1. About this agreement
This agreement is between Joe Loya ("we", "us", "our") and the person or organisation that engages us ("you", "the client"). It applies when you accept a written quote from us, by replying to it, by telling us to go ahead in the client portal, or by instructing us to start work after receiving it.
It should be read with our Terms of Use, our Fees and Payment page, our Privacy Policy and the quote for your case. The quote sets the scope and the fee. If the quote and this agreement conflict, the quote governs for that case, unless it says otherwise.
Plain-language summary: you tell us what you want removed or resolved, we assess it and quote a fee, nothing is due until the result is achieved, and then we invoice you. We do not guarantee any outcome because Reddit and its moderators decide.
2. The service
We provide Reddit content removal and related enforcement and reputation services. Depending on your case and the quote, this may include:
- assessing the content and its context against the Reddit Rules, the relevant community's rules and, where relevant, the law;
- documenting the content and preparing the evidence;
- choosing the route that fits: moderators, a report to Reddit under a specific rule, privacy and DMCA requests, appeals, or our own methods;
- preparing and filing the requests, and following them up until there is a decision; and
- keeping you informed through the client portal and by email.
We decide how the work is carried out, using our professional judgment. We will tell you which route we recommend and why, and we will tell you plainly if we think there is no realistic route.
Work outside the scope in the quote, such as additional URLs or a new matter, is agreed separately and in writing before it starts. You can add Reddit links to an open case in the portal; we will tell you if they change the scope or the fee.
3. Our methods
Part of our service is a small number of proprietary methods, developed over more than 12 years of Reddit-only work, for situations the standard reporting and appeal routes do not resolve. We keep the details confidential because they are what we are hired for, and we are not obliged to disclose them to you or anyone else.
We promise how we conduct the work, even though the methods themselves are private. We will not use fake accounts or impersonate anyone, buy or manipulate votes, threaten or harass moderators or users, hack or gain unauthorised access to any account or system, or attempt to identify anonymous users. We will not file false or misleading reports or notices.
4. No guarantee of outcome
Reddit, community moderators and other third parties make the final decision on every request, under their own rules, and they can change or reverse their decisions. We therefore do not guarantee any result, or how quickly a result will come. Any timing we give, including our average time to assess a case, is an estimate and not a commitment.
Pay-after-removal is the way we share that risk with you. It is a fee arrangement and not a promise that removal will happen.
5. What "removed" means on Reddit
Reddit does not delete pages, and it does not show a "page not found" error for content that has been removed. The web address keeps loading. What changes is what the page shows. So a link that still opens is not, by itself, a sign that the content is still there, and a link that shows a removal notice is what a successful removal looks like.
For the purposes of this agreement, the result of a removal has been achieved when the content is in one of the following states on Reddit, as a result of our work:
- Posts. The post's content is replaced by a removal notice, such as "[removed]", "Removed by moderator", "Removed by Reddit's filters" or "Removed by legal team", or a similar notice. The title and text are no longer shown.
- Comments. The comment's text is replaced by a notice such as "[removed]", or a similar notice.
- Subreddits. The community has been banned by Reddit. Its page shows that the community has been banned, and its content can no longer be viewed.
- Users and accounts. The account has been banned or suspended. Its profile page stays online, but it shows the account as banned, and the username appears as "[deleted]" on the account's posts and comments.
The notices differ by community, by app and device, and over time, and Reddit can change them. A state that is clearly a removal or a ban, even if it is worded differently, counts. Content that its own author deletes, which Reddit shows as "[deleted]", counts only if the author did so as a result of our work.
Who acts is not important to the result. Content can be removed by community moderators, by Reddit's automated filters, by Reddit's administrators or by Reddit's legal team. What matters is that the content is in a removed state.
Confirming the result. When we believe the result has been achieved, we check the link and tell you, normally with a dated screenshot in your client portal. You can also open the link yourself. If you think the content is still showing, tell us through the portal before you pay the invoice, and we will check again and explain what we see.
What is outside the result. Reddit's removal does not reach copies that exist elsewhere: screenshots, quotes, reposts and archives, pages that search engines have saved, or content on other websites. Those are not part of the result unless your quote says so.
6. Fees: you pay after the result
We do not charge upfront fees. There is no charge for submitting a case, for our assessment, or for our quote.
- The quote. Before any work starts we give you a fee quote in writing, including what the "result" is. The result is what you asked us to achieve, such as the removal of a named post or comment, the removal of a community, or the reinstatement of an account.
- When the fee becomes payable. The fee becomes payable when the result described in the quote has been achieved. For removal, that means the content is in a removed state on Reddit as a result of our work, as described in "What removed means on Reddit" above.
- Quotes that cover several items. Your quote says whether the fee is per item or for the whole matter. Where it is per item, you pay for each item that is removed and nothing for items that are not. Where it is for the whole matter, the fee is payable when the main result described in the quote has been achieved.
- The invoice. After the result, we issue an invoice through the client portal and by email, showing the amount, what it is for and how to pay. You pay by the due date on the invoice, by the payment link or bank transfer details it shows. We then issue a receipt.
- If there is no result. If the result is not achieved, no fee is payable for that result.
- Ongoing services. For monitoring or other continuing services, the quote sets out the price and when it is invoiced. Nothing is charged before you accept that quote.
- Taxes and currency. Fees are stated in the currency shown on the quote and invoice, and exclude any tax that applies unless the quote says otherwise.
Late payment. If an invoice is not paid by its due date, we may send reminders and may pause any further work for you until it is paid. The Fees and Payment page explains the process in more detail.
7. If content returns
The result is measured when we confirm it. If the content is later restored by Reddit or a moderator, posted again by someone else, or appears in a different place, that is a new matter and is not a failure of the original work. We will be glad to look at it and will quote for it separately, and where it is the same content restored soon after removal we will discuss it with you in good faith.
8. What we need from you
You agree to:
- give us accurate and complete information and evidence, and tell us promptly if anything changes;
- only ask us to act on content that genuinely concerns you, your business, your family or someone who has authorised you to act for them, and that you have a genuine basis to challenge;
- not ask us to make false statements, to file a DMCA notice for a work you do not own, or to remove content in order to hide wrongdoing, obstruct an investigation or legal process, or conceal a danger to anyone;
- not alter, delete or destroy evidence, and keep your own copies of anything relevant, particularly if legal action is possible;
- tell us before you contact Reddit, the moderators or the poster about the same content, because uncoordinated requests can harm a case;
- keep your client portal access and your email account secure, and pay invoices on time.
9. When we may decline or stop
We may decline a case, or stop work, if we reasonably believe that the request is unlawful or dishonest, that the content is lawful and accurate criticism that cannot properly be removed, that continuing would put us or others at risk, or that you have broken this agreement. We will tell you why. If we stop because the content cannot be removed, no fee is payable for the result. If the result has already been achieved, the fee for it remains payable.
10. Confidentiality
Each of us will keep the other's confidential information confidential and use it only for this engagement. Your confidential information includes your identity and case details. Ours includes our methods, processes and pricing. This does not apply to information that is public, that the other side already knew, or that has to be disclosed by law or to pursue your request with Reddit or moderators. You give us permission to share with Reddit, moderators and other decision makers what is reasonably needed to pursue your request. We will not publish your name or results without your written permission.
11. Personal data
We handle personal data in line with our Privacy Policy. Each of us will comply with the data protection laws that apply to us. You are responsible for having a lawful basis to give us personal data about other people that is in the material you send.
12. Intellectual property
You keep ownership of the material you give us, and you give us a licence to use it for the purpose of the engagement. We keep ownership of our methods, know-how, templates and other materials we create, and nothing in this agreement transfers them to you.
13. Communication
We will communicate with you mainly through the client portal and by email to the address you gave us. Notices sent that way count as written notice. Please tell us if your contact details change.
14. Liability
We will carry out the work with reasonable care and skill. To the fullest extent the law allows:
- we are not liable for any loss caused by the decisions of Reddit, moderators or other third parties, or for content not being removed;
- we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for loss of profit, revenue, business, reputation or goodwill;
- our total liability to you for all claims relating to a case is limited to the fee quoted for that case.
Nothing in this agreement limits liability that cannot be limited by law, including for fraud or for death or personal injury caused by negligence.
15. Responsibility for your information
You agree to compensate us for loss, claims and reasonable costs that arise because information you gave us was false or misleading, because you had no right to ask for the removal you requested, or because you broke this agreement, to the extent the law allows.
16. Ending the engagement
Either of us may end the engagement at any time by telling the other in writing. If you end it before the result is achieved, no fee is payable for that result. If the result has already been achieved, the fee for it remains payable. Clauses that by their nature should continue, such as confidentiality, liability, payment for results achieved and governing law, continue after the engagement ends.
17. Events outside our control
Neither of us is in breach for a delay or failure caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including outages at Reddit or at our providers, changes to Reddit's policies or systems, and actions of authorities. A change in Reddit's rules or processes that affects your case is not a breach by us.
18. Subcontractors and assignment
We may use trusted subcontractors and providers to help us, who will be bound by confidentiality. We remain responsible to you for their work. You may not transfer this agreement without our written consent. We may transfer it to a successor to the business.
19. Governing law and disputes
This agreement is governed by the laws of the State of California, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules, and the courts located in California have exclusive jurisdiction, except where the law of your country gives you the right to bring a claim in your home courts. If there is a disagreement, please contact us at legal@joeloya.com first so that we can try to resolve it informally.
20. The whole agreement
This agreement, your quote, and the documents it refers to are the whole agreement about the engagement and replace earlier discussions. A change must be in writing, including by message in the client portal. If a part of this agreement is unenforceable, the rest stays in force. A delay in enforcing a right is not a waiver of it.
21. Contact
Questions about this agreement, and notices under it: legal@joeloya.com.