Terms of service
The Protocols
Framework Overview
These Terms of Service govern the commissioning of custom literary and illustrated works from Atelier Agolée. By commissioning a project, submitting a commission form, or executing a payment, you agree to these terms in full. Atelier Agolée operates as a private publishing atelier for heirloom books; all projects are individually commissioned and produced to order.
Scope of Services
All works created by the studio are custom-written, individually illustrated, and developed through structured private listening sessions. Every manuscript is an original, non-templated, and non-preproduced authored creation generated specifically for the commissioning client. Each project represents a single, custom literary asset.
Commission Activation & Session Recording
A project formally commences when the scope of work and payment schedules are confirmed in writing, and the initial allocation retainer is settled. The studio reserves the right to decline any commission at its sole discretion. Listening sessions may be audio-recorded with your explicit consent strictly for internal drafting, structural mapping, and documentation purposes. These recordings are held in absolute confidence, are never shared with third parties, and are securely destroyed immediately upon project completion.
Client Material Responsibility
The client agrees to provide accurate factual information and guarantees that all submitted letters, journals, or family archives possess the necessary third-party permissions. Submitted materials must not infringe upon copyright, trademark, or any underlying intellectual property rights. The studio assumes no liability for inaccuracies, omissions, or legal complications originating from client-provided assets.
Intellectual Property Rights & Portfolio Restraint
Upon clear receipt of full contractual payment, full ownership of the final commissioned work transfers to the client, including the custom text, narrative mapping, illustrations, and layout configurations. Until final settlement, all intellectual property rights remain exclusively with the studio. This transfer applies strictly to the finished book; all underlying studio methodologies, editorial concepts, and proprietary frameworks remain the exclusive intellectual property of Atelier Agolée. The studio will never reproduce, publish, or display any portion of your volume for promotional or portfolio use without your explicit, written consent.
Archival Material Handling
The studio handles all physical letters, photographs, and historical family documents with the utmost professional care and returns all physical originals upon completion. The studio carries no liability for pre-existing material degradation or for loss and damage sustained during third-party shipping transit. Clients maintain sole responsibility for preserving independent backups of all digital files provided.
Payment Rules & Retainers
Due to the bespoke nature of our services, initial deposits and scheduling fees are fully non-refundable. Once writing, research, illustration, or structural development has commenced, all subsequent installment payments are non-refundable. If a project is cancelled prior to the initiation of substantive work, a partial refund may be considered at the sole discretion of the studio, less any allocated calendar block hours.
Manuscript Revisions & Limits
Each private commission integrates structured, sequential revision checkpoints explicitly outlined within your project’s foundational agreement. These review periods are designed precisely to protect factual veracity, structural coherence, and exact tonal alignment. The editorial team collaborates closely with you to ensure the final printed block flawlessly satisfies your baseline vision. Requests that deviate heavily from the verified manuscript concept or expand your project parameters will require separate evaluation and supplementary capital allocation.
Production Timelines
Delivery intervals vary dynamically based on structural complexity, the volume and baseline legibility of submitted archives, and seasonal studio bandwidth. Timelines are established thoughtfully as estimates; they may be extended by the studio to fully protect the literary quality, material integrity, and curatorial standards of the volume.
Unforeseeable Delays (Force Majeure)
The studio shall not be held liable for delays or an inability to execute obligations resulting from events beyond reasonable control. These include natural disasters, supply chain disruptions, illness, governmental restrictions, or printing disruptions by external master artisans or printing companies. In such events, the studio will notify the client promptly to coordinate an adjusted production timeline.
Absolute Confidentiality Safeguards
All private materials, recording tracks, personal correspondence, drafts, and working files are treated as strictly confidential. The studio will never disclose, reference, or share any segment of your project content without prior written authorization. Where specialized third-party collaborators are required—such as master printers or fine-art bookbinders—only the minimum logistical data required for manufacturing is shared under professional non-disclosure terms. This obligation survives project completion indefinitely.
Independent Bookstore Partnerships
The studio may establish referral configurations with independent bookstores or cultural institutions involving unique invitation codes or courtesy referral structures. Unless dictated by a separate written note, these spaces operate strictly as independent partners and are not authorized to act as agents, modify service terms, alter pricing structures, or represent the studio beyond the official informational materials provided.
Collective Editions & Contributor Data
When participating in an open-call Collective Edition, contributor data (names, inputs, text submissions, and imagery) is collected solely for editorial selection, communication, and print inclusion. Submission of text constitutes consent for editorial curation and potential publication within that specific volume. Contributors retain the underlying copyright to their original text but grant the studio a non-exclusive right to edit, structure, and publish the text within the framework of that specific Collective Edition.
Private Data Processing
The studio processes contact information, mailing coordinates, and personal context solely to fulfill commissioned services, handle physical shipping, clear billing, and manage administrative records. Personal information is handled transparently and is never sold, rented, or traded with external marketing data streams.
Information Pertaining to Children
The studio does not collect personal data directly from children. All contextual details relating to a child must be submitted exclusively by a parent or verified legal guardian. By commissioning a children's volume, you confirm that you possess full legal authority to provide this biographical context. This data is handled with deep sensitivity and is used solely to generate the custom book.
Data Retention Windows
Personal information and contextual records are retained only for the exact duration required to complete the commissioned volume, fulfill statutory tax or legal obligations, and maintain accurate archive records of completed registry projects. Clients may request total data deletion, subject to necessary legal retention parameters.
Statutory Rights (EU / GDPR)
Patrons residing within the European Union retain full statutory rights to access their data, request corrections to inaccurate profiles, invoke the right to be forgotten, object to processing vectors, or request a verified copy of their structural records. All requests can be logged directly through our contact portal.
Restriction of Use
All commissioned manuscripts and bound volumes are intended exclusively for private, personal, and multi-generational family use. Commercial publication, mass public distribution, or monetization rights are strictly withheld unless authorized by a separate, formal commercial agreement.
Liability Limitations
Atelier Agolée carries no liability for emotional interpretations, subjective responses to narrative text, or structural inaccuracies originating from client-provided details. Total aggregated liability for any claim or contractual dispute shall never exceed the exact baseline monetary amount paid by the client for that specific commission.
Right to Pause Unresponsive Projects
If a client becomes entirely unresponsive to editorial checkpoints or communication updates for a period exceeding 60 consecutive days, the studio reserves the right to place the workspace on an official hold. Re-activating a paused project may be subject to calendar restructuring fees and adjusted print material pricing.
Disclaimer Regarding Emotional Outcomes
The studio provides professional literary and fine-art bookmaking services. Our collaborative dialogues, narrative interpretations, and physical volumes are completely non-therapeutic and do not constitute medical, legal, or psychological advice.
Governing Law
These Terms of Service and all underlying commission agreements shall be governed by, interpreted, and construed in strict accordance with the laws of France, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any formal disputes shall be settled within the proper jurisdiction of the state courts.
Document Revisions
The studio reserves the right to update these structural parameters at any time to reflect changing operational requirements or legal structures. The current revision state will always be documented via the timeline marker at the top of the stream. Continued collaboration after a revision constitutes full acceptance.
Studio Communication Portals
All questions or registry inquiries regarding these terms may be routed directly to our curation dashboard via our primary contact channel (https://atelieragolee.com/pages/contact-1) or dispatched to our editorial inbox at stories(at)atelieragolee(dot)com.