1. Purpose of This Policy

Litera PH is committed to expanding access to Filipino literature while protecting the rights, ownership, and creative work of authors, publishers, illustrators, artists, and other rights holders. This Content Protection Policy establishes the governing principles for permitted access, prohibited conduct, reporting, investigation, enforcement, and remedies. The examples in this Policy are illustrative and not exhaustive.

Litera's goal is to make Filipino stories easier to discover and read - without turning digital access into unauthorized copying, redistribution, piracy, or misuse.

2. Scope of This Policy

Who it covers. This Policy applies to all persons and entities that access or interact with Litera, including, without limitation, registered readers; free, paid, and subscription users; individual title purchasers; Third Places users; library, school, café, cultural space, or institutional users; promotional, StoryCard, or QR- based access users; authors, publishers, collaborators, partners, contractors, and service providers; and any person who accesses, views, reads, shares, copies, captures, extracts, distributes, processes, or attempts to misuse Litera content.

What it covers. This Policy applies to all content, materials, data, and access assets made available through or in connection with Litera, including, without limitation, ebooks and digital books; manuscripts; poems and essays; comics, graphic works, illustrated or children's books; covers and artwork; author materials; book metadata; excerpts and previews; audiobook or audio materials; visual story formats; StoryCard- linked content; access codes; and any current or future literary, artistic, audio, visual, digital, interactive, or platform-hosted material.

3. Relationship to Other Litera Documents

This Policy forms part of Litera’s wider platform rules and should be read together with the Litera Terms of Use; Litera Privacy Policy; Litera Author Agreement; Litera Author Submission Guide; Litera Third Places Free Access Agreement; and any applicable subscription, purchase, promotional, event, partner, or institutional access terms.

If there is any conflict between this Policy and a signed agreement with Litera, the signed agreement shall prevail to the extent of the conflict.

4. Core Principle

Access is not ownership

When users read through Litera, they receive limited platform access to content. They do not acquire ownership of the copyright, file, manuscript, artwork, cover, source material, or underlying intellectual property. Users may use content only through approved Litera access methods and only for the purpose expressly permitted by the applicable access model. Any copying, extraction, reproduction, redistribution, resale, scraping, automated processing, AI use, circumvention, commercialization, or other exploitation not expressly authorized remains prohibited, whether or not the specific method is named in this Policy.

5. Content Ownership

Unless otherwise stated in a written agreement:

• Authors, publishers, illustrators, artists, or rights holders retain ownership of their respective works;
• Litera retains ownership of its platform, technology, design, branding, systems, metadata structures, dashboards, access methods, and related materials;
• Users receive only a limited, revocable, non-transferable access right to read content through the Platform; and
• No Litera access model gives users the right to copy, reproduce, distribute, sublicense, resell, or commercially exploit content.

6. Litera's Content Protection Approach

Litera uses a combination of contractual rules, account-based access, authentication controls, monitoring, reporting, technical safeguards, rights-holder support, and enforcement measures to reduce content misuse. Measures may include, without limitation, purchase or subscription-linked access; session and device controls; Third Places venue controls; QR or code management; access logs; abnormal activity checks; reader activity validation; watermarking or similar identifiers where available; takedown processes; account restrictions; manual review; and legal or platform escalation.

For purposes of this Policy, “reasonable” means measures proportionate to the nature of the content, the available technology, the severity and likelihood of misuse, the quality of available evidence, applicable law, operational feasibility, and the cost and burden of the measure relative to the risk being addressed. Reasonable measures do not require Litera to deploy every technically possible safeguard or to guarantee a particular outcome.

7. Important Limitation for Web-Based Access

Litera is currently delivered through a web-based platform. Screenshots, screen recordings, photographs taken using external devices, browser-based capture, copying, and other unauthorized reproduction methods may not be fully preventable through technical means. Litera does not represent or warrant that its Platform, technology, policies, or controls can eliminate every unauthorized act, including misuse involving external capture tools, separate devices, emerging technologies, or conduct outside Litera's systems.

Litera will apply reasonable and proportionate protection measures, which may include contractual restrictions, account accountability, usage monitoring, rights-holder support, takedown action, suspension or termination, evidence preservation, and legal remedies. The inability to guarantee complete prevention does not authorize misuse or limit Litera's right to act against it.

8. Prohibited User Conduct

The following are prohibited unless expressly authorized in writing by Litera and, where applicable, the relevant rights holder. These examples include, but are not limited to:

9. Fair Use, Reviews, and Commentary

Litera respects lawful commentary, criticism, discussion, education, and review. However, users must remain careful when using excerpts or references to Litera content. Unless allowed by law, Litera, or the relevant rights holder, users should not reproduce substantial portions of any work.

For reviews, commentary, social posts, or recommendations, users may generally refer to the book title; author name; public synopsis; publicly available cover image, where permitted; short comments about the reading experience; and non-substantial excerpts, where lawful and properly attributed.

Users must not use “review,” “commentary,” “education,” or “fair use” as a cover for piracy, substitution, reposting, or unauthorized distribution. When in doubt, users should request permission from Litera or the relevant rights holder before using excerpts, images, pages, poems, illustrations, or other protected materials.

10. Third Places Access Protection

Litera’s Third Places Program provides premises-based access through approved partner locations such as libraries, schools, cafés, cultural centers, and community spaces. Third Places users must not: share venue codes outside the premises; post QR codes online; send access links through group chats or social media; use Third Places access remotely unless expressly allowed by Litera; help others bypass location-based access rules; capture or redistribute content accessed through a partner location; or use partner access for commercial copying, teaching materials, file distribution, or unauthorized group use.

Third Places partners are expected to provide reasonable support in preventing misuse of access materials and reporting suspected abuse.

11. StoryCards and QR-Based Access

Litera may use StoryCards, QR codes, printed access materials, event codes, campaign codes, or similar access methods. Users must not: duplicate StoryCards or QR materials; sell copied access cards; share private access codes publicly; modify QR codes; replace Litera links with unauthorized links; use QR-based access to distribute content outside the approved access model; or create counterfeit Litera materials.

Litera may rotate, disable, replace, expire, or restrict QR codes and access methods if misuse is detected.

12. Author and Publisher Protection

Litera aims to protect author and publisher interests by limiting access to approved platform methods; prohibiting unauthorized copying and redistribution; requiring users to follow platform terms; monitoring abnormal access where feasible; investigating credible misuse reports; suspending or terminating abusive accounts; supporting rights-holder complaints; providing takedown support where appropriate; keeping author analytics aggregated or title-level where needed to protect reader privacy; and avoiding claims that the platform is piracy-proof.

Litera does not guarantee that all misuse can be prevented, but it will treat credible misuse seriously.

13. Reader Privacy and Monitoring

Litera may monitor and review activity to operate and secure the Platform, validate access, detect misuse, enforce rules, support author reporting, and protect content. Monitoring may include, without limitation, information from accounts, reading sessions, devices, browsers, applications, IP or network indicators, access sources, Third Places venues, authentication systems, QR or access codes, payment and transaction records, customer support communications, fraud tools, third-party reports, publicly available sources, and other lawful sources relevant to an investigation. Litera is not limited to any single data source or detection method.

Litera will handle personal data in accordance with its Privacy Policy and applicable data protection rules, including the Data Privacy Act of 2012. Litera does not intend to provide authors, publishers, Third Places partners, or sponsors with personally identifiable reader activity unless legally permitted, properly authorized, and consistent with Litera’s Privacy Policy.

14. Reporting Misuse

Users, authors, publishers, partners, or rights holders may report suspected misuse of Litera content, including unauthorized reposting; screenshots shared publicly; screen recordings; pirated copies; file- sharing links; fake Litera pages; counterfeit QR codes; scraped content; AI misuse; unauthorized classroom, workshop, or commercial use; account sharing; Third Places access abuse; misrepresentation of authorship; and copyright or rights violations.

Operational misuse reports should be sent to support@literaph.com. Formal copyright, ownership, or legal rights notices may be sent to admin@literaph.com.

15. Information to Include in a Report

To help Litera investigate, reports should include:

• Full name and contact email of the reporting person;
• Relationship to the content, if applicable;
• Title and author involved;
• Description of the suspected misuse;
• Links, screenshots, files, posts, or other evidence;
• Date and time the misuse was discovered;
• Name, username, page, group, account, or platform involved;
• Any prior communication with the suspected infringer; and
• A statement confirming that the information provided is accurate to the best of the reporter’s knowledge.

Litera may request additional information before taking action.

16. Investigation Process

When Litera receives a report, Litera may, in its sole but reasonable discretion, determine whether the report warrants review, investigation, immediate protective action, referral, or closure. Litera is not required to investigate every report or to take every available action. In deciding how to proceed, Litera may consider the specificity and credibility of the report, available evidence, severity, potential harm, rights-holder impact, commercial misuse, public distribution, repeat conduct, legal obligations, resource requirements, and whether the matter falls within Litera’s control.

Where Litera elects to investigate, it may request additional information; review account, access, transaction, device, session, or usage records; contact relevant users, authors, partners, platforms, or rights holders; preserve evidence; temporarily restrict access; issue warnings; request removal; submit takedown notices; disable accounts, links, codes, or QR materials; notify affected parties; or escalate the matter for legal review.

17. Enforcement Actions

If Litera reasonably determines, based on available information, that this Policy has been violated or that protective action is necessary, Litera may take one or more proportionate actions, including warning the user; removing access to specific content; restricting account features; suspending or terminating an account; cancelling subscriptions or access rights; disabling Third Places, promotional, venue, StoryCard, or QR-based access; blocking access methods; rejecting refund requests connected with misuse where lawful; notifying authors, publishers, partners, platforms, or rights holders; issuing takedown requests; preserving or reporting evidence; recovering payments or losses; and pursuing contractual or legal remedies.

Litera may act immediately where misuse creates legal, security, reputational, author, publisher, partner, or platform risk.

18. Repeat Violations

Litera may treat repeat violations more seriously. A person may be considered a repeat violator where: (a) the same or substantially similar violation occurs more than once; (b) two or more different violations occur; (c) misuse continues after a warning, restriction, or notice; (d) multiple accounts, devices, identities, access methods, or third parties are used to continue or conceal misuse; or (e) the surrounding facts show a continuing pattern, coordinated conduct, or deliberate circumvention. Litera may assess repetition by the conduct, the number of incidents, the number of affected works or accounts, or any combination of these factors.

Repeat violations may result in permanent account termination and loss of access. A single serious violation may also justify immediate or permanent action where it involves piracy, public or commercial distribution, systematic scraping, unauthorized AI use, fraud, security threats, substantial rights-holder harm, or deliberate evasion.

19. False or Malicious Reports

Users must not submit false, misleading, abusive, or malicious reports. Litera may take action against any person who knowingly submits false claims, impersonates rights holders, fabricates evidence, abuses reporting channels, or uses the reporting process to harass authors, users, partners, or Litera.

20. No Guarantee of Complete Protection

Litera takes content protection seriously, but no web-based platform can guarantee complete prevention of copying, screenshots, recordings, external capture, piracy, scraping, or misuse. Authors, publishers, and rights holders acknowledge that digital distribution carries inherent risks.

Litera’s responsibility is to apply reasonable and proportionate platform rules, access controls, monitoring, response processes, and enforcement measures. Litera does not guarantee that every instance of misuse will be prevented, detected, investigated, removed, compensated, or otherwise remedied.

21. User Responsibility

Users are personally responsible for their use of Litera content. A user may be held responsible for misuse occurring through their account, device, access code, QR link, venue code, shared credentials, or other access method, especially where the user failed to protect account access or intentionally shared credentials.

Users must immediately notify Litera if they believe their account, access method, or credentials have been compromised.

22. Partner Responsibility

Third Places partners, institutions, schools, libraries, cafés, cultural centers, and other approved access partners are expected to use Litera access materials only as authorized; keep venue codes and access methods within approved premises; avoid posting private access credentials publicly; support reader registration through approved methods; report suspected misuse; remove outdated or disabled access materials; follow Litera brand and content protection guidelines; and avoid copying or distributing Litera content outside approved access.

Partner-specific obligations may also be governed by a separate written agreement.

23. Author Responsibility

Authors and rights holders are responsible for ensuring that submitted works are original, properly authorized, and free from rights conflicts. Authors must not submit works that infringe third-party rights, contain unauthorized copyrighted material, or rely on unclear permissions.

Authors must promptly notify Litera if they become aware of rights conflicts; unauthorized copies or piracy; publisher or co-author disputes; cover or illustration rights issues; AI disclosure issues; or any restriction that may affect Litera’s right to host or distribute the work.

24. Platform Changes for Protection

Litera may modify the Platform to improve content protection, including updating reader access controls; changing QR access methods; expiring venue codes; adding authentication steps; limiting suspicious sessions; adjusting Third Places access; modifying display or reader features; adding warning notices; changing file handling or upload requirements; and restricting certain accounts, devices, or access patterns. Litera may implement these changes with or without prior notice where needed to protect content, users, authors, partners, or the Platform.

25. Takedown Requests to Third-Party Platforms

If Litera content appears on third-party websites, social media platforms, file-sharing services, cloud drives, marketplaces, or other channels without authorization, Litera may submit takedown requests or assist rights holders in doing so. Takedown outcomes may depend on the third-party platform, available evidence, rights-holder documentation, jurisdiction, and applicable procedures. Litera cannot guarantee that third- party platforms will remove unauthorized content immediately or at all.

26. Legal Remedies

Litera reserves the right to pursue any remedies available under applicable law, contract, platform rules, author agreements, publisher agreements, and partner agreements. Remedies may include account termination; access revocation; payment recovery; reimbursement of investigation, enforcement, or takedown costs where recoverable; actual, statutory, exemplary, or other damages where available; injunctive relief; takedown action; rights-holder claims; reporting to relevant authorities or platforms; and any civil, criminal, administrative, or contractual penalties imposed or permitted by applicable law. No fixed penalty stated or omitted in this Policy limits any amount or remedy that may lawfully apply.

27. Education and Awareness

Litera may educate users, partners, and authors about content protection through platform notices, reader reminders, author guides, partner onboarding materials, Third Places signage, FAQs, event briefings, email notices, and policy updates.

Litera’s objective is not only to punish misuse, but to build a reading culture that respects Filipino authors and creative ownership.

28. Changes to This Policy

Litera may update this Content Protection Policy from time to time to reflect platform changes; new access models or content formats; developments in artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation, capture, distribution, or successor technologies; author or publisher requirements; Third Places program updates; legal or regulatory developments; security or misuse trends; and operational improvements. Updated versions may be posted on the Litera website or communicated through other reasonable channels. Continued use of Litera after an updated Policy takes effect means the user accepts the updated Policy.

29. Contact Information

For content protection concerns, suspected misuse, support inquiries, copyright notices, ownership disputes, or related matters, contact:

30. Closing Statement

Litera was built to make Filipino literature more accessible, discoverable, and sustainable. Access must not come at the cost of author ownership, creative dignity, or rights-holder protection.