This Standard Licensing Agreement (the "Agreement") is entered into by and between:

• Party A (Author): the content creator registered and verified on the Platform; and
• Party B (Platform): World Chain Novel, the entity operating the online novel platform on which the Work is published.

WHEREAS, Party A desires to grant Party B an exclusive license to publish, distribute, and commercialize the Work, and Party B is willing to provide premium platform services. NOW, THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows:

Article 1 — Definitions

1.1 Work means the literary work(s) created by Party A and uploaded to the Platform, including but not limited to novels, prose, poetry, etc., as identified by the title and content created in the author dashboard.

1.2 Completion means Party A has marked the Work as "Completed" in the author dashboard and has been confirmed by bookmanager.

1.3 Net Revenue means gross revenue less the necessary costs as defined in Article 5 of this Agreement.

1.4 Business Day means any day on which banks are open for international business, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.

1.5 Author Level means the creator level obtained by Party A on Party B's Platform according to the points rules, which determines the revenue share percentage.

Article 2 — Nature of Agreement and Relationship

2.1 License, Not Transfer. This Agreement constitutes an exclusive license of certain copyright rights, not a transfer of copyright ownership. Except for the rights expressly granted herein, all copyright rights, including moral rights, remain with Party A.

2.2 Exclusive License. This Agreement grants Party B an exclusive, worldwide license to exercise the rights specified in Article 3. Party A shall not exercise, nor authorize any third party to exercise, such rights during the term of this Agreement.

2.3 Independent Contractor. The relationship between the parties is that of independent contractors. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to create an employment, partnership, joint venture, or agency relationship. Party A is not entitled to any employee benefits or labor protections from Party B.

Article 3 — Scope of License

Party A grants Party B the following exclusive, worldwide rights:

3.1 Right of Communication through Information Networks: The right to make the Work available to the public via the internet (including websites, mobile applications, APIs, etc.) for online reading and downloading.

3.2 AI Translation and Overseas Distribution Rights: The right to use artificial intelligence technology to translate the Work into other languages and to distribute and disseminate such translations worldwide.

3.3 AI Short Video Promotion Rights: The right to use artificial intelligence technology to adapt the Work (in part) into short videos, solely for internal platform promotion and marketing, and not for third-party commercial use. The short video adaptation under this clause is a royalty-free license, and Party A shall not claim additional compensation from Party B for such use.

3.4 Film and Audiobook Adaptation (Separate Agreement Required): The rights to adapt the Work into films, television series, web series, micro-dramas, and other audiovisual works, as well as audiobooks, radio dramas, and other audio works, are not included in the automatic license grant under this Agreement. If Party B wishes to exercise such rights, it must enter into a separate written agreement with Party A, separately agreeing on the revenue share percentage and specific terms.

3.5 Rights Reserved: All rights not expressly granted in this Article, including but not limited to game adaptation rights, comic adaptation rights, print publication rights, merchandising rights, and stage play adaptation rights, remain with Party A. Party B may only exploit such reserved rights with Party A's prior written consent under a separate agreement.

3.6 Sublicensing: Party B may sublicense the rights granted hereunder to affiliates or third-party partners, provided that the terms of such sublicense are no less protective of Party A than this Agreement. Party B shall remain liable to Party A for the acts of any sublicensee.

Article 3A — AI Training and Development Rights

3A.1 AI Training Grant: In addition to the rights granted in Article 3, Party A grants Party B an exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free right to use the Work for artificial intelligence model training, optimization, fine-tuning, and related machine learning research and development purposes.

3A.2 Scope of AI Use: The rights granted in this Article include, but are not limited to:

(a) Using the Work as training data for large language models, neural networks, diffusion models, and other AI systems, whether developed by Party B or its affiliates;

(b) Extracting linguistic patterns, stylistic features, narrative structures, character archetypes, and plot frameworks for model improvement;

(c) Creating embeddings, vectors, or other machine-readable representations of the Work;

(d) Using the Work for evaluation, testing, benchmarking, and validation of AI models;

(e) Fine-tuning pre-trained models using the Work to create specialized writing assistance tools;

(f) Using the Work to train AI translation models to improve translation quality across languages.

3A.3 Perpetual Nature: The AI training rights granted in this Article shall survive the termination or expiration of this Agreement. Party A acknowledges that once the Work has been incorporated into AI training datasets, it is not technically feasible to remove or "untrain" the Work from AI models.

3A.4 No Additional Compensation: Party A acknowledges and agrees that the AI training rights granted hereunder are provided without additional compensation beyond the revenue sharing set forth in Article 5.

3A.5 AI Translation Enhancement: Party B may use the Work to train and improve AI translation models. This right is in addition to, and not limited by, the AI translation rights granted in Article 3.2. Improved translation models shall benefit all authors on the Platform.

Article 4 — Term

4.1 License Term: This Agreement shall commence on the Effective Date and continue for a period of ten (10) years following the Completion of the Work.

4.2 Renewal: The parties may negotiate renewal of this Agreement during the three (3) months prior to expiration. Party B shall have a right of first refusal on terms no less favorable than those offered by any third party.

Article 5 — Revenue Sharing and Settlement

5.1 Revenue Share Percentages: Revenue sharing shall be based on Net Revenue and Party A's current Author Level as follows:

5.2 Net Revenue Definition: Net Revenue means gross revenue less the following necessary costs:

(a) Third-party payment channel fees (as evidenced by payment processor statements);

(b) Applicable taxes and duties;

(c) Direct promotion expenses actually incurred for the Work (such as advertising costs), provided that Party B furnishes third-party invoices or settlement vouchers for Party A's review;

(d) Direct production and distribution costs paid to third parties for film and audiobook adaptations (if a separate agreement is in place).

5.3 Cost Cap: Promotion expenses under Section 5.2(c) shall not exceed thirty percent (30%) of the Work's gross revenue for the same period. Any excess shall be borne solely by Party B.

5.4 Loss Absorption: If Net Revenue is negative, Party B shall bear the loss and shall not seek reimbursement from Party A or offset against Party A's other earnings.

5.5 Settlement Cycle: Party B shall settle revenue on a calendar month basis and shall provide Party A with a revenue statement by the twentieth (20th) day of the following month, together with payment of any amounts due to Party A's designated account.

5.6 Withdrawal Application: Party A may submit a withdrawal application through the author dashboard before the 25th day of each month. Approved withdrawals shall be paid between the 1st and 5th day of the following month.

5.7 Minimum Withdrawal: The minimum withdrawal amount is USD 50 (or equivalent). Amounts below this threshold cannot be withdrawn until the threshold is met.

5.8 Fee Deductions: Actual withdrawal amounts shall be net of (a) applicable taxes, (b) third-party payment channel fees, and (c) cross-border remittance fees (if applicable). The revenue figures displayed in the author dashboard are for reference only and do not reflect these deductions.

5.9 Disputes: Party A may dispute any settlement within thirty (30) days of receipt. Party B shall investigate and respond within seven (7) business days.

Article 6 — Rights and Obligations of Party A

6.1 Rights of Party A:

(a) To receive revenue share payments in accordance with this Agreement;

(b) To view Work-related data through the author dashboard;

(c) To retain attribution rights, integrity rights, and all moral rights in the Work;

(d) To receive notice of major adaptation projects;

(e) Full autonomy over pen name and social media accounts.

6.2 Obligations of Party A:

(a) To warrant that the Work is Party A's original creation and does not infringe any third-party rights;

(b) To warrant that the Work complies with Article 7 (Content Standards);

(c) Not to authorize any third party to exercise the rights granted exclusively to Party B hereunder;

(d) To cooperate with Party B in copyright registration and infringement enforcement;

(e) To maintain regular updates and notify Party B of any planned hiatus;

(f) To be solely responsible for tax filing and payment obligations in Party A's country of residence or citizenship.

Article 7 — Content Standards

Party A warrants that the Work does not contain:

(a) Child sexual exploitation or any form of minor pornography;

(b) Explicit sexual acts or obscene pornographic content;

(c) Incitement to terrorism, extremism, or violent extremist acts;

(d) Discrimination or hate speech based on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic;

(e) Content insulting the dignity of any country, nation, or religion;

(f) Unauthorized use of others' trademarks, copyrighted works, or other intellectual property;

(g) Defamatory, insulting, or privacy-infringing content;

(h) Content promoting gambling, illegal drugs, or criminal activities.

Article 8 — Creation and Updates

8.1 Creative Autonomy: Party A retains full creative control over the Work. Party B may offer suggestions, but such suggestions are for reference only. Party A has final decision-making authority.

8.2 Update Obligation: Party A shall maintain regular updates. Party A shall notify Party B in advance of any planned hiatus.

8.3 Hiatus and Breach:

(a) If Party A ceases updating an ongoing Work without valid reason for ninety (90) consecutive days, such failure shall constitute a material breach of this Agreement.

(b) If Party A fails to update for ninety (90) days and Party B is unable to contact Party A using the registered contact information, Party B may immediately:

  (i) Terminate this Agreement and settle any outstanding revenue due to Party A for the Work;

  (ii) Acquire all electronic and print copyrights in the Work;

  (iii) Retain all subsequent revenue from the Work, with no claim by Party A;

  (iv) Engage a third party or use generative AI technology to continue or complete the Work. Such AI-assisted continuation shall be clearly labeled, and Party A shall have no claim to attribution or compensation for such continuation.

(c) The consequences in Section 8.3(b) shall constitute liquidated damages for Party A's breach, which the parties agree is reasonable in light of the harm caused to Party B.

Article 9 — Intellectual Property Protection and Enforcement

9.1 Warranty: Party A warrants that the Work is original and does not infringe any third-party rights. Party A shall indemnify Party B against any direct losses arising from breach of this warranty.

9.2 Infringement Monitoring: Party B shall take reasonable technical measures to monitor and combat piracy and unauthorized distribution of the Work.

9.3 Enforcement Costs: If Party B initiates enforcement action, Party B shall bear the primary enforcement costs (including attorneys' fees, litigation costs, and notarization fees). Party A shall cooperate with such enforcement.

9.4 Enforcement Proceeds: Any recovery (including damages, settlements, and license fees) shall be shared 50% to Party A and 50% to Party B after deducting enforcement costs.

Article 10 — Notice of Major Adaptations

10.1 Major Adaptation Defined: A "Major Adaptation" means adaptation of the Work into a film, television series, web series, or game with a project budget exceeding USD 100,000 (or equivalent).

10.2 Notice Obligation: Party B shall notify Party A in writing within fifteen (15) business days after entering into a formal adaptation agreement with a third party. Major Adaptations require a separate agreement with Party A, separately agreeing on the revenue share percentage.

10.3 Short Videos: Routine short videos for daily promotional purposes (under Article 3.3) may be notified after publication and do not require prior consent.

Article 11 — Termination

11.1 Expiration: This Agreement shall terminate automatically upon expiration of the License Term.

11.2 Mutual Agreement: The parties may terminate this Agreement by mutual written consent.

11.3 Termination by Party A:

(a) Party A may terminate this Agreement prior to expiration by providing sixty (60) days' written notice.

(b) Upon such termination, Party A shall pay Party B liquidated damages equal to the greater of: (i) 50% of Party A's total revenue from the Work during the preceding twelve (12) months, or (ii) USD 5,000.

11.4 Termination by Party B for Cause: Party B may terminate this Agreement upon written notice if:

(a) The Work is found to be plagiarized or infringing by a final judicial or administrative determination;

(b) The Work contains seriously illegal content resulting in administrative penalties against Party B;

(c) Party A breaches the exclusivity obligation by authorizing a third party with respect to the Work;

(d) Party A ceases updates for more than ninety (90) days and cannot be contacted (as provided in Article 8.3).

11.5 Termination by Party A for Cause: Party A may terminate this Agreement upon written notice if:

(a) Party B fails to pay amounts due for three (3) consecutive months or six (6) cumulative months and fails to cure within fifteen (15) business days after written demand;

(b) Party B becomes bankrupt, dissolves, or has its business license revoked;

(c) Party B uses the Work beyond the scope of this license and fails to cease within thirty (30) days after written notice.

Article 12 — Force Majeure

12.1 Neither party shall be liable for failure to perform due to force majeure events, including natural disasters, war, government action, cyberattacks, or changes in law. The affected party shall notify the other within seven (7) business days.

12.2 If a force majeure event continues for more than sixty (60) days, either party may terminate this Agreement upon written notice.

Article 13 — Confidentiality

13.1 Confidential Information: The terms of this Agreement and any business information learned during performance shall be confidential.

13.2 Obligations: Neither party shall disclose confidential information to any third party without the discloser's written consent, except as required by law.

13.3 Duration: Confidentiality obligations shall survive termination of this Agreement for three (3) years.

Article 14 — Dispute Resolution and Governing Law

14.1 Negotiation: The parties shall first attempt to resolve any dispute through friendly negotiation.

14.2 Arbitration: If negotiation fails, any dispute shall be submitted to binding arbitration under the rules of an internationally recognized arbitration institution mutually agreed upon by the parties. The arbitral award shall be final and binding.

14.3 Governing Law: This Agreement shall be governed by general principles of international commercial law. In the absence of agreement on governing law, the arbitrator shall determine the applicable law based on the parties' respective locations and the nature of the dispute.

Article 15 — General Provisions

15.1 Entire Agreement: This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties regarding the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior communications.

15.2 Amendment: Any amendment shall be made by Party B providing notice and Party A clicking to agree.

15.3 Severability: If any provision is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

15.4 Notices: Notices shall be sent by email or platform internal message. Notice to Party A is deemed delivered when sent to the registered email address or platform inbox. Notice to Party B is deemed delivered when sent to the official contact email published on the Platform.

Article 16 — Effectiveness

16.1 This Agreement shall become effective when Party A clicks "I have read and agree to the Standard Licensing Agreement" and submits the application.

16.2 Party A's click and submission constitute an electronic signature with the same legal effect as a handwritten signature.

16.3 Party B's systems shall record Party A's user ID, IP address, and timestamp as evidence of agreement formation.

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Last Updated: 2026-05-18