Terms of Service

The rules that govern how you and Ayiti Bèl work together. Written in plain language where the law allows.

1. About Ayiti Bèl

Ayiti Bèl is a curated digital magazine that publishes verified, human-captured photographs and videos of Haiti, paired with editorial articles produced by our team. The platform is operated by JRICKSS Financial Services LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of New Jersey, United States ("we", "us", "our", "Ayiti Bèl"). Our contact address is provided in Section 17.

By accessing the site, creating an account, submitting content, or purchasing any subscription or lifetime access, you ("you", "your", "User") agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (the "Terms"). If you do not agree, do not use the platform.

2. Who can use the platform

You must be at least 16 years old to create an account. If you are under 18, you warrant that a parent or legal guardian has reviewed these Terms and consents to your use of the platform. Users under the age of digital consent in their jurisdiction may only use the platform through a supervising adult's account.

Certain features are restricted by role (Admin, Editor, Moderator, Translator, Contributor). Role assignments are granted and revoked by Ayiti Bèl at our sole discretion.

3. Your account

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for any activity under your account. Notify us immediately at security@ayitibel.com if you suspect unauthorized access.

You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep that information up to date. Use of impersonation, fabricated identities, or another person's likeness or credentials is grounds for immediate termination.

4. Content you submit

You may submit photographs, videos, captions, stories, and related metadata ("Submissions"). By submitting, you grant Ayiti Bèl the limited rights described in the Photographer License Agreement, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

You retain the copyright in your Submissions. Ayiti Bèl never claims ownership of your work.

5. The AI imagery rule (non-negotiable)

Light corrections that preserve the reality of the scene, exposure, white balance, color temperature, modest cropping, noise reduction, sharpening, are permitted. Any edit that alters the factual content of the image (added, removed, or swapped people, objects, scenes, or locations) is not.

6. Contributor warranties

When you submit content, you represent and warrant that:

• You personally captured the Submission with a camera or mobile device, or you hold written permission from the person who did;
• The EXIF metadata accompanying the Submission is authentic and has not been stripped, forged, or altered;
• No artificial-intelligence system generated or substantially modified the Submission;
• You have obtained any necessary consent from individuals recognizable in the Submission, where required by law in the jurisdiction of capture;
• The Submission does not infringe the rights of any third party, including copyright, trademark, publicity, or privacy rights;
• The Submission does not depict a minor in any exploitative context.

Breach of any warranty in this Section is grounds for immediate removal of the Submission, forfeiture of accrued revenue share, account termination, and legal action.

7. Patron subscriptions

Patron subscriptions ("Patron", "Archive", or any other tier we offer) renew automatically on the billing cycle disclosed at purchase until cancelled. You may cancel anytime in your account settings; you retain access through the end of the paid period. Refunds for cancelled monthly subscriptions are not issued pro-rata.

Prices may change for new sign-ups with at least 30 days' notice. Existing subscribers are honored at their current rate through the end of their then-current billing cycle.

8. Founding Patron (lifetime)

The Founding Patron offering is a one-time purchase of $49 USD that grants Patron-tier access for the operational life of the platform ("Lifetime Access"). The offer is limited to the first 200 buyers and is non-transferable.

If the Ayiti Bèl platform does not launch publicly by December 31, 2026, all Founding Patron purchases are automatically refunded in full. See the Refund Policy for details.

Lifetime Access does not obligate Ayiti Bèl to operate in perpetuity. If the platform ceases operations, Lifetime Access ends with it, and no further payments are owed beyond refunds already obligated under the Refund Policy.

9. Acceptable use

You may not:

• scrape, harvest, republish, or resell platform content without a written license;
• attempt to circumvent the verification pipeline or submit content on another person's behalf without written authorization;
• upload malware, spam, unlawful content, or content depicting illegal activity;
• misuse the reporting or moderation tools;
• interfere with the technical operation of the platform.

10. Intellectual property

All elements of the Ayiti Bèl platform other than User Submissions, including the name, logo, design, site code, editorial text written by our staff, and compilation of content, are owned by Ayiti Bèl or its licensors and protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws. No license to these elements is granted by these Terms.

11. Disclaimers

The platform is provided "as is" and "as available". To the maximum extent permitted by law, Ayiti Bèl disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure.

12. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Ayiti Bèl's total liability to you for any claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or the platform is limited to the greater of (a) the amount you paid to Ayiti Bèl in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (b) US $100. Neither party is liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or exemplary damages.

13. Indemnification

You will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Ayiti Bèl and its officers, employees, and agents from any claim arising out of (a) your breach of these Terms, (b) your Submissions, or (c) your misuse of the platform. Ayiti Bèl will control the defense of any such claim and you will cooperate reasonably.

14. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, for breach of these Terms or as required by law. You may terminate your account at any time by writing to hello@ayitibel.com.

On termination: your right to access the platform ends immediately; Sections 10 through 16 survive; pending payouts under the Photographer License are paid in the ordinary course if you were in good standing at the time of termination.

15. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will post the updated version on this page with a revised "Effective" date and, for material changes, email registered Users at least 14 days before the change takes effect. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

16. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New Jersey, United States, excluding its conflict-of-laws rules. Exclusive jurisdiction and venue lie in the state and federal courts located in Essex County, New Jersey, unless consumer protection laws in your jurisdiction mandate otherwise.

For users in the European Union, United Kingdom, or other jurisdictions with mandatory consumer protections, nothing in these Terms waives rights granted to you by local law.

17. Contact

JRICKSS Financial Services LLC
Attn: Ayiti Bèl Legal
Email: legal@ayitibel.com
General: hello@ayitibel.com