The Mark Collective Ltd
Terms of Business for Consultancy and Design
The Customer’s attention is particularly drawn to clause 10
1. Background
1.1 These are the terms and conditions (“Terms”) on which Mark Horton (trading as The Mark Collective Ltd) (“MC”) provides the Services. These terms set out how MC will provide the Services, what the Customer’s obligations are and other important information.
1.2 The scope of the Services are set out in the Project Proposal, which the Customer will be required to sign.
1.3 The Customer will be required to read and accept these Terms when ordering Services. If the Customer does not agree to be bound by these Terms it will not be able to engage MC’s Services.
2.1 The definitions and rules of interpretation set out in Schedule 1 apply in these Terms.
2.3 In the event of inconsistency between these Terms and the Project Proposal, these Terms shall take precedence to the extent of such inconsistency or conflict only unless otherwise expressly stated in the Project Proposal.
3.4 Any samples, drawings, descriptive matter or advertising issued by MC (including in the Design Brief), and any descriptions or illustrations contained in MC’s catalogues or brochures, are issued or published for the sole purpose of giving an approximate idea of the Services described in them (unless otherwise stated as being a Final Deliverable in a Design Brief). They shall not form part of the Contract or have any contractual force.
4.4 MC warrants to the Customer that the Services will be provided using reasonable care and skill. MC further warrants that its design work is original and that MC will not knowingly infringe the Intellectual Property Rights of a third party (though the Customer accepts that MC is under no obligation to make any enquiries or investigation in this respect).
4.5 MC shall be permitted to engage and/or use third party designers or other service providers as independent contractors in connection with the Services.
4.6 When required as part of the Services, MC may advise on implementation based upon normal production methods and techniques (based on information provided by the Customer). MC gives no warranty or representation concerning the performance of any packaging, printed material or digital display. The Customer accepts that MC is not responsible for the production of packaging, printed material or digital display and that full responsibility for these elements remain with the Customer unless expressly stated in the Order. Failure to consult MC on implementation may result in unsatisfactory results, for which MC accepts no responsibility.
4.7 In the case of electronically displayed designs, the Customer acknowledges that it may need to obtain relevant licences for the use of proprietary software, and MC accepts no responsibility for the Customer’s failure to do so.
5. Amendment to Order
(c) refuse the change.
5.2 The parties may decide to implement a change proposed pursuant to clauses 5.1 (a) or (b) within 10 Business Days by the Customer signing a revised Project Proposal.
5.3 If the Customer requests that a minor change is made to the Order after it has been accepted by MC, MC may elect (at its discretion) to:
(a) negotiate and agree the minor change to the Order by email, at which point the Order and the Services to be provided by MC pursuant to these terms and conditions shall be varied accordingly; or
(b) consider that the requested amendment is significant (and not minor), and follow the procedure set out in clause 5.1 above.
5.4 If either Party does not agree to implement a proposed change MC shall continue to provide the Services as set out in the Order without implementing the proposed change.
(a) pay the Fees on time as and when they fall due, as set out in clause 7 and the Order;
(b) ensure that the terms of the Order and any information it provides to MC to enable it to prepare the Project Proposal are complete and accurate;
(c) co-operate with MC in all matters relating to the Services;
(f) unless a specific time frame within which the customer’s response is to be made has been expressly agreed in the Order, the Customer shall respond promptly to any request by MC for information, approval or sign off to any particular stage, and in any event, no later than 5 Business Days from the dates of such request.
7.1 The Fees for the Services shall be set out in the Order. The Fee only includes MC’s fee unless otherwise stated in the Order. Any and all other costs, such as (but not limited to) equipment rental, photographers’ fees, font and/or artwork licences, music licences, hosting fees or other expenses incurred by MC will be in addition to the Fees unless otherwise provided for in the Order.
7.2 MC shall charge additional Fees for any time worked outside the hours referred to in the Order. The Order shall set out the rate at which any additional Fees will be charged, and shall be payable by the Customer in the same manner as the Fees specified in the Order.
7.4 MC shall invoice the Customer at the times and/or in such instalments as specified in the Order.
7.5 The Customer shall pay each invoice submitted by MC within 30 days of the date of the invoice unless otherwise provided in the Order; and in full and in cleared funds to a bank account nominated in writing by MC. Time for payment shall be of the essence of the Contract.
7.7 If the Customer fails to make a payment due to MC under the Contract by the due date, then, without limiting MC’s remedies under clause 12, the Customer shall pay interest on the overdue sum from the due date until payment of the overdue sum, whether before or after judgment. Interest under this clause 7.7 will accrue each day at 4% a year above the Bank of England’s base rate from time to time, but at 4% a year for any period when that base rate is below 0%.
7.8 Payments will be credited first to late payments and next to unpaid balances. The Customer shall be responsible for all collection or legal fees necessitated by lateness of or defaults in payments.
7.9 MC reserves the right to withhold delivery and any transfer of ownership of any current work until all sums due are paid in full, together with any interest. All grants of any licence to use any intellectual property rights under the Contract are conditional upon receipt of all payments due under the Contract.
7.11 For new customers, MC may, at its discretion, invoice up to 100% of its Fees and/or costs (as set out in the Order) in advance of commencing work, and MC reserves the right not to commence work until this has been settled.
7.12 If more than one design is chosen by the Customer and this was not provided for in the Order, an additional fee may be payable by the Customer, and MC will advise the Customer of this additional fee before it is incurred.
8. Intellectual property rights
8.1 In consideration of the Customer paying the Fees to MC in accordance with clause 7, and subject to the Customer’s sign-off of the Final Deliverable, MC shall grant to the Customer a perpetual exclusive, non-transferable, royalty-free licence to use the Project IP. For the avoidance of doubt, MC IP not forming part of the Final Deliverable (for example relating to works produced by MC in providing the Services but not chosen by the Customer as part of the Final Deliverable) shall not be licenced to the Customer by MC.
8.2 For the avoidance of doubt, no Project IP or MC IP shall be transferred or assigned to the customer as a result of this Contract.
8.3 Customer IP shall remain the sole property of the Customer. The Customer hereby grants MC an irrevocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use, reproduce, modify, display and publish such content solely in connection with MC’s performance of the Contract, and for marketing and publicity under clause 14.6.
8.4 The Customer warrants that MC’s possession and use of the Customer IP shall comply with all applicable laws, regulations, industry standards and codes of practice in the jurisdictions in which the Final Deliverable will be used, and not infringe the Intellectual Property Rights of any third party.
8.5 In the case of Third Party Materials it is the intention of the parties for the Customer to receive a direct non-exclusive licence of such Third Party Materials. MC shall notify the Customer as to whether such Third Party Materials are capable of being licensed to the Customer by the third party, and if so, the terms and the cost of such licence.
The Parties shall at all times comply with their obligations under Data Protection Legislation to ensure that any personal data they control or process remains confidential. Personal data will only be used for a permitted purpose and for a reasonable time, subject to any legal or regulatory requirements.
10. Limitation of Liability: The Customer’s Attention Is Particularly Drawn To This Clause.
10.2 References to liability in this clause 10 include every kind of liability arising under or in connection with the Contract including liability in contract, tort (including negligence), misrepresentation, restitution or otherwise.
10.3 Nothing in this clause 10 shall limit the Customer’s payment obligations under the Contract.
10.5 Subject to clause 10.4, MC’s total liability to the Customer for all loss or damage shall not exceed the greater of:
(a) the Fees payable to MC pursuant to the Contract; or
(b) the amount recovered by MC from its insurer in relation to the claim.
10.6 MC shall not be liable for any of the following types of loss:
(b) loss of sales or business.
(c) loss of agreements or contracts.
(d) loss of anticipated savings.
(e) loss of use or corruption of software, data or information.
(f) loss of or damage to goodwill; and
(g) indirect or consequential loss.
10.8 MC has given commitments in clause 4 as to compliance of the Services with the Order. In view of these commitments, the terms implied by sections 3 and 5 of the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 are, to the fullest extent permitted by law, excluded from the Contract.
10.9 This clause 10 shall survive termination of the Contract.
11. Complaints
11.1 If at any stage the Customer is not satisfied with the Services being provided by MC pursuant to the Contract, the matter shall be dealt with in the following manner:
11.1.1 Stage 1: The Customer will, in the first instance, notify MC by email of its dissatisfaction, with a detailed explanation of why the Customer considers the Services to be unsatisfactory. Within 5 Business Days of receipt of such notification MC will either:
(i) if MC agrees with the Customer’s concerns, respond to the Customer’s email with a proposal on how MC will rectify the issue. If the proposal is not satisfactory to the Customer proceed to Stage 2; or
(ii) if MC disagrees with the Customer, respond to the Customer’s email explaining why it disagrees with the Customer’s view and asking the Customer to reconsider its view. If the Customer remains dissatisfied, proceed to Stage 2.
11.1.2 Stage 2: if the matter has not been resolved in accordance with Stage 1 above, MC and the Customer shall use their best efforts for a period of up to two weeks to attempt to find a satisfactory resolution. If the parties cannot resolve the matter in that period, refer to clause 12 (termination).
11.2 For the avoidance of doubt, sign-off by the Customer of any works produced by MC in accordance with the Order or any produced Design Brief shall be taken as acceptance of the quality of the Service provided up until that date. The Customer shall not be entitled to raise a complaint for any works that have been signed-off by the Customer.
12. Termination
12.2 Without affecting any other right or remedy available to it, either party may terminate the Contract with immediate effect by giving written notice to the other party if:
(a) the Customer fails to pay any amount due under the Contract on the due date for payment and such amount remains outstanding for a period of 14 days after its due date for payment; or
(b) there is a change of control of the Customer; or
(c) the continued association of MC with the Customer, or any particular project to which the Services relate, is or may be damaging to the goodwill and reputation of MC.
13. Consequences of termination
13.1 On termination of the Contract the Customer shall immediately pay to MC all of MC’s outstanding unpaid invoices and interest and, in respect of Services supplied but for which no invoice has been submitted, MC shall submit an invoice, which shall be payable by the Customer immediately on receipt;
13.4 MC shall not refund any deposits, stage payments, Fees or any other payments unless expressly agreed by MC in writing. This clause shall not affect your legal rights.
14. General
14.1 Force majeure. MC shall not be in breach of the Contract nor liable for delay in performing, or failure to perform, any of its obligations under the Contract if such delay or failure result from events, circumstances or causes beyond its reasonable control. In such circumstances MC shall be entitled to a reasonable extension of time for performing such obligations, provided that if the period of delay or non-performance continues for one month, the Customer may (at its option) terminate the Contract by giving 30 days’ written notice to MC.
14.2 Non-Solicitation. During the term of this Contract, and for a period of 6 months thereafter the Customer agrees not to solicit, recruit, engage or otherwise employ or retain any staff of MC.
14.3 No Partnership. Nothing in these terms and conditions is intended to, or shall be deemed to, establish any partnership or joint venture between MC and the Customer.
14.4 Assignment and other dealings.
(b) Each party may disclose the other party’s confidential information:
14.6 Publicity and Examples. When the Services are in the public domain, MC shall have rights of reasonable publicity, and if so requested, the Customer shall provide MC with free samples of the completed artwork to use as MC sees fit.
14.7 Entire agreement.
(c) Nothing in this clause shall limit or exclude any liability for fraud.
14.8 Variation. Except as set out in these terms and conditions, no variation of the Contract shall be effective unless it is in writing and signed by the parties (or their authorised representatives).
14.9 Waiver. A waiver of any right or remedy under the Contract or by law is only effective if given in writing and shall not be deemed a waiver of any subsequent right or remedy. A failure or delay by a party to exercise any right or remedy provided under the Contract or by law shall not constitute a waiver of that or any other right or remedy, nor shall it prevent or restrict any further exercise of that or any other right or remedy. No single or partial exercise of any right or remedy provided under the Contract or by law shall prevent or restrict the further exercise of that or any other right or remedy.
14.10 Severance. If any provision or part-provision of the Contract is or becomes invalid, illegal or unenforceable, it shall be deemed modified to the minimum extent possible to make it valid, legal and enforceable. If such modification is not possible the relevant provision or part provision shall be deemed deleted. Any modification to or deletion a provision or part-provision under this clause 14.10 shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the rest of the contract.
(b) Any notice or communication shall be deemed to have been received:
(i) if delivered by hand, at the time the notice is left at the proper address;
(iii) if sent by email at the time of transmission, or, if this time falls outside business hours in the place of receipt, when business hours resume. In this clause 14.11(b)(iii), business hours means 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday on a day that is not a public holiday in the place of receipt.
(c) This clause 14.11 does not apply to the service of any proceedings or other documents in any legal action or, where applicable, any other method of dispute resolution.
14.13 Governing Law. The Contract, and any dispute or claim (including non-contractual disputes or claims) arising out of or in connection with it or its subject matter or formation shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales.
14.14 Jurisdiction. Each party irrevocably agrees that the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim (including non-contractual disputes or claims) arising out of or in connection with the Contract or its subject matter or formation.
15. AI-generated content disclaimer and limitation of liability
15.1 Use of AI-Generated Content
The Customer acknowledges that MC may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to generate text, images, video, or other media (“AI Content”) as part of the Services provided under this Contract. AI Content may be based on prompts, data, or instructions provided by the Customer and/or determined by MC in accordance with the Project Proposal or Design Brief.
15.2 Intellectual Property and Copyright Risks
While MC will take reasonable steps to ensure that AI Content does not knowingly infringe third-party intellectual property rights, no warranty or guarantee is given that the AI Content will be free from copyright or other legal claims. The Customer acknowledges and accepts that, due to the nature of AI technologies, the originality and ownership of generated content cannot be assured.
15.3 Customer Responsibility and Indemnity
The Customer is solely responsible for the final review, approval, and use of any AI Content delivered. The Customer agrees to indemnify and hold harmless MC against any and all claims, damages, losses, or legal actions arising out of the use, publication, or distribution of AI Content, including but not limited to claims of copyright infringement, defamation, or breach of data protection law.
15.4 Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, MC shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential loss or damage, including loss of reputation or business opportunity, arising from or related to the use of AI Content. MC’s total liability for any direct claim shall be limited to the total Fees paid by the Customer for the specific project to which the claim relates.
Schedule 1 Definitions and Interpretation
1. The following definitions apply in this Agreement.
Business Day: |
a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday in England, when banks in London are open for business. |
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Commencement Date: |
has the meaning given in clause Error! Reference source not found.. |
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Contract: |
means a contract for the purchase of and provision of Services, consisting of an Order and these Terms, as explained in clause Error! Reference source not found.. |
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Customer: |
the person or firm who purchases Services from MC. |
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Customer Default: |
has the meaning set out in clause Error! Reference source not found.. |
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Customer IP: |
means any and all Intellectual Property Rights owned, created or controlled by the customer prior to the Contract. |
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Design Brief: |
a design brief that may be prepared by MC that more particularly describes the Services to be provided pursuant to the Contract. |
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Fees: |
the fees payable by the Customer for the supply of the Services in accordance with clause Error! Reference source not found. and the Order. |
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Final Deliverable: |
the deliverable specified in the Order (which may be more particularly described in the Design Brief) as the last deliverable to be supplied to the Customer by MC pursuant to the Contract. |
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MC: |
means Mark Horton trading as Mark Horton/The Mark Collective Ltd. |
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means any and all Intellectual Property Rights (that are not Project IP) owned, created or controlled by MC prior to or during performance of the Services (insofar as they do not relate to the Final Deliverable) or falling outside the |
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Intellectual Property Rights: |
patents, utility models, rights to inventions, copyright and neighbouring and related rights, moral rights, trade marks and service marks, business names and domain names, rights in get-up and trade dress, goodwill and the right to sue for passing off or unfair competition, rights in designs, database rights, rights to use, and protect the confidentiality of, confidential information (including know-how and trade secrets), and all other intellectual property |
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Order: |
the Customer’s order for Services by its selection of an ‘option’ and signature of the Project Proposal. |
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Project IP: |
means any and all Intellectual Property Rights in the Final Deliverable specifically created by MC in connection with the Services. |
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Project Proposal: |
the description of potential options and service packages quoted by MC, and provided in writing by MC to the Customer. |
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Services: |
the services (chosen by the Customer) to be supplied by MC to the Customer and as set out in the Order. |
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Terms: |
The terms of business of MC set out in this document. |
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Third Party Materials: |
works or materials authored, created or performed by a third party which is incorporated into the Services and/or Final Deliverable. |
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2. The following rules of interpretation apply in these Terms:
a) A person includes a natural person, corporate or unincorporated body (whether or not having separate legal personality);
b) A reference to a party shall include any company, corporation or other body corporate, wherever and however incorporated or established, and any individual.
c) Unless the context otherwise requires, words in the singular shall include the plural and in the plural shall include the singular.
d) Any words following the terms including, include, in particular, for example or any similar expression, shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of the words, description, definition, phrase or term preceding those terms.
e) A reference to writing or written does not include fax.
f) A reference to a statute or statutory provision is a reference to it as amended, extended or re-enacted from time to time. A reference to a statute or statutory provision shall include all subordinate legislation made from time to time under that statute or statutory provision.
g) Any obligation in these Terms on a person not to do something includes an obligation not to agree or allow that thing to be done.
The Mark Collective Ltd
17-18 Berkeley Square,
Bristol, BS8 1HB
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