QPL · Terms

Terms of Service.

01Acceptance & Eligibility

These Terms of Service (the "Terms") form a binding agreement between you and [QPL FOUNDATION NAME, a Cayman Islands foundation company] (the "Foundation," "we," "us") regarding your access to and use of:

• this website at qpl.sh and any subdomains (the "Site");
• the open-source QPL protocol software, smart contracts, and related off-chain infrastructure (the "Protocol");
• any tokens issued by or in connection with the Foundation, including the $QPL token (the "Tokens"); and
• any documentation, press materials, and developer tools we publish (collectively with the Site, Protocol, and Tokens, the "Service").

By accessing or using any part of the Service, you represent that:

• you are at least the age of majority in your jurisdiction (18+ in most places);
• you have the legal capacity to enter these Terms;
• you are not a Prohibited Person (see Section 10);
• you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms.

02What QPL Is (and Is Not)

QPL is decentralized, open-source infrastructure software that provides post-quantum threshold signing and STARK-based proving services to other protocols. It is operated by independent third-party operators ("Operators") who run the software on their own hardware and earn fees for computational work performed.

QPL is NOT:

• a financial institution, broker-dealer, money services business, or money transmitter;
• a custodian of digital assets — at no point does QPL or the Foundation hold, control, or have access to user funds, private keys, or wallet contents;
• a trading venue, exchange, or matchmaker;
• an investment fund, securities issuer (subject to Section 4), or investment adviser;
• a provider of legal, tax, or financial advice.

The Foundation does not operate any node, validator, or signer in the QPL network. The Foundation's role is limited to maintaining open-source code repositories, publishing documentation, and stewarding the Protocol's evolution through community governance.

03Open-Source Software

The Protocol source code is published under the MIT License and the Apache License 2.0, as indicated in the relevant repositories. The full text of these licenses governs your right to use, modify, distribute, and rely upon the Protocol code, and is incorporated by reference into these Terms.

The open-source license disclaims all warranties. The software is provided "as is," without warranty of any kind, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. These Terms do not override that disclaimer.

04The $QPL Token

4.1 Nature of the Token

The $QPL token is a utility and governance token intended to be used for:

• participation in protocol governance (voting on parameter changes, treasury allocations, etc.);
• operator security deposits and slashing collateral;
• access to Protocol services on terms set by Protocol governance.

$QPL is not an investment contract, security, share, debt instrument, derivative, or promise of future profits derived from the efforts of others. You acquire $QPL solely for its intended utility within the Protocol. You should not acquire $QPL with the expectation of profit from the efforts of the Foundation, the anonymous core developers, or any third party.

4.2 No Promises of Value

Neither the Foundation nor any contributor makes any representation, warranty, or commitment regarding:

• the future market price of $QPL;
• liquidity on any secondary market;
• continued development of the Protocol;
• achievement of any roadmap milestone.

$QPL may lose all of its value. You should only acquire what you can afford to lose entirely.

4.3 Issuance via Futard.io

The initial distribution of $QPL occurs through Futard.io, a permissionless launchpad on Solana. The terms of that distribution (raise amount, duration, vesting, governance rules) are governed by the Futard.io smart contracts and the disclosures made by the Foundation on the launchpad listing, which are incorporated into these Terms by reference. Onchain spending limits, multi-signature treasury controls, and futarchy-based governance, where applicable, are enforced by the Futard.io protocol — not by us.

05Operators are Independent

Operators of the QPL network are independent service providers. They are not employees, agents, contractors, partners, or representatives of the Foundation. The Foundation:

• does not select, vet, supervise, or control Operators;
• does not guarantee Operator performance, uptime, or honesty;
• does not control how Operators are compensated beyond what is enforced by the Protocol smart contracts;
• does not guarantee that any Operator will earn any specific amount, or any amount at all.

Operator revenue depends entirely on network demand for signing and proving services, which is variable and not predictable. Any projections shown in the Pricing Calculator, the Operator Economics Analysis document, or elsewhere are illustrative estimates only — they are not forecasts and not guarantees.

06Service Fees and Economics

Protocol fees (currently $0.025 per signature and $1.00–$2.50 per STARK proof) are compensation for computational work performed by Operators and the Coordinator. The fee schedule is enforced by smart contracts and may be modified through governance.

Fees are split per the Protocol's fee distribution rules (currently 40% Coordinator / 50% Operators / 10% Treasury). The Foundation does not collect "platform fees" outside the Protocol mechanism described in the published documentation.

07Risks

You acknowledge and accept the following non-exhaustive risks of using the Service:

• Smart contract risk. The Protocol's onchain components may contain bugs, even after audits. Funds or messages routed through the Protocol may be lost.
• Cryptographic risk. ML-DSA-65 and FRI-based STARK constructions are standardized but evolving. Future cryptanalytic advances may weaken any primitive, including post-quantum ones.
• Operator risk. A quorum of malicious or compromised Operators could attempt to subvert the Protocol within the threshold tolerance.
• Network risk. The Solana blockchain and any chain QPL interacts with may experience downtime, forks, congestion, or reorgs.
• Token risk. $QPL has no intrinsic value and may go to zero. Market liquidity is not guaranteed.
• Regulatory risk. Laws governing digital assets and infrastructure are evolving. Future regulation may make some or all uses of the Service illegal in your jurisdiction.
• Key-management risk. You are responsible for the security of your own wallet, seed phrase, and private keys.
• Tax risk. Acquiring, holding, transferring, or earning Tokens may create tax obligations in your jurisdiction. You are solely responsible for them.
• Quantum-resistance risk. While QPL is designed to resist quantum-capable adversaries, no claim of "quantum proof" is absolute over an unbounded time horizon.

08No Warranty; No Advice

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, accuracy, or uninterrupted availability.

Nothing on the Site, in the documentation, in the Pricing Calculator, in social-media communications, or in any other materials we publish constitutes legal, tax, financial, accounting, or investment advice. You should consult a qualified professional in your own jurisdiction before making any decision related to the Service or $QPL.

09Privacy

We do not require accounts or personal information to read the Site or use the Protocol. Where you provide information voluntarily — for example, an email address via the "Notify me" form — we will use it only to send the updates you requested. We do not sell or share submitted email addresses. We retain submitted information only for as long as necessary to provide the requested service.

Blockchain transactions are public by nature. Interactions with the Protocol that occur onchain are permanently recorded on the relevant blockchain and are not within our control to delete or modify.

10Prohibited Persons & Geographic Restrictions

You may not use the Service if you are:

• a US Person within the meaning of Regulation S under the US Securities Act of 1933;
• resident in, located in, or organized under the laws of any jurisdiction subject to comprehensive sanctions administered by OFAC, the EU, the UK, or the United Nations Security Council (including, at the time of writing, the Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine; Cuba; Iran; North Korea; and Syria);
• identified on any sanctions list maintained by the foregoing authorities;
• otherwise prohibited from acquiring digital assets under applicable law.

The list above is non-exhaustive. You are responsible for determining whether your use of the Service is lawful in your jurisdiction. If we determine in good faith that you fall into any of the prohibited categories, we may restrict your access to the Site and applicable features of the Protocol.

11Acceptable Use

You agree not to use the Service to:

• violate any applicable law or regulation;
• launder funds, finance terrorism, or evade sanctions;
• infringe the intellectual property or other rights of any third party;
• interfere with, degrade, or attempt to compromise the integrity of the Protocol or any Operator's infrastructure;
• misrepresent your affiliation with the Foundation or the Protocol.

12Intellectual Property

12.1 Code

Protocol source code is licensed under the MIT License and Apache License 2.0 as described in Section 3. You may use, modify, and redistribute the code in accordance with those licenses.

12.2 Brand

The QPL name, the "Quantum Proof Layer" wordmark, the lattice logo, and the visual identity expressed on the Site are owned by the Foundation. Limited use is permitted for journalism, integration documentation, and good-faith reference to the Protocol, subject to the rules published at qpl.sh/brand. You may not modify the logo, imply Foundation endorsement, or use the marks for commercial purposes unrelated to the Protocol without prior written permission.

13Limitation of Liability; Indemnification

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

• In no event shall the Foundation, its directors, officers, contributors, or affiliates be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages — including loss of profits, loss of data, loss of token value, or loss of business opportunity — arising out of or related to your use of the Service.
• The Foundation's aggregate liability arising out of or related to these Terms or your use of the Service shall not exceed the greater of (a) US$100 or (b) the total fees paid by you directly to the Foundation in the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim. The Foundation does not directly collect Protocol service fees, so (b) will typically be $0.

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Foundation and its contributors from any claim, loss, liability, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of (i) your breach of these Terms, (ii) your violation of any law or third-party right, or (iii) your use of the Service in a manner not permitted by these Terms.

14Modifications to the Terms

We may modify these Terms from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be announced on the Site and, where reasonably possible, by an additional public notice. Your continued use of the Service after a modification constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

15Governing Law; Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the [Cayman Islands], without regard to conflict-of-laws principles.

Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or in connection with these Terms — including the existence, validity, breach, or termination thereof — shall be finally resolved by binding arbitration administered by [INSERT ARBITRATION FORUM — e.g., HKIAC, JAMS International, or LCIA] in accordance with its rules then in effect. The seat of arbitration shall be [INSERT SEAT — e.g., George Town, Cayman Islands], the language shall be English, and the tribunal shall consist of one arbitrator unless the disputed amount exceeds [USD threshold], in which case three arbitrators shall be appointed.

Class action waiver. You agree that disputes will be resolved on an individual basis only, and you waive any right to bring or participate in any class, collective, or representative action.

16Miscellaneous

Entire agreement. These Terms, together with the open-source license texts referenced in Section 3 and the Futard.io launchpad listing terms, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Foundation regarding the Service.

Severability. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force.

No waiver. Failure to enforce any right under these Terms does not waive that right.

Assignment. You may not assign or transfer your rights under these Terms. The Foundation may assign its rights and obligations to a successor entity without restriction.

No agency. Nothing in these Terms creates a joint venture, partnership, employment, or agency relationship between you and the Foundation.

Contact. Because the Protocol is maintained by pseudonymous contributors, the canonical channel for security disclosures, abuse reports, and legal correspondence is via GitHub: github.com/qpl-sh/QPL. Formal legal notices to the Foundation should be sent to [INSERT CAYMAN REGISTERED OFFICE ADDRESS].