Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

Welcome to Million Dollar Film Club ("we," "our," "us," or the "Platform"). These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of our website, services, and platform (collectively, the "Services").

By accessing or using our Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use our Services.

IMPORTANT: These Terms contain a binding arbitration clause and class action waiver that affect your legal rights (see Section 15).

2. Eligibility

To use our Services and make donations, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Have the legal capacity to enter into binding contracts
• Not be prohibited from using our Services under any applicable law
• Provide accurate and complete information

By using our Services, you represent and warrant that you meet these eligibility requirements.

3. About Million Dollar Film Club

Million Dollar Film Club is a crowdfunding platform that raises funds to support the production of the feature-length version of the Grand Prize winning short film from the 2026 PROOF Film Festival. We partner with PROOF Film Festival and the American Cinematheque to receive community support.

3.1 Our Goal

Our goal is to raise $1,000,000 through individual donations to fund the production of an independent feature film. All donations received will be used exclusively for this purpose, in partnership with PROOF Film Festival.

3.2 Not a Guarantee

IMPORTANT: Donations do not guarantee that the film will be completed, distributed, or commercially successful. Filmmaking involves inherent risks, and there are no refunds except as specified in Section 5.

4. Donations

4.1 Donation Amounts

You may donate any amount between $1.00 and $1,000,000.00 USD. While we encourage $1 donations to democratize film production, you are welcome to donate more.

4.2 Payment Processing

All payments are processed securely through Stripe, a third-party payment processor. By making a donation, you agree to Stripe's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

4.3 Processing Fees

Payment processing fees (approximately 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) are charged by Stripe. You may optionally choose to cover these fees so that your full donation amount goes toward film production.

4.4 Donation Confirmation

Upon successful payment, you will receive a donation confirmation email with a receipt. This email serves as proof of your donation for tax purposes (if applicable).

4.5 Tax Deductibility

Donations to Million Dollar Film Club are NOT tax-deductible charitable contributions. We are not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Consult your tax advisor for guidance on your specific situation.

5. Refund Policy

5.1 General Policy

All donations are final and non-refundable, except in the following circumstances:

5.2 Exceptions

We will issue refunds only in these cases:

• Duplicate donations: If you accidentally made the same donation twice
• Unauthorized transactions: If your payment information was used without your permission (report immediately)
• Technical errors: If a technical error resulted in an incorrect donation amount
• Platform cancellation: If we permanently cease operations before using donated funds (see Section 5.3)

5.3 Platform Cancellation

If Million Dollar Film Club ceases operations before the funds are used for film production, we will:

1. Notify all donors via email within 30 days
2. Provide an option for refunds within 90 days
3. Alternatively, offer to transfer funds to a similar film production initiative

5.4 Refund Requests

To request a refund under the exceptions listed above, contact us at refunds@milliondollarfilmclub.com within 14 days of your donation with:

• Your full name and email address used for the donation
• Donation date and amount
• Reason for refund request

Approved refunds will be processed within 14 business days to your original payment method.

6. Use of Funds

All funds raised through Million Dollar Film Club will be used exclusively for:

• Production of the feature-length version of the 2026 PROOF Film Festival Grand Prize winning short film
• Pre-production, production, and post-production costs
• Equipment, locations, cast, and crew payments
• Marketing and distribution of the completed film
• Reasonable administrative costs to operate the platform (capped at 5% of total funds raised)

We are committed to transparency and will provide regular updates on fund allocation and film production progress to all donors.

7. Referral Program

7.1 How It Works

After making a donation, you will receive a unique referral link that you can share with friends. When someone donates using your referral link, you will receive credit on our leaderboard.

7.2 Leaderboard Display

If you generate referrals, your first name and last initialmay be displayed on our public leaderboard along with your referral count and total referral amount. Your email and full personal information will never be displayed publicly.

7.3 No Financial Incentives

The referral program is for recognition only. You will not receive any financial compensation, rewards, or benefits for referring others. This is purely a community-building feature.

7.4 Prohibited Referral Activities

You may NOT:

• Spam or send unsolicited messages
• Use automated systems or bots to generate referrals
• Create fake accounts or make fraudulent donations
• Misrepresent the nature of Million Dollar Film Club
• Engage in any deceptive or manipulative practices

Violation of these rules may result in removal from the leaderboard and suspension from using our Services.

8. User Conduct

You agree to use our Services in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. You will NOT:

• Violate any local, state, national, or international law
• Infringe on intellectual property rights of others
• Transmit viruses, malware, or other harmful code
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems
• Interfere with the proper functioning of our Services
• Harass, abuse, or harm other users
• Use our Services for any fraudulent purpose
• Impersonate any person or entity

9. Intellectual Property Rights

9.1 Platform Content

All content on our website, including text, graphics, logos, images, videos, and software, is the property of Million Dollar Film Club or our licensors and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

9.2 Limited License

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use our Services for personal, non-commercial purposes. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or exploit any content without our express written permission.

9.3 Donor Rights to Film

IMPORTANT: Donations do NOT grant you any ownership, equity, intellectual property rights, or creative control over the film being produced. You will not receive any financial returns, residuals, or profits from the film.

10. Third-Party Services

Our Services integrate with third-party services including:

• Stripe: Payment processing
• Firebase: Database and hosting
• Resend: Email delivery
• Vercel: Website hosting

Your use of these third-party services is subject to their respective terms and policies. We are not responsible for the actions, policies, or practices of these third parties.

11. Disclaimers and Limitations of Liability

11.1 No Warranties

OUR SERVICES ARE 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 our Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, or that defects will be corrected.

11.2 Film Production Risks

We make no guarantees regarding:

• Completion of the film
• Quality of the final product
• Distribution or theatrical release
• Commercial success or critical reception
• Timeline for completion

Filmmaking involves inherent creative and financial risks. By donating, you acknowledge and accept these risks.

11.3 Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, MILLION DOLLAR FILM CLUB AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUES, WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES.

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR OUR SERVICES SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU DONATED TO US IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Million Dollar Film Club and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and partners from any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, expenses, or fees (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from:

• Your use of our Services
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any rights of another person or entity
• Your breach of any applicable laws or regulations

13. Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to our Services at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including but not limited to:

• Violation of these Terms
• Fraudulent or suspicious activity
• Extended inactivity
• At our sole discretion

Termination of your account does not entitle you to a refund of any donations made.

14. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any legal action or proceeding arising under these Terms will be brought exclusively in the federal or state courts located in Los Angeles County, California, and you hereby consent to personal jurisdiction and venue therein.

15. Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

15.1 Informal Resolution

Before initiating any legal proceeding, you agree to first contact us at legal@milliondollarfilmclub.com to attempt to resolve the dispute informally.

15.2 Binding Arbitration

If we cannot resolve the dispute informally within 30 days, any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or our Services shall be resolved through binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) in accordance with its Commercial Arbitration Rules.

15.3 Class Action Waiver

YOU AND MILLION DOLLAR FILM CLUB AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.

15.4 Exceptions

Either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to prevent actual or threatened infringement or misappropriation of intellectual property rights.

16. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Posting the updated Terms on our website
• Updating the "Last Updated" date
• Sending email notification to registered donors (for significant changes)

Your continued use of our Services after the effective date of the updated Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

17. Miscellaneous

17.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Million Dollar Film Club regarding your use of our Services.

17.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

17.3 Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not be deemed a waiver of such right or provision.

17.4 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights hereunder without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms without restriction.

17.5 Force Majeure

We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance due to causes beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, war, terrorism, labor disputes, or internet service disruptions.

18. Contact Information

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us: