The Macguffin’s Guide to Propriety & Comportment

(or: Our Terms of Use)

Terms of Use

Effective date: August 12, 2026
Last updated: August 12, 2026

Characters can be complicated. The rules for using this website should not be.

These Terms of Use (the “Terms”) govern your access to and use of Macguffin.co and any pages, accounts, newsletters, Workrooms, forms, voting features, content, products and other services made available through it (collectively, the “Site”). The Site is owned and operated by The Macguffin Company (“Macguffin,” “we,” “us” or “our”).

Please read these Terms carefully. By accessing or using the Site, creating an account, purchasing access to a Workroom or other digital product, submitting material, posting content, voting or otherwise interacting with the Site, you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Site.

1. What Macguffin Does

Macguffin is a media-franchise development company. We identify and evaluate characters, stories and fictional worlds; work with writers, artists, designers and other creative professionals; invite community feedback; develop selected concepts into intellectual property; and may seek publishing, licensing, production, distribution or other commercial opportunities for selected projects.

The Site may include, among other things:

  • GUFF and other editorial content;

  • project descriptions, artwork, prototypes and works in progress;

  • surveys, comments, polls and Redlight/Greenlight voting;

  • free and paid subscriptions, Workrooms and digital materials;

  • submission forms and opportunities for creators;

  • information about possible, anticipated or live securities offerings; and

  • links to unaffiliated service providers, payment processors, broker-dealers and funding portals.

Content, features and project stages may change. A concept’s appearance on the Site, favorable voting, placement in development, testing-the-waters activity or inclusion in GUFF does not obligate Macguffin to develop, acquire, finance, publish, license or offer securities relating to that concept.

2. Eligibility

You may browse publicly available portions of the Site if you can lawfully agree to these Terms. You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering a binding contract to create an account, make a purchase, submit creative material, indicate interest in a possible securities offering or use any feature identified as being for adults.

The Site is not directed to children under 13, and children under 13 may not create accounts or provide personal information through the Site. If you use the Site on behalf of a company or other organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

3. No Offer, Brokerage or Investment Advice

Macguffin is a media-franchise development company. Macguffin is not a registered broker-dealer, investment adviser or funding portal. We do not provide investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, and no Site content should be treated as a recommendation that any person buy, sell or hold a security.

Except for material expressly identified as a permitted testing-the-waters communication or other legally permitted offering communication, Site content is provided for general informational, editorial and entertainment purposes and is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security.

If an offering is launched under Regulation Crowdfunding or another securities-law exemption:

  • the offering will be conducted through the SEC-registered intermediary identified for that offering;

  • the intermediary’s platform and the applicable Form C, offering statement, subscription agreement, security agreement, risk factors and other definitive materials will contain the controlling information;

  • any investment must be made through the designated intermediary, not by sending money directly to Macguffin through this Site; and

  • if information on this Site conflicts with the official offering materials, the official offering materials control.

Securities offerings are speculative and involve substantial risk, including possible loss of the entire investment, lack of liquidity and restrictions on resale. Past results, audience interest, favorable votes, creative progress, projections, targets, contemplated licensing opportunities and statements about potential markets do not guarantee future performance or investor returns. You are responsible for conducting your own review and consulting advisers appropriate to your circumstances.

Nothing in these Terms limits any liability or remedy that cannot lawfully be limited, including liability under applicable federal or state securities laws.

4. Testing the Waters and Indications of Interest

Some pages may ask whether visitors are interested in a potential future securities offering before a Form C is filed. Those pages are testing-the-waters communications and must be read together with the legends displayed on them.

Unless and until the applicable filing and other legal requirements have been satisfied:

  • no money or other consideration is being solicited, and any money sent in response will not be accepted;

  • no offer to buy securities can be accepted and no part of the purchase price can be received; and

  • an indication of interest is nonbinding and involves no obligation or commitment of any kind.

Indicating interest does not reserve securities, guarantee that an offering will occur, establish final terms, create priority, or obligate you or Macguffin to proceed. Proposed terms and development plans may change or be withdrawn.

5. Accounts and Account Security

Certain features may require an account. You agree to provide accurate, current and complete information; keep it updated; safeguard your password and access credentials; and promptly notify us of suspected unauthorized access.

You are responsible for activity conducted through your account to the extent permitted by law. You may not impersonate another person, create an account using information you are not authorized to use, transfer an account without our permission, or use another person’s account without authorization.

We may reject a registration, require verification, limit account features, or suspend or terminate an account as reasonably necessary to protect the Site, users, projects, rights holders or Macguffin; comply with law; address nonpayment; or enforce these Terms.

6. GUFF, Email and Other Communications

If you subscribe to GUFF or another mailing list, you authorize us to send the requested editorial, project and promotional communications to the address you provide. You may unsubscribe from marketing email at any time using the unsubscribe link in the message. We may still send non-promotional communications concerning your account, purchases, security, legal notices or transactions.

Delivery schedules are goals, not guarantees. “Weekly” describes the intended publication cadence and does not create a contractual obligation to publish or deliver an issue every calendar week. Email delivery may be affected by filters, service providers, address errors and other circumstances outside our control.

7. Purchases, Workrooms and Digital Access

The Site may offer paid access to Workrooms, memberships, works in progress, digital materials, events, merchandise or other products. The description and price displayed at checkout form part of your purchase terms. Unless expressly stated otherwise at checkout, a Workroom purchase is a purchase of limited personal access to the described content—not an investment, donation, equity interest, security, royalty interest, ownership interest in a franchise, or promise of financial return.

You authorize us and our payment processors to charge the amount shown at checkout, including applicable taxes and disclosed fees. Payment information may be collected and processed by third parties under their own terms and privacy policies.

Paid digital content is licensed for your personal, noncommercial use and is not sold or assigned to you. You may not reproduce, distribute, publish, scrape, sell, sublicense, publicly display or commercially exploit Workroom materials unless we expressly authorize it in writing.

Creative development is iterative. Workroom content may be revised, replaced, postponed or discontinued, and a project may never be completed or commercialized. We will use reasonable efforts to provide the access and deliverables expressly described at purchase. Refunds, cancellations and replacements are governed by the terms displayed at checkout and applicable law. Nothing in these Terms limits a non-waivable consumer right.

8. Community Feedback, Voting and Participation

Polls, surveys, rankings, comments, focus groups and Redlight/Greenlight voting are tools for gathering feedback. Results are advisory. Macguffin retains sole discretion over editorial selection, project progression, creative teams, budgets, development, publication, offering preparation, licensing and commercialization.

Participation does not create employment, authorship, co-ownership, fiduciary duties, compensation rights, royalties, approval rights, confidentiality obligations or any other interest in Macguffin or a project. If we separately agree to any such right, it will be stated in a written agreement.

9. Creative Submissions

The following terms apply to loglines, synopses, treatments, scripts, artwork, character descriptions and other creative material submitted for Macguffin’s review (“Submissions”).

Submission route

Send Submissions only through an authorized submission form and in accordance with the Submission Guidelines displayed on the Site. We may delete or disregard material sent by email, social media, mail or another unauthorized channel.

No confidentiality

Unless a separate written agreement signed by Macguffin says otherwise, Submissions are not received in confidence. Do not submit trade secrets or other information you require us to keep confidential. No confidential, fiduciary, agency, employment or other special relationship is created by a Submission or by our review of it.

Your ownership and limited review license

You retain whatever ownership rights you lawfully hold in your Submission. By submitting it, you grant Macguffin a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to receive, store, copy, format and internally share the Submission solely as reasonably necessary to evaluate it, administer the submission process, communicate with you, maintain business records and comply with law.

Submission alone does not give Macguffin the right to publish, publicly display, develop, exclusively represent, acquire or commercially exploit your Submission. Any broader license, exclusivity period, option, acquisition, publication arrangement, compensation, credit or royalty participation must be set out in a separate written agreement. If such an agreement conflicts with these Terms, that agreement controls for its subject matter.

Your promises

You represent and warrant that:

  • you are at least 18 and have authority to make the Submission;

  • the Submission is original to you or you have all rights and permissions necessary to submit it;

  • the Submission and our permitted review of it do not infringe copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, contract or other rights;

  • the Submission is not subject to an obligation that conflicts with these Terms; and

  • information you provide about authorship, ownership, prior publication and third-party interests is accurate.

If a Submission has multiple owners or contributors, you are responsible for obtaining their consent before submitting it.

Similar ideas and independent development

Stories often share themes, genres, character types and plot devices. Macguffin receives many ideas and also develops material internally and with third parties. You acknowledge that we may already be developing, may later receive, or may independently develop material that resembles elements of your Submission. Mere similarity does not by itself establish copying, access, liability or an obligation to compensate you. This paragraph does not permit Macguffin to infringe your legally protected rights.

We are not required to review, accept, return, preserve, respond to or provide feedback on a Submission. We may reject or stop considering a Submission at any time.

10. User Content and Public Posts

Comments, profile information, survey responses intended for publication and other material you post to a public or community area are “User Content.” You retain your rights in User Content. You grant Macguffin a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, format, display and distribute that User Content as reasonably necessary to operate, moderate, promote and improve the Site and the relevant project. This license ends when the User Content is deleted from our active systems, except for backup copies, legal records and material already incorporated into a communication with your authorization.

You are responsible for your User Content. Do not post anything you do not want others to see or use. We may moderate, refuse, remove or restrict User Content, but we are not obligated to monitor all content and do not endorse user opinions.

11. Acceptable Use

You may not use the Site to:

  • violate law, regulation, court order or another person’s rights;

  • post material that is fraudulent, knowingly false, defamatory, threatening, harassing, obscene, hateful, discriminatory, exploitative or unlawfully invasive of privacy;

  • infringe intellectual-property, confidentiality, publicity or contractual rights;

  • impersonate another person or misrepresent an affiliation;

  • transmit malware or harmful code, conduct phishing, or interfere with Site security or operation;

  • probe, scan or test vulnerabilities without written authorization;

  • scrape, crawl, harvest or use automated means to access the Site except as permitted by our robots.txt file or written authorization;

  • use Site content, Submissions, User Content or Workroom materials to train, develop or improve a machine-learning or artificial-intelligence model without our prior written permission;

  • manipulate votes, surveys, engagement metrics or indications of interest;

  • collect personal information about other users without authorization;

  • use the Site to advertise, solicit or conduct a securities transaction outside the designated registered intermediary; or

  • help another person do any of the above.

12. Macguffin Content and Intellectual Property

The Site and its contents—including GUFF, project materials, characters, artwork, text, graphics, logos, trademarks, page design, software, compilations and audiovisual material—are owned by Macguffin or used under license and are protected by intellectual-property and other laws.

Subject to these Terms, Macguffin grants you a limited, revocable, nonexclusive, nontransferable license to access and use the Site for your personal, noncommercial use. No other right is granted by implication or otherwise. You may share an unmodified public webpage using its ordinary link. You may not copy, republish, modify, distribute, sell, license, create derivative works from, frame or commercially exploit Site content without authorization from the applicable rights holder.

“Macguffin,” “Macguffin Co.,” “GUFF,” associated logos and other source identifiers are trademarks or service marks of Macguffin or their respective owners. You may not use them in a way that suggests sponsorship, endorsement or affiliation without prior written permission.

13. Copyright Concerns

If you believe material on the Site infringes your copyright, send a written notice to admin@macguffin.co containing:

  1. identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed;

  2. identification and location of the allegedly infringing material;

  3. your name, address, telephone number and email address;

  4. a statement that you have a good-faith belief the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent or law;

  5. a statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act for the owner; and

  6. your physical or electronic signature.

We may remove or restrict material and, where appropriate, terminate accounts of repeat infringers. The email above is provided for copyright notices; other legal notices should use the contact method in Section 25.

14. Third-Party Services and Links

The Site may link to or integrate services operated by third parties, including Squarespace, payment processors, email providers, social networks, registered broker-dealers and funding portals. Third-party services are governed by their own terms and privacy policies. Macguffin does not control and is not responsible for their availability, security, content, decisions or conduct.

A link does not necessarily imply endorsement. When you leave the Site or transact with a third party, you do so at your own risk. Questions about a live offering’s account verification, investment process, funds or cancellation mechanics should be directed to the intermediary identified on the official offering page.

15. Privacy

Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use and disclose personal information. It is incorporated into these Terms by reference. By using the Site, you acknowledge that internet transmissions and storage systems cannot be guaranteed to be completely secure.

16. Changes to the Site

We may add, modify, suspend or discontinue any part of the Site or any project, feature or content at any time. We do not guarantee that the Site or any content will always be available, complete, current or error-free. We may correct errors and update information without prior notice, subject to applicable law and any controlling offering or purchase documents.

17. Disclaimer of Warranties

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE SITE AND ALL CONTENT, FEATURES AND SERVICES MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH IT ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” MACGUFFIN AND ITS AFFILIATES, LICENSORS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS DISCLAIM ALL EXPRESS, IMPLIED AND STATUTORY WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, QUIET ENJOYMENT AND COURSE OF DEALING.

WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE OR ERROR-FREE; THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED; THAT CONTENT WILL BE COMPLETE, CURRENT OR ACCURATE; OR THAT ANY CONCEPT WILL BE SELECTED, COMPLETED, FINANCED, PUBLISHED, LICENSED, DISTRIBUTED, COMMERCIALIZED OR PROFITABLE.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain warranty exclusions, so some exclusions may not apply to you.

18. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, MACGUFFIN AND ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, LICENSORS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES; LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL OR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY; OR COST OF SUBSTITUTE SERVICES, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THE SITE OR THESE TERMS, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF THOSE PARTIES FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THE SITE OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID MACGUFFIN THROUGH THE SITE DURING THE TWELVE MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM OR (B) $100.

These limitations do not apply to liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, and they do not limit rights or remedies under controlling securities-offering documents or applicable securities laws. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain liability limitations, so some limitations may not apply to you.

19. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Macguffin and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees and agents from third-party claims, damages, judgments, losses, liabilities, costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees arising from or related to: your User Content or Submission; your unlawful or unauthorized use of the Site; your breach of these Terms; or your violation of another person’s rights.

Macguffin may control the defense of a covered claim. You agree to cooperate reasonably and may not settle a claim in a manner that admits fault by or imposes obligations on a protected party without our written consent. This Section does not require a consumer to indemnify Macguffin for Macguffin’s own unlawful conduct.

20. Suspension and Termination

You may stop using the Site at any time. You may unsubscribe from marketing messages through the link provided in the message and may request account closure by contacting us.

We may suspend or terminate access, remove content, cancel a pending order, or take other reasonable action if we believe you violated these Terms; created legal, security or reputational risk; failed to pay an amount due; infringed rights; manipulated Site functions; or used the Site fraudulently or harmfully. When reasonably practicable, we will provide notice. We may act without advance notice when necessary to protect users, rights, systems or legal compliance.

Upon termination, your license to use the Site ends. Provisions that by their nature should survive will survive, including those concerning securities, payments accrued, ownership, licenses already needed for archival or legal purposes, submissions, disclaimers, liability, indemnity, disputes and general terms.

21. Governing Law and Venue

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. Except where applicable law permits you to bring a claim elsewhere, any dispute arising from or relating to these Terms or the Site will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in King County, Washington, and each party consents to those courts’ personal jurisdiction.

This Section does not alter governing-law, forum, arbitration or dispute provisions in any separate offering, subscription, security, creator, employment or services agreement; that agreement controls for its subject matter. Nothing here prevents either party from seeking appropriate injunctive relief for actual or threatened misuse of intellectual property, confidential information or Site security.

22. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will post the revised Terms and update the “Last updated” date. If a change is material, we will provide additional notice when reasonably required by law, such as by email or a prominent Site notice.

Changes apply prospectively from their stated effective date. Your continued use of the Site after revised Terms take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. A change to these Terms does not retroactively alter controlling terms of a completed purchase, signed agreement or securities offering.

23. Electronic Communications

You consent to receive agreements, disclosures, notices and other communications from us electronically, including by posting to the Site or sending them to the email associated with your account. You may retain copies for your records. This consent does not govern electronic signatures or delivery requirements imposed by an independent securities intermediary, whose procedures control its platform.

24. General Terms

These Terms, the Privacy Policy and any additional terms expressly presented for a particular Site feature constitute the entire agreement between you and Macguffin concerning ordinary use of the Site. Separate signed creator, employment, services, purchase or securities agreements remain separate and control their subject matter.

If a provision is held invalid or unenforceable, it will be enforced to the greatest extent permitted and the remaining provisions will remain in effect. Macguffin’s failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms without our written consent. We may assign them in connection with a merger, reorganization, financing, sale of assets or by operation of law. No person other than you and Macguffin is intended to be a beneficiary of these Terms.

Headings are for convenience only. “Including” means “including without limitation.” These Terms do not create a partnership, joint venture, agency, employment, fiduciary or franchise relationship between you and Macguffin.

Macguffin is not responsible for delay or failure caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, war, terrorism, civil unrest, labor disputes, internet or utility failures, platform outages, governmental action or failures of third-party providers.

25. Contact Us

Questions about these Terms or legal notices may be sent to:

The Macguffin Company
Seattle, Washington

Questions about an actual or anticipated securities offering should also be directed to the registered intermediary identified on the applicable offering page. Do not send investment funds or payment information to the email address above.