Boring, I know! But we need to set these up front.
These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Silt Media Stories platform, available at siltmediagroup.com (the “Platform”). By accessing or using the Platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.
Silt Media Stories is operated by Silt Media Group (“we”, “us”, or “our”), an Australian media company.
- Eligibility
You must be at least 13 years of age to use the Platform. By using the Platform, you confirm that you meet this requirement. If you are under 18, you must have the consent of a parent or legal guardian. We reserve the right to terminate remove content where we have reason to believe the age requirement has not been met.
2. User Accounts
We do not currently require user accounts to access the Platform. If this changes, this section will be amended.
3. Ownership of User Content
You retain full ownership of any content you submit to the Platform, including but not limited to original fiction, manuscripts excerpts, and any other written works (“User Content”). By submitting User Content, you grant Silt Media Stories a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to host, display, and archive your content on the Platform for the purposes of operating the service.
This license does not give Silt Media Group the right to sell, redistribute, or commercially exploit your content beyond the operation of the Platform without your explicit written consent.
4. User Responsibility for Content
You are solely and exclusively responsible for any and all content you submit to the Platform. By submitting content, you represent and warrant that:
(a) you are the original author of the content, or have obtained all necessary rights and permissions to submit it;
(b) your content does not infringe the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or any other rights of any third party;
(c) your content does not contain defamatory, fraudulent, or otherwise unlawful material.
Silt Media Group accepts no liability whatsoever for any content submitted by users. If your content gives rise to any claim, demand, or action by a third party — including but not limited to claims of copyright infringement — that liability rests entirely and exclusively with you. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Silt Media Stories and Silt Media Group against any such claims, costs, damages, and expenses (including legal fees) arising from content you have submitted.
5. Copyright Infringement
Submitting content that infringes the copyright or other intellectual property rights of any person or entity is strictly prohibited. This includes uploading works authored by others without permission, reproducing substantial portions of copyrighted works, and any other act that would constitute infringement under Australian copyright law or applicable international law.
Where we receive a credible notice of alleged copyright infringement relating to content on the Platform, we reserve the right to remove that content immediately and without notice. Repeated or egregious infringement may result in permanent account termination.
Silt Media Stories operates in good faith and is not responsible for independently verifying the ownership or licensing status of every piece of submitted content. Responsibility for compliance with intellectual property law lies solely with the submitting user.
6. Child Safety
Silt Media Group has a zero-tolerance policy for any content that sexualizes, exploits, or endangers minors. This prohibition applies regardless of whether characters are described as fictional, and regardless of any stated age attributed to characters within the content. Content will be assessed on its nature, framing, and intent — not solely on explicit age labels.
This prohibition includes but is not limited to:
(a) sexual or romantic content involving characters who are, or could reasonably be understood to be, minors;
(b) content designed to normalise, romanticise, or facilitate the sexualisation of minors;
(c) any material that would constitute child abuse material under Australian law, including the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) and applicable state legislation.
Violation of this policy will result in immediate and permanent removal of the content and account, and referral to the relevant law enforcement authorities. We take this obligation seriously and will not exercise discretion in cases of clear violation.
7. Prohibited Content — General
In addition to the specific prohibitions above, the following content is not permitted on the Platform:
(a) content promoting, glorifying, or inciting violence, hatred, or discrimination against any person or group;
(b) content that harasses, threatens, or intimidates any individual;
(c) adult, explicit, or pornographic material of any kind;
(d) content generated wholly or substantially by artificial intelligence tools;
(e) content that promotes or facilitates illegal activity;
(f) spam, unauthorised advertising, or commercial solicitation;
(g) malicious code, viruses, or any material designed to damage, interfere with, or gain unauthorised access to systems.
We reserve the right to remove any content that, in our sole judgement, violates these Terms or is otherwise harmful, offensive, or inconsistent with the values and purpose of the Platform.
8. AI-Generated Content
Silt Media Group is built on the belief that authentic human storytelling must be protected. Accordingly, the submission of content that is wholly or substantially generated by artificial intelligence tools is prohibited. By submitting content, you confirm that it is your own original human-authored work.
9. Platform Purpose
Silt Media Stories is a literary discovery platform. It is not a publisher and does not purchase rights to works listed on the Platform. Listing on the Platform is free. Silt Media Stories takes no commission on sales that occur through an author’s own channels. Authors retain full control of their work and all associated rights, except as described in Section 10 below where a Right of First Refusal has been expressly granted.
10. Right of First Refusal — Screen Adaptation
10.1 Condition of Listing
By submitting a work to Silt Media Stories, you agree to grant Silt Media Group a Right of First Refusal (“ROFR”) over the screen adaptation rights to that work. This is a condition of listing and applies to all submissions. You may not list a work on the Platform without agreeing to this condition.
10.2 Nature of the Right
Silt Media Stories is a discovery platform. Works listed on the Platform may attract interest from third parties — including producers, studios, and screen industry professionals — who independently identify listed works as candidates for screen adaptation. Where such interest arises, the ROFR gives Silt Media Group (operating through its screen production arm, Deltascreen) the opportunity to participate as executive producer in any resulting adaptation before you enter into any agreement with that third party.
Silt Media Group will never charge the author any fee — at any stage, for any reason. We are not a pay-to-play service. If Silt Media Group participates in an adaptation, its compensation is negotiated exclusively from the production budget, not from you. You will not be asked to pay anything, ever.
10.3 Notification Obligation
If a third party expresses interest in acquiring screen adaptation rights to your listed work, you must notify Silt Media Group in writing at [email protected] within 7 days of that approach. You are also strongly encouraged to direct any interested third party to contact Silt Media Group directly at the same address, so that preliminary discussions can occur without delay.
Silt Media Group then has 30 days from the date of notification (the “Negotiation Period”) to put forward terms under which it would participate in the adaptation as executive producer.
10.4 What Happens During the Negotiation Period
During the Negotiation Period, Silt Media Group may propose terms including its role as executive producer and the fee it seeks from any production budget. You are under no obligation to accept any offer made. If Silt Media Group does not make an offer within the Negotiation Period, or if you and Silt Media Group do not reach agreement, you are free to proceed with the third party without restriction.
10.5 Scope of the ROFR
The ROFR applies only to screen adaptation rights (film and television). It does not affect your publishing rights, audio rights, translation rights, stage rights, or any other rights. You retain full ownership of the work at all times.
10.6 No Exclusivity During Listing
Listing your work on Silt Media Stories does not prevent you from simultaneously listing, selling, or promoting your work through any other platform or channel. The ROFR does not restrict your ability to publish, distribute, or commercialise your work in any form.
10.7 If Agreement Is Reached
Where you and Silt Media Group reach agreement on an adaptation project, the specific terms — including fee, credit, and any further rights — will be set out in a separate written agreement at that time. These Terms do not constitute a commitment by Silt Media Group to produce or develop any particular work.
10.8 Removal from Platform
If you remove your work from the Platform, the ROFR lapses from the date of removal, provided no active negotiation is underway between you and Silt Media Group at that time.
11. Termination
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to the Platform at any time, with or without notice, for any violation of these Terms or for any other conduct we determine, in our sole discretion, to be harmful to the Platform, its users, or third parties.
12. Disclaimer of Warranties
The Platform is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. We make no warranties, express or implied, as to the reliability, accuracy, availability, or fitness for a particular purpose of the Platform. We do not guarantee that the Platform will be free from errors, interruptions, or security vulnerabilities.
13. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, Tributary Press and Silt Media Group shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Platform, including but not limited to loss of data, loss of revenue, or damage to reputation.
Our total aggregate liability to you for any claim arising under these Terms shall not exceed AUD $100.
14. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. Where changes are material, we will endeavour to notify users via the Platform or by email. Your continued use of the Platform after any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.
15. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of Queensland, Australia. Any dispute arising under these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Queensland.
16. Contact
For any questions or legal notices relating to these Terms, please contact us at: [email protected]