Terms of Service

1. Beehived Website

These Terms of Service ("Terms") apply to your access and use of www.beehived.io (the "Site"), the Beehived platform (the "Platform"), and all software, data, reports, text, images, sounds, video, and content made available through any portion of the Site or Platform (collectively, the "Content"). Content includes all such elements as a whole, as well as individual elements and portions thereof.

2. Acceptance of Terms

Beehived permits you ("User" or "you" or "your") to access and use the Site, Platform, and Content, subject to these Terms. By accessing or using any portion of the Site or Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you are entering into these Terms on behalf of a company or other legal entity ("User Entity"), you must have the legal authority to contractually bind such User Entity to these Terms, in which case the terms "you" or "your" or "User" will refer to such User Entity. If you lack such legal authority to contractually bind or you do not agree with these Terms, you must not accept these Terms or access or use the Site, Platform, or Content.

3. Updates to Terms

Beehived reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to change or modify portions of these Terms at any time. Beehived will post the changes to these Terms on the Site and will indicate at the top of this page the date these Terms were last revised. It is your responsibility to check the Terms periodically for changes. Your continued use of the Site, Platform, and Content after the date any such changes become effective constitutes your acceptance of the new or revised Terms.

4. Definitions

The following definitions apply throughout these Terms:

"Client" means any individual or entity that creates an account on the Platform for the purpose of posting projects, engaging Freelancers, or procuring services through Beehived.

"Freelancer" (also referred to as "Talent") means any individual who creates an account on the Platform for the purpose of offering professional services, applying to projects, or being engaged by Clients through Beehived.

"Engagement" means any project, contract, or working arrangement between a Client and one or more Freelancers facilitated through the Platform, whether on an hourly, milestone, or fixed-price basis.

"Hive" means a pre-assembled, managed team of Freelancers coordinated by a Beehived-designated project manager, offered through Beehived's Team-as-a-Service (TaaS) model.

"Best Rate Guarantee" or "BRG" means Beehived's commitment that the Freelancer rate offered through the Platform will be equal to or lower than the equivalent rate available on any competing platform for comparable services, subject to the BRG policy terms published separately on the Site.

"Trust Score" means the composite reliability metric calculated by Beehived from first-party Platform data, as described in Section 11.

"Review" means the structured ratings and optional free-text feedback submitted by a User about another User following an Engagement, as described in Section 12.

5. General Conditions, Access, and Use

Authorization to Access and Use Site and Content. Subject to your compliance with these Terms and the provisions hereof, you may access or use the Site, Platform, and Content for the purpose of evaluating Beehived, engaging Freelancers, offering professional services, or otherwise participating in the Beehived marketplace in accordance with your account type (Client or Freelancer).

Ownership and Restrictions. All rights, title, and interest in and to the Site, Platform, and Content will remain with and belong exclusively to Beehived. You will not (a) sublicense, resell, rent, lease, transfer, assign, time share, or otherwise commercially exploit or make the Site, Platform, and any Content available to any third party, (b) use the Site, Platform, and Content in any unlawful manner (including without limitation in violation of any data, privacy, or export control laws) or in any manner that interferes with or disrupts the integrity or performance of the Site, Platform, and Content or their related components, or (c) modify, adapt, or hack the Site, Platform, and Content to, or try to, gain unauthorized access to the restricted portions of the Site, Platform, and Content or related systems or networks (i.e., circumvent any encryption or other security measures, gain access to any source code or any other underlying form of technology or information, and gain access to any part of the Site, Platform, and Content, or any other products or services of Beehived that are not readily made available to the general public).

You are not permitted to copy, modify, frame, repost, publicly perform or display, sell, reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works of the Site, Platform, and Content, except that you may download, display, and print one copy of the publicly available materials (i.e., the Content that does not require an account name or password to access) on any single computer solely for your personal, non-commercial use, provided that you do not modify the material in any way and you keep intact all copyright, trademark, and other proprietary notices. You agree not to access the Site, Platform, or Content by any means other than through the interface that is provided by Beehived to access the same. You may not use any "page-scrape," "deep-link," "spider," or "robot" or other automatic program, device, algorithm, or methodology, or any similar manual process, to access, copy, acquire, or monitor any portion of the Site, Platform, or any Content, or in any way reproduce or circumvent the presentation or navigational structure of the Site, Platform, or any Content, to obtain or attempt to obtain any Content or other information through any means not made generally available through the Site or Platform by Beehived. Beehived reserves the right to take any lawful measures to prevent any such activity. You may not forge headers or otherwise manipulate identifiers in order to disguise the origin of any message or transmittal you send to Beehived on or through the Site, Platform, or any service offered on or through the Site or Platform. You may not pretend that you are, or that you represent, someone else, or impersonate any other individual or entity.

Responsibility for Your Data. You are solely responsible for all data, information, and other content that you upload, post, or otherwise provide or store (hereafter "post(ing)") in connection with or relating to the Site or Platform.

Reservation of Rights. Beehived and its licensors each own and retain their respective rights in and to all logos, company names, marks, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, know-how, patents, and patent applications that are used or embodied in or otherwise related to the Site, Platform, and Content. Beehived grants no rights or licenses (implied, by estoppel, or otherwise) whatsoever to you under these Terms.

6. Intellectual Property

Rights in User Content. By posting your information and other content ("User Content") on or through the Site, Platform, and Content, you grant Beehived a worldwide, non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, fully paid, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, modify, reproduce, distribute, display, publish, and perform User Content in connection with the Site, Platform, and Content. Beehived has the right, but not the obligation, to monitor the Site, Platform, and Content and User Content. Beehived may remove or disable any User Content at any time for any reason, or for no reason at all.

Unsecured Transmission of User Content. You understand that the operation of the Site and Platform, including User Content, may be unencrypted and involve transmission to Beehived's third-party vendors and hosting partners to operate and maintain the Site, Platform, and Content. Accordingly, you acknowledge that you bear sole responsibility for adequate security, protection, and backup of User Content. Beehived will have no liability to you for any unauthorized access or use of any of User Content, or any corruption, deletion, destruction, or loss of any of User Content.

Feedback. You may submit ideas, suggestions, or comments ("Feedback") regarding the Site, Platform, and Content or Beehived's business, products, or services. By submitting any Feedback, you acknowledge and agree that (a) your Feedback is provided by you voluntarily and Beehived may, without any obligations or limitation, use and exploit such Feedback in any manner and for any purpose, (b) you will not seek and are not entitled to any money or other form of compensation, consideration, or attribution with respect to your Feedback regardless of whether Beehived considered or used your Feedback in any manner, and (c) your Feedback is not the confidential or proprietary information of you or any third party.

7. Subscription, Payment, and Zero-Commission Model

Subscription Service. Beehived operates on a subscription-based model. Clients pay a recurring subscription fee to access the Platform, browse Freelancer profiles, post projects, and engage Freelancers. Subscription plans, pricing, and included features are published on the Site and may be updated by Beehived from time to time.

Active Engagement Downgrade Restriction. Users — both Clients and Freelancers — may not downgrade their subscription to a lower tier while they are party to any active Engagement on the Platform. An Engagement is considered active from the moment a Freelancer is hired on a project until the project is marked as completed or closed. Additionally, a thirty (30) calendar day cooling period applies following the conclusion of any Engagement, during which the User's subscription tier may not be reduced. During this period, the User's subscription remains active at its current tier and billing continues accordingly. This restriction reflects the fact that the Platform's subscription model sustains the matching, vetting, and facilitation services that enabled the Engagement. Users who circumvent this restriction — including by contacting payment processors directly to cancel or downgrade — may be subject to Trust Score adjustments, removal from active Engagements, suspension of matching eligibility, and account suspension.

Zero-Commission Commitment. Beehived does not charge Freelancers any commission, service fee, or percentage deduction from their stated rate. Freelancers retain 100% of the rate agreed upon with the Client for any Engagement facilitated through the Platform. Beehived's revenue is derived exclusively from Client subscription fees and optional premium services.

Best Rate Guarantee (BRG). The Best Rate Guarantee applies to the Freelancer's hourly or project rate as listed on the Platform. Beehived guarantees this rate will be equal to or lower than the equivalent rate available on any competing platform for comparable services, subject to the BRG policy terms published separately. At-cost payment processing fees (if the Client elects to use Beehived's optional escrow service) are transparently passed through and are not part of the guaranteed rate comparison.

Direct Payment Between Parties. Unless otherwise agreed or unless the Client opts into Beehived's optional escrow service, payment for Freelancer services flows directly between the Client and the Freelancer. Beehived provides invoicing templates, milestone tracking, and timesheet approval tools as Platform features but does not act as a payment intermediary in the default arrangement. Both parties are responsible for complying with all applicable tax, reporting, and financial regulations in their respective jurisdictions.

Optional Escrow Service. Beehived may offer an optional escrow service for milestone-based or high-value Engagements. When elected, the Client funds milestones in advance and funds are released to the Freelancer upon Client approval of the deliverable. The escrow service uses ACH bank transfers and incurs an at-cost processing fee (currently capped at $5.00 per transfer) which is disclosed transparently before the Client elects to use the service. This processing fee is a logistics cost and is not a commission or deduction from the Freelancer's rate.

8. Client Payment Obligations and Enforcement

Timely Payment. Clients are obligated to pay Freelancers for all approved work in accordance with the payment terms established in the Engagement agreement. Unless otherwise specified, payment is due within fourteen (14) calendar days of milestone approval or timesheet confirmation.

Graduated Enforcement. Beehived employs a graduated enforcement system to protect Freelancers from non-payment and to maintain the integrity of the marketplace:

Amber Warning (Private): If a Client has one overdue payment (15+ days past due), Beehived will send a private notification to the Client. Freelancers currently engaged with the Client will be privately notified. New job postings by the Client will be paused until the payment is resolved.
Red Flag (Visible to Platform Users): If a Client has two or more overdue payments, or one payment 30+ days past due, the Client's Trust Score will reflect poor payment history and will be visible to all Freelancers on the Platform. The Client's ability to post new jobs will be suspended. Active Freelancers will be formally advised of the situation and given the option to pause work.
Platform Suspension: If a Client has any payment 60+ days past due or has disputed a payment for work that was approved through the Platform's milestone system, the Client's account will be suspended. Existing Freelancers will be advised to cease work. The Client may only reinstate their account by clearing all outstanding payments plus any applicable reinstatement fee.

Client Acknowledgment. By using the Platform, Clients acknowledge and agree that failure to pay Freelancers for approved work constitutes a material breach of these Terms and may result in the enforcement actions described above, including public visibility of payment performance through the Trust Score, suspension or termination of account access, and referral to third-party collections agencies for outstanding amounts.

9. Freelancer Obligations

Professional Standards. Freelancers are expected to deliver work that meets professional standards of quality and to communicate proactively with Clients regarding timelines, blockers, and deliverables. Failure to deliver approved work, repeated missed deadlines without communication, or abandonment of an active Engagement may result in Trust Score adjustments, profile restrictions, or account suspension.

Accuracy of Profile. Freelancers represent and warrant that all information provided in their Platform profile, including skills, experience, certifications, and portfolio samples, is accurate and not misleading. Beehived reserves the right to verify profile information and to remove or suspend accounts that contain materially false or misleading information.

Non-Circumvention. Freelancers agree not to solicit or accept direct engagements from Clients introduced through the Platform outside of Beehived for a period of twelve (12) months following the last Engagement between the parties facilitated through the Platform. Clients agree to the same obligation with respect to Freelancers introduced through the Platform. This provision exists to protect the integrity of the marketplace and the interests of all Users.

10. Platform Data Collection and Use

Consent to Data Collection. By using the Platform, you consent to Beehived collecting, processing, and storing data generated through your use of the Platform, including but not limited to: Engagement history (projects posted, applied to, completed, or abandoned), payment timeliness and history, communication responsiveness metrics, milestone approval timing, profile completeness and accuracy, and account tenure and activity levels.

Use of Platform Data. Beehived uses this data to calculate Trust Scores (Section 11), to facilitate the Review system (Section 12), to improve matching algorithms and Platform functionality, to enforce these Terms including the graduated payment enforcement system (Section 8), and to generate aggregate, anonymized insights about marketplace activity. Beehived will not sell individual User data to third parties. For full details on data handling, see Beehived's Privacy Policy.

11. Trust Score

What the Trust Score Is. The Trust Score is a composite reliability metric calculated by Beehived from first-party Platform data. It is designed to help Users make informed decisions about potential Engagement partners. The Trust Score is not a credit score, financial rating, or creditworthiness assessment. It reflects exclusively the User's behavior and track record within the Beehived Platform.

Data Sources. The Trust Score for Clients is calculated from: payment timeliness (on-time payments vs. overdue), Engagement completion rate (completed vs. abandoned or disputed), Freelancer satisfaction (aggregate structured ratings from post-Engagement Reviews), Platform tenure and account standing, and responsiveness (milestone approvals, communication response times). The Trust Score for Freelancers is calculated from: quality of work (aggregate Client ratings), communication and responsiveness, timeliness of delivery, professionalism, and Engagement completion rate. Review ratings contribute to the Trust Score as a secondary signal. The primary drivers of the Trust Score are objective, verifiable Platform data points.

Visibility. Trust Scores are visible only to authenticated Beehived Users. Trust Scores are not publicly accessible, are not indexed by search engines, and are not shared with any third party outside the Platform. New Users with no Engagement history will be displayed with a "New Member" indicator rather than a low or absent score.

Consent. By using the Platform, you consent to Beehived calculating and displaying your Trust Score to other authenticated Platform Users. You acknowledge that your Trust Score reflects your actual Platform behavior and that Beehived is reporting its own operational data, not assembling or distributing third-party credit information.

Accuracy and Disputes. You may view your own Trust Score and the underlying data points at any time through your account dashboard. If you believe any data point contributing to your Trust Score is inaccurate, you may submit a dispute through the Platform. Beehived will review the dispute against Platform records and correct any verified inaccuracies within fourteen (14) business days.

Limitation. The Trust Score is an informational tool, not a guarantee. Beehived does not warrant that a high Trust Score indicates future performance or reliability. Users are responsible for their own due diligence when entering into Engagements.

12. Review and Feedback System

Purpose. Beehived operates a mutual review system to promote transparency, accountability, and trust within the marketplace. Both Clients and Freelancers may submit Reviews of each other following a completed Engagement. Reviews are visible only to authenticated Beehived Users and are not publicly accessible or indexed by search engines.

12.1 Eligibility

Reviews may only be submitted by parties who participated in a verified Engagement on the Platform. Specifically, only the Client who posted a project may review the Freelancer(s) engaged for that project, and only the Freelancer(s) who were engaged may review the Client. No User may submit a Review about another User with whom they have not completed at least one milestone or billable period through the Platform.

Upon completion of an Engagement (defined as the approval and payment of the final milestone, or mutual confirmation of project completion), a fourteen (14) day Blind Review Window opens. During this window:

Both the Client and the Freelancer are invited to submit their Review independently.
Neither party can see whether the other has submitted a Review, what the other has submitted, or whether the other party has begun drafting.
Each party submits structured ratings (scored 1 to 5) across defined dimensions, plus an optional free-text comment.
Once submitted, a Review is locked and cannot be modified by the submitter until the Reveal (Section 12.4).
If both parties submit before the 14 days expire, the Blind Review Window closes early and the Reveal occurs immediately.
If only one party submits, the window runs the full 14 days, after which the submitted Review proceeds to the Reveal phase.
If neither party submits a Review, no Reviews are published for that Engagement.

12.3 Review Dimensions

Client reviewing Freelancer: Quality of Work, Communication, Timeliness, Professionalism, and Likelihood to Hire Again.

Freelancer reviewing Client: Clarity of Requirements, Responsiveness, Payment Timeliness, Respect for Scope, and Likelihood to Work With Again.

Each dimension is rated on a scale of 1 (Poor) to 5 (Excellent). The free-text comment is optional and limited to 2,000 characters.

12.4 Reveal and Response Window

After the Blind Review Window closes, all submitted Reviews are revealed simultaneously to both parties. At this point, a seven (7) day Response Window opens. During the Response Window:

Each party may submit exactly one (1) Response to the other party's Review.
Responses are text-only (no additional ratings) and limited to 1,000 characters.
Responses are also submitted blind: neither party can see the other's Response until the Response Window closes or until both Responses have been submitted.
When the Response Window closes, any submitted Responses are revealed simultaneously alongside the original Reviews.
No counter-responses, replies to Responses, or further additions are permitted after this point.

12.5 When Only One Party Reviews

If only one party submitted a Review during the Blind Review Window, the non-reviewing party receives a seven (7) day Response Window to post a Response to the published Review. The non-reviewing party does not receive a second opportunity to submit a full Review; only a Response is permitted.

12.6 Permanent Record

After the Response Window closes, the review exchange is final. The permanent record visible to other authenticated Beehived Users may include up to four elements: (a) the Client's Review of the Freelancer (ratings + comment), (b) the Freelancer's Review of the Client (ratings + comment), (c) the Freelancer's Response to the Client's Review (if submitted), and (d) the Client's Response to the Freelancer's Review (if submitted). No further additions, edits, or deletions are permitted through the normal flow. A User may add a follow-up note (e.g., "Update: the Client resolved the payment issue") which will be displayed alongside the original record with a timestamp, but the original Review and Response content remains unaltered.

12.7 Anonymous Rating Option

Freelancers who prefer not to leave a public Review of a Client may elect the "Anonymous Rating" option. When selected, the Freelancer's structured ratings (1–5 scores) are submitted and feed into the Client's Trust Score algorithm, but no public Review or free-text comment is displayed, and the Client is not informed which specific Freelancer contributed the anonymous rating. This option is available only for Freelancer-reviews-Client submissions. Client reviews of Freelancers are always attributed.

13. Review Content Guidelines

All Reviews and Responses must comply with the following content guidelines. Beehived reserves the right to remove or modify any content that violates these guidelines.

Permitted content includes:

Opinions about the working experience, including descriptions of behavior, communication quality, and professionalism.
Factual statements about payment timing, milestone approvals, scope changes, and other verifiable Engagement events.
Constructive criticism and specific, actionable feedback related to the Engagement.

Prohibited content includes:

Personal attacks, insults, or derogatory language unrelated to the professional Engagement.
Discriminatory language or content based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, national origin, or any other protected characteristic.
Disclosure of confidential business, financial, or proprietary information beyond the scope of the specific Beehived Engagement.
Threats, intimidation, or any language intended to coerce the other party into changing their behavior or Review.
Knowingly false factual statements (opinions and subjective assessments are permitted; verifiable factual falsehoods are not).
Spam, advertising, self-promotion, or content unrelated to the specific Engagement.
Content that references matters outside the specific Beehived Engagement (e.g., reviews of the company's general reputation based on external sources).

14. No Retaliation

Users may not take adverse action against another User as retaliation for a negative Review or rating. Retaliatory actions include, but are not limited to: canceling or refusing to complete an active Engagement, withholding payment for approved work, refusing future Engagements solely because of a Review, posting a retaliatory Review containing false statements, or harassing, threatening, or intimidating the other party through or outside the Platform.

Violations of this no-retaliation provision constitute a material breach of these Terms and may result in Review removal, Trust Score adjustment, account suspension, or permanent ban from the Platform.

15. Review Disputes and Moderation

Dispute Process. If a User believes a Review contains verifiably false factual statements (not merely negative opinions or subjective assessments with which the User disagrees), the User may submit a dispute to Beehived through the Platform's dispute mechanism. The dispute must identify the specific factual claim alleged to be false and provide supporting evidence.

Beehived Review. Beehived will review the dispute, may request evidence from both parties, and will examine relevant Platform records (payment timestamps, milestone approvals, message logs, timesheet data). Beehived will make a determination within fourteen (14) business days of receiving a complete dispute submission.

Outcomes. If the Review is found to contain verifiable false factual claims, Beehived may remove the Review, remove the specific false claim(s) while preserving the remainder of the Review, or add a notation indicating that a factual claim was disputed and found to be inaccurate. If the dispute concerns a matter of opinion, subjective assessment, or differing perspectives on events, the Review will remain as-is and the User's remedy is the Response mechanism described in Section 12.4 or 12.5.

Finality. Beehived's determination on Review disputes is final within the Platform context. This determination does not preclude either party from pursuing external legal remedies in accordance with applicable law.

16. Review License, Representations, and Liability

License Grant. By submitting a Review or Response, you grant Beehived a worldwide, non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license to display, store, reproduce, and use your Review and Response content within the Platform for the purposes of informing other authenticated Users, calculating Trust Scores, and improving Platform functionality.

Truthfulness Obligation. By submitting a Review or Response, you represent and warrant that your content reflects your genuine experience with the other party during the specific Engagement, and that any factual claims contained therein are true and accurate to the best of your knowledge. This representation creates a contractual obligation. If a Review is found to contain knowingly false factual claims, the submitter may be subject to Review removal, Trust Score penalties, account suspension, or other enforcement actions.

Platform Neutrality. Beehived is not the author, editor, or endorser of User Reviews and Responses. Reviews and Responses represent the opinions and experiences of individual Users and do not represent the views or assessments of Beehived. Beehived does not verify, guarantee, or endorse the accuracy of opinions expressed in Reviews. Beehived's role is limited to providing the infrastructure for the Review system, enforcing content guidelines, and adjudicating disputes over verifiably false factual claims.

17. Your Representations and Warranties

You represent and warrant to Beehived that your activity on the Site and Platform and Beehived's possession and use of User Content as contemplated in these Terms do not and will not violate, infringe, or misappropriate any third party's copyright, trademark, right of privacy or publicity, or other personal or proprietary right, nor does User Content contain any matter that is defamatory, obscene, unlawful, threatening, abusive, tortious, offensive, or harassing.

18. Termination of Access

Beehived may, in its sole discretion and without prior notice, terminate your access to the Site and Platform and/or block your future access to the Site and Platform if we determine that you have violated these Terms or other agreements or guidelines which may be associated with your use of the Site or Platform. You also agree that any violation by you of these Terms will cause irreparable harm to Beehived, for which monetary damages would be inadequate, and you consent to Beehived obtaining any injunctive or equitable relief that Beehived deems necessary or appropriate in such circumstances, without limiting Beehived's other available remedies. Further, Beehived may, in its sole discretion and without prior notice, terminate your access to the Site and Platform, for cause, which includes (but is not limited to) (1) requests by law enforcement or other government agencies, (2) discontinuance or material modification of the Site, Platform, or any service offered on or through the Site or Platform, or (3) unexpected technical issues or problems.

Effect of Termination on Reviews. Upon termination of a User's account, Reviews previously submitted by that User and Reviews about that User will remain visible on the Platform. This ensures the integrity of the review record and prevents Users from erasing negative feedback by deleting their account.

19. NO WARRANTIES AND DISCLAIMER BY BEEHIVED

THE SITE, PLATFORM, AND CONTENT, AND ALL SERVER AND NETWORK COMPONENTS, ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS WITH ALL ERRORS AND DEFECTS AND WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, AND BEEHIVED EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING, COURSE OF PERFORMANCE OR USAGE OF TRADE. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT BEEHIVED DOES NOT WARRANT THAT YOUR ACCESS OR USE OR BOTH OF THE SITE, PLATFORM, AND CONTENT WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, ERROR-FREE OR VIRUS-FREE, AND BEEHIVED DOES NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTY AS TO THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM USE OF THE SITE, PLATFORM, AND CONTENT. NO INFORMATION, ADVICE OR SERVICES OBTAINED BY YOU FROM BEEHIVED OR THROUGH THE SITE OR PLATFORM WILL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE TERMS AND YOU SHOULD NOT RELY ON THE SITE, PLATFORM, AND THE GENERAL CONTENT ALONE AS THE BASIS FOR YOUR BUSINESS DECISIONS.

BEEHIVED DOES NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, OR RELIABILITY OF ANY TRUST SCORE, REVIEW, OR USER-GENERATED CONTENT. TRUST SCORES AND REVIEWS ARE INFORMATIONAL TOOLS AND DO NOT CONSTITUTE A GUARANTEE OF ANY USER'S FUTURE PERFORMANCE, RELIABILITY, OR CREDITWORTHINESS. YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN DUE DILIGENCE WHEN ENTERING INTO ENGAGEMENTS WITH OTHER USERS.

Beehived reserves the right to do any of the following, at any time, without notice: (1) to modify, suspend or terminate operation of or access to the Site, Platform, or any portion thereof, for any reason; (2) to modify or change the Site, Platform, or any portion thereof, for any reason; and (3) to interrupt the operation of the Site, Platform, or any portion thereof, as necessary to perform routine or non-routine maintenance, error correction, or other changes.

20. LIMITED LIABILITY

Exclusion of Damages and Limitation of Liability. IN NO EVENT WILL BEEHIVED BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF PROFITS OR THE LIKE) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITE, PLATFORM, MATCHING SERVICES, CONTENT, TRUST SCORES, REVIEWS, PROPRIETARY INFORMATION, OR ANY INTERRUPTION OR DISRUPTION OF SUCH USE, EVEN IF BEEHIVED HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES AND REGARDLESS OF THE CAUSE OF ACTION (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR OTHERWISE). THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF BEEHIVED WITH REGARD TO THESE TERMS WILL IN NO EVENT EXCEED THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF SUBSCRIPTION FEES PAID BY YOU TO BEEHIVED IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM, OR ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS (USD $100.00), WHICHEVER IS GREATER.

Jurisdictional Limitations. Some states and other jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties or limitation of liability for incidental or consequential damages, which means that some of the above limitations may not apply to you. IN THESE JURISDICTIONS, BEEHIVED'S LIABILITY WILL BE LIMITED TO THE GREATEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

No Liability for User Actions. BEEHIVED IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY ACTIONS, OMISSIONS, OR CONDUCT OF ANY CLIENT, FREELANCER, OR OTHER USER OF THE PLATFORM, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO NON-PAYMENT FOR SERVICES, FAILURE TO DELIVER WORK, MISREPRESENTATION OF QUALIFICATIONS, OR BREACH OF ANY AGREEMENT BETWEEN USERS. BEEHIVED PROVIDES THE PLATFORM INFRASTRUCTURE, MATCHING SERVICES, AND TRUST MECHANISMS BUT DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE OUTCOME OF ANY ENGAGEMENT.

21. Dispute Resolution; Jury Waiver

THESE TERMS ARE MADE UNDER, AND WILL BE CONSTRUED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE APPLICABLE TO AGREEMENTS MADE AND TO BE PERFORMED SOLELY THEREIN, WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW. In any action between or among any of the parties, whether arising out of these Terms or otherwise, each of the parties irrevocably and unconditionally (a) consents and submits to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state and federal courts located in Wilmington, Delaware; and (b) WAIVES ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR ANY TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.

22. Independent Contractor Relationship

Freelancers are independent contractors, not employees, agents, or representatives of Beehived or of any Client. Nothing in these Terms creates an employer-employee relationship, joint venture, partnership, or agency relationship between Beehived and any User, or between any Client and any Freelancer. Beehived does not control the manner, method, or means by which Freelancers perform their work. Freelancers are solely responsible for their own tax obligations, benefits, insurance, and compliance with applicable labor and employment laws in their jurisdiction.

23. Compliance with Freelance Protection Laws

Clients acknowledge their obligation to comply with all applicable freelance protection laws, including but not limited to the federal Freelance Isn't Free Act and any state or local equivalents. These laws may require written contracts for engagements over certain thresholds, timely payment within specified periods, and protection from retaliation for exercising legal rights. Beehived's Platform tools (Engagement agreements, invoicing templates, milestone tracking) are designed to help both parties comply with these requirements, but compliance is ultimately the responsibility of the parties to each Engagement.

24. No Reliance; Due Inquiry

You affirm and agree that, given the general nature of the Site and the Content, you are not specifically relying on any statements or materials contained on the Site or in the Content to make any business decisions. Resource allocation and staffing matters are inherently complex and unique. Should you choose to continue your inquiry into whether Beehived's service is right for you, you will have an opportunity to make additional inquiry of Beehived and you should make an independent investigation of the suitability of using Beehived for your particular business needs. Only after such appropriate due diligence, thorough review of Beehived's service offering including the terms and conditions of Beehived's service agreements, and a thorough screening of any Freelancer Beehived proposes to you, should you come to any conclusions or make any decisions about whether Beehived, or any Freelancer proposed by Beehived, is right for you and your specific project needs or requirements.

25. Prohibited Counterparties

Beehived does not conduct business with or seek any commercial transactions with: (x) any entity, citizen, or resident of a geographic area in which access to or use of the Beehived services is prohibited by applicable law, decree, regulation, treaty, or administrative act; (y) an entity, citizen, or resident of, or located in, a geographic area that is subject to U.S. or other sovereign country sanctions or embargoes; or (z) an individual, or an individual employed by or associated with an entity, identified on the U.S. Department of Commerce's Denied Persons or Entity List, the U.S. Department of Treasury's Specially Designated Nationals or Blocked Persons Lists, or the U.S. Department of State's Debarred Parties List or otherwise ineligible to receive items subject to U.S. export control laws and regulations or other economic sanction rules of any sovereign nation (collectively, a "Prohibited Counterparty"). By accessing the Site, Platform, and the Content you represent and warrant that you are not a Prohibited Counterparty and you will not seek or (attempt to) obtain services from or a commercial relationship with Beehived.

26. Miscellaneous

These Terms, and any additions, changes, edits, and/or modifications made thereto by Beehived, together with Beehived's Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the portions of the Site and Platform available without an account ID or password. Access to certain password-restricted portions of the Site and Platform, and any subsequent procurement and use of Beehived's services, is subject to different, additional agreement(s).

These Terms and any additions, changes, edits, and/or modifications made thereto by Beehived cannot be amended except by Beehived as set forth above. The failure of Beehived to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not be a waiver of that right. Any notices to Beehived in connection with this agreement will be made by email transmitted to legal@beehived.io provided that you also send a copy of such notice via nationally recognized carrier to Beehived, LLC, Attn: Legal Department. In the event that any provision of these Terms will be determined to be illegal or unenforceable, that provision will be first revised to give the maximum permissible effect to its original intent or, if such revision is not permitted, that specific provision will be eliminated so that these Terms will otherwise remain in full force and effect and enforceable.