Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms & Eligibility

Welcome to Phronique News("Platform", "we", "us", or "our"), operated by Phronique Media Network. By accessing, browsing, registering for an account, publishing content, or purchasing advertising services on Phronique News (including web portals, APIs, and mobile interfaces), you ("User", "Reader", "Publisher", or "Advertiser") enter into a legally binding agreement subject to these Terms of Service ("Terms") and our Privacy Notice.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must immediately discontinue use of the Platform. To register an account, publish articles, or create advertising campaigns, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years of age (or the legal age of majority in your jurisdiction). If you are under 18, you may only use the platform for reading with the consent of a parent or legal guardian.

2. Platform Ecosystem & Services

Phronique News operates a digital journalism and publisher platform designed to deliver:

• Personalized news streams, curated editorial desks, and topic feeds.
• Publisher Studio workspaces for independent journalists, creators, and verified agencies (Multi-Tenant SaaS).
• Self-serve advertiser campaign creation and audience targeting.
• Community discussions, article bookmarks, and trusted publisher subscriptions.

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Platform at any time, with or without notice.

3. Content Ownership & Licenses

Your Content:You retain complete ownership of all intellectual property rights in the articles, images, comments, and other content you submit or publish to the Platform ("User Generated Content" or "UGC").

License to Phronique News: To provide our services, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, and sublicensable license to host, store, reproduce, modify (for formatting purposes), distribute, publish, and display your UGC across the Platform and our associated marketing channels. This license ends when you delete your content, subject to backups maintained for legal or operational purposes.

Platform IP: All rights, title, and interest in the Platform itself, including its software, architecture, design, and trademarks, remain the exclusive property of Phronique News. You may not copy, reverse-engineer, or distribute any part of our proprietary software.

4. Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)

As a user, you agree not to engage in any of the following prohibited activities:

• Illegal Content: Publishing content that violates any local, national, or international laws, including defamation, fraud, or child exploitation.
• Hate Speech & Harassment: Posting content that promotes violence, discrimination, or severe harm against individuals or groups based on protected characteristics.
• Spam & Deception: Engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior, phishing, impersonating others, or artificially inflating engagement metrics.
• Platform Abuse: Scraping data, bypassing security measures, transmitting malware, or imposing an unreasonable load on our infrastructure.

We reserve the right to remove any content or suspend accounts that violate this AUP without prior notice.

5. Copyright & DMCA Policy

Phronique News respects the intellectual property rights of others and complies with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and equivalent international laws.

Reporting Infringement: If you believe your copyright has been infringed, please send a written notice to our designated Copyright Agent at copyright@phronique.news. Your notice must include a description of the infringed work, the location (URL) of the infringing material, and your contact information.

Repeat Infringers: In accordance with applicable law, we maintain a policy to terminate the accounts of users who are determined to be repeat copyright infringers.

6. Payments, Subscriptions & Ads

Subscriptions & Processing: Paid subscriptions and advertising campaigns are processed through our third-party payment provider (e.g., Paystack). By making a transaction, you agree to their terms of service. All prices are listed in Ghanaian Cedi (GHS) or other supported currencies.

Publisher Payouts: Verified publishers monetizing their content will receive payouts subject to a platform fee. Payout schedules and thresholds are detailed in your Publisher Studio dashboard. We are not responsible for payout delays caused by incorrect banking information or third-party processor issues.

Refunds: All payments are non-refundable unless required by law or explicitly stated in a separate service level agreement.

7. Disclaimers & Limitation of Liability

"As-Is" Service:The Platform is provided on an "as-is" and "as-available" basis. We disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose, merchantability, and non-infringement. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access or error-free operations.

Content Liability: Publishers are solely responsible for the accuracy, legality, and consequences of the content they publish. Phronique News acts only as a hosting provider and does not endorse or verify UGC.

Limitation of Liability: To the fullest extent permitted by law, Phronique News shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, data, or goodwill. Our total liability for any claims arising under these Terms shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim.

8. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Phronique News, its affiliates, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, liabilities, costs, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of your use of the Platform, your violation of these Terms, or your infringement of any third-party rights.

9. Termination & Account Suspension

You may terminate this agreement at any time by deleting your account. We may suspend or terminate your access to the Platform immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason whatsoever, including without limitation if you breach these Terms.

Upon termination, your right to use the Platform will immediately cease. Sections relating to ownership, liability, indemnification, and governing law shall survive termination.

10. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Ghana, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Platform shall be resolved exclusively in the competent courts located in Accra, Ghana. You agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.