Terms & Conditions

Crowdbooks is a publishing platform that allows authors to publish book projects and gauge an audience’s interest in them.
Projects are selected by Crowdbooks and proposed to the public through pre-order campaigns lasting up to 90 days.
Anyone can support these campaigns, by credit card, pre-ordering one or more copies of the proposed book and thus contributing to its potential publication, distribution and promotion.

If the goal of the pre-order campaign is reached, Crowdbooks commits to publish and market the work, after professional editing, revision and graphic design, as well as to make the ebook available only to the supporters of that specific campaign and to send the paper version of the book as soon as the printing phase is completed, to the only supporters of the campaign according to the offer paid.

In case of negative outcome of a campaign

If the campaign does not reach its goal, the book will not be published by Crowdbooks and the rights of the text will return to the complete and exclusive availability of the author.

If, on the other hand, the campaign ends without reaching a minimum number of pre-ordered copies, the pre-orders will be fully refunded and the amounts pledged will be returned to the full availability of the supporters. Crowdbooks will not carry out any editorial activity on the work nor will it send the copies to the supporters. The contract between Crowdbooks and the author will be considered terminated.

Contract and conditions of use of the service

All users of the Site are encouraged to read the terms of use of the Site, set forth below (“Agreement” or “Terms of Use”), before using the services offered by Crowdbooks. This Agreement sets forth the legally binding terms and conditions for your use of the website at www. crowdbooks.com (Site). By using the Site (visiting, browsing, subscribing), you agree to abide by the terms of this agreement. This agreement extends to all users of the site and / or the service itself, including users who are also only contributors, informants, technicians, and users and / or contributors of materials and / or services on the site.

A) crowdbooks.com

The company N2o srl is the owner of an internet portal called crowdbooks.com in which are contained data regarding the crowdfunding service and similar activities with the aim of financing publishing projects whose collection and preparation is the primary task carried out by the same N2O srl, which has acquired specific experience in publishing, the provision of tools for launching crowdfunding campaigns.

B) Description of the service

The company N2o srl carries out its activity of proposing publishing projects dealing directly with authors.
As far as the technical management of the community and of the site is concerned, the collection of data from the participants in the community (authors, readers, supporters, journalists, bloggers and literary critics) and the moderation of the contents and the debate both on the crowdbooks.com site and on the social media channels related to the activity of the site itself, the company N2o srl adopts all the technical and computer devices it deems useful to guarantee an adequate level of fruition by the users. All users of the site acknowledge and accept that N2o srl assumes an obligation of means and not of result.

C) From the moment of acceptance of these conditions, all users of the site will be able to access the services mentioned above.

1) Acceptance of Terms

– The service is offered subject to your acceptance without modification of all of the terms and conditions contained herein (“Terms of Use”), which term also includes the privacy policy available at crowdbooks.com/en/privacy, and all rules and conditions of operation, and systems that may be published from time to time on the Site by Company, each of which may be updated by Company from time to time without notice. Certain services offered may be subject to additional conditions imposed by the Company, including conditions other than those set forth in the Terms of Use.
– The Service is available to persons who are eighteen years of age or older. You represent and warrant that if you are a natural person, you are of legal age to enter into a binding contract, and that all registration information is accurate and truthful. The Company may, at its sole discretion, refuse to offer the service to any person or legal entity that has engaged in any violation of these terms and conditions and any future additions thereto.

2) Modification of the Conditions of Use

The Company reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to modify or replace any or all of the Terms of Use, and/or modify, suspend or discontinue the Service at any time by posting a notice on the Site or by sending an email. The Company may also impose limits on certain features and/or services, or restrict access to parts or all of the Service without notice and without liability. It is your responsibility to periodically review the Terms of Use. Your continued use of the Service following the posting of any changes to the Terms of Use will signify your acceptance of those changes.
– For the registration or data transfer procedure to be successful, the customer must provide correct and true data;
– It is understood that any variation concerning the customer’s e-mail address must be promptly communicated to N2o srl which, in the absence of such communication, will continue to legitimately carry out its task using the e-mail address, even if obsolete.

3) Registration

You may browse the Site and view its contents without registering, but if you intend to use it, even in part, you may be required to register with the Company and choose a password and screen name (“User ID”). You must provide the Company with accurate, complete and current information. Failure to do so will constitute a violation of the Terms of Use, which may result in immediate termination of your account. You may not select or use as a User ID or domain name of another person, or use as a User ID or domain name of a person other than you, without proper authorization, or use as a User ID or domain name a name that is offensive, vulgar or obscene The Company reserves the right to refuse registration or delete a User ID and its domain at its sole discretion. The user is also responsible for the activity performed through his/her ID, and is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of his/her password.

4) Obligations, prohibitions and responsibilities of the user

– N2o srl is not responsible for the content of comments posted by users on the network or on social media, and is not responsible in any way for damages caused directly or indirectly by the services provided. However, it reserves the right to moderate, suspend and eventually delete content deemed inappropriate, offensive or damaging to the dignity of others;
– The user agrees not to use the Service to disseminate pirated material, agrees, at the same time, to a strictly personal use of ebooks received through crowdbooks.com. In fact it is forbidden the dissemination, duplication, even partial, the publication on other sites, portals, social media and computer channels of these ebooks
– moreover, you must not interfere, or attempt to interfere, with the proper functioning of the Service, or any activity carried out on the Service (adopt measures and/or conduct that may alter and/or restrict access to the Service, or to other accounts, computers or networks connected to the Service);
– the user may not execute mail-lists, and any form of auto-responder, or “spam” on the Service, or activate devices for manual or automatic use of the software, or other processes detrimental to the functioning of the Service;
– you agree not to decipher, decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, or otherwise attempt to derive secret and/or confidential code, ideas, or algorithms from any part of the Service, except to the limited and permitted extent, modify, translate, or create derivative works from any part of the Service, or otherwise copy, rent, lease, distribute, or otherwise transfer any rights therein. You will also comply with all local, state, national, and international laws and regulations.
N2o srl is not responsible for user contributions, on the site or through the Service. The Company is committed to monitoring the site, services, content, and material posted by users. However, it reserves the right to remove or edit any Content at its sole discretion, without limitation; and this at any time, without notice and for any reason.
– the customer agrees not to store sensitive data on the site, and to take responsibility for the lack of protection of data entered, with the exception of personal data necessary for the creation of the account, also agrees to take the utmost care of alphanumeric codes (password) necessary for the conduct of the service, not transferring them to third parties, responding, therefore, the custody of the same;
– the customer is obliged to comply with the laws and the cardinal principles of computer law, such as fairness, respect, transparency, professionalism and the protection of the various interests involved;
– the customer must operate with the utmost transparency, undertaking to avoid any possible misunderstanding in the common interest;
– it is forbidden to use information tools that may create misunderstandings and/or mislead and/or confuse other operators – users;

5) Limitation of responsibility of N2o srl

– In no case is N2o srl considered responsible for the malfunctioning of the service offered, caused by faults in the telephone lines, electricity, and/or in any case to other instruments of online transmission, such as failures, overloads, interruptions, etc… and in any case any cause not dependent on its behaviour.
– In particular, N2o srl cannot be held responsible for non-fulfilment of its obligations that derive from causes outside the sphere of its own foreseeable control, or from force majeure.
– N2o srl cannot be held responsible for failures of third parties that affect the operation of the service made available, including slowdowns in speed, or failure of telephone lines and computers that manage computer traffic.
– Force majeure, catastrophic events and fortuitous events.
N2o srl is not responsible for failures or malfunctioning of any kind of its site, attributable to causes of fire, explosion, earthquake, volcanic eruptions, landslides, cyclones, storms, floods, hurricanes, avalanches, war, popular insurrections, riots, strikes and for any other cause, which although foreseeable was not prevented by ordinary diligence, which prevents the provision of the agreed service.

6) Obligations of N2o srl

N2o srl undertakes to maintain the efficiency of the service offered: in case it should be forced to interrupt the service for exceptional events or for maintenance, N2o srl will take care of restoring the service in the shortest time possible to minimize the risk of inconvenience of any kind. N2o srl will define the procedures of access to services, and reserves the right to improve them at any time, in order to increase efficiency. N2o srl will provide the customer with all the technical specifications to be able to access the services themselves.

6.1) Ebook, volumes at the end of the campaign with a positive outcome

If the goal of the pre-order campaign is reached, N2o srl commits itself to publish and commercialize the work, after professional editing, revision and graphic design, as well as to make the ebook available only to the supporters of that specific campaign and to send the paper version of the book when the printing cycle is over, only to the supporters of the campaign according to the offer paid.

7) Limitations and exclusions of warranty by N2o srl

– The user acknowledges and accepts that the Company has no responsibility and/or control over: users accessing the Site; contents accessed through the Site; effects deriving from users; interpretation and/or use of the contents; contents present on the site and related information. The Company shall not be held responsible for the accuracy, copyright compliance, legality or decency of the content material made accessible through the Site or the Service.
– The service is offered in the state of fact and law referred to in these conditions, without warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, for which there is no responsibility.
– N2o srl shall not be responsible for the privacy of e-mail addresses, registration and identifying information, disk space, communications, confidential information or trade secrets, or any other content stored on N2o srl, transmitted over networks accessible from the Site, or otherwise connected with use of the Service.
– The user agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless N2o srl, its affiliates, employees, directors, and subjects that operate in any capacity on behalf of N2o srl, from all liabilities, claims and expenses, legal actions, which may arise, or relate to the use or misuse of the site, services, content or otherwise in violation of the terms of use, or in violation by the user, or in the use of any intellectual property or other right of any person or entity.
– N2o srl may link to other sites or resources on the Internet, and other sites or resources may contain links to the Site. When you access third party websites, you do so at your own risk. These other websites are not under the control of N2o srl, and you acknowledge that the company is not responsible for the content, functions, accuracy, legality, appropriateness or any other aspect of such sites or resources. The inclusion of any link does not imply any endorsement by N2o srl or any association with its operators. You acknowledge and agree that N2o srl shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with use of or reliance on any such content, goods or services available on or through any such website or resource.

8) Modalities of pre-orders

– The pre-order for a crowdfunding campaign made by the user on the platform of N2o srl will be considered a deposit, revocable only until the expiry of the crowdfunding campaign itself.
– At the determined expiration:

1. if the campaign ends without having reached a minimum number of supporters, the pre-orders will be fully refunded and the amounts committed will then return to the full availability of supporters.
2. if the campaign ends successfully the deposit is not revocable.

– Any automatic verification of the validity of payment credentials may be carried out by Paypal or Stripe companies responsible for collecting payment data.

– The offer made by the user does not imply any property right or other real right on the project he supports, any right of sharing in the economic exploitation of the project he supports, any right on intellectual property, neither on the ebook edition of the book nor on the paper edition nor on other possible future editions in any format.

9) Pre-orders

– Readers and authors accept that pre-orders, eventually made by users, are collected through the payment systems Paypal and/or Stripe and/or by bank transfer: users accept the terms and conditions of use of the Paypal and/or Stripe systems (see terms and conditions in section 9.1).
– The author also agrees to relieve as of now N2o srl from any responsibility for any action or omission related to his project.
– The amounts related to pre-orders, minus VAT,  commissions’ payment and other maintenance costs, will be aimed at the realization of the single book and its publication
– The goal of pre-orders to be reached is established according to the agreements from time to time signed between the author and N2o srl, for a campaign that can lasts up to 90 days maximum.
– If the results of pre-orders exceed the minimum goal, eventual profits will be shared between the author and N2o srl in equal parts.
– N2o srl reserves in any case the right to cancel, interrupt or suspend a campaign at any time, for any relevant reason.

9.1) General conditions of use of online payment services:

Paypal
www.paypal.com

Stripe
www.stripe.com

10) Fees and payments

– Access to crowdbooks.com is free.
– The pre-order will be inclusive of any fees and taxes due for the pre-order.

11) Shipping

– Shipping data
N2o srl will use as shipping data those indicated by the customer at the time of pre-purchase. The only valid data for shipping purposes will therefore be those indicated in the copy of the order, so the user is required to check all the data in the copy of the order he will receive by e-mail. N2o srl cannot be held responsible for non-delivery or delayed delivery due to incorrect or incomplete addresses or without the necessary and useful information to identify the person corresponding to the shipment and/or the place of delivery. In case of non-delivery of the parcel for one of the above-mentioned reasons and/or for causes beyond the control of N2o srl and/or of the courier used, N2o srl will try to release the parcel but if it is sent back to the sender, the user will be obliged to pay in full for a new shipment.

– Processing time
Orders will be processed within 1 working day after payment confirmation. In case of payment by bank transfer, the order processing will take longer. Orders placed from Monday to Friday before 11.00 am are processed the same day. Orders placed during the weekend will be processed the following Monday morning. Orders placed on a public holiday will be processed from the next working day.

– Authorized Delivery
Upon delivery of the products, the customer is required to carefully inspect the envelope or package before signing for proof of delivery of the shipment. If, for any reason, the package arrives tampered with, the user is requested to sign the receipt “with reserve”, or refuse the delivery. In any case in which there are problems with the delivery, the user is requested to immediately report the incident to the local office of the courier and contact us by sending an email to: support@crowdbooks.com

12) Acceptable User Policy (AUP)

We are committed to providing a safe, ethical, and productive environment for all our users. This Acceptable User Policy (AUP) outlines the rules and standards that govern the use of our platform. By using Crowdbooks.com, you agree to comply with this AUP and understand that any violation may result in suspension or termination of your account.

1. Prohibited Content and Activities

Users of Crowdbooks.com must not engage in or promote any of the following activities:

• Illegal Content: Publishing, selling, or distributing content that violates any applicable laws or regulations, including but not limited to copyrighted material, trademarks, or intellectual property without proper authorization.
• Hate Speech: Posting or distributing content that promotes hatred, violence, or discrimination against individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
• Adult Content: Sharing, distributing, or selling pornographic, obscene, or sexually explicit material.
• Malware: Uploading or transmitting viruses, malware, or any other harmful software intended to damage or disrupt the functionality of Crowdbooks.com or its users.
• Fraud and Deception: Engaging in fraudulent activities, including but not limited to misrepresentation of identity, products, or services.
• Harassment: Bullying, intimidating, or harassing other users through any means of communication available on the platform.
• Spam: Sending unsolicited or bulk messages (spam) or engaging in activities designed to manipulate search results or rankings.

2. User Responsibilities

• Compliance: Users must ensure their activities on Crowdbooks.com comply with all applicable laws and this AUP.
• Accuracy: Users must provide accurate and truthful information about themselves and their listings.
• Respect: Users must interact respectfully with others on the platform, adhering to community guidelines and norms.

3. Enforcement and Controls

To maintain a safe and compliant environment, Crowdbooks.com has implemented the following controls:

• Web Screening: We use advanced web screening technologies to monitor and identify listings that violate this AUP. This includes automated tools that scan for prohibited content and activities.
• Pre-vetting Listings: All new listings undergo a pre-vetting process before being published on our platform. This ensures that content adheres to our standards and policies.
• Ongoing Reviews: We conduct regular reviews of top sellers and randomly selected listings to ensure ongoing compliance with our AUP.
• Fixed Inventory/Menu: Sellers are limited to a predefined inventory/menu of items they can offer, reducing the risk of prohibited content being listed.
• User Reports: We encourage users to report any suspicious or non-compliant activity. Reports are reviewed promptly, and appropriate action is taken.

4. Consequences of Violation

Violations of this AUP can result in various actions, including but not limited to:

• Warnings: Issuing warnings to users to correct their behavior.
• Suspension: Temporarily suspending user accounts to investigate potential violations.
• Termination: Permanently terminating user accounts for severe or repeated violations.
• Legal Action: Taking appropriate legal action against users engaged in unlawful activities.

5. Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about this AUP or wish to report a violation, please contact us at support[at]crowdbooks[dot]com.

13) Confidentiality of Site Content and Intellectual Property Protection

You acknowledge and agree that the Service may include materials and information that are protected by copyrights, trademarks, service marks, patents, trade secrets, or other proprietary rights and laws. Therefore, you agree to respect and preserve all copyright notices, information, and restrictions contained in any content accessible through the Service. N2o srl may at its discretion terminate the accounts of users who infringe the intellectual property rights of others.
Comments and other relational activities conducted by users on the site will not fall under the scope of intellectual work. Each user will have a personal page and anything uploaded to your personal page/profile does not constitute intellectual work.
Crowdbooks may make users’ personal pages directly accessible through the site, search engines and/or social networks.
You agree to post a personal photo on your profile or, alternatively, a caricature or unique avatar by which you feel represented. Crowdbooks reserves the right to remove images, photographs and avatars with inappropriate, illegal or pornographic content.
These rules apply to any media material (video and/or audio) posted on the user page.
The user grants N2o srl the right to use user contributions in relation to the site. The user guarantees that their content does not violate the rights of third parties, including, without limitation, privacy rights, publicity rights, copyrights, contractual rights, or any other intellectual property or proprietary rights. N2o srl has no prior control over the material presented by the user. N2o srl cannot guarantee the authenticity of the data contained in user contributions. The user expressly acknowledges that all the contents referred to him by using the service are the responsibility of the same, including the consequences, even damaging, that may result. N2o srl has the right to suspend access or part of the service to anyone at any time, for any reason, with or without notice, with immediate effect, even with the loss of all information associated with users. By virtue of their nature, some Terms of Use may survive termination. At N2o srl will be collected and archived the identification data, in order to fulfill fiscal and tax obligations and anything else necessary to the activation, management and/or maintenance of the services provided by N2o srl. N2o srl will therefore register the identification data provided by the customer, the passwords and the necessary users, the e-mail addresses and any note or information about the customer, about the job, or about data necessary for the development of the same in its archives on electronic and/or paper databases owned by N2o srl, with head office in Livorno, via C. Cogorano 25, and it is also the owner for the treatment. Such data will be used to send communications concerning this contract and its execution, for promotional information of all the services that are part of the service offered by N2o srl, and for the commercial management of the client.

Specifically, the Client authorizes the following uses:

1. collection and processing for the purposes of the execution of this contract;
2. processing, by N2o srl, of personal data, for the purpose of defining the commercial profile of its customers.

14) Resolutive clause

The customer acknowledges that any non-fulfilment of the obligations indicated in the above points 1), 2), 3), 4), 5), 6), 7), 8), 9), and 10), will constitute a serious non-fulfilment and a reason for the automatic termination of the contract, thus allowing N2o srl to suspend the service provided. Without prejudice, however, to the possibility for N2o srl itself to take action against the customer for compensation for any damage suffered.

15) Jurisdiction

The terms of service (and any additional rules, policies or guidelines to be incorporated into this reference document) are governed by the laws of the Italian State, without giving rise to any principle of conflict of law. The user declares that for any legal action and/or controversy that should arise or derive from the application of the present agreement, the competent court for territory is only the one of the Court of Livorno.

Approval of clauses ex art. 1341 and 1342 c.c. (c.d. vexatious clauses)
Pursuant to and for the effects of art. 1341 and 1342 c.c., the contents of the following clauses are expressly approved, after having carefully read them:

– limitation of responsibility of N2o srl n. 5 and n. 7
– obligations, prohibitions and responsibilities of the user n.4
– limitation of liability of force majeure, catastrophic events and fortuitous events n.5
– Resolutive clause n.12
– forum of competence n.13

Information ex art. 13 D.Lgs 196/2003

We inform you that the Legislative Decree 196/03 (Code for the protection of personal data) provides for the protection of persons and other subjects regarding the processing of personal data. According to the law, this treatment will be based on principles of correctness, lawfulness and transparency and protection of your privacy and your rights.
According to art. 13 D. L.gs. 196/03, therefore, we provide you with the following information:
1. the data provided by you will be processed for the following purposes: management and execution of the contract signed by you; organization and execution of the service, including through communication of data to third parties; fulfillment of legal obligations or other obligations required by the competent authorities.
2. the treatment will be carried out with the following modalities: aid of computer/manual instruments.
3. the conferment of the data is indispensable but not obligatory and the eventual refusal has no consequence, but it could involve the missed punctual fulfilment of the obligations assumed by N2o srl for the supply of the service requested by you.
4. except for what is strictly necessary for the correct execution of this contract, the data in question will not be communicated to other subjects, nor will they be subject to diffusion, unless you expressly ask for your consent.
The holder of the treatment is N2o srl, with head office in Livorno, via Cogorano 25, to which you can apply to assert your rights as provided for by art. 7 of the legislative decree 196/03.
Having acquired the above information, provided pursuant to art. 13 of Legislative Decree 196/03, the customer declares to consent to the processing of the data provided as described above.

Last update: April 2024