Terms of Service & Acceptable Use Policy

1. Agreement and eligibility

These Terms govern access to FoundingFans websites, artist pages, fan-support features, content tools, payment features, and related services (the “Service”). By creating an account, claiming an artist profile, publishing content, purchasing support, or otherwise using the Service, you agree to these Terms. You must be legally able to enter into this agreement and use the Service lawfully.

2. What FoundingFans does

FoundingFans helps independent artists connect with supporters, publish artist-approved content, offer fan experiences or digital benefits, and receive financial support. Artists remain responsible for the content, products, rewards, claims, and other material they make available.

3. Payments and Stripe

Payment processing and creator payout services may be provided by Stripe or other payment providers. Payment functionality is subject to those providers’ eligibility, verification, prohibited-business, card-network, and compliance requirements. FoundingFans may restrict monetization, delay availability, or disable payment features when reasonably necessary to comply with law, payment-provider requirements, fraud controls, or these Terms.

4. Creator ownership and licenses

Creators retain ownership of content they lawfully own. By publishing content through FoundingFans, a creator grants FoundingFans a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide license to host, store, reproduce, display, transmit, format, and distribute that content as reasonably necessary to operate, secure, and promote the Service.

Creators represent that they own their material or possess all rights, licenses, permissions, and authorizations required to publish and monetize it.

5. Adult content and sexual services are prohibited

FoundingFans may not be used to publish, sell, distribute, promote, monetize, request payment for, or provide access to pornography, sexually explicit material, or adult sexual services.

• Nudity or sexually explicit images, video, audio, livestreams, private messages, or subscriber-only material offered primarily for sexual gratification.
• Explicit depictions or descriptions of sexual acts offered as paid or premium content.
• Adult live chat, sexual video chat, phone-sex, fetish, escort, prostitution, sexual massage, or similar services.
• Paid access to sexually explicit performances or interactions.
• AI-generated pornography or sexually explicit material.
• Any sexual content involving or appearing to involve a minor.

Sexual exploitation of minors, child sexual abuse material, grooming, trafficking, or similar exploitation is strictly prohibited. FoundingFans may preserve relevant information and report suspected illegal conduct where required or permitted by law.

Artistic work is not automatically prohibited merely because it addresses mature subjects, but FoundingFans may restrict material when its nature, presentation, sale, or monetization creates legal, safety, payment-processing, or platform-compliance concerns.

6. Copyright and intellectual property

Users may publish or monetize only material they own or are legally authorized to use. You may not use FoundingFans to upload, distribute, stream, sell, provide access to, or monetize:

• Leaked or unreleased music without authorization.
• Pirated songs, albums, beats, samples, movies, artwork, photographs, software, videos, or other copyrighted works.
• Unauthorized copyrighted recordings or performances.
• Material using samples, instrumentals, artwork, trademarks, likenesses, or other protected material without required permission.
• Counterfeit merchandise.
• Content that infringes copyright, trademark, patent, trade-secret, publicity, privacy, or other proprietary rights.

FoundingFans may remove or restrict allegedly infringing material while a complaint is reviewed. Repeated or serious infringement may result in content removal, monetization restrictions, suspension, or termination.

7. Violent extremism, unlawful violence, and hateful conduct

FoundingFans may not be used to engage in, encourage, fund, facilitate, promote, glorify, or celebrate unlawful violence or physical harm.

• Encouraging or celebrating terrorism or unlawful violent extremism.
• Soliciting money, material assistance, recruitment, or other support for organizations or individuals engaged in unlawful violent activity.
• Credible threats of violence or encouragement of physical attacks.
• Promotion or celebration of unlawful violence or hatred directed at people based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or another legally protected or immutable characteristic.

Documentary, journalistic, educational, artistic, historical, or counterspeech material discussing violence or extremism may be permitted when its purpose is not to promote, fund, celebrate, recruit for, or facilitate prohibited activity.

8. Other prohibited conduct

Users may not use FoundingFans to facilitate fraud, deception, exploitation, money laundering, unauthorized money transmission, sanctions evasion, trafficking, illegal transactions, malware, credential theft, or other unlawful activity. FoundingFans may also prohibit content, transactions, products, or services when necessary to comply with its banking, payment, infrastructure, or technology partners.

9. Moderation, enforcement, and repeat violators

FoundingFans may investigate content or accounts that are reported, flagged, or reasonably suspected of violating these Terms. Depending on the circumstances, FoundingFans may request proof of ownership or authorization, remove or restrict content, disable monetization, prevent transactions, suspend or terminate accounts, preserve relevant records, refer matters to payment providers, or report activity where required by law.

Repeat-violator practice. Confirmed policy violations and the resulting enforcement actions may be recorded against the relevant artist, account, or reported content so that prior violations are considered during later reviews. FoundingFans applies proportional escalation based on the nature, severity, frequency, and context of the conduct.

• An isolated or lower-severity confirmed violation may result in a warning, content or feature restriction, removal request, or other corrective action.
• Repeated violations after prior enforcement may result in stronger restrictions, including suspension of a public artist page, monetization, transactions, or other platform features.
• Continued or repeated violations may result in an indefinite suspension or account termination.
• Serious conduct—including fraud, exploitation, credible threats, unlawful violent activity, severe intellectual-property abuse, or other conduct presenting significant legal, safety, or payment risk—may result in immediate suspension or termination without a prior warning.

Repeated copyright or other intellectual-property infringement is treated as repeat policy abuse and may lead to escalating restrictions or termination. This is not an automatic fixed “three-strikes” rule: FoundingFans may take faster or stronger action when severity or risk warrants it.

Where appropriate, FoundingFans may allow a user to provide additional information or appeal an enforcement decision. A successful appeal or completed remediation may support restoration of restricted access.

10. Refunds, disputes, and payout restrictions

Payments and payouts may be delayed, limited, reversed, refunded, disputed, or otherwise affected by payment-provider requirements, fraud reviews, chargebacks, legal obligations, or violations of these Terms. Removing prohibited content does not guarantee that a payment provider will approve or restore an account or transaction.

11. Reporting violations

Users, rights holders, and other affected parties may submit suspected violations and removal requests through the FoundingFans Report Content form. Reports should identify the content or account and explain the concern. Knowingly submitting fraudulent or abusive reports is prohibited.

12. Suspension and termination

FoundingFans may suspend, restrict, or terminate access when reasonably necessary to protect users or third parties, prevent fraud or unlawful activity, respond to intellectual-property claims, enforce these Terms, satisfy legal obligations, comply with financial-partner requirements, or address material risk to the Service. Repeat violations are evaluated using the enforcement history described in Section 9, and serious violations may result in immediate action.

13. Changes to these Terms

FoundingFans may update these Terms as the Service, legal obligations, payment relationships, or safety requirements evolve. Material changes will be communicated where required by law. Continued use after updated Terms become effective constitutes acceptance to the extent permitted by law.

14. Contact

Questions, copyright concerns, safety reports, or suspected violations may be submitted through the FoundingFans Contact page.