Terms of service

By using Cinema, you agree to these Terms. If you don't, please don't use the service. We've tried to write them in plain language, with the legal precision required, and a callout in each section translating the heaviest bits.

These Terms govern your access to and use of Cinema — the website, mobile views, embedded players, creator tools, investor tools, and every related feature we offer (collectively, the "Service"). The Service is operated by Cinema Cooperative, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Cinema," "we," "us"). You ("you," "your") are an individual using the Service.

If you use the Service on behalf of a company, partnership, or other organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that entity, and "you" includes that entity.

You don't need an account to watch

Cinema is free to watch. You can browse the catalog, play any film or series, and use search without creating an account. We may show ads or sponsorship cards in or alongside content; that's how the lights stay on.

When you do need one

You'll need an account to: invest in offerings, comment or post in discussions, follow creators, save items to a watchlist, upload as a creator, or receive payouts.

Eligibility

• You must be at least 16 years old to create an account.
• To invest, you must be at least 18 and a U.S. resident with a valid SSN or ITIN. Non-U.S. investing is not yet supported.
• To upload as a creator, you must be at least 18 and complete creator verification.

You are responsible for your account

Keep your password safe. Don't share your account. You're responsible for everything that happens under your login. Tell us right away at security@cinema.example if you suspect compromise.

You may stream any film or series in the Cinema catalog for personal, non-commercial use. You may not download, rip, mirror, re-encode, re-upload, or redistribute Cinema content without explicit written permission from us and the rightsholder.

Quality & availability

We try to make every title available everywhere, all the time. We can't always — bandwidth, encoding queues, takedowns, creator removals, and licensing geography all play a part. We don't guarantee any specific film will be available at any specific moment.

Ads & sponsorship

We may show advertising or sponsor placements before, during, or alongside content. Where you see "sponsored," that placement was paid for. We don't currently sell your personal data to advertisers; see the Privacy Policy for details.

Anyone with a verified account can upload. There's no curatorial gate. We are explicitly not a traditional studio.

What you can upload

Films, series, shorts, documentary, animation, AI-generated cinema, hybrid work — any moving image you have the rights to publish.

What you keep

• You retain ownership. Uploading does not transfer copyright to Cinema.
• You grant us a license to host, encode, stream, cache, distribute, promote, and embed your work on the Service for as long as you keep it on Cinema, plus a reasonable wind-down period (typically 60 days) after removal.
• You can withdraw work at any time. We will remove it within 7 business days of a valid request, except where doing so would violate active investor agreements (see Section V).

What you owe us

You represent that you own or have licensed every element of every work you upload — footage, music, performances, voices, likenesses, datasets, model outputs. If a third party challenges your work, you agree to indemnify Cinema for our reasonable legal costs.

Revenue share

For monetized content (ad-supported or licensed), creators receive 70% of net attributable revenue; Cinema retains 30% to operate the platform. Investor distributions follow each title's individual waterfall — see Section VI.

Cinema offers investment opportunities in individual films and series under Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) via a registered funding portal partner. Investing is optional, never required, and clearly separated from watching.

Risk acknowledgment

Investing in independent film carries substantial risk, including total loss of capital. Most films return less than the principal invested. By placing an order, you acknowledge:

• Securities offered are illiquid — you cannot easily resell them.
• Returns depend entirely on the film's commercial performance.
• Past performance of any creator is no indicator of future results.
• Reg CF imposes annual investor caps; we calculate and enforce yours at checkout.

For complete investor disclosures, see Investor Disclosures.

Investing

Investments are settled via ACH or card through our payments partner. Funds are held in escrow until the offering closes successfully or is cancelled. If an offering does not reach its minimum, your investment is returned in full within 10 business days.

Distributions

When a film generates returns, Cinema distributes them quarterly per the title's published waterfall. Distributions are made by ACH to the bank account on file. Tax forms (1099-DIV or equivalent) are issued annually.

Creator payouts

Creators receive ad/license revenue monthly, on the 15th, with a $50 minimum threshold. Carryover applies below the threshold.

Refunds

Cinema is free to watch — there is nothing to refund for viewing. For investments: full refunds on cancelled offerings; otherwise, all sales final per Reg CF. Tipping a creator is a one-way gift and is non-refundable.

You may not post, upload, comment, or otherwise transmit anything that:

• Infringes intellectual property — yours or anyone else's.
• Sexually exploits minors. Zero tolerance. Removal is permanent and reported.
• Threatens, harasses, or incites violence against an individual or group.
• Contains malware, exploits, or attempts to subvert security controls.
• Markets unauthorized investments or solicits funds outside our compliant channels.
• Impersonates another person or creator with intent to deceive.

We reserve the right to remove content, suspend accounts, and report violations to law enforcement at our sole discretion.

Cinema's logo, type system, design language, code, copy, and editorial materials are owned by Cinema Cooperative, Inc. You may reference us in good-faith reviews and reporting; you may not use our marks to imply endorsement or partnership without permission.

Films and series uploaded to Cinema remain owned by their creators or rightsholders. Cinema's license to host them is described in Section IV.

DMCA takedown

If you believe content on Cinema infringes your copyright, send a notice to dmca@cinema.example per 17 U.S.C. § 512. We respond within 48 hours.

Cinema is one of the first homes for AI-assisted and AI-generated cinema. We embrace this work, and we hold it to honest standards.

Disclosure

If your film uses generative AI for any substantive element — script, voice, performance, environments, footage — you must disclose this in your title's metadata. We mark AI-assisted titles with a discreet label.

Training data

You represent that any AI models or datasets used in your work were trained on data you had rights to use, or on properly licensed datasets. You may not upload work generated from models trained primarily on a single living artist's catalog without their consent.

Likenesses & voices

You may not generate or publish recognizable likenesses or voices of real people without their written consent, except for clearly transformative satire, commentary, or news reporting protected under applicable law.

You can close your account at any time from Account & settings. Cinema may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms. Upon termination, your access ends, but: (a) financial obligations survive, (b) investor rights in active offerings are preserved, (c) creator works may be removed unless investor agreements require continued availability.

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available." We disclaim warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement to the maximum extent allowed by law.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Cinema's total liability arising out of or relating to these Terms is limited to the greater of (a) $100 or (b) the amount you paid us, if any, in the twelve months preceding the claim. Nothing in this section limits liability that cannot be limited by law.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to conflicts-of-law principles. Disputes will first be attempted in good faith via informal resolution; if unresolved within 60 days, they will be submitted to binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, in San Francisco, California.

You may opt out of arbitration within 30 days of accepting these Terms by emailing legal@cinema.example. No class actions.

We may revise these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be announced by email and a banner in the Service at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use after the effective date means you accept the revised Terms. The version history is available on request.

For questions about these Terms, write to legal@cinema.example. For everything else, the Help center is the fastest path.

Mailing address

Cinema Cooperative, Inc.
2100 Mission Street, Suite 4
San Francisco, CA 94110

Legal

legal@cinema.example

DMCA

dmca@cinema.example

Security

security@cinema.example