Writer Agreement

1. Introduction

This Writer Agreement ("Agreement") governs the relationship between you ("Writer," "you," or "your") and Empirq LLC ("Empirq," "we," "us," or "our") with respect to your creation, publication, and monetization of content on the Empirq platform available at empirq.com and any related websites, applications, products, and services operated by Empirq (collectively, the "Platform"). This Agreement supplements and is incorporated into the Empirq Terms of Service.

By publishing content or enabling monetization features on the Platform, you agree to be bound by this Agreement. Capitalized terms not defined herein have the meaning given in the Terms of Service.

2. Eligibility

To publish content on Empirq, you must:

Have a registered account in good standing
Be at least 18 years old (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction)
Comply with the Empirq Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy

To access monetization features, you must additionally:

Complete identity verification as required by Stripe
Connect a valid Stripe account through Stripe Connect (Express mode)
Provide accurate tax information as requested (e.g., W-9 for U.S. persons, W-8BEN for non-U.S. persons)

3. Content Ownership and Licensing

3.1 You Retain Ownership

You retain all intellectual property rights in the content you publish on Empirq. Empirq does not claim ownership of your content.

3.2 License to Empirq

By publishing content on the Platform, you grant Empirq the licenses described in Section 5.3 of the Terms of Service. To summarize, you grant a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to display, distribute, format, cache, and promote your content as necessary to operate and improve the Platform.

3.3 Exclusivity

This Agreement is non-exclusive. You are free to publish the same or similar content on other platforms, your own website, or any other medium, unless you and Empirq enter into a separate exclusivity arrangement.

3.4 Removal and Portability

You may remove your content from the Platform at any time. You may export your content at any time through your account settings. Upon removal, Empirq will cease displaying your content within a commercially reasonable timeframe. Cached copies may persist temporarily.

4. Monetization

4.1 Subscriptions

Writers may offer paid subscriptions to their content. You control:

Whether to offer paid subscriptions at all
Subscription pricing (subject to Platform minimums and maximums as published on the Platform)
Which content is available to free readers vs. paid subscribers only

Empirq's revenue share structure for subscription amounts successfully collected through the Platform is as follows:

Writer receives: 90% of Net Subscription Revenue
Empirq retains: 10% of Net Subscription Revenue as a platform fee, except as otherwise provided for eligible Founding Writers under this Agreement
Net Subscription Revenue means subscription amounts actually received through the Platform, less Stripe's payment processing fees, refunds, chargebacks, disputed amounts reversed by Stripe or another payment provider, reserves, withheld amounts, taxes, and any related bank, network, processor, or other payment-related fees, costs, or adjustments attributable to those transactions

Empirq reserves the right to modify the standard revenue share percentages with at least 30 days' prior written notice before any material legal, regulatory, financial, or commercial change to those standard revenue share terms takes effect. Changes will apply only to Net Subscription Revenue earned after the effective date of the change. If you do not agree to the new terms, you may discontinue monetization or close your account. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Empirq designates your account as an eligible Founding Writer account invited before Empirq's public launch pursuant to Empirq's founding writer program, and that account remains in good standing, Empirq's platform fee for that account will be 0% and your revenue share will be 100% of Net Subscription Revenue for so long as the account remains in good standing. For clarity, the 0% platform fee applies only to Empirq's platform fee and does not limit or eliminate Stripe fees, refunds, chargebacks, reserves, taxes, or other payment-related deductions, withholdings, or adjustments reflected in Net Subscription Revenue. That Founding Writer platform-fee arrangement will not be reduced or eliminated by a general modification to standard revenue share terms, except in the event of fraud, material breach of this Agreement or the Terms of Service, loss of account good standing, legal or tax compliance requirements, or a written agreement between you and Empirq expressly modifying your Founding Writer terms.

4.3 Payouts

Payouts are made through Stripe Connect to your connected Stripe account and remain subject to Stripe's payout schedule, reserves, holds, and other account policies, as well as any refunds, chargebacks, or other adjustments under this Agreement and Stripe's applicable terms.

Payout schedule: As determined by your Stripe Connect account settings, subject to any applicable reserves, holds, payment disputes, refunds, chargebacks, or other adjustments under this Agreement or Stripe's policies

Minimum payout threshold: $10.00 USD

Currency: All transactions on the Platform are denominated in USD. Currency conversion, if applicable, is handled by Stripe at their prevailing exchange rates.

4.4 Refunds, Chargebacks, and Offsets

If a subscriber receives a refund, initiates a chargeback or payment dispute, or if a transaction is reversed, canceled, or clawed back by Stripe or another payment provider, the associated amounts may be deducted from your current or future payouts to the extent attributable to subscriptions for your content. Such deductions may include the refunded or reversed subscription amount, any related payment processing, network, banking, or dispute fees, and any taxes, assessments, or other amounts that Empirq or Stripe is required to remit, repay, or withhold in connection with the applicable transaction. Empirq may offset such amounts, together with any other amounts you owe to Empirq under this Agreement, against any current or future payouts otherwise payable to you. Empirq will use commercially reasonable efforts to notify you of material refunds, chargebacks, and payment disputes affecting your payouts. Repeated, excessive, suspicious, or fraudulent refund or chargeback activity associated with your account may result in review, reserve holds, suspension, or termination of monetization features or your account.

4.5 Earned Revenue

For purposes of this Agreement, "Earned Revenue" means your share of Net Subscription Revenue for subscription charges that have been successfully collected through the Platform and are no longer subject to an unresolved payment failure, refund request, chargeback, reversal, fraud review, reserve hold, legal hold, or other payment-related adjustment or withholding reasonably applied by Empirq or Stripe. Revenue is not earned merely because a subscriber has been invoiced or a charge has been initiated. Earned Revenue excludes any amounts previously paid or credited to you in error and any amounts that remain subject to offset under this Agreement.

4.6 Taxes

You are solely responsible for determining and paying any taxes on income you earn through the Platform, including income tax, VAT/GST, or sales tax as applicable in your jurisdiction. Empirq may be required to withhold taxes or report your earnings to tax authorities as required by law. You agree to provide accurate tax documentation upon request.

5. Writer Obligations

5.1 Content Standards

All content you publish must comply with the Empirq Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy. In addition, as a writer you agree to:

Publish only content that you have the right to publish
Properly attribute third-party content, including code, data, and research
Clearly disclose the use of AI-generated content where AI tools produced a substantial portion of the work
Not engage in plagiarism, fabrication of data, or academic dishonesty
Not publish misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent content
Maintain the accuracy of technical content to the best of your ability

5.2 Subscriber Commitments

If you offer paid subscriptions, you agree to:

Make a good-faith effort to publish content on a reasonably consistent basis
Deliver on any explicit content commitments you make to subscribers
Not restrict access to previously free content behind a paywall without notice

Empirq does not mandate a specific publishing frequency, but subscribers may cancel their subscriptions at any time, and patterns of inactivity may result in subscriber attrition.

5.3 Prohibited Monetization Practices

You may not:

Use deceptive practices to acquire or retain subscribers
Offer or sell products or services unrelated to your published content through the subscription mechanism
Create multiple accounts to inflate subscriber counts or revenue
Engage in self-dealing or fraudulent transactions

6. Editorial Independence

6.1 No Editorial Control

Empirq does not exercise editorial control over your content. You have sole discretion over the substance, opinions, and creative direction of your work.

6.2 Moderation Rights

Notwithstanding Section 6.1, Empirq reserves the right to remove content or restrict account features if content violates the Terms of Service, Acceptable Use Policy, or applicable law. We will provide notice when content is removed, except where prohibited by law or where immediate removal is necessary to prevent harm.

7. Analytics and Data

7.1 Writer Analytics

Empirq provides writers with analytics about their content, including view counts, read time, subscriber counts, and revenue data. These analytics are provided for your information and are based on data available to Empirq; they are not guaranteed to be complete or error-free.

7.2 Subscriber Data

Writers have access to limited subscriber data, including display names, profile photos, subscription status, and subscription dates. Writers do not have access to subscribers' email addresses, payment details, or other private information.

7.3 Data Use

You agree to use any subscriber or analytics data provided through the Platform only in compliance with applicable privacy laws and Empirq's Privacy Policy. You may not sell, transfer, or misuse subscriber data.

8. Representations and Warranties

You represent and warrant that:

You have the legal right and authority to enter into this Agreement
All content you publish is original or properly licensed, and does not infringe any third-party rights
You will comply with all applicable laws, including tax laws, intellectual property laws, and privacy laws
Any information you provide to Empirq or Stripe for account setup and tax reporting is accurate and complete
You will not engage in any activity that could damage the Platform's reputation or functionality

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Empirq from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from: (a) your content; (b) your breach of this Agreement; (c) your violation of any third-party rights; or (d) your tax obligations.

10. Termination

10.1 Voluntary Termination

You may stop publishing and/or disable monetization at any time through your account settings. You may delete your account entirely, subject to the Terms of Service.

10.2 Termination by Empirq

Empirq may suspend or terminate your writer privileges or your account for cause, including violations of this Agreement, the Terms of Service, applicable law, fraud, payment abuse, security concerns, or conduct that may expose Empirq, subscribers, or other users to harm or liability. Where circumstances permit and the issue is reasonably capable of cure, we will provide notice and a reasonable opportunity to cure before termination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Empirq may suspend or terminate monetization features or your account immediately where reasonably necessary for legal compliance, fraud prevention, security, chargeback risk, protection of users, or enforcement of Platform policies.

10.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination of monetization or this Agreement:

Active subscriber subscriptions to your paid content will be canceled from future renewal, and subscribers will retain or lose access as provided under the Terms of Service, the Subscription and Refund Policy, and applicable law
Payouts remaining in process will continue to be subject to Stripe's policies and any applicable refunds, chargebacks, reserves, reversals, offsets, legal holds, or other payment adjustments
Your published content will remain accessible unless you choose to remove it or your account is terminated entirely
Subject to Stripe's payout mechanics and any applicable reserves, holds, offsets, refunds, chargebacks, reversals, fraud investigations, legal compliance obligations, or amounts you owe to Empirq under this Agreement, Earned Revenue that remains unpaid as of the effective date of termination will be paid out within 30 days after it becomes payable

If post-termination refunds, chargebacks, reversals, processor fees, tax adjustments, or other offsets exceed unpaid amounts otherwise due to you, you remain responsible for the deficiency and authorize Empirq to recover it from future payouts, if any, or by other lawful means

10.4 Content After Termination

If your account is terminated by Empirq, we will make commercially reasonable efforts to allow you to export your content before deletion. Content may be retained temporarily for legal compliance purposes.

11. Modifications

Empirq may modify this Agreement at any time. We will notify you of material changes involving legal, regulatory, financial, or other materially adverse changes to your rights or obligations under this Agreement at least 30 days before they take effect by email and/or through the Platform. Your continued publication of content or use of monetization features after the effective date of any changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Agreement, except to the extent this Agreement expressly provides that specified economic terms, including any applicable Founding Writer fee terms, survive general modifications unless expressly modified in accordance with their stated carveouts.

12. Miscellaneous

12.1 Relationship

Nothing in this Agreement creates an employment, agency, partnership, or joint venture relationship between you and Empirq. You are an independent creator and are solely responsible for your own taxes, insurance, and compliance obligations.

12.2 Entire Agreement

This Agreement, together with the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, constitutes the entire agreement between you and Empirq regarding writer services on the Platform.

12.3 Governing Law and Disputes

This Agreement, and any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to this Agreement, your writer activities, monetization, payouts, refunds, chargebacks, offsets, or termination, is governed by the governing law, arbitration, forum, waiver, and other dispute resolution provisions in the Terms of Service, which are incorporated into this Agreement by reference.

13. Contact

For questions about this Agreement, contact:

Email: [email protected]

Support: [email protected]