Terms of Service.

Definitions

For the purposes of these Terms of Service, the following definitions apply:

Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using the Aethynex Platform in any capacity. including browsing Creator Portfolios, registering an account, deploying a portfolio, submitting a Pitch, or receiving a Review Fee. you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service, our Privacy Policy, and any additional guidelines or policies referenced herein.

If you are entering into this agreement on behalf of a company or other legal entity, you represent that you have the authority to bind that entity to these Terms. If you do not have such authority, or if you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use the Platform.

Use of the Platform constitutes acceptance. You do not need to click an "I Agree" button for these Terms to apply.

Platform Description

Aethynex is a B2B transaction protocol designed to facilitate the initial handshake between content creators and brand partners. The Platform provides:

• Verified Creator Portfolio hosting with API-connected audience statistics
• A structured Pitch submission system for Brands
• Capital Bond authorization and settlement via Stripe payment infrastructure
• The 72-hour Response Window mandate and enforcement
• The Response Reliability Index (RRI) scoring system
• Brand dashboard tools for pitch management and creator discovery
• Creator dashboard tools for pitch review and portfolio management

Aethynex is expressly not a talent agency, management company, creative agency, campaign manager, or legal representative of any party. The Platform's jurisdiction ends at the facilitation of the initial handshake. All subsequent partnership negotiations, contracts, deliverables, and financial arrangements are the sole responsibility of the Brand and Creator.

The Capital Bond

Upon submission of a Pitch, Aethynex via Stripe places an authorization hold of $12.99 USD on the Brand's designated payment method. This authorization hold is not a charge. No funds are transferred at the time of pitch submission. The hold confirms that sufficient funds are available and reserves them pending resolution of the Protocol transaction.

If the Creator provides a Definitive Response (Accept or Decline) within the 72-hour Response Window, Aethynex will capture the Capital Bond. The Brand's payment method will be charged $12.99 USD. The Creator will receive their $4.00 Review Fee, and Aethynex will retain the remainder after Stripe processing fees.

If the Creator does not provide a Definitive Response within the 72-hour Response Window, the authorization hold is voided. No capture occurs. The Brand is not charged. The hold is automatically released and no refund is required or issued because no charge was made.

Once captured, the Capital Bond is non-refundable. A Brand that receives a Decline has received a Definitive Response. which constitutes the service delivered by Aethynex. The platform does not issue refunds for captured bonds regardless of the nature of the Creator's response.

Aethynex reserves the right to modify the Capital Bond amount at any time with 30 days written notice to registered users. Changes do not apply retroactively to Pitches already submitted.

Settlement Protocol

Every Aethynex transaction resolves into one of three outcomes. The following settlement rules apply in all cases:

• Creator Accepts: Capital Bond captured. Creator receives $4.00 Review Fee. Brand and Creator direct contact is unlocked. No further obligation exists between either party and Aethynex with respect to the resulting partnership negotiation.
• Creator Declines: Capital Bond captured. Creator receives $4.00 Review Fee. Brand receives a Definitive Response confirming non-availability. Protocol is closed.
• Creator Does Not Respond (Ghost): Authorization hold voided. No charge to Brand. Creator receives no Review Fee. Creator's RRI Score is reduced. Protocol is void.

Aethynex does not evaluate, adjudicate, or mediate the quality or content of any Definitive Response. A response that meets the technical definition of Accept or Decline. submitted within the Response Window via the Platform interface. constitutes a valid Definitive Response and triggers settlement regardless of its content.

Creator Obligations

By deploying a Creator Portfolio on Aethynex and maintaining an Open or Selective availability status, Creators acknowledge and accept the obligation to provide a Definitive Response to each received Pitch within the 72-hour Response Window. Repeated failure to respond will result in RRI Score reduction and may result in account suspension or removal from the Platform.

Creators are responsible for ensuring that all manually entered portfolio information. including but not limited to bio, rate card, past brand partnerships, featured work, and availability status. is accurate and current. Creators may not knowingly misrepresent their professional history, capabilities, or pricing.

Creators who connect social media accounts for API-verified statistics agree to maintain those connections in good standing. Aethynex is not responsible for inaccuracies in statistics arising from third-party platform API changes, outages, or policy updates. Creators may not attempt to manipulate connected platform statistics to misrepresent their audience or engagement.

Creators are solely responsible for all tax obligations arising from Review Fee income received through the Platform. Aethynex will provide transaction records as required but does not provide tax advice. Review Fees may be subject to self-employment tax, income tax, or other applicable taxes depending on the Creator's jurisdiction.

Creators must be at least 18 years of age or the age of majority in their jurisdiction to register and receive financial disbursements through the Platform.

Brand Obligations

Brands must maintain a valid payment method on file to submit Pitches. Brand accounts with invalid or expired payment methods will be suspended from pitch submission until a valid method is provided.

Brands agree to submit Pitches that accurately represent their identity, campaign intentions, budget range, and desired deliverables. Submitting knowingly false or misleading Pitches may result in immediate account termination without refund of any captured Capital Bonds.

Brands may not submit Pitches that contain, promote, or request content related to illegal products or services, adult content, harmful substances, or any category prohibited by Aethynex's Community Standards. Such Pitches will be removed and the associated Capital Bond will not be refunded.

Brands agree not to attempt to contact Creators discovered through the Platform outside of the Protocol without first submitting a Pitch. Brands found to be systematically circumventing the Protocol to avoid Capital Bond requirements will be permanently banned from the Platform.

Payments & Fees

All payments on the Aethynex Platform are processed by Stripe, Inc. Aethynex does not store full payment card details. By providing payment information, you agree to Stripe's terms of service in addition to these Terms.

Brand subscription plans (The Professional at $49/month and The Authority at $149/month) are billed monthly or annually as selected. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the renewal date. Unused pitch credits from a billing cycle do not roll over to the next cycle unless explicitly stated in the plan description.

Review Fees of $4.00 per Definitive Response are disbursed to Creators via Stripe Connect. Disbursements are processed on a rolling basis following settlement. A minimum disbursement threshold may apply. Aethynex reserves the right to withhold disbursements pending identity verification or investigation of suspected fraud.

Standard Stripe processing fees (approximately 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) are deducted from captured Capital Bonds before the Creator Review Fee and Aethynex net are calculated. The $4.00 Creator Review Fee is guaranteed post-processing-fee and is not affected by Stripe fee fluctuations.

Aethynex does not charge, collect, or facilitate any commission, percentage, or fee on the value of partnership deals negotiated between Brands and Creators following a Protocol transaction. The Capital Bond is the entirety of Aethynex's financial interest in any given Brand-Creator interaction.

Verified Data

Aethynex displays audience statistics sourced from third-party platform APIs including but not limited to Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, and Twitch. These statistics are refreshed on a daily basis subject to API availability.

While Aethynex makes reasonable efforts to display accurate, current data, we cannot guarantee the absolute accuracy of third-party statistics. Aethynex is not liable for decisions made by Brands or Creators based on displayed statistics that subsequently prove inaccurate due to third-party platform changes, API errors, or data delays.

Platform Jurisdiction

Aethynex's obligations under these Terms are limited to the facilitation of the Protocol transaction. from Pitch submission through Settlement resolution. Aethynex explicitly does not:

• Guarantee that any partnership deal will be successfully concluded following an Accept response
• Mediate disputes between Brands and Creators arising from post-Protocol partnership negotiations or deliverables
• Enforce any agreement or contract entered into between a Brand and Creator outside of the Platform
• Assume liability for the quality, timeliness, or accuracy of creative deliverables produced under any partnership
• Act as an agent, representative, or legal proxy for either Brands or Creators

All post-handshake partnership arrangements are independent commercial agreements between the Brand and Creator. Aethynex is not a party to those agreements and bears no responsibility for their execution or outcome.

Intellectual Property

All intellectual property comprising the Aethynex Platform. including the Protocol design, RRI methodology, software, design systems, trademarks, and brand assets. is owned by Aethynex Protocol, Inc. and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws. Nothing in these Terms grants users any license to Aethynex intellectual property beyond the right to use the Platform as intended.

Creators retain all intellectual property rights to the content, statistics, and information they upload to their Creator Portfolio. By posting content on the Platform, Creators grant Aethynex a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to display, reproduce, and distribute that content solely for the purpose of operating the Platform and marketing Aethynex's services.

Brands retain ownership of Pitch content they submit. By submitting a Pitch, Brands grant Aethynex the right to transmit and display that Pitch to the target Creator for the purpose of facilitating the Protocol transaction.

Termination

Users may terminate their Aethynex account at any time by contacting support or using the account deletion feature in their dashboard. Termination does not entitle Brand users to refunds of subscription fees for the current billing period. Captured Capital Bonds are non-refundable upon termination. Pending disbursements to Creators will be processed following standard settlement timelines.

Aethynex reserves the right to suspend or permanently terminate any account, with or without notice, for violation of these Terms, fraudulent activity, repeated non-compliance with the Response Window obligation, systematic circumvention of the Protocol, or any other behavior that Aethynex determines to be harmful to the Platform or its users.

Upon termination, the user's right to access the Platform ceases immediately. Creator Portfolios are unpublished. Active Pitch protocols are resolved according to the rules in Section 5. Outstanding financial obligations survive termination.

Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, AETHYNEX SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF DATA, LOSS OF GOODWILL, OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM.

AETHYNEX'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO ANY USER FOR ANY CLAIMS ARISING UNDER THESE TERMS SHALL NOT EXCEED THE TOTAL AMOUNT PAID BY THAT USER TO AETHYNEX IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM.

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.

Disputes

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Platform shall first be submitted to good-faith negotiation. If negotiation fails, disputes shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Commercial Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall take place in Delaware. Each party shall bear its own legal fees.

You waive any right to participate in a class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration against Aethynex.

Changes to Terms

Aethynex reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. Material changes. including changes to Capital Bond amounts, Settlement logic, or Creator Review Fees. will be communicated to registered users via email at least 30 days before taking effect.

Non-material changes may be made with shorter notice or none at all. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this document reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of the Platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

Contact

For questions about these Terms of Service, please contact: