BukTale"). BukTale is not registered as a company, partnership, business or any other legal form, and has no legal representative; it acts through the people who run it. And the person who accepts this agreement when publishing their first work, identified with the details provided in the acceptance form ("the Author").
1. Purpose
This agreement governs the licence the Author grants BukTale to publish their works on the platform and the royalties BukTale pays in return.
2. Ownership and licence
- The Author keeps all copyright in their works.
- The Author grants BukTale a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, reproduce, display and distribute the works within BukTale (web and apps), read them aloud through the narrator, and use excerpts, title and cover to promote the work on BukTale.
- Translations of a work are only published with the original Author's permission.
- The licence ends when the Author removes the work, with up to 30 days to remove it from caches, backups and readers' libraries. Readers who unlocked chapters with drops may keep reading them during that period.
3. Author warranties
- The work is original or the Author has permission to publish it, and it does not infringe third-party rights.
- The work is correctly rated by age and content warnings.
- The work complies with the Community guidelines and applicable law.
If a third party brings a claim for an infringement attributable to the Author, the Author will be liable to BukTale for the resulting damages.
4. Royalties
- Readers support works with drops (sends from chapters and unlocks of the work's VIP or early-access chapters). Drops are not money and the Author does not receive them: for every drop a work by the Author receives, BukTale credits a royalty.
- Current rate: USD 0.50 per 100 drops received (USD 0.005 per drop), regardless of the jar the reader bought the drops with and of payment fees, which BukTale bears.
- The royalty accrues when the work receives the drops and is shown in the "My earnings" panel.
- Royalties from drops whose original payment is refunded, disputed or fraudulent will be reversed, even if already paid (deducted from future payments).
- Drops the Author sends to their own works do not generate royalties.
- BukTale may change the rate by publishing a new version of this agreement, under clause 12; changes do not affect royalties already accrued.
5. Payments
- Royalties are paid in US dollars (USD), monthly, within the first 15 days of each month, for amounts accrued up to the last day of the previous month.
- Payment is made only when the pending balance reaches the USD 20 minimum; otherwise it rolls over to the next month.
- Payments are made through the methods available in the Author's country (for example, international bank transfer or USDC/USDT stablecoins through the payment provider). Fees of the chosen method and conversion costs are borne by the Author.
- Before the first payment the Author must complete identity verification and provide tax information. Until then royalties keep accruing but are not paid.
- BukTale may withhold payments while investigating signs of fraud, drop manipulation or third-party rights infringement, and offset reversed royalties.
6. Taxes
The Author is responsible for declaring and paying the taxes due on their royalties in their country. With each payment BukTale provides a statement detailing the royalties paid. If the applicable law ever requires BukTale to withhold taxes or issue other documents, this will be announced through a new version of this agreement.
7. Age
To receive royalties the Author must be of legal age. Minors must accept this agreement together with their parent or legal guardian, in whose name payments will be made.
8. Relationship of the parties
The Author is independent. This agreement does not create an employment relationship, partnership or agency. BukTale does not guarantee any minimum level of reads or income.
9. Moderation and suspension
BukTale may re-rate, hide or remove works that breach this agreement or the Community guidelines, and suspend the Author's account in serious or repeated cases. The Author may appeal from the help centre.
10. Term and termination
This agreement has no fixed term. The Author may terminate it at any time by removing their works; BukTale with 30 days' notice, or immediately for serious breach. Accrued and non-reversed royalties will be paid under clause 5.
11. Personal data
BukTale processes the Author's data (identity, tax and payment details) only to manage this agreement and meet legal obligations, under the Privacy policy.
12. Changes and acceptance
BukTale will publish new versions of this agreement and notify the Author on the platform and with a push notification. The Author has 24 hours to review and accept it; after that period it is considered implicitly accepted. If the Author does not agree, they may terminate the agreement by removing their works; accrued and non-reversed royalties will be paid under clause 5.
The Author accepts this agreement electronically; BukTale keeps the date, the accepted version and the details provided as proof of acceptance. The Author can reread the accepted version at any time from My account › Legal documents.