Terms and Conditions

01Politeness and Respect

Be kind. Healthy debate is welcome; personal attacks and harassment are not.

Kistoria fosters an environment of courtesy, kindness, and consideration. While we encourage healthy discussions and constructive criticism, all users must maintain a respectful tone when interacting with one another. Content or conduct intended to demean, harass, threaten, or harm any individual or group is strictly prohibited and may result in immediate account suspension or termination.

02Your Content & Our Licence

You own everything you create. By posting it here, you give us permission to display it — nothing more.

You retain full ownership of all original content you create and upload to Kistoria, including blog posts, gallery artwork, short-form posts, podcast episodes, and shop listings.

By posting content on Kistoria, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, sublicensable licence to reproduce, display, distribute, store, transcode, and create thumbnails or previews of your content, solely for the purpose of operating and promoting the Kistoria service, and only for as long as the content remains on the platform.

This licence does not transfer ownership to us and does not permit us to sell your content or use it for purposes unrelated to running Kistoria. You may remove your content at any time; upon removal, this licence terminates for that content within a reasonable processing period.

03Original Content & Plagiarism

Only post content you created or have the rights to share.

We are committed to promoting originality and creativity. Plagiarism — submitting another person's work as your own without proper attribution or permission — is strictly prohibited. Your contributions must be authentic, and you must have the necessary rights to post any third-party material you include. Repeated or egregious plagiarism will result in content removal and account termination.

04Acceptable Use & Prohibited Content

Keep content legal, honest, and safe. The list below is what we never allow.

You agree not to post, upload, or transmit content that:

• Infringes any copyright, trademark, trade secret, or other intellectual property right of any third party
• Is defamatory, obscene, pornographic, or sexually explicit
• Contains hate speech, discrimination, or incitement to violence based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin
• Constitutes spam, phishing, or any form of unsolicited commercial communication
• Contains malicious code, viruses, or any software designed to damage or impair a computer system
• Violates any applicable Nigerian, South African, or international law, including the Nigerian Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 and the Electronic Communications Act
• Impersonates any person or organisation, or misrepresents your affiliation with any person or organisation
• Exploits, harms, or attempts to exploit or harm minors

Kistoria reserves the right to remove any content that violates these standards and to terminate accounts of repeat offenders, without prior notice in serious cases.

05Copyright Infringement & Takedown Procedure

If someone posts your copyrighted work without permission, contact us and we will act.

Kistoria respects intellectual property rights. If you believe content on our platform infringes your copyright, please send a written notice to legal@kistoria.com containing:

1. Identification of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed
2. The URL or location of the infringing content on Kistoria
3. Your contact information (name, address, email, phone number)
4. A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorised by the copyright owner
5. A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorised to act on their behalf
6. Your physical or electronic signature

Upon receipt of a valid notice, we will act expeditiously to remove or disable access to the infringing content and notify the uploader. The uploader may submit a counter-notice if they believe the removal was in error.

Repeat infringers: Users who repeatedly upload content that infringes third-party intellectual property rights will have their accounts terminated.

06Disclaimer of Opinions

Content published by users is theirs alone — it does not represent Kistoria's views.

The views, opinions, and content expressed by users of Kistoria are solely those of the individual creators and do not represent the views, positions, or policies of Kistoria or its affiliates. Kistoria does not endorse any user-generated content and makes no representations or warranties regarding its accuracy, completeness, or legality. We celebrate diversity of thought but cannot be held responsible for individual user opinions.

07Rewards, Wallet & Withdrawals

You can earn rewards and gifts into your in-platform wallet, and withdraw funds to your bank account subject to review.

Rewards: As a token of our appreciation for your contributions, Kistoria may reward creators based on engagement with their content. Reward rates, eligibility criteria, and payout schedules are determined by Kistoria and may be modified at any time, with reasonable notice where practicable. Earnings depend on engagement and may be reduced or zero.

Wallet & Gifts: Your account includes an in-platform wallet that holds your balance from gifts received, rewards, and other credits. Users may send gifts to creators using their wallet balance or a supported payment method. Gifts are voluntary, are generally non-refundable once sent, and do not constitute an investment or a deposit. Kistoria may apply a platform commission to certain transactions, as disclosed at the time.

Withdrawals: You may request a withdrawal of your available wallet balance to a verified bank account, subject to a minimum amount and to our review. When you request a withdrawal, the funds are held from your balance pending processing. Kistoria reviews withdrawal requests before payout and may decline a request where we reasonably suspect fraud, a breach of these Terms, or where bank details cannot be verified; declined or cancelled requests are refunded to your wallet. Payouts are typically processed within a few business days.

08Advertisements

Advertising is available on the platform, but all ads must meet our content standards.

Users and businesses may advertise on Kistoria subject to these Terms and our content standards. All advertisements must comply with applicable law and our content standards. We prohibit advertisements that are offensive, misleading, pornographic, or that target minors with inappropriate content. Kistoria reserves the right to reject, suspend, or remove any advertisement that does not meet these standards without prior notice. Advertising fees are generally non-refundable once a campaign has commenced. Refunds for non-commenced or pre-approved campaigns may be considered at our sole discretion. Advertisers are responsible for ensuring their advertisements are accurate and compliant with all relevant regulations.

09Shop & E-Commerce

Kistoria connects buyers and sellers but is not the seller itself. Sellers are responsible for their listings.

Kistoria as Intermediary: Kistoria operates a marketplace that facilitates transactions between independent sellers and buyers. Kistoria is not the seller of any products listed on the platform. All sales contracts are formed directly between the buyer and the seller. Kistoria is not a party to those contracts and is not liable for product quality, safety, delivery, or any dispute arising from a transaction.

Seller Responsibilities: By listing a product, you represent and warrant that: (a) you have the legal right to sell the item; (b) the listing is accurate and not misleading; (c) the item does not infringe any third-party intellectual property rights; (d) the item complies with all applicable laws; and (e) if the product was created using AI tools, this is disclosed in the listing.

Payment Processing: Payments are processed by a third-party payment provider (currently Paystack). Kistoria does not store card numbers or sensitive payment data. By completing a purchase, you agree to the payment provider's terms of service. Kistoria retains a platform commission on each completed transaction, as disclosed at the time of sale.

Refunds and Returns: Refund and return disputes are primarily resolved between buyer and seller. For digital products, all sales are final unless the product is not as described. Kistoria may, at its discretion, mediate disputes and facilitate refunds in exceptional circumstances.

Shop Age Requirement: Participation as a seller or buyer in the Kistoria shop requires you to be at least 18 years of age, or to have the consent of a legal guardian.

10Age Restriction

You must be at least 13 to use Kistoria. You must be 18 to buy or sell in our shop.

By using Kistoria, you confirm that you are at least 13 years of age. Users under 18 may use the platform with parental or guardian consent, subject to any age-specific restrictions stated in these Terms. Participation in the Kistoria Shop, including purchasing and selling, is limited to users aged 18 and above (or those with verifiable parental consent). We take the safety of younger users seriously and reserve the right to request age verification at any time.

11Accounts & Termination

You are responsible for your account. We can suspend or close accounts that violate these Terms.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately at support@kistoria.com if you suspect unauthorised access.

Kistoria may suspend or permanently terminate your account, with or without notice, if you: (a) violate these Terms; (b) engage in fraudulent activity; (c) submit repeated copyright infringement notices or counter-notices in bad faith; or (d) engage in conduct that Kistoria reasonably determines is harmful to the platform or other users.

For non-breach terminations (e.g., closure of a product feature), Kistoria will provide at least 30 days' notice. Upon termination, your licence to use the platform ceases immediately. Content you have published may remain accessible to other users unless you delete it prior to or at the time of termination. You may export your data in accordance with our Privacy Policy prior to account closure.

12Limitation of Liability

We do our best, but Kistoria is not liable for damages arising from how users use the platform.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Kistoria and its officers, directors, employees, and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or in connection with your use of the platform, including but not limited to loss of profits, loss of data, or reputational harm, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Our total aggregate liability to you for any claim arising from or relating to these Terms or your use of the platform shall not exceed the total amount paid by you to Kistoria in the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or ₦10,000 (ten thousand Naira), whichever is greater. This limitation applies to all causes of action in the aggregate.

13Indemnification

If your content or conduct causes a legal claim against us, you agree to cover our costs.

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Kistoria, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claim, liability, damage, loss, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in any way connected with: (a) your use of the platform; (b) your content; (c) your violation of these Terms; (d) your violation of any applicable law or regulation; or (e) your violation of any third-party right, including any intellectual property right or privacy right.

14Governing Law & Disputes

Nigerian law governs these Terms. Disputes will be resolved in Lagos or Abuja, Nigeria.

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of Kistoria shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Lagos State or the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria.

For disputes involving amounts below ₦500,000, the parties agree to first attempt resolution through good-faith negotiation for 30 days before commencing any formal proceedings. This clause does not prevent either party from seeking emergency injunctive relief in any court of competent jurisdiction.

15Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms. We will notify you by email 30 days before material changes take effect.

Kistoria reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. For material changes — those that significantly affect your rights or obligations — we will provide at least 30 days' notice via email to the address associated with your account and by posting the updated Terms on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. For minor, non-material changes, the updated Terms become effective upon posting. Your continued use of the platform after the effective date of any change constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must stop using Kistoria and may close your account.

16Privacy

Your data matters. Our Privacy Policy explains what we collect, why, and how we protect it.

Your use of Kistoria is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. By using Kistoria, you consent to the data practices described in the Privacy Policy.

17General

A few housekeeping provisions that keep these Terms enforceable.

Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any other policies linked herein, constitute the entire agreement between you and Kistoria regarding your use of the platform, and supersede all prior agreements.

Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

Waiver: Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.