Africooks Contributor Agreement

4.1 Why this exists

You are about to give AFN something valuable: knowledge that in many cases has been carried in your family for generations and never written down. This agreement sets out plainly what you keep, what you give us, and what we owe you in return. We have tried to write it so that you do not need a lawyer to understand it.

4.2 What you keep

You keep ownership of your recipes and your knowledge. Contributing to AFN does not transfer ownership of anything to us. You remain free to publish the same recipe in your own book, on your own site, on social media, or anywhere else, without asking us.

We claim no exclusivity. We never will.

4.3 What you confirm

By contributing, you confirm that:

• the contribution reflects knowledge you are entitled to share, whether it is your own, your family's or knowledge associated with a community;
• you have not copied the text from a copyrighted source;
• photographs you upload are yours, or you have permission to use them;
• where the contribution is associated with a particular community or tradition, you will identify that source where reasonably known and will not knowingly misrepresent yourself as the sole owner or originator of communal knowledge. You must not submit confidential, sacred or restricted community material where you do not have authority to disclose it. AFN may pause publication and seek clarification where a credible community objection is received.

4.4 What you grant us

You grant Fiftyfour Global Limited, trading as African Food Network, a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to host, reproduce, display, publish and distribute your contribution on the Platform and in AFN's own editorial, educational and archival materials. The licence includes technical adaptations necessary to format, translate, store, display and make the contribution accessible. AFN may use service providers to exercise these rights on its behalf. AFN may not sell, commercially license or provide your contribution to an unrelated third party for standalone commercial exploitation without your separate, informed permission.

Plain English: we can publish your contribution on the Platform and in AFN's own editorial, educational and archival materials, in any country and in any language, without paying a royalty under this Agreement. You keep ownership and may use the same material elsewhere. AFN may not commercially license your contribution to an unrelated third party for standalone exploitation without your separate permission.

4.5 What we owe you

• Attribution. While your contribution is displayed, we will identify you by the name or public name you choose, unless removal, anonymisation or another change is required by law, safety, a substantiated rights claim or your valid privacy request.
• Cultural integrity. We may edit for formatting, spelling, clarity and house style. We will not change the cultural substance of your recipe or heritage note without asking you first.
• A response. We aim to review submissions within 5 business days. If we ask for changes, we will tell you specifically what and why. If we decline, we will give a reason and, where appropriate, a route to reapply.
• Your profile. A public page listing your contributions, which you control and can edit.

4.5a What you are not owed, said plainly

AFN does not pay contributors for ordinary submissions under this Agreement. In return, AFN provides attribution and the contributor benefits described in clause 4.5. This does not prevent the parties from agreeing a separate written paid commission or other commercial arrangement.

If AFN later charges for access to parts of the archive, through a subscription or another paid route, that does not by itself create a payment obligation to contributors. Attribution will be maintained while a contribution is displayed, subject to applicable law, safety requirements, substantiated rights claims and valid privacy requests.

We will credit you while your contribution is displayed, except where removal, anonymisation or another change is required by law, safety, a substantiated rights claim or your valid privacy request. If a contribution is reused elsewhere on the Platform, the credit will accompany it where reasonably practicable.

4.6 Removal

You may ask us to remove a contribution at any time. We will remove it from the active Platform within 30 days, subject to any lawful reason for retaining a limited copy.

Copies already lawfully distributed before withdrawal may not be capable of recall. AFN will not make new commercial use of the withdrawn contribution after withdrawal takes effect unless you give fresh permission or another lawful basis applies. AFN may retain a restricted archival copy where necessary to meet a legal obligation or establish, exercise or defend legal claims; such a copy will not be publicly displayed or used for new commercial purposes unless permitted by law.

4.7 If you close your account

On account closure, AFN will delete or anonymise your profile and personal data in accordance with the Privacy Policy. Your contribution and attribution will not automatically remain publicly available if you exercise a valid right to erasure or anonymisation. AFN may retain a restricted copy where a lawful basis applies, as explained in the Privacy Policy.

4.8 No employment

Contributing does not make you an employee, partner or agent of AFN, and does not entitle you to payment. If AFN later introduces paid commissions, those will be a separate written agreement.

4.9 Ending this agreement

Either of us may end this Agreement on notice. Any continuing use of a contribution after termination is limited to copies already distributed or a restricted archival copy where a lawful basis exists. AFN will not create new publications or commercial uses of a withdrawn contribution after withdrawal takes effect without fresh permission or another lawful basis.

4.10 Governing law

As clause 3.12, and subject to the same question.