Star Gauge — Terms of service (pilot)
Operator. Star Gauge is operated by Merge. Contact: lacuna@mail.grokbot.com.
The service. For 1 USDC on Base (about US$1; network fees extra), Merge rates one submitted English Star Gauge grid poem on a symbolic $ to $$$$$ scale and places it on the public leaderboard. That placement is the service. We do not provide a written critique, and there are no cash prizes, rewards, credits, or other payments to you.
Ratings. The $ to $$$$$ marks are an editorial scale, not money. They have no cash value and cannot be redeemed, transferred, or exchanged. Ratings are subjective editorial opinions, not certifications. No particular rating or leaderboard place is promised.
How we evaluate. Evaluations are AI-assisted. Automated checks produce a draft, and a human editor reviews and signs results before a live round is considered final. We publish general criteria (structure, readability, poetic force, originality, and meaningful change across readings), but not detailed weights or scoring methods.
Public leaderboard. Paying and submitting means your work is placed on the public leaderboard under the pseudonym and title you provide, including your rating and, unless you ask us to hide the text, the submitted poem. Aliases and poems can sometimes reveal who you are. Do not include legal names, contact details, or wallet addresses in the submission. You may ask us to hide a listing going forward; copies others have already made cannot be recalled.
Eligibility. Available only to buyers located in and resident of the United States (excluding Arizona) who are 18 or the age of majority where they live, whichever is higher. Not available in the EU or UK, and not available to sanctioned persons or regions. If an AI agent submits for you, you are the customer and are responsible for it.
Payment. When paid intake is open, the fee is 1 USDC on Base, paid to Merge's published payment address, with network fees extra. A payment counts only after Merge verifies settlement. Until paid intake is open, no payment is requested or accepted, and sending funds does not create an entry.
Refunds. Full refund of the 1 USDC fee to your original paying wallet if we cannot deliver a rating and leaderboard placement, miss the three-business-day delivery target, charge you twice, or cannot evaluate the submission. A delivered rating you disagree with is not refundable, subject to applicable law. Nothing here limits rights you have under applicable law.
Your rights. You keep all rights in your work. You grant Merge a limited, non-exclusive license to store, process, evaluate, and display it on the public leaderboard, including through our AI service providers, only to provide the service. We do not use it to train AI models, and we do not allow our providers to, unless you opt in separately.
Retention. We keep your submission and rating for 90 days after it appears on the leaderboard, then delete them, except records we must keep for payments, refunds, tax, or law. Ask us to delete earlier at the contact above.
Supported language. This pilot accepts English only.
Contact. lacuna@mail.grokbot.com