Terms of service

Last Updated: August 29, 2025

  1. Acceptance of Terms

Welcome to Critical Discourse & Thinking (CDT). We are pleased to provide a platform for visionary ideas. By accessing our website, using our services, or submitting an idea, concept, proposal, or any related materials (collectively, the “Idea”) to CDT, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these comprehensive Terms of Service (“Terms”). This agreement is not merely a formality but a foundational legal contract between you and CDT. If at any point you do not agree with any provision of these Terms, you are explicitly prohibited from submitting an Idea to CDT and must cease all use of our Services. Your act of submitting an Idea constitutes an electronic signature and a binding legal agreement.

  1. Definitions

To ensure clarity and avoid ambiguity, the following terms are defined as they are used throughout this document:

  • “CDT”: Refers to the company Critical Discourse & Thinking, its parent company, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, agents, officers, and representatives. This definition is intended to encompass the full legal entity and its operational parts.
  • “User” or “You”: Refers to any individual, group, or entity who accesses our Services or submits an Idea to CDT.
  • “Idea”: Any concept, proposal, or materials submitted by you to CDT through our official casting form, via email, social media or any other channel we provide. This includes, but is not limited to, written descriptions, research findings, links, videos or articles, other forms of past work, and your personal biographical information.
  • “Content”: Includes all text, images, audio, video, graphics, data, and any other information or materials that you provide to us as part of your Idea submission.
  • “Productions”: Refers to any and all productions, adaptations, derivative works, or other creative content created by CDT that is based on, inspired by, or in any way derived from your Idea. This encompasses a broad range of formats, including, but not limited to, films, documentary series, podcasts, publications, live events, or promotional materials.
  • “Services”: Refers to CDT’s comprehensive suite of content production, distribution, promotional activities, events and all related platform services.
  1. Submission of Idea

By submitting your Idea, you represent and warrant to CDT that the following statements are true and accurate:

  • You are the sole and exclusive author and owner of the Idea and all Content within it. If you are not the sole owner, you confirm that you have obtained all necessary licenses, rights, consents, and permissions to submit it to CDT and to grant all rights granted to CDT within these Terms. You are responsible for ensuring your submission is lawful and does not violate any third-party rights.
  • Your Idea and Content are entirely original to you and do not, to the best of your knowledge, infringe upon, misappropriate, or violate the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, or any other proprietary or personal rights of any third party.
  • Your submission is accurate, complete, and truthful. You have not knowingly omitted any material information that could affect CDT’s evaluation of the Idea. 
  1. Intellectual Property and Grant of Rights

By submitting your Idea, you enter into a crucial agreement concerning intellectual property. You hereby acknowledge and agree that:

  • You grant CDT (and those we work with, including partners, licensees, and assigns) a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, fully paid-up, royalty-free, and sublicensable license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works, communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display, and distribute your Content in any form, medium, or technology now known or later developed. The grant of this license allows CDT maximum flexibility to adapt your Content for our Services, including but not limited to translating it for international audiences, adapting it for different media formats, or making other changes we deem necessary to make your Idea work better with our Services and promotions.
  • CDT may, at its sole discretion, choose to collaborate with you to develop the Idea through research, production, or promotional activities. Such collaboration does not change the terms of this license or your obligations under it.
  • You expressly agree that all rights, title, and interest in any resulting Productions shall vest exclusively in CDT in perpetuity, worldwide. You agree to sign, if any, further documents whatsoever and take any additional actions requested by CDT to confirm or perfect CDT’s exclusive ownership of the Productions, without any additional consideration.
  • Your submission is considered non-confidential, and CDT assumes no duty, express or implied, to protect its secrecy. It is your responsibility to protect any information you deem confidential or proprietary before submitting it.
  • You agree that CDT has no obligation to compensate you for the Idea, any Productions, or any use of your Content under this license. You understand that the act of submitting your Idea is in exchange for the opportunity to be considered for our Services. Any compensation, if offered, is purely discretionary and will be determined solely by CDT based on our own criteria and without any obligation to you.
  1. Non-Confidentiality and No Fiduciary Duty

You understand and agree that CDT operates in a creative and competitive industry where it receives numerous ideas and creative submissions. Many such submissions may be similar or even identical to your own. By submitting your Idea, you acknowledge that no confidential, fiduciary, or special relationship of any kind is created between you and CDT. You explicitly waive any and all claims you may have now or in the future for misappropriation, idea theft, breach of confidence, or any other similar legal or equitable claims. You understand that CDT is free to pursue, develop, or produce any ideas, concepts, or materials that are similar or identical to your own, regardless of the source, without any obligation or liability to you.

  1. User-Provided Content

You are solely responsible for your Content and all consequences that may arise from submitting it. While CDT does not claim ownership of your Content, you understand that once it is submitted, it may be used by CDT in accordance with these Terms, and CDT has no obligation to return or destroy your Content. You agree not to submit any Content that:

  • Is unlawful, threatening, abusive, defamatory, libelous, fraudulent, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, or otherwise objectionable.
  • Infringes upon or violates the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or any other rights of any third party.
  • Contains any viruses, corrupted data, malware, or other harmful code.
  • Violates any applicable local, state, national, or international law or regulation.

CDT reserves the right, but is not obligated, to review, monitor, and remove any Content that, in our sole judgment, violates these Terms or is otherwise harmful.

  1. Disclaimers

CDT does not guarantee that your Idea will be reviewed, considered, or used in any way. The decision to use, not use, or respond to an Idea is entirely within CDT’s sole and absolute discretion. Furthermore, CDT does not guarantee a specific timeline for review. All Ideas and Productions are provided “as is” and without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. CDT does not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure.

  1. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, CDT shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or exemplary damages, including but not limited to, damages for loss of profits, goodwill, use, data, or other intangible losses, resulting from:

  • The use or the inability to use the Services.
  • The use or inability to use your Idea or any Productions derived therefrom.
  • Unauthorized access to or alteration of your submissions.
  • Any other matter relating to the Services.

In no event shall CDT’s total liability to you for all damages, losses, and causes of action exceed the amount of one hundred U.S. dollars ($100), or the minimum amount permitted by law, whichever is less. This limitation applies even if CDT has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

  1. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless CDT, its affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs, or debt, and expenses (including but not limited to reasonable attorney’s fees) arising from:

  • Your use of and access to the Services.
  • Your violation of any term of these Terms.
  • Your violation of any third-party right, including without limitation any intellectual property, privacy, or publicity right.
  • Any claim that your Idea or Content caused damage to a third party.
  1. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction where CDT is legally registered, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising from or relating to these Terms, or the breach thereof, shall be resolved through binding arbitration, in accordance with the rules of a mutually agreed-upon arbitration service. The arbitration shall take place in the jurisdiction where CDT is registered, and the decision of the arbitrator shall be final and binding.

  1. General Provisions
  • Modification of Terms: CDT reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to modify or replace these Terms at any time. We will notify you of any material changes by updating the “Last Updated” date at the top of this document. Your continued submission of Ideas after any such changes constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms.
  • Waiver: The failure of CDT to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not be deemed a waiver of such right or provision.
  • Severability: If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.
  • Entire Agreement: These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and CDT concerning your submission of an Idea, superseding all prior or contemporaneous communications and proposals, whether electronic, oral, or written.
  1. Contact Information

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at info@criticaldiscoursethinking.com.