1. What LensBounty is
LensBounty is a marketplace that connects businesses that want a place photographed with photographers ("shooters") who compete to take that photo. We provide the platform - we are not a party to the shoot, we do not employ shooters, and we do not control how, when, or whether a shooter completes a bounty.
This is a working test build. Escrow and payments are simulated: no real money moves yet. Treat every reward, hold, release, and refund below as a simulation until we tell you otherwise.
2. Posting a bounty
When you post a bounty you set the location, the brief, the reward, and a required deadline. You agree your brief is accurate and that you have the right to request the photo you're asking for.
- You fund the reward up front when you post. In the live product this amount is held in escrow with a third-party payments partner; in this test build the hold is simulated.
- Anyone except you can submit a photo until the deadline. It's an open competition - you may receive many submissions or none.
- At the deadline, submissions lock and no new entries are accepted.
3. The license you receive in the winning photo
When you select a submission as the winner, the shooter grants you an exclusive, worldwide, perpetual license to that winning photo - including the right to use it commercially, modify it, and sublicense it to others.
The shooter keeps exactly one right: to display the winning photo in their own personal portfolio and self-promotion (their website, social media, demo reel). They may not license, sell, or distribute it to anyone else. Outside that portfolio carve-out, the winning photo is yours to use as described above.
Lawyer review: this license grant (exclusive + perpetual + the shooter's portfolio carve-out) is the core legal term of the platform. Have an attorney review the exact wording before launch or before any real money or real users are involved.
4. Photos that don't win
Submissions you don't pick are not licensed to you at all. Those shooters keep 100% of their rights. You may not download, copy, use, or distribute a non-winning photo. Reviewing submissions is for selection only.
5. Choosing a winner
You have 7 business days after the deadline to pick a winner.
- You can pick at any time once at least one submission exists.
- If you don't pick within 7 business days of the deadline, the reward auto-refunds to you (simulated in this build) and no one is paid.
- Picking a winner is final.
6. Cancelling a bounty
You can cancel a bounty only while it has zero submissions. Once even one shooter has submitted, the bounty must run to its deadline - you can't pull it out from under shooters who've already done the work.
7. What you may not request
You are responsible for the legality of what you ask for. You may not post bounties that:
- Require trespassing, breaking and entering, or any unlawful or unsafe access to a location.
- Target a private individual, their home, or their activities without a lawful basis and any required consent.
- Involve minors as a subject, or anyone in a private setting where they'd have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
- Request that private property be photographed where you don't have the rights or permission to commission that.
- Are intended to harass, stalk, surveil, defame, or deceive.
8. How you use delivered photos
Once you receive a winning photo, how you use it is your responsibility. You are responsible for any model releases, property releases, trademark, or local-law requirements that apply to your use - for example, in advertising. LensBounty does not clear those rights for you.
9. Fees
LensBounty may charge a platform fee on bounties. In this test build there are no real fees because no real money moves.
Lawyer review / business decision: set your fee model, when fees are charged, and whether they are refundable, then have it reviewed.
10. Disputes and refunds
If something goes wrong - a shooter disputes an outcome, a photo turns out to infringe someone's rights, or a payment fails - LensBounty may step in to mediate, hold, reverse, or refund a (simulated) reward at its discretion. This test build has no real money and no formal dispute process yet.
Lawyer review: a real dispute, chargeback, and refund policy is required before real payments go live.
11. Your account and conduct
Keep your login secure and your information accurate. Don't abuse the platform, post unlawful bounties, or try to work around these terms. We may suspend or close accounts that break these rules or that we believe are being used to harm others.
12. Disclaimers and limits
LensBounty is provided "as is." We don't guarantee you'll receive submissions, that any submission will meet your needs, or that the platform will be uninterrupted or error-free. To the extent the law allows, LensBounty isn't liable for the conduct of shooters or for how a shoot is carried out, and our liability to you is limited. You agree to indemnify LensBounty for claims arising from your bounties and your use of delivered photos.
Lawyer review: disclaimers, limitation of liability, and indemnity must be drafted to your jurisdiction to be enforceable.
13. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms. The version and date are shown at the top of this page. If we make a material change, we'll ask you to review and accept the new version before you keep using LensBounty.
14. Contact
Questions about these terms: add your contact email here before launch.