1. Domain / URL Requirement & DNS
A registered domain (URL) is REQUIRED for every app. Client is responsible for domain costs: an initial registration fee of twenty dollars ($20 USD) due immediately upon domain selection. This $20 figure is an estimate based on standard availability and IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE depending on the specific domain requested and its availability — premium, aftermarket, high-demand, or non-standard extension domains can cost substantially more, and any such difference is Client's responsibility and must be paid before the domain is registered. Client's domain fee also includes plus an annual domain and hosting fee starting at one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125+ USD). Client further acknowledges that after the domain is secured, DNS record configuration and propagation take a minimum of twenty-four to forty-eight (24–48) hours before the app is reachable at that address. This window is controlled by domain registrars and internet infrastructure and is outside the control of Cage Free Voices.
2. Monthly Maintenance Fee
A monthly maintenance fee of fifty dollars ($50 USD) applies to all apps built under this agreement. This covers hosting oversight, platform updates, minor content changes, and technical support. The first month's maintenance fee must be paid upfront at the time of signing as part of the upfront payment, and maintenance is then billed monthly thereafter. Maintenance fees are non-refundable once the month has begun. Non-payment may result in suspension of maintenance services.
3. Development Rate & Minimum Booking
The standard development rate is four hundred fifty dollars per hour ($450/hr USD) with a minimum of ten (10) hours booked per project. This rate may be waived in whole or in part solely at the discretion of Cage Free Voices under an active partnership agreement. Waiver status is designated by an authorized Cage Free Voices administrator before this form is issued to the interested party; it cannot be self-selected by the Client.
4. Partnership Waiver Consideration
Where the development rate is waived, the waiver constitutes valuable consideration exchanged for promotional participation. The partner agrees to provide (a) a video testimonial, (b) a written testimonial, and (c) meaningful exposure of Cage Free Voices to the partner's audience. Both the video and written testimonials must be shared publicly on the partner's own social media accounts. To qualify, the partner's audience must meet BOTH minimum thresholds: at least one hundred (100) in-person attendees at an event where Cage Free Voices is presented, AND a social media following of ten thousand (10,000) or more. Cage Free Voices may use these testimonials in marketing materials in perpetuity. Failure to deliver the testimonials, the required social media sharing, or the minimum audience exposure within ninety (90) days of app launch entitles Cage Free Voices to invoice the waived hours at the standard rate.
5. Narration Service & Credit Costs
Optional narration (text-to-speech / audio) is available for one hundred twenty-five dollars per month ($125 USD/month). This subscription fee covers provisioning and upkeep of the narration service. Client further acknowledges that narration consumes usage credits each and every time narration is played or generated within the app; credit consumption scales with usage volume and is billed in addition to the monthly narration fee. High-traffic apps will incur higher credit costs. Narration may be cancelled with thirty (30) days written notice.
6. Accessibility Compliance
Regardless of whether narration is selected, Client acknowledges that Client alone is legally responsible for ensuring their app is accessible to users with disabilities under applicable law, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and, where applicable, WCAG 2.1 guidelines. Narration is one tool that supports accessibility but does not by itself guarantee legal compliance. Cage Free Voices strongly recommends narration and accessible design practices.
7. Declining Narration — Assumption of Risk
If Client declines narration, Client expressly acknowledges and legally admits that they understand the ramifications of launching an app without narration and other accessibility features, including but not limited to exposure to ADA demand letters, civil complaints, litigation, regulatory action, financial penalties, remediation costs, reputational harm, and the exclusion of users with disabilities from the app. Client knowingly and voluntarily assumes full and sole responsibility for these ramifications and for all accessibility obligations relating to the app. Neither Cage Free Voices nor Bathsheba Smithen bears any responsibility or liability whatsoever for Client's decision to omit narration or accessibility features, and Client agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold both harmless against any claim, demand, penalty, damage, or legal fee arising from that decision.
8. Domain & Payment Account — One-Time Setup Only
Cage Free Voices performs a one-time setup of Client's domain and, where requested, Client's payment processing account. Both accounts are created in Client's name and handed over to Client with all credentials once configured. From that point forward Cage Free Voices has no further involvement, obligation, or responsibility for either account. Client is solely responsible for annual domain renewals, billing and payment methods, registrar notices, transfers, DNS changes, payment-processor identity verification, taxes, pricing, refunds, chargebacks, disputes, payouts, and compliance with all processor terms and applicable law. Cage Free Voices never holds Client funds and is not a party to any transaction between Client and Client's customers. Neither Cage Free Voices nor Bathsheba Smithen is liable for downtime from an expired or suspended domain, or for held funds, account restrictions, processor fees, or any related loss. Later domain or payment-account work is billable at the standard hourly rate.
9. Upfront Payment
An upfront payment is due at the time of signing and is processed securely by card. The upfront total consists of the domain registration fee, the first month of maintenance, the ten (10) hour development deposit (unless waived by a Cage Free Voices administrator), and the first month of narration where selected. Work does not begin until the upfront payment clears. Recurring charges — monthly maintenance, monthly narration plus usage credits, and the annual domain renewal — are billed separately on their own cycles.
10. Privacy Policy Details
If the app requires a privacy policy, or if Client has specific privacy policy terms, disclosures, data-handling practices, or third-party disclosures to be reflected, Client must submit those details IN WRITING within twenty-four (24) (hours) of contract signing to contact@cfvonlinelearning.com. Failure to submit within this window may delay the build timeline, and Cage Free Voices shall not be responsible for omissions resulting from late or absent submissions.
11. Media Files & Cloud Uploads
Where Client has video or photo files required for the build, those files must be uploaded to the designated Cage Free Voices cloud storage: Google Drive (bathshebasmithen@gmail.com) or Dropbox (contact@cfvonlinelearning.com). Client is responsible for delivering files in usable formats and resolutions. Cage Free Voices is not responsible for loss or corruption of Client media stored on third-party platforms.
12. Intellectual Property Warranty & Indemnification
Client represents and warrants that ALL content submitted — including text, images, video, audio, logos, music, and branding — is Client's own intellectual property or is used under a valid, documented license granting Client the right to use and publish it. Client shall not submit content owned by any other person or entity without such rights. Neither Cage Free Voices nor Bathsheba Smithen shall be held liable in any way for content submitted by Client that is not Client's own property, and Client agrees to fully indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Cage Free Voices and Bathsheba Smithen against any and all claims, demands, damages, penalties, legal fees, and losses arising from infringement, misappropriation, or unauthorized use of third-party content submitted by Client.
13. Ownership of Work Product
Upon full payment of all applicable fees, Client owns the app content they lawfully supply. Underlying platform technology, frameworks, and reusable components remain the property of their respective owners. Client grants Cage Free Voices permission to reference the completed app in its portfolio unless otherwise agreed in writing.
14. Timeline
The build timeframe selected on this form is an estimate and begins only after domain setup, DNS propagation, deposit payment, and receipt of required Client materials. Delays caused by the Client — including late content, late privacy policy details, or delayed feedback — may extend the timeline without penalty to Cage Free Voices.
15. Payments, Cancellation & Refunds
Domain fees are non-refundable once the domain is registered. The ten (10) hour minimum booking is billable regardless of project cancellation, unless waived. Either party may terminate the maintenance or narration arrangement with thirty (30) days written notice. Upon termination, Client remains responsible for all fees accrued to date.
16. Limitation of Liability
Cage Free Voices' total liability under this agreement shall not exceed the total fees paid by Client in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim. Cage Free Voices is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, including lost revenue or data, or for downtime caused by third-party hosting, domain, or DNS providers.
17. Entire Agreement
This form, together with any signed partnership agreement and written estimates, constitutes the entire agreement between the parties regarding the app build. Any changes must be agreed to in writing. This agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Maryland, USA.