Terms of Service
Effective 1 June 2026 · The Rants Network Ltd
1. Who we are and what this agreement covers
The Rants Network Ltd ("we", "us", "our") operates ArtRants.com, BookRants.com, FilmRants.com and MusicRants.com (together "the Rants Network"). These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of any of those websites and any associated applications. By creating a Rants ID or using any part of the Rants Network, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the service. These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
2. Your Rants ID
A single Rants ID gives you access to all four sites in the network. You must be at least 16 years old to create an account. By creating an account you confirm you meet this requirement. You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure. You must notify us immediately at legal@rantsnetwork.com if you believe your account has been compromised. We are not liable for any loss arising from unauthorised use of your account before you notify us. You may only hold one Rants ID. Creating multiple accounts to evade a suspension or ban is a breach of these Terms and will result in permanent removal.
3. User-generated content
When you post a rant, comment, rating, or any other content ("your content") you retain ownership of it. By posting, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to display, distribute and promote your content within the Rants Network and in marketing materials that promote the platform. You represent that your content does not infringe any third party's intellectual property rights, is not unlawful, and complies with our Community Guidelines. We may remove any content that violates these Terms or our Community Guidelines, or that we are legally required to remove. We will endeavour to notify you when we remove your content, except where doing so would compromise the safety of another person or is prohibited by law.
4. Prohibited conduct
You must not use the Rants Network to: — Post content that is illegal under the laws of England and Wales, including content that incites hatred on the basis of a protected characteristic; content that sexualises minors; content designed to harass a specific individual; or threats of violence. — Impersonate any person or entity, or falsely represent your affiliation with any person or entity. — Post spam, unsolicited commercial messages, or repeated off-topic content. — Attempt to access systems or data you are not authorised to access. — Use automated means to scrape or interact with the platform without our written permission. — Attempt to circumvent age verification, content moderation, or account suspension systems. See also Section 5A for specific rules on factual claims about identifiable individuals.
5. Moderation and enforcement
We operate a moderation system in compliance with the UK Online Safety Act 2023. Every piece of user content carries a report mechanism. Reports are reviewed by human moderators. Our target response time is 24 hours; our maximum is 72 hours for standard reports. Illegal content is prioritised and may be referred to relevant authorities. We may, at our discretion and without prior notice: hide individual pieces of content; issue warnings; temporarily suspend accounts; permanently ban accounts. The severity of action taken will be proportionate to the nature of the breach. If you believe a moderation decision was made in error, you may appeal by emailing legal@rantsnetwork.com with your username and a description of the content and your reasons for appeal. We will review appeals within 14 days. An anonymised record of moderation decisions is maintained as part of our Online Safety Act compliance obligations.
5A. Critical content, honest opinion and defamation
ArtRants is built for honest, well-argued criticism of artworks, exhibitions and cultural output. This section explains the legal framework that protects that criticism — and the limits of that protection. THE HONEST OPINION DEFENCE Under Section 3 of the Defamation Act 2013, a statement of opinion is not defamatory if: (a) it is clearly identifiable as opinion rather than fact; (b) it is based on facts that are true or substantially true; and (c) it is an opinion that an honest person could have held based on those facts. The following types of content are generally protected: — Opinions about the quality, significance or merit of a work: "This painting is derivative" is protected. — Critical star ratings, including one-star ratings. — Arguments about artistic movements or curatorial decisions. — Commentary on an artist's publicly stated positions and their relationship to publicly known conduct. The following are NOT protected as honest opinion and may be defamatory: — False statements of fact about an identifiable person: "This artist plagiarised this work from [name]" is a statement of fact. If false, it may be defamatory. — False claims about provenance or attribution. — False statements about personal conduct unrelated to the work. Your responsibility: you are solely responsible for the factual accuracy of your rants and comments. If you are uncertain whether a claim is true, frame it clearly as opinion or do not post it. THE PLATFORM'S POSITION UNDER SECTION 5 Under Section 5 of the Defamation Act 2013, we have a defence to defamation claims in respect of user-generated content, provided we respond properly to complaints. NOTICE-AND-TAKEDOWN PROCEDURE If you believe content on ArtRants is defamatory of you: 1. Email legal@rantsnetwork.com — subject: "Defamation notice — [your name]" 2. Include: your full name and contact details; the URL of the content; the specific words you say are defamatory; why they are false and not honest opinion; a statement that you believe the information is accurate. 3. We acknowledge within 5 working days. 4. We notify the poster and give them the opportunity to respond or remove, unless inappropriate to do so. 5. We make a determination within 21 days and notify you of the outcome. Misusing this procedure to suppress legitimate criticism is itself a breach of these Terms. ARTISTS AND PUBLIC FIGURES Artists who exhibit or publicly promote their work accept a degree of critical scrutiny of that work. Robust criticism of exhibited work, public statements and curatorial decisions is unlikely to meet the threshold for defamation even if the artist finds it offensive. The test is not whether you find the opinion objectionable; it is whether the statement is a false statement of fact causing serious harm to reputation.
This section explains the legal protections for honest criticism on ArtRants.
6. Commerce — artist shops
When you purchase a work through the ArtRants shop, the contract of sale is between you (the buyer) and the individual artist or member (the seller). The Rants Network Ltd is the operator of the marketplace; we are not a party to the contract of sale. The sections below explain how the marketplace works.
6.1 Who is the seller
When you purchase a work through the ArtRants shop, the contract of sale is between you (the buyer) and the individual artist or member (the seller). The Rants Network Ltd is the operator of the marketplace; we are not a party to the contract of sale. Your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 run against the seller. However, we operate the payment hold and dispute process described in this section to protect buyers in practice. Artists selling on ArtRants agree, by using the shop feature, to comply with all applicable consumer protection law.
6.2 How buyer payments work — the payment hold
This is the most important section for understanding how buyer protection works on ArtRants. When you make a purchase, your payment is processed by Stripe Inc. and held by Stripe. It is NOT released to the seller immediately. The payment is held until both of the following conditions are met: (a) The carrier's tracking confirms delivery; AND (b) 14 days have passed from confirmed delivery without a dispute being raised. Only after both conditions are met does Stripe release the seller's 92% share. What this means for buyers: if something goes wrong — non-delivery, damage, wrong item — and you raise a dispute within the 14-day post-delivery window, the funds are still held. We can process your refund directly from held funds without needing to recover money from the seller. This is the primary mechanism of buyer protection on the platform. What this means for sellers: you will not receive payment until 14 days after confirmed delivery. This is standard practice for reputable art marketplaces and protects the integrity of the platform.
6.3 Your statutory rights as a buyer
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, all goods sold must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described. Within 30 days of delivery (short-term right to reject): you are entitled to a full refund without needing to give the seller the opportunity to repair or replace. Between 30 days and 6 months: the seller has one opportunity to repair or replace. If this is not done within a reasonable time or causes significant inconvenience, you are entitled to a full or partial refund. The burden is on the seller to show a fault did not exist at delivery. After 6 months: you retain rights but must demonstrate the fault existed at the time of delivery. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, you have a 14-day right to cancel any purchase made online without giving a reason, starting from the day you receive the goods. You must return the goods within 14 days of notifying us of cancellation. Return postage is at your cost unless the item was defective or mis-described. Exception: the 14-day cancellation right does not apply to downloadable digital items once the download has begun, provided you acknowledged this at the point of purchase.
6.4 Non-delivery
Sellers must dispatch within 5 working days of a confirmed order. You will receive a tracking number by email when your order is dispatched. If your order has not been dispatched within 8 working days, or tracking shows no movement for 10 working days after dispatch, email shop@rantsnetwork.com with your order reference. We will contact the seller within 2 working days. Because payment is held by Stripe during this period, if the seller cannot confirm dispatch within a further 5 working days, we will process a full refund from held funds. This costs us nothing and costs the seller their sale — non-dispatch is therefore self-correcting. If a carrier declares a parcel lost after dispatch and payment has already been released: the seller is responsible for making a claim against their carrier and providing you with a full refund or replacement within 14 days of the carrier confirming the loss. If the seller does not do this, see Sections 6.7 and 6.8.
6.5 Damaged goods
If your order arrives damaged: 1. Photograph the damage and the packaging before disposing of any packaging materials. 2. Email shop@rantsnetwork.com within 48 hours of delivery with photographs and your order reference. 3. Do not return the item until instructed. If the dispute is raised within the 14-day post-delivery hold period, the refund is processed from held funds immediately. If the dispute is raised after funds have been released, the seller is responsible for processing the refund from their own funds. If the seller does not do this within 14 days of our determination, see Section 6.8 for card scheme options. All physical works must be shipped with appropriate insurance. Sellers agree to this as a condition of using the shop.
6.6 Item not as described
A listing must accurately describe the work: medium, dimensions, edition number, and condition. If the item received materially differs from the listing, you are entitled to a remedy. "Not as described" includes: wrong item sent; dimensions materially different from those stated; wrong medium; condition significantly worse than described; wrong edition number; Certificate of Authenticity absent when listed as included. "Not as described" does not include: minor colour variation between screen and physical work; minor variation in handmade works within normal artistic tolerance; change of preference after delivery. To raise a claim: email shop@rantsnetwork.com within 14 days of delivery with photographs. We will review and determine within 7 working days. If we find the item is materially not as described and funds are still held, your refund is processed from held funds. If funds have been released, see Section 6.8.
6.7 The Platform Guarantee — what it is and what it is not
The Platform Guarantee is our commitment to use the payment hold mechanism and dispute process to protect buyers. It is NOT a personal financial guarantee backed by company funds. What the Platform Guarantee covers: — Disputes raised within the 14-day post-delivery hold period: we will process refunds from held Stripe funds. This is available for non-delivery, damage, not as described, and wrong items received. We can honour these commitments because the money is still held by Stripe. — Disputes raised after funds are released (seller already paid): we will mediate, support your chargeback process, and pursue the seller for recovery. We will provide all evidence to Stripe's dispute team. We do not guarantee recovery of released funds from our own resources. What it does not cover: — Buyer's remorse where the item matches its description and arrived undamaged. — Disputes about artistic quality or whether the work meets personal expectations. — Damage caused by the buyer after delivery. — Transactions arranged privately outside the ArtRants platform. — Situations where the buyer declines to use the card scheme chargeback process available to them. The honest picture on released funds: once the 14-day hold has passed and funds are released to a seller, the primary recovery mechanism is your card issuer, not us. We will support that process fully and pursue sellers through our own channels, but we are a small business and cannot guarantee to personally fund refunds from our own resources. This is why the 14-day hold exists — it is designed to resolve the overwhelming majority of legitimate disputes before funds are ever released.
6.8 Card scheme rights — Section 75 and chargebacks
Regardless of the Platform Guarantee, you have independent rights through your bank that we cannot affect and that do not depend on us: SECTION 75 — Consumer Credit Act 1974 If you paid by credit card and the item cost between £100 and £30,000, your credit card provider is jointly and severally liable with the seller for any breach of contract or misrepresentation. This means you can claim directly from your bank even if the seller is uncontactable and even if the dispute arises after our 14-day hold period has passed. Contact your credit card provider directly. CHARGEBACK — Visa and Mastercard debit and credit cards If you paid by Visa or Mastercard (debit or credit), you can request a chargeback from your bank if: the goods were not received; the goods were significantly not as described; or the seller has not provided a refund they are obliged to provide. Chargeback time limits vary — typically 120 days from the transaction date. Contact your bank as soon as a problem arises. We strongly encourage buyers who have paid by credit card over £100 to use Section 75 for disputes where funds have already been released to the seller. It is the most direct and reliable route to recovery in that scenario and does not depend on us or the seller. We will cooperate fully with any bank or card scheme investigation and will provide all order records, communications and tracking information on request.
6.9 Disputes between buyers and sellers
We encourage direct resolution in the first instance. If direct resolution fails, email shop@rantsnetwork.com with your order reference, a summary of the dispute, and any correspondence with the seller. We will assign a team member within 3 working days and aim to reach a resolution within 14 working days. Our determination is final in respect of the Platform Guarantee as described in Section 6.7. It does not affect your statutory rights, which you may always enforce independently through: — The small claims court (claims under £10,000): justice.gov.uk/courts/rcj-rolls-building/small-claims — Your card issuer (see Section 6.8) — Citizens Advice: citizensadvice.org.uk We are not a formal Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider.
6.10 Counterfeit works and misattribution
A seller who lists a work as the creation of a named artist when they know or have reasonable grounds to believe this is false commits an offence under the Fraud Act 2006. If you believe a work is a forgery or falsely attributed: do not return the work; email legal@rantsnetwork.com immediately; we will preserve all records and, where we have reasonable grounds, report to Action Fraud (actionfraud.police.uk). You will be entitled to a full refund. If the funds are still held, this is processed immediately from Stripe. If funds have been released, Section 75 and chargeback rights are particularly strong in fraud cases — contact your bank. We will support any investigation fully.
6.11 Seller obligations
Artists and members selling on ArtRants agree as a condition of using the shop: — All listings must be accurate. Edition numbers, dimensions, medium and condition must be truthful and kept current. — Works must be dispatched within 5 working days of a confirmed order, with tracking. — All physical works must be shipped with insurance appropriate to the declared value. — Sellers must respond to buyer queries within 3 working days. — Sellers must process legitimate returns and refunds within 14 days of receiving returned goods or of our determination, whichever is earlier. — Sellers must not list works they do not have the right to sell. — Sellers must complete Stripe identity verification before their first payout is released. — Sellers must not attempt to conduct transactions outside the platform to circumvent buyer protections. Sellers who persistently breach these obligations will have their shop suspended or permanently removed. We reserve the right to offset from a seller's future payouts any amounts refunded to buyers that arose from the seller's breach.
6.12 Fees and payment timing
The platform fee is 8% of the listed sale price, deducted at point of sale. Artists receive 92%. Payment timing: the seller's 92% is released by Stripe 14 days after confirmed delivery, provided no dispute has been raised. This is not negotiable and applies to all sellers. It is the mechanism that makes the Platform Guarantee work. If a sale is refunded in full from held funds within the 14-day period, no platform fee is charged to the seller. If a partial refund is agreed, the platform fee is proportionally adjusted. All payments are processed by Stripe Inc. We do not store card details. Stripe's fraud prevention systems may delay payment in unusual circumstances; this is outside our control. International sellers: payouts are in GBP to a UK or international bank account via Stripe. Currency conversion fees, where applicable, are Stripe's and are clearly shown in your seller dashboard before you set up your account.
7. Intellectual property
The Rants Network name, logo, red dot device, and "Everyone's a critic" mark are trademarks of The Rants Network Ltd (applications pending). You may not use them without prior written permission. The platform software, design, typography and database architecture are the intellectual property of The Rants Network Ltd. Copyright complaints to legal@rantsnetwork.com. We will investigate and respond within 14 days.
8. Limitation of liability
The platform is provided "as is". We do not guarantee continuous, uninterrupted access and are not liable for losses arising from downtime. To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total liability to you for any claim is limited to the greater of: (a) amounts you paid to us in the 12 months preceding the claim; or (b) £50. Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded by law.
9. Changes to these Terms
We will notify you of material changes by email and by a prominent notice on the platform at least 14 days before the change takes effect. Continued use after that date constitutes acceptance. To close your account before changes take effect, email legal@rantsnetwork.com.
10. Contact
The Rants Network Ltd · Richmond, North Yorkshire · United Kingdom General: legal@rantsnetwork.com Data protection: dpo@rantsnetwork.com Shop disputes: shop@rantsnetwork.com Defamation notices: legal@rantsnetwork.com Press: press@rantsnetwork.com