Seal Licensing Agreement

1. This Seal Licensing Agreement (“Agreement”) governs the use of the Christian Book Excellence Awards seal(s), badge(s), or recognition mark(s) (collectively, the “Award Seal”) by award recipients (“Licensee”). By accepting an award and using the Award Seal in any capacity, the Licensee agrees to be bound by the terms of this Agreement.

2. Grant of License
   Subject to compliance with this Agreement, the Christian Book Excellence Awards (“Licensor”) grants Licensee a non-exclusive, non-transferable, worldwide license to use the Award Seal solely in connection with the specific winning title(s) for which the Award Seal was granted.

3. Permitted Uses
   Licensee may use the Award Seal for placement on book covers (print and digital), promotional materials and collateral, advertisements and marketing campaigns, websites, social media, online retail listings, and press releases or media communications. Use is limited to the specific edition of the title that received the award. Any new, revised, expanded, or materially altered editions require renewed authorization.

4. Prohibited Uses
   Licensee may not apply the Award Seal to non-winning titles, sequels, series titles, companion products, or merchandise without written consent, and may not alter the Award Seal’s wording, shape, design, font, or colors. Licensee may not imply endorsements beyond the award distinction granted or use the Award Seal in any manner that is false, misleading, defamatory, or unlawful. Resizing for layout purposes is permitted provided the Award Seal remains legible and unaltered in design.

5. Ownership and Intellectual Property
   The Award Seal, associated logos, and all related intellectual property rights are and shall remain the exclusive property of the Licensor. No ownership rights are transferred to Licensee under this Agreement. Licensee acknowledges Licensor’s exclusive rights and agrees not to contest, challenge, or assist others in contesting such rights.

6. No Assignment or Sublicensing
   Licensee may not sublicense, assign, sell, transfer, or convey rights granted under this Agreement to any third party without written consent from the Licensor.

7. Representations and Warranties
   Licensee represents that all use of the Award Seal will be consistent with this Agreement and accurate as to award status. Licensor makes no warranties regarding commercial success or market performance arising from the use of the Award Seal.

8. Revocation and Termination
   Licensor reserves the right to revoke this license at any time if Licensee violates any term of this Agreement, misuses the Award Seal, engages in conduct harmful to the integrity or reputation of the Awards, or materially misrepresents award distinctions. Upon revocation, Licensee must immediately discontinue all use of the Award Seal and remove it from all digital and print materials within a commercially reasonable time period.

9. No Guarantee of Commercial Benefit
   Licensee acknowledges that receiving an award and using the Award Seal does not guarantee increased sales, media exposure, or any commercial benefit.

10. Compliance with Laws
    Licensee agrees to comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards related to marketing, advertising, intellectual property, and consumer protection.

11. Indemnification
    Licensee agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Licensor, its officers, employees, evaluators, and contractors from any claims, damages, liabilities, costs, or legal fees arising from Licensee’s use of the Award Seal or violation of this Agreement.

12. Limitation of Liability
    In no event shall Licensor be liable for indirect, incidental, special, punitive, or consequential damages arising out of Licensee’s use of the Award Seal.

13. Term and Duration of License
    The license granted herein remains valid for the life of the specific edition that received the award, unless revoked for cause under Legal Notices Section 14 and Section 8 of this agreement. 

14. Governing Law
    This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any legal disputes shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Florida.

15. Entire Agreement
    This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding between Licensor and Licensee regarding the use of the Award Seal and supersedes any prior agreements or representations.

16. Acceptance of Terms
    By using the Award Seal in any capacity, Licensee acknowledges that they have read, understood, and agree to the terms of this Agreement.

17. Award Seal Style Guide (Usage Standards)
    In order to preserve the integrity, legibility, and recognizability of the Award Seal, all winners must adhere to the following usage standards when applying the Seal to print or digital materials.

18. a. Color and Design:
    The Award Seal must be reproduced exactly as provided by the Christian Book Excellence Awards. Licensee may not alter or modify the Seal’s colors, fonts, proportions, wording, shape, or design elements.
    Monochrome or inverted versions are not permitted unless explicitly supplied or approved in writing by the Licensor.
    
    b. Resizing: The Award Seal may be proportionally resized to suit various layouts or cover designs. Distortion including stretching, pixelation, warping, or disproportionate scaling is prohibited. The Seal must remain legible at all times.
    
    c. Placement: The Award Seal may be placed on front covers, back covers, dust jackets, marketing materials, digital listings, social media, and other promotional assets. The Seal should be placed in a manner that does not obscure critical cover information such as the title, author name, or key artwork, and should remain visually clear and unobstructed.
    
    d. Minimum Size: The Award Seal should not be reproduced smaller than the minimum size at which the Seal remains clearly legible in print or digital formats. If legibility is compromised at small scale, the Seal may not be used at that size.
    
    e. Clear Space: When possible, a reasonable margin of clear space should be maintained around the Award Seal to prevent visual crowding with other graphic elements, logos, or typography.
    
    f. Backgrounds: The Award Seal should not be placed on backgrounds that interfere with readability, reduce contrast, or distort visual clarity. Solid, neutral, or low-contrast backgrounds are recommended.
    
    g. Use on Merchandise: Use of the Award Seal on merchandise such as apparel, accessories, prints, mugs, bookmarks, or similar products requires prior written approval from the Licensor. Rights granted under this Agreement do not automatically include merchandise applications.
    
    h. Use in Advertising and Publicity: The Award Seal may be used in press releases, advertisements, and promotional campaigns provided such use does not imply endorsements beyond the award distinction or misrepresent the nature of the award.
    
    i. Digital File Integrity: Licensee should use original high-resolution digital Seal files provided by the Licensor. Recreating, redrawing, tracing, or modifying the Seal is strictly prohibited.
    
    j. Unauthorized Variants: Licensee may not create alternate or derivative Seal designs including color variants, flat icons, animated versions, embossed styles, or vector recreations without explicit written approval.
    
    k. Future Updates: The Licensor reserves the right to update or refresh the Award Seal design. If a new Seal design is adopted, Licensee may continue using the Seal edition provided at the time of award, but may request updated assets.
    
    l. Compliance: Failure to comply with this Style Guide constitutes grounds for revocation of the Seal license under Legal Notices Section 14 and Section 8 of this agreement.