Terms of Service

1. What Forge Marketplace is

Forge Marketplace is a peer-to-peer (P2P) trading platform that connects holders of the THC token with merchant vaults ("Bankers") for the purchase and sale of THC against USDT and, in the future, against supported fiat payment methods. Trades are settled either atomically on-chain or through an on-chain escrow contract deployed on BNB Smart Chain (BSC).

Forge Marketplace is not a custodian. We do not hold, control, or have access to your private keys, wallet, tokens, or fiat funds at any point. All asset transfers occur wallet-to-wallet or through the escrow smart contract. You are solely responsible for the security of your wallet and seed phrase.

2. Eligibility

• You must be at least 18 years old and have the legal capacity to enter binding contracts in your jurisdiction.
• You must not be a resident of, or located in, any jurisdiction where the use of cryptocurrency trading platforms is prohibited.
• You must not be subject to sanctions administered by any competent authority, nor appear on any sanctions or watch list.
• You agree to comply with all applicable laws, including anti-money-laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist-financing (CTF) regulations in your jurisdiction.

3. Roles

3.1 Members

Members are individuals who trade THC against USDT (or supported fiat) with a Banker's vault. Members initiate trade requests, sign on-chain transactions from their own wallet, and are responsible for verifying trade details (amount, rate, total) before signing.

3.2 Bankers (Merchants)

Bankers operate trading vaults, set their own buy and sell rates within the limits set by the platform, accept or reject incoming SELL trades escrowed to them, and provide liquidity to their network members. By opening a vault, a Banker agrees to act in good faith, honor committed trades, and respond to incoming requests within the declared response window.

4. Risks you accept

Cryptocurrency trading involves material risks. By using the platform you acknowledge and accept:

• Price volatility. THC, USDT, and any other supported asset may fluctuate significantly in value. You may lose some or all of your funds.
• Smart contract risk. The escrow and trading contracts on BSC are written, audited, and operated to industry standards, but no smart contract is immune to bugs, exploits, or chain-level incidents.
• Counterparty risk. Trades happen between you and another user. The platform does not guarantee any counterparty's conduct outside the on-chain escrow settlement path.
• Network risk. BSC outages, congestion, MEV, front-running, or RPC provider issues may delay or disrupt trades.
• Regulatory risk. Digital asset regulations are evolving. Changes in law may affect your ability to use the platform or the legal status of your holdings.
• Wallet risk. Loss of your seed phrase, compromise of your private key, or signing a malicious transaction will result in loss of funds that the platform cannot recover.

5. Fees, rates, and spreads

Each Banker sets their own buy rate and sell rate within the floor set by the platform. The difference between a Banker's buy and sell rate (the "spread") is their revenue. Members see the exact rate and total in the trade review screen before signing. The platform may charge protocol or gas-related fees; any such fees will be disclosed in the trade review before confirmation.

6. Escrow and dispute resolution

SELL trades lock THC in an on-chain escrow contract until the Banker pays the Member and releases the THC, or the trade is rejected and the THC is returned. The contract enforces response deadlines and safety deadlines. Disputes may be raised through the platform's in-app dispute flow; the platform may act as a mediator where possible, but final on-chain outcomes are governed by the smart contract logic and cannot be reversed off-chain.

7. Prohibited conduct

You agree not to use the Forge Marketplace to:

• Launder funds, finance terrorism, evade sanctions, or commit fraud.
• Submit false KYC information, impersonate another person, or open multiple accounts to circumvent limits.
• Manipulate rates, wash-trade, spoof order flow, or attempt to exploit the smart contract or platform infrastructure.
• Scrape, reverse-engineer, or interfere with the platform's operation.
• Use the platform in violation of any applicable law or regulation.

The platform reserves the right to suspend, deactivate, or remove any account engaged in prohibited conduct, and to report such conduct to appropriate authorities where required by law.

8. Merchant obligations

• Bankers must hold the minimum THC and USDT balance specified at the time of vault opening.
• Bankers must honor locked SELL trades within the declared response window, or explicitly reject them with a reason.
• Bankers must keep their payment methods accurate and up to date.

9. Intellectual property

The Forge Marketplace name, logo, UI, documentation, and platform code (excluding open-source dependencies and the on-chain contract artifacts) are the property of Team Titans and its licensors. You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the platform for its intended purpose. No other rights are granted.

10. Disclaimer of warranties

The platform is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, uninterrupted operation, or error-free performance. No advice or information obtained through the platform constitutes financial or legal advice.

11. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event will Team Titans, Forge Marketplace, or their officers, directors, employees, or affiliates be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, loss of data, loss of goodwill, or loss arising from trading activity, regardless of the theory of liability, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Team Titans, Forge Marketplace, and their affiliates from any claim, liability, damage, loss, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of your use of the platform, your breach of these Terms, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.

13. Account suspension and termination

The platform may suspend, restrict, or terminate your access at any time, with or without notice, for suspected prohibited conduct, regulatory action, security concerns, or platform maintenance. Termination does not affect trades already settled or locked on-chain.

14. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, post a notice on the platform. Your continued use of the platform after any changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

15. Governing law and dispute resolution

Governing law and dispute resolution terms will be finalized once the operating entity for Forge Marketplace is formally registered. Until that registration is complete, this section is intentionally left blank and will be updated in a future revision of these Terms. Your use of the platform in the meantime remains subject to all other sections of these Terms and to the applicable laws of your jurisdiction.

16. Contact

Questions about these Terms should be sent to support@techhiveuniverse.io, or via the Support link in the footer.

This document is a working draft prepared by the Forge Marketplace team. It is not a substitute for legal advice. Operators should obtain qualified legal review before relying on it in production.