These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") form a binding agreement between The Ricard Group, LLC ("TRG," "we," "us," or "our"), a Texas limited liability company, and you, the filmmaker or rights holder ("Filmmaker," "you," or "your") who registers for and uses Release Harbor at releaseharbor.com ("the Platform").
You must be at least 18 years of age and have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract to use the Platform. By accepting these Terms, you represent that you meet these requirements. Electronic acceptance — including by clicking an acceptance button, creating an account, or submitting a film — constitutes a valid signature and binding agreement to these Terms.
By creating an account or submitting a film, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.
TRG provides film distribution aggregation services. This means TRG:
TRG is an aggregator, not a studio, producer, or streaming platform. TRG does not create, edit, or alter your content.
You may submit films through the Platform using any available plan. Submission does not guarantee review, acceptance, or distribution.
TRG reviews each submission individually. TRG may accept or decline any submission at its discretion. When a film is declined, TRG will provide a reason. TRG will not decline submissions on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Submissions must meet the technical specifications listed on the submission form at the time of submission. TRG may reject submissions that do not meet specifications without further review.
By submitting a film, you represent and warrant that:
| Plan | Annual Fee | Revenue Share to Filmmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Submit | Free | 70% |
| Distribute | $149/year | 80% |
| Partner | $299/year | 85% |
Paid plans (Distribute and Partner) are billed annually via Stripe at the time of purchase. Prices are in U.S. dollars.
Paid plans renew automatically at the end of each billing period at the then-current price. TRG will notify you by email at least 15 days before your renewal date, including the renewal date and the price that will be charged. You may cancel before the renewal date to avoid being charged for the next period.
TRG may change plan pricing with at least 30 days written notice. A price change does not take effect for your subscription until your next renewal date following the notice period.
Plan fees are non-refundable except where required by applicable law. If TRG declines your submission after payment, TRG will refund the plan fee paid for that submission cycle. If TRG materially fails to perform its core obligations under these Terms and such failure remains uncured 30 days after Filmmaker's written notice, Filmmaker may request a pro-rata refund of unused plan fees for the remaining billing period.
By submitting a film and accepting an offer of distribution, you grant TRG a non-exclusive, non-transferable, limited license to:
The license granted in this Section begins when TRG receives your approval to deliver to a specific platform and ends upon termination of these Terms or upon your written request to remove your film from that platform, subject to the timelines in Section 9.
TRG does not guarantee that any film submitted to TRG will be accepted by any distribution platform. Placement decisions are made solely by the platform. TRG will use commercially reasonable efforts to secure placement and will notify you of acceptance or rejection within a reasonable time after a platform decision is received.
TRG will obtain your approval before submitting your film to any distribution platform. The list of platforms your film has been submitted to and their current status (submitted, under review, live, declined) is visible in your dashboard.
Distribution platforms have their own terms of service, content policies, and technical requirements. TRG will communicate relevant platform requirements to you. TRG is not responsible for platform policy changes that affect the availability of your content after delivery.
TRG collects revenue from distribution platforms on your behalf. Revenue includes streaming royalties, advertising revenue shares, transactional fees, or other compensation paid by platforms for the distribution of your film.
TRG retains its share of revenue (30% for Submit; 20% for Distribute; 15% for Partner) and remits the remainder to you. Revenue share percentages are fixed for the term of your current plan and are listed in your dashboard.
TRG will remit earned balances to you on a monthly basis, within 30 days of receiving payment from the relevant platform. Platform payment timelines vary; TRG will not remit funds it has not yet received, but will provide visibility into pending earnings in your dashboard.
TRG has established a minimum payout threshold of $50 (gross, before processing fees). Earnings below this threshold accumulate until the threshold is met. Upon account termination, any accumulated balance above $1.00 will be paid out regardless of the threshold, less applicable processing fees.
TRG remits payments via Stripe Connect. To receive payouts, you must complete Stripe's Connected Account onboarding through your TRG dashboard. Stripe's onboarding flow is hosted by Stripe — TRG does not store your bank account details or other sensitive financial information. By receiving payouts through the Platform, you agree to Stripe's Connected Account Agreement. You are responsible for providing accurate payment information through Stripe's onboarding. TRG is not responsible for delays caused by inaccurate payment details or incomplete Stripe onboarding.
Each payout is subject to a processing fee charged by Stripe for the payment transfer. Processing fees are deducted from your payout and are not absorbed by TRG. The processing fee is calculated per payout as follows: 0.25% of the payout amount + $0.25 (subject to change by Stripe; current rates are published at stripe.com).
The amount remitted to you is your accumulated gross earnings less the applicable processing fee. Your earnings dashboard will display your gross balance, the estimated processing fee, and your net payout amount before each payout is initiated.
Example: A $50.00 gross payout incurs a processing fee of $0.375, resulting in a net payout of $49.625 (rounded to $49.63).
TRG will update this section if Stripe's processing fee structure changes. Any such update is a non-material change and does not require advance notice, as the fee is set by a third party and outside TRG's control.
You are responsible for all taxes, duties, and levies associated with revenue you receive from TRG. TRG will issue the appropriate IRS tax form (1099-NEC or 1099-MISC) for U.S.-based filmmakers who receive $600 or more in a calendar year, as required by law. Tax documentation may be collected automatically through Stripe's Connected Account onboarding. You will be required to provide a completed IRS Form W-9 (or equivalent for non-U.S. persons) before TRG processes your first payout. Failure to provide required tax documentation may result in withholding as required by applicable law.
Revenue collected from platforms on your behalf is tracked and accounted for separately from TRG's operating revenue in TRG's financial records. Your earnings balance is reflected in your dashboard.
You agree to:
You may terminate these Terms at any time with 30 days written notice to hello@releaseharbor.com. Your plan remains active through the end of the current billing period.
TRG may terminate these Terms with 30 days written notice for any reason.
TRG may terminate immediately, without notice or cure period, if Filmmaker: (i) submits content that infringes third-party rights and creates immediate legal liability for TRG; (ii) submits content that violates applicable law; or (iii) engages in fraud or material misrepresentation in connection with the Platform.
For other material breaches, TRG will provide written notice and allow 14 days to cure before termination takes effect.
Upon termination:
Sections 3.4 (Filmmaker Representations), 7 (Revenue and Payments), 9.3 (Effect of Termination), 10 (Protections Against Platform Stranding), 11 (Filmmaker Indemnification), 14 (Limitation of Liability), and 15 (Governing Law) survive termination.
This section exists because of what happened to filmmakers when Distribber closed in 2019. These are not aspirational statements — they are binding obligations.
If TRG ceases operations for any reason, all rights granted by you under Section 5 revert to you immediately and automatically. No further action is required on your part. Notwithstanding the foregoing, TRG retains a limited, non-exclusive right to contact distribution platforms and request content removal or transfer for up to 90 days following cessation of operations, solely for the purpose of fulfilling the wind-down obligations in Section 10.2.
If TRG determines that it will cease operations, TRG will provide you with at least 60 days written notice before ceasing services. In the event of involuntary cessation of operations, including bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, TRG will use best efforts to provide advance notice to the extent permitted by applicable law and will provide notice as soon as reasonably practicable. TRG will take all steps available under applicable law to fulfill the obligations in this Section. During the wind-down period, TRG will:
TRG may not assign, transfer, or sell your distribution agreement or the license rights granted under Section 5 to any third party without your prior written consent, except as provided below.
TRG may assign these Terms without Filmmaker's prior consent in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of all or substantially all of TRG's assets, provided that the assignee expressly assumes all obligations under these Terms, including all protections in this Section 10, and Filmmaker is notified in writing within 30 days of the assignment. If the assignee does not assume all Section 10 obligations, Filmmaker's prior written consent is required.
Any other assignment — including transfer of individual distribution agreements to a third party outside of an M&A transaction — requires Filmmaker's prior written consent.
At any time — including during a wind-down — you may request a full export of your data from the Platform: earnings history, submission records, pipeline history, and platform delivery status. TRG will provide this export within 7 business days of your request.
TRG will maintain and provide, upon request, a current list of every platform your film has been delivered to, accepted by, or is currently live on. You will always know where your film is.
Filmmaker agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless The Ricard Group, LLC, its members, officers, employees, and agents from and against any third-party claims, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (i) Filmmaker's breach of any representation or warranty in Section 3.4; (ii) any content submitted by Filmmaker to the Platform; or (iii) Filmmaker's violation of these Terms.
TRG will promptly notify Filmmaker in writing of any claim subject to this indemnification obligation and will give Filmmaker reasonable cooperation in the defense of such claim at Filmmaker's expense. TRG retains the right to participate in the defense of any such claim with counsel of its own choosing, at its own expense.
Filmmaker's indemnification obligations are not subject to the limitation of liability cap in Section 14.
TRG will not be liable for any delay or failure to perform its obligations under these Terms to the extent caused by circumstances beyond TRG's reasonable control, including but not limited to: acts of God, natural disasters, pandemic, government action or regulation, internet or telecommunications outages, third-party platform outages, or failures of third-party service providers. TRG will notify Filmmaker of a qualifying force majeure event as soon as reasonably practicable and will resume performance when circumstances allow.
THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. TRG MAKES NO WARRANTY THAT THE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED, OR THAT THE PLATFORM OR ITS SERVERS ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS.
TRG DOES NOT WARRANT THAT YOUR FILM WILL BE ACCEPTED BY ANY DISTRIBUTION PLATFORM OR THAT YOUR FILM WILL GENERATE ANY REVENUE.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, TRG'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE PLATFORM SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF: (A) THE TOTAL FEES YOU PAID TO TRG IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR (B) $500.
TRG IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFITS OR LOST REVENUE, EVEN IF TRG HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
Nothing in this section limits TRG's liability for: (i) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; (ii) gross negligence or willful misconduct; or (iii) any liability that cannot be limited by applicable law.
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to conflict of law principles.
Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Platform that cannot be resolved informally shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Collin County, Texas. Both parties consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.
Before initiating any legal proceeding, the parties agree to attempt to resolve the dispute informally by notifying the other party in writing and allowing 30 days for resolution.
Nothing in this section prevents either party from seeking injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to prevent irreparable harm.
These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and TRG regarding the Platform and supersede all prior agreements.
Non-material changes (including typographical corrections, formatting updates, and clarifications that do not affect your rights, fees, or obligations) may be made at any time without notice. The "last updated" date will reflect the change.
Material changes — defined as any change to: revenue share percentages, plan fees, rights granted to TRG, termination procedures, the wind-down protections in Section 10, dispute resolution, or limitation of liability — require at least 30 days written notice by email to the address associated with your account before taking effect.
If you do not agree to a material change, you may terminate your account before the effective date per Section 9.1. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of a material change constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, that provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, and the remaining provisions will continue in full force.
TRG's failure to enforce any provision of these Terms is not a waiver of TRG's right to enforce it in the future.
The relationship between TRG and Filmmaker is that of independent contracting parties. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, agency, franchise, or employment relationship between the parties.
Written notices required under these Terms may be delivered by email. Notices to TRG must be sent to hello@releaseharbor.com. Notices to Filmmaker will be sent to the email address associated with your account. Notices are effective upon delivery confirmation or, if no confirmation is available, 24 hours after sending.
The Ricard Group, LLC (DBA Release Harbor)
Email: hello@releaseharbor.com
Website: releaseharbor.com