Terms of Use

Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using Mythopia at https://mythopia.io (the "Platform"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use ("Terms"). Please read them carefully before using the Platform.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the Platform. We reserve the right to update these Terms at any time. Continued use of the Platform after any changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

About Mythopia

Mythopia is a digital cultural preservation platform dedicated to safeguarding African oral traditions, myths, and folklore. The Platform allows users to:

• Browse and read African folktales, myths, and oral narratives
• Create an account and publish original or traditional stories
• Engage with the community through comments and likes
• Listen to podcast episodes through the integrated Spotify player
• Discover stories by cultural category, tag, or search

Mythopia is free to access for readers. Certain features (story creation, commenting, liking) require a registered account.

User Accounts

To access certain features you must register for an account. By doing so, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration
• Keep your login credentials confidential and not share them with others
• Notify us immediately at [email protected] if you suspect unauthorised use of your account
• Accept responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate any account that violates these Terms or that we reasonably believe poses a risk to the Platform or its users.

User-Submitted Content

Your Content

When you submit a story, comment, or other content ("User Content") to Mythopia, you retain ownership of your intellectual property. However, by submitting User Content you grant Mythopia a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to:

• Host, store, and display your content on the Platform
• Index your content for search engines to help preserve and share African heritage
• Display your author name alongside your published content

Cultural Attribution

Mythopia's mission is cultural preservation. When sharing traditional oral narratives that originate from specific African ethnic groups or communities, you agree to:

• Acknowledge the cultural origin of the story (e.g., "A Yoruba folktale", "Zulu oral tradition")
• Represent the story with cultural accuracy and respect
• Not misrepresent traditional stories as your own original creative work

Content Standards

All User Content must comply with the following standards. Content must not:

• Infringe any third party's copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights
• Be defamatory, obscene, offensive, hateful, or discriminatory
• Harass, threaten, or harm any individual or group
• Contain spam, advertising, or unsolicited commercial communications
• Include malware, viruses, or malicious code
• Violate any applicable law or regulation

Prohibited Conduct

When using Mythopia, you must not:

• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Platform or its infrastructure
• Scrape, crawl, or systematically download Platform content without our prior written consent
• Interfere with or disrupt the Platform's servers, networks, or functionality
• Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity
• Use the Platform to distribute or promote illegal activities
• Circumvent, disable, or interfere with any security or access controls
• Use automated tools or bots to interact with the Platform (except legitimate search engine crawlers)
• Collect or harvest personal information of other users without their consent

Intellectual Property

Mythopia's IP

The Mythopia name, logo, platform design, and original editorial content are the intellectual property of Mythopia and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other applicable laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from our proprietary content without our express written permission.

Traditional Knowledge

Many stories on Mythopia are derived from traditional oral knowledge held collectively by African communities. While such traditional knowledge may not be protected under conventional copyright law, Mythopia respects the moral rights of origin communities. We encourage all users to acknowledge cultural sources and use traditional stories in ways that honour and respect their communities of origin.

Copyright Complaints (DMCA)

If you believe any content on the Platform infringes your copyright, please send a written notice to [email protected] including: (a) identification of the copyrighted work, (b) identification of the infringing content and its location on the Platform, (c) your contact information, (d) a statement of good faith belief, and (e) a statement of accuracy under penalty of perjury.

Content Moderation

We reserve the right (but not the obligation) to review, edit, or remove any User Content that we determine, in our sole discretion, violates these Terms or is otherwise objectionable. We may also:

• Remove or disable content that receives valid copyright complaints
• Suspend or terminate accounts that repeatedly violate these Terms
• Report illegal content to appropriate law enforcement authorities

Content moderation decisions are made in good faith to maintain a respectful and culturally sensitive community. If you believe your content was removed in error, contact us at [email protected].

Third-Party Links and Services

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites or embed content from external services (such as Spotify podcast players). These third-party services are not controlled by Mythopia and we are not responsible for their content, practices, or privacy policies.

The Platform displays advertisements served by Google AdSense. We do not control the content of those advertisements and are not responsible for any products or services advertised through them.

Disclaimers

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.

We do not warrant that:

• The Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure at all times
• Any errors or defects will be corrected
• The Platform is free from viruses or other harmful components
• The accuracy, completeness, or cultural authenticity of any story or content

Mythopia hosts a wide range of folk traditions and oral narratives. Stories reflect the perspectives of their authors and cultural communities, not necessarily the views of Mythopia. Cultural interpretations of myths and folklore may vary across communities.

Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, MYTHOPIA AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF (OR INABILITY TO USE) THE PLATFORM OR ITS CONTENT.

In jurisdictions that do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with applicable law. Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Platform shall first be attempted to be resolved through good-faith negotiation. If you have a dispute with us, please contact [email protected] before pursuing any formal legal action.

Changes to These Terms

We may revise these Terms at any time by updating this page. Changes take effect immediately upon posting. We will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page when we make changes. Your continued use of the Platform after any revision constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms. We encourage you to review this page periodically.