PHASE ONE · EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 5, 2026 · VERSION 2026-10-05-v2

Terms of Service

Living Stories is a collaborative writing prototype created and operated by Daniel Ochoa. More chapters are in development; future capabilities are not promised by this edition.

Agreeing before you write

These terms apply to new contributions submitted after you explicitly accept them. Existing contributions are not retroactively licensed under these terms. Recommended for ages 13+.

Your contribution stays yours

You retain any rights you hold in your original contribution. Submit only material you created or are authorized to share. A pen-name credit does not establish legal ownership, and these terms do not determine whether a short line is copyrightable or whether the completed story is legally a joint work.

Permission to run the collaboration

For a contribution submitted under these terms, you grant Living Stories a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store it, display it with your pen name in its story and reveal, and provide the private fragments and continuation features within the service. This permission does not transfer ownership. Public room links and completed reveals can be shared; sharing a link is not permission to commercially reproduce its contents.

Commercial publication needs a separate agreement

These terms grant no license to sell, commercially publish, record, adapt, or commercially distribute another contributor’s work. Before a commercial release using contributions, the publisher must obtain permission from the relevant rights holders and a written agreement covering credit, each participating contributor’s share, the calculation of proceeds, and payment. No automatic percentage, payout, or commercial opportunity is promised by this prototype. Living Stories does not collect or distribute publication earnings.

Generating comics, songs, recordings, or other adaptations is not authorized by the limited platform license above. Any future adaptation capability will require separately explained permissions. Where some contributions predate these terms, permission must be obtained separately before reusing them.

The platform and creator credit

Living Stories was created by Daniel Ochoa. Contributor content is separate from platform materials. No license to copy or commercially reuse protected platform text, artwork, or code is granted here, except where an applicable third-party license permits it. An authorized commercial platform license or partnership must separately establish creator credit and any payment. These terms do not claim exclusive rights in storytelling ideas, game mechanics, common phrases, or independently developed implementations.

Keep the room welcoming

Do not submit personal information, threats, hateful content, harassment, explicit sexual content, spam, or material you do not have permission to use. Room creators can remove their rooms and all their contributions. The operator may remove abusive content or restrict access.

Browser identity and availability

This edition identifies writers by a browser cookie, not a verified account. Clearing cookies or switching browsers can lose access to your notebook, creator controls, or Ghost Memory. The one-contribution rule is per browser and is not proof of a unique person. The prototype may change, be unavailable, or close; keep your own copy of important writing. No successful reveal, audience, earnings, or prevention of copying is guaranteed.

Updates

Material changes to contribution permissions require fresh acceptance before new contributions under the changed terms. They do not silently expand permission for earlier work. See the Privacy Notice for data handling.