Purpose of These Terms

These Terms describe the rules that apply when you use Earnika, the rights and responsibilities of users and creators, and the limits of our obligations to you. They apply together with our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Acceptable Use Policy, and Transaction Terms, each of which is incorporated by reference.

If you use Earnika on behalf of a company, organisation, or other legal entity, you represent that you have authority to bind that entity to these Terms, and references to "you" include that entity.

Eligibility

To create an account or use Earnika you must:

• Be at least 13 years old, or the minimum age of digital consent in your country, whichever is higher;
• Have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract;
• Not be barred from using the platform under the laws of your jurisdiction or any prior Earnika action;
• Provide accurate, current, and complete information when registering and keep that information up to date.

If you are under the age of majority in your country, your parent or legal guardian must read and agree to these Terms on your behalf.

Your Account

You are responsible for:

• Maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials;
• All activity that occurs through your account, whether or not authorised by you;
• Notifying Earnika promptly of any unauthorised access or suspected security breach;
• Ensuring that any device, browser, or third-party software you use to access the platform is secure.

We may require additional verification, such as email, phone, or identity verification, before granting access to certain features. We may suspend or terminate accounts that we reasonably believe have been compromised or that violate these Terms.

Access to the Service

Subject to your compliance with these Terms, Earnika grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and use the platform for its intended purpose.

You may not:

• Copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of the platform;
• Reverse engineer or attempt to extract source code, except where applicable law permits;
• Use any robot, scraper, or other automated means to access the platform without our express written permission;
• Interfere with or disrupt the integrity, performance, or security of the platform.

Creators and Communities

Creators are responsible for the communities they operate, including the rules of those communities, the accuracy of content and pricing they publish, the delivery of any paid offering, and compliance with all applicable laws, including consumer, tax, and data-protection laws.

Earnika provides the platform and tooling but is not a party to the contract between a creator and a member. Disputes about the content, quality, or delivery of a creator's offering are between the creator and the member; Earnika may assist where appropriate but is not obliged to do so.

Members

As a member you agree to:

• Respect community rules set by the creator, in addition to these Terms and our Acceptable Use Policy;
• Use the platform only for lawful purposes;
• Treat other members and creators with respect.

Content You Provide

You retain ownership of all content you create, upload, or share on Earnika. By submitting content, you grant Earnika a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, display, adapt, and distribute that content solely to operate, promote, and improve the platform. This licence ends when you delete the content, except where retention is required by law or where the content has been shared with others who continue to rely on it.

You represent and warrant that:

• You own the content or have the necessary rights to submit it;
• Your content does not infringe the rights of any third party;
• Your content complies with these Terms and the Acceptable Use Policy.

Intellectual Property

The Earnika name, brand, logos, product designs, software, and underlying technology are owned by Earnika or its licensors and are protected by intellectual property laws. Nothing in these Terms transfers any ownership in Earnika's intellectual property to you.

Payments and Fees

Some features of Earnika require payment. Pricing for memberships, courses, events, and digital products is set by the creator. Platform fees, processing fees, and applicable taxes may apply and will be disclosed at the time of purchase. Payments are processed by approved third-party providers such as Stripe and Paystack and are subject to those providers' terms.

Creator payouts are governed by the Transaction Terms. Earnika may adjust fees with reasonable notice.

Refunds

Unless required by applicable consumer-protection law, refund eligibility and processing are set by the creator and disclosed at the point of sale. Where a refund is required by law, it will be honoured in accordance with that law. Earnika may facilitate refunds on behalf of creators using the original payment method.

Suspension and Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to all or part of the platform, with or without notice, if:

• You materially breach these Terms or any incorporated policy;
• We are required to do so by law, regulation, or order of a competent authority;
• Your activity creates a security, legal, financial, or reputational risk to Earnika, other users, or third parties.

You may stop using Earnika at any time and may close your account through your settings. Closing your account does not relieve you of obligations accrued before closure.

Disclaimers

The platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Earnika disclaims all warranties, whether express, implied, statutory, or otherwise, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, and uninterrupted or error-free operation. Earnika does not warrant that any creator offering will meet your expectations or produce any particular financial, educational, or business outcome.

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Earnika, its affiliates, officers, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or business opportunity, arising from or related to your use of the platform.

Where liability cannot be excluded, Earnika's total aggregate liability shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts paid by you to Earnika in the twelve months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) USD 100.

Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Earnika and its affiliates from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including reasonable legal fees, arising out of or in any way connected with (i) your use of the platform, (ii) your content, (iii) your violation of these Terms, or (iv) your violation of any law or the rights of any third party.

Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which Earnika is established, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall be resolved by the competent courts of that jurisdiction, except where mandatory consumer-protection law grants you the right to bring proceedings in your country of residence.

Changes to These Terms

We may amend these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date above and, for material changes, provide reasonable notice, for example by email or in-app notification. Continued use of Earnika after the changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

Contact

Questions about these Terms can be sent to legal@earnika.com.

Who We Are

Earnika is the data controller of the personal information we process about you in connection with the platform, except where we act on behalf of a creator, in which case the creator is the data controller and Earnika acts as their processor.

Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of information:

• Account information - name, email address, username, password stored in hashed form, and profile details such as bio, photo, location, and social links.
• Community activity - communities you join or create, courses and events you participate in, posts, comments, and messages.
• Payment information - billing details required to process payments. Full card numbers are handled by our payment providers and are not stored by Earnika.
• Identity verification - where required by law or to enable payouts, information needed to verify your identity or business.
• Device and usage information - IP address, device identifiers, browser type and version, language, time zone, referring pages, and interactions with the platform.
• Cookies and similar technologies - see our Cookie Policy for details.
• Communications - content of messages you send to support, feedback, and survey responses.

How We Use Information

We use personal information to:

• Operate, maintain, secure, and improve the platform;
• Authenticate users and protect accounts;
• Personalise content, recommendations, and notifications;
• Process payments, payouts, refunds, and chargebacks;
• Send service messages, security alerts, and administrative information;
• Send marketing communications where permitted, with the ability to opt out at any time;
• Detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, abuse, and security incidents;
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms.

Legal Bases for Processing

Where applicable data-protection law, such as the GDPR, requires a legal basis, we rely on:

• Contract - to provide the platform you have requested;
• Legitimate interests - to operate, secure, and improve our services and to communicate with you;
• Consent - for certain marketing communications and optional cookies;
• Legal obligation - to meet our regulatory, tax, and accounting duties.

Sharing Information

We do not sell personal information. We share it only as needed and with appropriate safeguards:

• Service providers - hosting, analytics, customer support, communications, and security vendors acting on our instructions;
• Payment providers - Stripe, Paystack, and similar providers, to process payments and payouts;
• Creators - limited information about members who join their communities, as needed to operate the community;
• Legal and safety - where required by law or to protect rights, safety, or property;
• Business transfers - in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to confidentiality.

International Transfers

Earnika operates globally, and your information may be processed in countries other than your own. Where we transfer personal information internationally, we use appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent mechanisms required by law.

Data Retention

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary to provide the platform, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the purpose for which it was collected. When information is no longer needed, we delete or anonymise it.

Data Security

We implement administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information, including encryption in transit, restricted access, and ongoing monitoring. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security; we will notify affected users and authorities of qualifying breaches in line with applicable law.

Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you;
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
• Request deletion of your information;
• Object to or restrict certain processing activities;
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
• Request a copy of your information in a portable format;
• Lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority.

To exercise these rights, email privacy@earnika.com.

Children's Privacy

Earnika is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will take appropriate steps.

Third-Party Links

The platform may contain links to third-party sites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties and encourage you to review their policies.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. For material changes we will provide reasonable notice. Continued use of Earnika after the changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

Contact

Questions about this Policy can be sent to privacy@earnika.com.

What Cookies Are

Cookies are small text files placed on your device by websites you visit. They are widely used to make websites work, to make them work more efficiently, and to provide information to the owners of the site. Similar technologies, such as pixels and local storage, perform comparable functions.

How We Use Cookies

We use the following categories of cookies:

• Strictly necessary - required to operate the platform, authenticate users, and remember session state. These cannot be switched off.
• Preferences - remember your language, theme, and other settings.
• Analytics - help us understand how the platform is used so we can improve performance and features. We use first-party analytics where possible.
• Marketing - used to measure the effectiveness of campaigns and, with your consent, to show relevant content off-platform.

Third-Party Cookies

Some cookies are placed by third-party services that appear on our pages, including payment providers, analytics tools, and embedded media. These third parties are responsible for their own cookie practices.

Your Choices

You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings and through our in-app cookie preferences where available. Blocking strictly necessary cookies may prevent parts of the platform from working.

Changes

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date above reflects the most recent revision.

Contact

Questions about cookies can be sent to privacy@earnika.com.

General Principles

When using Earnika you must:

• Comply with all applicable laws and regulations;
• Respect other users and the communities you participate in;
• Act honestly and in good faith;
• Take responsibility for your content and conduct.

Prohibited Content

You may not post, upload, share, host, or distribute content that:

• Is unlawful, defamatory, fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading;
• Infringes intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or other rights;
• Contains child sexual abuse material or sexualises minors in any way;
• Promotes terrorism, violent extremism, or organised criminal activity;
• Incites or threatens violence, self-harm, or hatred against individuals or groups;
• Constitutes harassment, bullying, or targeted abuse;
• Contains non-consensual intimate imagery or sexual content involving real persons without consent;
• Discloses other people's private information without authorisation (doxxing);
• Contains malware, viruses, or other harmful code.

Prohibited Conduct

You may not:

• Impersonate any person, organisation, or Earnika employee;
• Misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity;
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any account, system, or data;
• Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the platform without written authorisation;
• Use the platform to send spam, chain messages, or unsolicited commercial communications;
• Manipulate platform metrics, reviews, referrals, or rankings;
• Interfere with another user's enjoyment of the platform.

Commerce and Fundraising

You may not use Earnika to sell, promote, or solicit funds for:

• Illegal goods or services;
• Weapons, regulated drugs, or controlled substances;
• Adult sexual services;
• Gambling activities prohibited in your jurisdiction;
• Schemes that are deceptive, pyramidal, or otherwise unlawful;
• Any product or service we determine, in our reasonable judgement, is incompatible with the platform.

Reporting

If you encounter content or behaviour that violates this Policy, please use the in-product reporting tools or contact trust@earnika.com. We review reports promptly and may take action, including content removal and account enforcement.

Enforcement

We assess violations based on context, severity, and history. Actions may range from a warning to permanent termination. Decisions about enforcement are made by Earnika and may be appealed through the contact channels above.

Roles

The creator is the seller of record for offerings they list. Earnika provides the platform, billing infrastructure, and integration with third-party payment providers, but is not a party to the underlying contract between member and creator unless explicitly stated.

Payment Methods

Payments may be made using any payment method supported by the platform and the creator's selected payment provider, for example Stripe or Paystack. Card details are handled by the payment provider in line with applicable security standards, such as PCI-DSS. Earnika does not store full card numbers.

Pricing, Currencies, and Taxes

Creators set the price and currency of their offerings. The price displayed at checkout is the price you pay, plus any applicable taxes. Taxes may be calculated and collected by Earnika or the payment provider depending on the jurisdiction. Creators are responsible for the accuracy of their pricing and for their own tax obligations on income earned through the platform.

Subscriptions and Renewals

Recurring memberships and subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing period using the payment method on file until cancelled. You may cancel a subscription at any time through your account; cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period unless otherwise stated.

Cancellations and Refunds

Refund eligibility is set by the creator and disclosed at the point of sale, except where mandatory consumer law provides otherwise. Where you are entitled to a refund by law, it will be honoured in accordance with that law. Refunds are returned to the original payment method.

Earnika may, at its discretion, refund a transaction in cases of fraud, duplicate charge, technical error, or to comply with regulatory obligations.

Chargebacks and Disputes

If you believe a charge is incorrect, contact the creator first. Filing a chargeback before attempting to resolve a dispute may result in account restrictions. Earnika cooperates with payment providers in chargeback investigations and may share transaction information with them.

Platform Fees

Earnika charges a platform fee on transactions; payment providers charge their own processing fees. Fee schedules are made available to creators in their dashboard and may be updated with reasonable notice.

Creator Payouts

Creators receive payouts to a connected Stripe account, Paystack account, or bank account, depending on availability in their country. Payout timing, minimums, and currency are determined by the selected payment provider and Earnika's settlement schedule. Creators are responsible for keeping their payout information accurate.

Reserves and Holds

Earnika or the payment provider may apply a rolling reserve or hold funds where reasonably necessary to manage chargeback risk, suspected fraud, or compliance obligations. Affected creators will be notified where permitted by law.

Member Responsibilities

You must ensure that the payment method you use is authorised and that the billing information you provide is accurate. You are responsible for any taxes, currency-conversion fees, or other charges imposed by your card issuer or bank.

Creator Responsibilities

Creators must:

• Provide accurate descriptions, pricing, and delivery terms for their offerings;
• Deliver paid offerings as described;
• Honour applicable consumer-protection laws, including refund and cancellation rights;
• Maintain appropriate records for tax and accounting purposes.

Suspension of Transactions

Earnika may suspend or reverse transactions where required by law, by the payment provider, or where there is a reasonable belief of fraud, breach of these Terms, or harm to users.