Maker Agreement

Article 1. Relationship of Parties

Independent Contractor Status

You ("Maker") are an independent contractor and not an employee, agent, partner, or joint venturer of Forge Technologies, Inc. ("Forge"). Nothing in this Agreement creates an employment relationship, partnership, or agency between you and Forge.

No Agency

You have no authority to bind Forge to any contract, obligation, or commitment. You shall not represent yourself as an employee or agent of Forge to any third party.

No Benefits

As an independent contractor, you are not entitled to any employee benefits, including but not limited to health insurance, retirement benefits, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, or paid time off.

Tax Obligations

You are solely responsible for all federal, state, and local taxes, including self-employment taxes, arising from your work as a Maker. Forge will issue a 1099-NEC form for annual earnings exceeding the applicable IRS threshold. You agree to provide Forge with a completed W-9 form upon enrollment.

Non-Exclusive

This Agreement is non-exclusive. You are free to provide services to other platforms, clients, or businesses, including competitors of Forge, provided that doing so does not interfere with your obligations under this Agreement.

Subcontracting

You may not subcontract, delegate, or outsource any orders accepted through the Platform to third parties without Forge's prior written consent. All work must be performed on your own equipment and under your direct supervision.

Article 2. Scope of Services

Job Routing

Forge routes print orders to Makers based on factors including equipment capabilities, material availability, geographic location, quality ratings, current capacity, and historical performance. Forge's routing decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

Acceptance

You may accept or decline individual orders at your discretion. However, consistent failure to accept orders may result in reduced order routing or account deactivation. Once you accept an order, you are committed to completing it within the specified timeframe.

Work Process

For each accepted order, you must:

• Review the order specifications and design files.
• Slice and prepare the file for printing using approved slicer software.
• Print the item using the specified material and quality settings.
• Perform quality inspection of the finished print.
• Package the item securely for shipping.
• Ship the item within the committed timeframe and provide tracking information.

Article 3. Maker Responsibilities

Quality

You are responsible for producing items that meet or exceed the quality standards specified in the order and Forge's quality guidelines. This includes proper layer adhesion, dimensional accuracy, surface finish, and structural integrity.

Materials

You must use the materials specified in the order. Substitutions are only permitted with customer approval obtained through Forge. You are responsible for sourcing and maintaining adequate material supplies at your own expense.

Packaging and Shipping

You must package items securely to prevent damage during transit. Packaging must be professional and appropriate for the item. You are responsible for arranging shipping through approved carriers and providing tracking information to Forge within 24 hours of shipment.

Disputes

You must cooperate with Forge's dispute resolution process in good faith. This includes providing photographs, documentation, and timely responses to dispute inquiries. See Article 7 for the full dispute resolution process.

Legal Compliance

You are responsible for complying with all applicable local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and ordinances related to your operations, including business licensing, zoning, environmental regulations, and safety standards.

Insurance

Forge recommends that you maintain general liability insurance covering your manufacturing operations. Forge does not provide insurance coverage for Makers or their equipment.

Article 4. Forge Responsibilities

Platform

Forge will provide and maintain the technology platform, including order management tools, communication systems, and Maker dashboard functionality.

Customer Management

Forge handles all customer-facing communications, marketing, and customer acquisition. Makers should not communicate directly with customers except through the Platform's messaging system.

Payouts

Forge will process Maker payouts in accordance with Article 5 of this Agreement.

Disputes

Forge will manage the initial dispute resolution process between customers and Makers, acting as a neutral intermediary.

Updates

Forge will provide reasonable notice of changes to policies, procedures, quality standards, and payout terms that affect Makers.

Article 5. Compensation and Payout

Revenue Share

Makers receive 70% of the order price (excluding shipping and taxes) for each successfully fulfilled order. Forge retains 30% as its platform fee.

Stripe Connect

All payouts are processed through Stripe Connect. You must create and maintain a Stripe Connect account in good standing. You are responsible for any fees charged by Stripe or your banking institution.

Payout Trigger

Payouts are triggered after the order is confirmed delivered and the 14-day customer refund window has closed without a dispute being filed. Payouts are processed in the next available payout cycle, typically within 3-5 business days.

Hold

Forge may hold payouts if:

• An order is subject to an active dispute.
• There are quality concerns or customer complaints pending review.
• Your account is under investigation for policy violations.
• Required for legal or regulatory compliance.

Chargebacks

If a customer initiates a chargeback on an order you fulfilled, the payout for that order may be reversed. If the chargeback is resolved in your favor, the payout will be reinstated. Forge will work with you and Stripe to contest invalid chargebacks.

Rate Changes

Forge may adjust the revenue share percentage with 60 days' advance written notice. Changes will only apply to orders accepted after the effective date of the change.

Article 6. Quality Standards and Ratings

Rating System

Forge operates a quality rating system based on customer reviews, dispute outcomes, on-time delivery rates, and internal quality assessments. Ratings are calculated on a rolling 90-day basis.

Minimum Rating

Makers must maintain a minimum quality rating of 4.0 out of 5.0. Falling below this threshold will trigger a quality review process.

Quality Review

If your rating falls below 4.0, Forge will:

• Notify you of the quality concern and specific areas for improvement.
• Provide a 30-day improvement period with reduced order volume.
• Re-evaluate your rating at the end of the improvement period.
• If your rating has not improved to 4.0 or above, your account may be suspended or terminated.

Article 7. Dispute Resolution Process

The following process applies to disputes between Customers and Makers:

• Step 1: Customer files a dispute through the Platform within 14 days of delivery.
• Step 2: Maker is notified and has 48 hours to respond with documentation.
• Step 3: Forge's AI dispute system reviews the claim, evidence, and order details.
• Step 4: AI proposes a resolution (refund, reprint, partial refund, or claim denial).
• Step 5: Either party may request human review within 7 days of the AI decision.
• Step 6: Forge's human review team makes a final binding decision.

Maker-Forge Disputes

Disputes between Makers and Forge (including payout disputes, rating disputes, and policy disagreements) shall be resolved through the process outlined in the Terms of Service, including informal resolution followed by binding arbitration.

Article 8. Camera, Data, and Monitoring

Agent Software

Forge provides Maker Agent software that runs on your local system to facilitate order management, printer control, and monitoring. By installing the Agent, you consent to the data collection described in this Article.

Cameras

If you connect cameras to your print setup, the Agent software may access camera feeds for:

• Real-time print monitoring and failure detection.
• Quality assurance and defect identification.
• Order verification and documentation.

AI Training

Camera footage, print data, and performance metrics collected through the Agent may be used by Forge to train and improve AI systems, including but not limited to quality prediction models, defect detection systems, and process optimization algorithms.

Third-Party Sales

Forge may sell or license aggregated, de-identified data and AI models trained on Maker data to third parties. This includes insights derived from print data, quality metrics, and camera footage. Individually identifiable information will not be sold.

Retention

Camera footage is retained for 90 days after order completion, after which it is automatically deleted unless subject to a dispute, legal hold, or incorporated into anonymized training datasets. Print performance data is retained for the duration of your account and for 1 year after termination.

Article 9. Termination

Termination for Cause by Forge

Forge may terminate this Agreement and your Maker account immediately for:

• Violation of the Prohibited Items Policy.
• Sustained quality rating below 4.0 after the improvement period.
• Fraud, misrepresentation, or dishonesty.
• Failure to fulfill accepted orders without valid reason.
• Breach of any material term of this Agreement.

Termination by Maker

You may terminate this Agreement at any time by providing 14 days' written notice to Forge. You must complete all accepted orders before your termination becomes effective. Pending payouts for completed orders will be processed according to the normal payout schedule.

Ethics Violations

Termination for ethics violations — including production of prohibited items, weapons, content involving minors, or other absolute prohibitions — is immediate and permanent with no possibility of reinstatement. Pending payouts may be forfeited, and violations may be reported to law enforcement.

Effect of Termination

Upon termination:

• Your access to the Platform and Maker tools will be revoked.
• You must complete any in-progress orders or coordinate with Forge for reassignment.
• Earned but unpaid compensation will be paid according to the normal schedule, except in cases of ethics violations.
• Provisions regarding confidentiality, indemnification, limitation of liability, and dispute resolution survive termination.

Article 10. Prohibited Items

Absolute Prohibitions

Makers must not produce any items listed as absolute prohibitions in Forge's Prohibited Items Policy, including but not limited to firearms and firearm components, weapons, content depicting minors, illegal drugs or paraphernalia, counterfeit goods, and export-controlled items.

Acknowledgment

By accepting this Agreement, you acknowledge that you have read and understand the full Prohibited Items Policy available at forge3d.com/legal/prohibited. You agree to refuse any order that violates the policy, even if it was routed to you by the Platform.

Liability

You are solely liable for any prohibited items you produce. Forge's content filters are provided as a tool but do not relieve you of your independent obligation to refuse prohibited orders.

Article 11. Confidentiality

Confidential Information

You agree to keep confidential all non-public information disclosed by Forge, including but not limited to business strategies, pricing algorithms, routing logic, customer data, proprietary technology, and unreleased product features.

Exceptions

Confidentiality obligations do not apply to information that:

• Is or becomes publicly available through no fault of yours.
• Was known to you prior to disclosure by Forge.
• Is independently developed by you without use of Forge's confidential information.
• Is required to be disclosed by law, regulation, or court order.

Survival

Confidentiality obligations survive termination of this Agreement for a period of 3 years.

Article 12. Indemnification

Maker Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Forge and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees) arising out of or related to:

• Your breach of this Agreement.
• Defects in items you produce.
• Personal injury or property damage caused by items you produce.
• Your violation of any applicable law or regulation.
• Your production of prohibited items.

Forge Indemnification

Forge agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Maker from and against claims arising directly from Forge's gross negligence or willful misconduct in operating the Platform, or from defects in design files provided by Forge's AI systems that could not reasonably have been detected by the Maker during the production process.

Article 13. Limitation of Liability

Cap

Forge's total aggregate liability to you under this Agreement shall not exceed the total compensation paid to you through the Platform in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim.

Consequential Damages

In no event shall either party be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, business opportunities, or goodwill, regardless of whether such party has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Article 14. Intellectual Property

Design Ownership

Forge and its Designers retain all intellectual property rights in design files provided through the Platform. You receive a limited, non-exclusive license to use design files solely for the purpose of fulfilling orders routed through Forge. You may not copy, distribute, sell, or use design files for any other purpose.

Maker Work Product

Any improvements, suggestions, or feedback you provide to Forge regarding the Platform, processes, or technology become the property of Forge. You are not entitled to compensation for such contributions beyond your normal order compensation.

Article 15. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

Tennessee Law

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Tennessee, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Arbitration

Any dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Commercial Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Nashville, Tennessee.

Injunctive Relief

Notwithstanding the arbitration provision, either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to prevent the actual or threatened infringement, misappropriation, or violation of intellectual property rights or confidentiality obligations.

Article 16. General Provisions

Entire Agreement

This Agreement, together with the Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Prohibited Items Policy, constitutes the entire agreement between you and Forge regarding your role as a Maker.

Amendments

Forge may amend this Agreement with 60 days' advance written notice. Your continued participation as a Maker after the effective date of any amendment constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms. Ethics and safety provisions may not be weakened through amendments.

Severability

If any provision of this Agreement is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

Waiver

The failure of either party to enforce any provision of this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of that provision or the right to enforce it at a later time.

Notices

All notices under this Agreement shall be sent to the email address associated with your Forge account. Notices to Forge should be sent to legal@forge3d.com.