Contributor Agreement

1. Parties and Purpose

This Contributor Agreement ("Agreement") is entered into between the publishing entity for [PROJECT NAME] ("Publisher") and the individual contributor ("Contributor"). The purpose of this Agreement is to define the terms under which Contributor may participate in the development of the Project and receive compensation for shipped deliverables.

2. Independent Contractor Status

Contributor is an independent contractor, not an employee, partner, or agent of Publisher. Contributor is responsible for their own taxes, insurance, and compliance with applicable laws. This Agreement does not create an employment relationship.

3. Intellectual Property Assignment

Contributor hereby assigns to Publisher all right, title, and interest in and to any work product, code, designs, documentation, or other materials created by Contributor in connection with the Project ("Work Product"). This assignment includes all intellectual property rights, including copyrights, patents, and trade secrets.

In exchange for this assignment, Contributor may receive royalty compensation as described in Section 5 and credit as described in Section 9.

4. Eligibility for Compensation

Contributor qualifies for royalty compensation only for:

• Shipped production code that is accepted into an official release
• Features, bug fixes, or improvements merged into release branches
• Code reviews that lead to merged improvements
• CI/release automation, design system contributions, or maintenance work

Non-shipping activities (discussions, attendance, ideas without implementation) do not qualify for compensation.

5. Royalty Budget and Calculation

This Project allocates a fixed royalty budget of [X]% of Net Receipts to compensate verified contributors for shipped deliverables.

"Net Receipts" means gross revenue from the Project (App Store sales, subscriptions, in-app purchases, or advertising) minus:

• Platform fees (Apple/Google 15-30%)
• Refunds and chargebacks
• Payment processing fees (Stripe, etc.)
• Applicable sales taxes

Contribution Point Rubric

Points are awarded based on the following rubric (non-transferable, non-purchasable):

Points are an internal accounting tool for calculating payouts. They are not equity, not transferable, and cannot be purchased.

6. Payment Terms

• Payouts are calculated and distributed monthly or quarterly
• Minimum payout threshold: $50
• Payment via Stripe Connect, PayPal, or ACH
• Contributor must complete tax onboarding (W-9/1099 for US contributors)
• Contributor is responsible for their own taxes

7. Duration and Termination

Royalties are paid while the Project is actively maintained and generating revenue. This Agreement may be terminated:

• By Contributor at any time with written notice
• By Publisher for cause (violation of terms, code of conduct, etc.)
• Automatically if the Project is discontinued or sunset

Upon termination, Contributor retains eligibility for royalties on contributions already shipped, subject to good standing and the Project remaining active.

8. Code of Conduct

Contributor agrees to maintain professional conduct, treat other contributors with respect, protect confidential information, and comply with all applicable laws and platform guidelines.

9. Point and Portfolio Use

Contributor may list their participation in the Project on their resume and portfolio, subject to any confidentiality restrictions. Publisher may publicly credit Contributor for their contributions.

10. Dispute Resolution

Any disputes arising from this Agreement shall be resolved through good-faith negotiation. If negotiation fails, disputes shall be submitted to binding arbitration in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association.

11. Disclaimers