Effective Date: March 8, 2026
Calytix (“we,” “our,” or “us”) provides a platform for community members (“Contributors,” “you”) to submit original ideas, characters, items, mechanics, and written stories (collectively, “Submissions”) for integration into Verdition and the broader Calytix universe. This Contributor Rights Policy governs the intellectual property (IP) rights, licensing, and attribution associated with those Submissions.
1. Introduction & Core Philosophy
When you submit an idea to Calytix, our goal is absolute transparency regarding ownership. We reject the standard industry practice of unconditionally absorbing user IP. Instead, we define exact boundaries of what you retain, what you license to us, and how you are credited. By participating in the Submission process, you agree to these terms.
2. Contributor Representations & Warranties
By making a Submission, you represent and warrant that:
- Originality: The Submission is your original creation, and you are the sole and exclusive owner of all rights, title, and interest in and to the Submission.
- No Infringement: The Submission does not infringe upon, misappropriate, or violate the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, or any other rights of any third party.
- No Generative AI: The Submission was not solely generated by Artificial Intelligence tools in a manner that would preclude copyright protection or violate the rights of third-party IP owners.
- Authority: You have the full right, power, and authority to grant the licenses set forth in this Policy.
3. Retained Rights (What You Keep)
Regardless of the licensing tier selected (see Section 4), all Contributors unequivocally retain the following rights:
attribution & credit
The right to be publicly credited as the originator of the core concept. Calytix will ensure proper attribution (e.g., “Designed by [Name]”) within the relevant project interfaces, credits screens, or compendiums. Contributors may optionally choose to be credited anonymously or under a pseudonym.
portfolio display
The perpetual, non-exclusive right to display, publish, and present the raw concepts, lore, and mechanics in your personal, educational, or professional portfolios, demonstrating your design capabilities.
moral rights
The foundational moral right to be recognized as the author of the work, and the right to object to derogatory treatment of your original concept (subject to structural balance changes required by Calytix).
non-competing derivative works
The right to create derivative works of your original concept for personal use or non-commercial projects, provided they do not conflict with the exclusive licenses granted to Calytix in Section 4.
4. Granted Licenses (Integration Tiers)
To accommodate different levels of involvement, Calytix utilizes a tier-based licensing system. During the Checkout/Submission pipeline, you will explicitly select one of the following integration tiers. Note: For all tiers, you grant Calytix the right to modify, balance, and adapt the Submission for mechanical implementation.
Standard Project Integration (Tier 1)
Under Tier 1, you grant Calytix a perpetual, exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to implement, display, and monetize the Submission strictly within the boundaries of the specific target project (e.g., Verdition).
- Scope: Limited to the game/platform it was submitted for.
- Exclusivity Clause: You agree not to submit the exact same specific mechanical design or character explicitly to another commercial video game.
- Media: Includes the right for Calytix to commission official, derived 2D/3D artwork of the Submission for use in the target project.
Expanded Universe Canon (Tier 2)
Under Tier 2, you grant Calytix everything in Tier 1, plus a perpetual, exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to utilize the Submission as canonical elements within the broader Calytix universe.
- Scope: Expands to include original written stories, future video games, merchandise, marketing materials, and all associated media developed by Calytix.
- Narrative Control: Calytix gains the right to expand upon the character’s backstory, personality, and lore in official capacity.
- Cross-Pollination: An item originated in Verdition may appear in a Calytix novel or a future RPG.
5. Written Story Submissions (The Story Exception)
Textual submissions, specifically full prose stories (3,000–10,000 words) intended for the Stories section, are governed by a unique carve-out to protect the author’s copyright of the written word.
- Textual Copyright: You, the author, retain 100% full copyright of the specific prose text submitted. You may freely publish, distribute, and monetize the text elsewhere (e.g., personal blogs, self-publishing platforms, Royal Road).
- Platform License: You grant Calytix a non-exclusive right to format, host, and display the written text on the Calytix website and associated digital platforms.
- Derived Entities: Novel characters, items, or mechanics introduced within the story that are subsequently ported into Calytix games are governed by the Integration Tier (Section 4) selected at submission time.
6. Rejection, Revisions, & Refunds
Calytix maintains strict quality standards to protect the integrity of the universe. The submission review process includes the following legal safeguards:
- Outright Rejection: If a Submission is rejected (for reasons including IP conflict, mechanical impossibility, or extreme thematic mismatch), the Contributor retains 100% of all rights. The transaction is voided, and a full refund is processed.
- Revision Proposals: Calytix may tentatively accept a Submission pending specific revisions to fit the world or mechanical balance. If the Contributor declines the proposed revisions, the Submission is considered rejected, all rights revert instantly to the Contributor, and a full refund is issued.
- Post-Acceptance: Once a Submission is formally accepted and finalized, the license established by the selected Tier goes into effect permanently. Refunds are not available post-acceptance due to the associated development costs (e.g., commissioning art, writing code).
7. Modification of terms
Calytix reserves the right to modify this Contributor Rights Policy at any time. Changes will not retroactively alter the licensing terms of legally accepted Submissions made prior to the update. Continued use of the Submission Portal constitutes acceptance of the modified terms.