Terms of Service

Welcome to OpenStand. These Terms are the agreement between you and OpenStand, Inc. ("OpenStand," "we," "us") for using openstand.co and everything you do there (the "service"). Please read them. By creating an account or using the service, you agree to these Terms. If you don't agree, don't use the service.

We wrote this in plain English on purpose. It's still a real contract.

The short version

• OpenStand lets you unlock individual pieces of writing and read them in your personal library.
• You add funds by card to a prepaid balance of up to $50 and spend it only on unlocking pieces. You can get the unspent part refunded to your original payment method.
• Unlocking a piece gives you a license to read it on OpenStand. Unlocks aren't refundable.
• Writers keep the copyright to their work. They license it to OpenStand, and OpenStand pays them a share of every unlock.
• Be decent. Don't post things you don't have the rights to, and don't break the rules in our Content Policy.

The rest of this page is the detail.

1. Who can use OpenStand

You must be at least 18 years old and live in the United States to use OpenStand. By using the service, you confirm that you meet both requirements and that you can enter into this agreement.

2. Your account

You sign in with your email or with Google. You're responsible for keeping your account secure and for what happens under it. Tell us at support@openstand.co if you think someone else is using your account. You can close your account at any time.

3. How OpenStand works

OpenStand is a reading platform. Writers publish individual pieces. Readers unlock the pieces they want and read them in a personal library. There's no subscription — you pay per piece, only for what you choose to read.

OpenStand is the seller. When you add funds or unlock a piece, you're paying OpenStand, and OpenStand's name is what appears on your card statement. OpenStand then pays the writer their share.

4. Your balance

• What it is. Your balance is prepaid credit for unlocking pieces on OpenStand. You can spend it only on OpenStand, and only to unlock pieces.
• Adding funds. You add funds by card through our payment provider, Stripe. We accept U.S.-issued cards only. Your balance can't go above $50. You can add up to $50 and unlock up to $50 of stories in any 24 hours. We may change these limits. We'll show you a confirmation for each top-up, and we may decline a top-up that looks unauthorized or fraudulent.
• What it can't do. You can't transfer your balance to anyone else, give it away, sell it, or withdraw it except as a refund to your original payment method. Your balance doesn't earn interest, doesn't expire, and carries no fees.
• Refunds. You can ask us at any time to refund your unspent balance. We refund it in full to your original payment method, and never anywhere else. Balance you've already spent on unlocks isn't refundable. Full details are in our Refund Policy.

5. Unlocking and your library

When you unlock a piece, OpenStand gives you a personal, non-transferable license to read the version of the piece you unlocked. Unlocking doesn't make you the owner of the piece or its copyright, and you may not copy, redistribute, resell, or republish it.

You can read what you've unlocked in your library while your account is open and OpenStand operates the service, subject to these Terms. The piece stays in your library even if the writer later unpublishes it or leaves OpenStand.

Unlocks are final and aren't refundable, because the piece is delivered to your library right away.

The one exception: if we're legally required to remove a piece — for example, a valid copyright takedown, or content that's illegal — we may have to disable access even for readers who already unlocked it. If that happens, we refund what you paid for that piece. See our Content Policy.

6. Pricing

Each piece shows its price before you unlock it, so you always know what you're spending. Some pieces are free.

We may give you free passes to unlock pieces. A free pass uses none of your balance, has no cash value, and can't be refunded or transferred. When a piece is unlocked with a free pass, OpenStand still pays the writer their normal share.

7. Writing on OpenStand

If you publish on OpenStand, our Standard Writer Terms also apply to you. They cover the license you give us for your pieces, your share of each unlock, payouts, and how either of us can end them. Where the Writer Terms and these terms differ about your writing or your earnings, the Writer Terms control.

8. Acceptable use

Don't use OpenStand to do anything illegal, harmful, or abusive. That includes posting content that's prohibited under our Content Policy, which is part of these Terms. We may remove content or suspend accounts that break these rules.

9. Copyright complaints

We respect copyright. If you believe content on OpenStand infringes your copyright, contact us at support@openstand.co with the details, and we'll respond, including removing infringing content where appropriate. Our full process is described in our Content Policy.

10. OpenStand's own rights

The OpenStand name, logo, website, and software are ours. These Terms don't give you any rights to use them except as needed to use the service normally.

11. Ending your access

You can stop using OpenStand and close your account at any time. We may suspend or close your account if you break these Terms or the Content Policy, or if we need to for legal or security reasons. If we close your account, we'll still refund your unspent balance to your original payment method and pay out any earnings you've made, as described above.

12. The service is provided "as is"

We work hard to keep OpenStand running well, but we provide the service "as is." We don't promise it will always be available, error-free, or that it will meet every expectation. To the extent the law allows, we disclaim warranties that aren't expressly stated here.

13. Limits on our liability

To the extent the law allows, OpenStand won't be liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages. Our total liability to you for any claim relating to the service is limited to the greater of the amount you spent on the service in the twelve months before the claim, or one hundred U.S. dollars. Some places don't allow these limits, so parts of this may not apply to you.

14. Your responsibility to us

If your use of the service, or content you publish, causes a claim against OpenStand by someone else, you agree to cover the reasonable costs and damages that result, to the extent the law allows.

15. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. If you have a problem, email us first at support@openstand.co — most issues can be sorted out quickly and directly.

16. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms as the service changes. When we do, we'll update the "Last updated" date, and for significant changes we'll give you notice. If you keep using OpenStand after a change takes effect, that means you accept the updated Terms.

17. Contact

OpenStand, Inc.
Email: support@openstand.co
Mailing address: 131 Continental Drive, Suite 305, Newark, DE 19713, United States