Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using the services provided by M81 Studio ("we," "us," or "our"), including our website at m81studio.com, the Client Portal, and any related services, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, do not use our services.

2. Services

M81 Studio provides custom web design, web development, and e-commerce development services. The specific scope of work for each project is defined in the project tier selected during the onboarding process and confirmed through our Client Portal.

3. Client Portal & Accounts

Access to the Client Portal requires account creation. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activities under your account. You agree to provide accurate and complete information during registration.

4. Payment Terms

All project fees are due as specified in your selected tier. A 50% deposit is required before work begins. The remaining balance is due upon project completion and before the production deployment of your website. We reserve the right to pause or restrict access to project deliverables until all outstanding balances are paid in full.

5. Scope of Work & Revisions

Each project tier includes a defined number of revision rounds. Additional revisions or work outside the agreed scope may incur additional charges. Requests beyond the original scope ("scope creep") will be quoted separately before work begins.

6. Intellectual Property

Upon full payment, you receive ownership of the final website design and custom code created specifically for your project. Third-party assets (fonts, stock images, platform themes) remain subject to their respective licenses. M81 Studio retains the right to display completed work in our portfolio unless otherwise agreed in writing.

7. Client Responsibilities

You are responsible for providing all necessary content, assets, images, and access credentials in a timely manner through the Client Portal. Delays in providing required materials may extend the project timeline.

8. Limitation of Liability

M81 Studio shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from the use of our services. Our total liability shall not exceed the amount paid by you for the specific project in question.

9. Termination & Refunds

Either party may terminate a project with written notice via email.

• Client-initiated termination: The 50% deposit is non-refundable, as it covers design, planning, and development work already performed. Any additional payments beyond the deposit for work not yet delivered will be refunded.
• M81 Studio-initiated termination: We will refund payments proportional to work not yet completed. If no deliverables have been provided, the deposit will be refunded in full minus a 10% administrative fee. If deliverables (wireframes, staging builds, partial code) have been provided, the deposit is retained and any overpayment is refunded.

In all cases, any completed deliverables already shared with the client remain the client's property upon payment for that work.

10. Warranty Disclaimer

M81 Studio provides a 30-day post-launch warranty covering bugs and defects in the delivered code. This warranty does not cover issues arising from third-party services (hosting outages, domain registrar problems), client-made modifications to the code, or requests that constitute new features or scope beyond the original agreement.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless M81 Studio from any claims, damages, or expenses (including reasonable attorney fees) arising from: (a) content, images, or materials you provide that infringe on third-party rights; (b) your use of the delivered website in violation of applicable laws; or (c) your breach of these Terms.

12. Force Majeure

Neither party shall be liable for delays or failure to perform due to circumstances beyond reasonable control, including but not limited to natural disasters, internet outages, acts of government, or pandemics. Affected timelines will be extended accordingly.

13. Dispute Resolution

Any disputes arising from these Terms or our services shall first be addressed through good-faith negotiation between the parties. If a resolution cannot be reached within 30 days, disputes shall be resolved through binding arbitration in Los Angeles County, California, under the rules of the American Arbitration Association. Each party shall bear its own costs unless the arbitrator determines otherwise.

14. Governing Law

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

15. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to update these terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated through the Client Portal or via email. Continued use of our services constitutes acceptance of updated terms.

16. Contact

For questions about these terms, contact us at ethan@m81studio.com.