STRAY CAT STRUT FAN MEDIA LICENSE

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PLAIN‑LANGUAGE SUMMARY (NON‑OPERATIVE)

This section is provided solely to explain the intent of the License. It is not part of the legally binding terms. If anything in this summary conflicts with the operative sections below, the operative sections control.

• You may create Derivative Works (fan fiction, art, comics, music, games, etc.) based on Stray Cat Strut.
• You may monetize your Derivative Works.
• You must be an individual or a small team (5 or fewer people).
• You may not copy text directly from the original novels except for brief quotations allowed by fair use/fair dealing.
• You retain copyright to your original contributions, but you grant the Author a perpetual licence to use any new characters, settings, lore, or other creative elements you introduce.
• This prevents future disputes about overlapping ideas.
• You do not need to submit your work to the Author.
• You may not use other fans’ works without their permission.
• The Author grants you a licence to use the Stray Cat Strut IP for your Derivative Works under the terms of this License.
• Both sides keep their own copyrights; both sides grant each other licences to use derivative elements.

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OPERATIVE TERMS OF THE LICENSE

This section constitutes the legally binding agreement.

1. Definitions

   1. “Author” means RavensDagger, the copyright owner of the Stray Cat Strut novel series.
   2. “Licensed Series” means the literary works, characters, settings, lore, iconography, and all other copyrightable elements of the Stray Cat Strut novel series.
   3. “Licensee” means any individual person or small team of five (5) or fewer persons accepting this License.
   4. “Derivative Works” means any work based upon, adapted from, inspired by, or incorporating elements of the Licensed Series, including indirectly derived works and works based on other Derivative Works.
   5. “Licensee Contributions” means any new characters, settings, events, lore, concepts, designs, or other creative elements introduced by the Licensee in a Derivative Work.

2. Grant of Rights from Author to Licensee

   1. The Author grants to the Licensee a non‑exclusive, worldwide, royalty‑free, revocable licence to create, reproduce, publish, distribute, perform, display, and monetize Derivative Works based on the Licensed Series.
   2. This licence includes the right to use the characters, settings, events, iconography, and other expressive elements of the Licensed Series.
   3. This licence does not permit the reproduction of verbatim text from the Licensed Series except for brief quotations permitted under applicable fair use or fair dealing laws.
   4. No ownership of the Licensed Series is transferred to the Licensee.

3. Restrictions on Licensee

   1. The Licensee must be an individual or a team of five (5) or fewer persons.
   2. The Licensee may not imply endorsement by the Author unless expressly granted.
   3. The Licensee may not use or incorporate other fans’ Derivative Works without their permission.
   4. The Licensee may not claim ownership of the Licensed Series or any part thereof.
   5. The Licensee may not use this License to create works that violate applicable law.
   6. Attribution and Identification of Derivative Works
      1. The Licensee must clearly and prominently identify any Derivative Work created under this License as a derivative work based on the Licensed Series.
      2. Such identification must include, at minimum:
         1. the statement “This is a derivative work based on Stray Cat Strut, used under the Stray Cat Strut Fan Media License.”, and
         2. attribution to the Author as “RavensDagger, creator of Stray Cat Strut.”
      3. The required attribution must appear:
         1. in written works — on the title page, copyright page, or equivalent;
         2. in visual media — in opening or closing credits, or in a visible caption;
         3. in audio media — in spoken credits or accompanying text;
         4. in interactive media — in an “About,” “Credits,” or equivalent section.
      4. The Licensee must not remove, obscure, or alter any attribution notices that appear in any portion of the Licensed Series that the Licensee reproduces, quotes, incorporates, or includes within a Derivative Work.
      5. Attribution must be truthful and must not imply endorsement, sponsorship, or approval by the Author unless expressly granted in writing.

4. Mutual Licensing of Derivative Elements

   1. Licence from Licensee to Author

      As a condition of this License, the Licensee grants to the Author a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty‑free, non‑exclusive licence, with the right to sublicense, to:

      • use
      • reproduce
      • adapt
      • modify
      • publish
      • distribute
      • incorporate into new works
      • and create further derivative works from

      any Licensee Contributions, including those appearing in indirectly derived works.

   2. Purpose of this Licence

      This licence is intended solely to prevent disputes regarding overlapping creative ideas and to ensure the Author’s continued ability to expand the Licensed Series.

   3. Retention of Copyright

      Nothing in this License transfers ownership of the Licensee’s copyright in their original expression.
      The Licensee retains full ownership of their own creative contributions.

   4. Licence from Author to Licensee

      The Author grants to the Licensee a non‑exclusive licence to use the Licensed Series as the basis for Derivative Works under the terms of this License.
      This includes the right to create further derivative works incorporating the Licensee’s own contributions.

5. No Submission Requirement

   1. The Licensee is not required to submit Derivative Works to the Author for review or approval.
   2. The Author may, but is not obligated to, view or engage with Derivative Works.

6. Term and Termination

   1. This License remains in effect until terminated.
   2. The License automatically terminates if the Licensee materially breaches its terms.
   3. Upon termination, the Licensee must cease creating new Derivative Works under this License.
   4. The Licensee may continue to distribute Derivative Works already published prior to termination.
   5. Rights granted to the Author under Section 4 survive termination.

7. Representations and Warranties

   1. The Licensee represents that the Licensee's Derivative Works do not infringe the rights of third parties.
   2. The Author makes no warranties regarding the Licensed Series and provides it “as is.”

8. Limitation of Liability

   To the maximum extent permitted by law, neither party shall be liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from this License.

9. Governing Law

   This License shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which the Author resides, unless otherwise required by local law.

10. Entire Agreement

    This License constitutes the entire agreement between the parties regarding the subject matter and supersedes all prior understandings.