Copywriting Terms and Conditions

Version: 1 (2026)

Hannah King Copywriter is the trading name of Hannah Kershaw, a sole trader.

Business address: 18 Bolehill Park, Hove Edge, Brighouse, HD6 2RS
Email: service@hking.co.uk

In these terms, “I”, “me” and “my” refer to Hannah Kershaw trading as Hannah King Copywriter. “Client”, “you” and “your” refer to the person or business purchasing the services.

These terms apply only where you are purchasing my services wholly or mainly for purposes connected with your trade, business, craft or profession. They do not apply to consumers purchasing services primarily for personal use.

By approving a quotation, confirming a project by email, paying a booking payment, asking me to begin work or otherwise accepting my services, you agree to these terms.

The agreed quotation, project brief and relevant written correspondence, together with these terms, form the agreement between us. If there is any conflict, the project-specific quotation or written agreement will take priority over these general terms.

Any terms contained in your purchase order, supplier agreement or other document will not apply unless I expressly accept them in writing.

1. Project Scope and Fees

The quotation, brief or written project confirmation will describe:

the services and deliverables to be provided
the agreed fee or charging method
the anticipated timetable
any included meetings, interviews, research or revisions; and
any specific assumptions, exclusions or client responsibilities

Quotations remain valid for 30 days unless otherwise stated.

The agreed fee covers only the services and deliverables included in the original project scope. A substantial change of direction, new audience, new brief, additional content, further research, additional meetings, extra revision rounds or other work outside the agreed scope may be quoted and charged separately.

Where additional work is requested, I may provide a revised quotation or charge at my then-current hourly or day rate. I am not required to begin additional work until the revised fee and timetable have been agreed.

Fees are exclusive of VAT where VAT is applicable.

Reasonable expenses, travel costs, paid research resources, specialist software, transcription services, stock assets and other third-party costs will be charged separately where they have been agreed in advance.

2. Booking and Commencement

Unless otherwise stated in the quotation, fixed-fee projects require a booking payment of 50% of the agreed fee before work begins. The remaining balance will be invoiced when the work is delivered.

The booking payment reserves time in my schedule and contributes towards project administration, research, planning and initial work. Once work has begun or the reserved project time can no longer reasonably be reallocated, the booking payment will not normally be refundable.

A project will not be treated as confirmed or scheduled until:

any required booking payment has been received
the agreed brief and scope have been confirmed
the necessary information and materials have been supplied; and
any other agreed commencement requirements have been met

Any proposed start date or delivery date may change if these requirements are not completed on time.

3. Client Responsibilities

You are responsible for providing clear, complete and accurate information, instructions, source materials and guidance reasonably required to complete the work.

You must:

provide information, access, feedback and approvals within the agreed timescales
nominate a principal contact with authority to provide instructions and approve the work
ensure that feedback from your team or other stakeholders is consolidated before it is sent to me
tell me about any legal, technical, brand, accessibility or regulatory requirements that apply to the work
disclose before the project begins any mandatory legal, regulatory or contractual requirements that may affect the services; and
obtain any legal, regulatory, compliance, technical or other specialist review required for the client’s intended use of the work before publication.

You warrant that you have the right and permission to provide and use all information, documents, images, trade marks, data, quotations, testimonials, research, statistics and other materials supplied to me.

You also warrant that your instructions and materials:

are accurate to the best of your knowledge
do not infringe any copyright, trade mark, confidentiality, privacy or other third-party rights
are not unlawful, defamatory, discriminatory, fraudulent or deliberately misleading; and
may lawfully be used for the agreed project and purpose

I may refuse, suspend or stop work where I reasonably believe that an instruction or proposed publication may be unlawful, misleading, infringing, unethical or likely to cause significant legal or reputational harm.

4. Drafts, Feedback and Revisions

Unless otherwise agreed, the project fee includes:

one initial draft; and
up to two rounds of reasonable revisions based on the original agreed brief

A “round of revisions” means one clear and consolidated set of feedback provided at the same time by the nominated client contact.

Drip-fed comments, separate feedback from multiple stakeholders, conflicting instructions or additional comments received after a revision round has begun may be treated as an additional revision round.

Revision requests should be provided clearly and together wherever possible, within seven calendar days of receiving the relevant draft.

Reasonable revisions may include changes to wording, tone, structure or emphasis that remain consistent with the original brief.

The following may be treated as additional work:

a new or substantially altered brief
a change of target audience, purpose or strategic direction
significant new information supplied after drafting has begun
additional pages, sections, formats or deliverables
requests to restore previously removed or rejected wording
changes to work that has already been approved
revisions requested after the agreed review period; or
further revision rounds beyond those included in the quotation

Additional work will be subject to my availability and may affect the delivery date.

Publication, distribution or commercial use of a draft will constitute approval of that version.

5. Accuracy, Compliance and Final Approval

I will provide the services with reasonable skill and care and will take reasonable care when researching, drafting, editing and proofreading the work.

Unless expressly included in the quotation, my services do not include legal, medical, financial, technical, tax, trade mark, regulatory or compliance advice.

You are responsible for reviewing and approving the final copy before it is published, distributed or otherwise used. This includes checking:

names and job titles
dates and deadlines
prices and offers
contact details and links
product or service descriptions
measurements and technical specifications
quotations and testimonials
statistics and research findings
claims about competitors
medical, financial, environmental or regulatory claims; and
any other factual or legally sensitive information

I am not responsible for inaccuracies contained in information supplied or approved by you.

I am also not responsible for changes, additions, omissions, formatting errors or other amendments made by you or another person after delivery.

Although I will take reasonable care to create original work, I cannot guarantee that a short phrase, headline, slogan, product name, campaign idea or concept is unique, registrable as a trade mark or free from all possible third-party rights. You are responsible for arranging any required legal or trade mark clearance.

6. Timetables and Client Delays

I will make reasonable efforts to meet the agreed timetable.

Any deadline depends on you supplying the required information, materials, access, feedback and approvals when requested.

If you cause or contribute to a delay:

the delivery date may be extended
the project may be moved to the next available space in my schedule
previously reserved time may be lost
urgent or accelerated completion may incur an additional fee; and
I will not be responsible for any resulting delay to publication, launch or other client activity

If the project remains inactive for more than 30 days because you have not supplied information, instructions, feedback or approval, I may treat the work completed to date as delivered and issue an invoice for it.

Restarting an inactive project will be subject to my availability and may require a revised timetable, revised quotation or reasonable reactivation fee.

7. Invoicing and Payment

Unless otherwise agreed in writing:

booking payments are payable before work begins
the remaining project balance is invoiced when the agreed work is delivered
retainers are invoiced monthly in advance; and
all invoices are due within seven calendar days of the invoice date

Payment is not dependent on:

publication or use of the work
approval by another person or department
the outcome of a campaign
you receiving payment from your own client or another party; or
the work achieving a particular commercial result

Invoices must be paid in full without set-off, counterclaim, deduction or withholding, except where required by law.

Any genuine invoice query should be raised promptly and with reasonable detail. A query relating to part of an invoice does not entitle you to withhold payment of an undisputed amount.

If an invoice is overdue, I may:

pause current work
withhold delivery of further work
remove the project from my schedule
decline further commissions; and
require future work to be paid for in advance

On qualifying overdue commercial invoices, I reserve the right to claim statutory interest, fixed compensation and reasonable debt recovery costs under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts legislation, together with any other remedies available to me.

You remain responsible for reasonable costs incurred in recovering overdue sums.

8. Retainer Services

Where services are provided on a retainer, the quotation or retainer agreement will state the included services, deliverables, capacity or working time.

Unless otherwise agreed:

retainer fees are invoiced monthly in advance
unused time or capacity does not roll over into a later month
unused capacity resulting from client delay, lack of instructions or failure to provide feedback is not refundable
work outside the agreed retainer scope will be charged separately
additional work is subject to my availability; and
either party may end the retainer by giving 30 days’ written notice

Where a retainer ends part-way through a billing period, fees already due or paid for reserved capacity will not normally be refundable.

I may adjust retainer fees by giving at least 60 days’ written notice. You may end the retainer before the revised fee takes effect if you do not wish to continue at the new rate.

9. Cancellation and Termination

Either party may cancel a project by giving written notice.

If you cancel after the project has been confirmed, you must pay for:

all work completed up to the cancellation date
research, planning, administration, meetings and correspondence undertaken
time reserved for the project that cannot reasonably be reallocated
approved expenses and committed third-party costs; and
any work required to prepare the project for handover or closure

For fixed-fee work, the cancellation charge will be assessed reasonably by reference to the work completed, work committed and capacity reserved. It will not exceed the total agreed project fee.

Any booking payment will be credited against the amount due but will not normally be refunded once work has begun or reserved time can no longer reasonably be reallocated.

I may suspend or terminate the agreement immediately by written notice if:

an invoice remains overdue
you repeatedly fail to supply necessary information, instructions or feedback
you materially change or expand the project without agreeing revised fees
you ask me to produce or assist with content that I reasonably believe is unlawful, misleading or infringing
your conduct towards me or anyone assisting me is abusive, threatening or seriously inappropriate; or
you otherwise commit a serious breach of the agreement and, where the breach can be corrected, fail to correct it within a reasonable period after being asked to do so

If I terminate because of your breach, the fees and costs described above will remain payable.

If I cancel for reasons unrelated to your conduct or breach, you will only be charged for work properly completed up to the cancellation date. Any payment received for work that will not be completed will be refunded.

Clauses concerning payment, confidentiality, intellectual property, liability and other rights intended to continue will survive cancellation or termination.

10. Copyright and Usage Rights

I retain copyright and all other intellectual property rights in the work until the relevant invoice has been paid in full.

Before full payment, drafts and deliverables may be used only for internal review and approval. They must not be published, distributed, adapted, supplied to a third party or otherwise commercially used.

Once full payment has been received, I grant you an exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free licence to use, reproduce, publish, distribute, edit and adapt the final approved copy for any lawful purpose.

The transfer or licence applies only to the final approved copy created specifically for the project.

Unless otherwise agreed, I retain ownership of:

unused ideas and concepts
rejected drafts and alternative versions
working notes and research files
templates, processes, methods and know-how
preliminary materials not included in the final approved work; and
pre-existing material developed independently of the project

Any third-party material incorporated into the work remains subject to the relevant third-party licence or usage conditions. I cannot transfer rights that I do not own.

Following full payment, you may edit and adapt the final copy. I will not be responsible for any amendments made by you or another person after delivery.

To the extent permitted by law, I consent to reasonable editing and adaptation of the final approved copy and waive any right to be identified as its author, unless attribution has been agreed in writing.

11. Images and Third-Party Assets

Where image sourcing is included, I may identify or recommend images from third-party websites, stock libraries or other sources that appear, from the information reasonably available at the time, to permit the intended use.

Unless expressly agreed otherwise, image sourcing is a research and recommendation service only. I do not provide legal advice, guarantee ownership of any third-party asset or warrant that an asset is free from all third-party rights.

Before downloading, purchasing, publishing or otherwise using an asset, the client is responsible for independently checking and approving:

the identity and reliability of the provider;
the applicable licence and permitted uses;
any fees, restrictions, attribution requirements or usage limits;
whether the licence covers the intended territory, platform, duration and commercial purpose; and
whether any additional permissions, releases or clearances are required.

Where possible, the client should obtain or download the asset directly from the provider so that the licence is issued or recorded in the client’s own name.

By approving or using an asset, the client confirms that it has reviewed and accepted the applicable licence terms and assumes responsibility for its continued use and compliance with those terms.

The client confirms that it has permission to use any images or other assets it supplies.

Third-party assets remain subject to the relevant provider’s terms. I will not be responsible for later removal, reclassification, ownership disputes, licence changes or an asset subsequently appearing elsewhere, provided I acted with reasonable skill and care using the information available when the asset was identified.

If the client asks me to download, purchase or supply an asset on its behalf, the client remains responsible for confirming that the selected licence is suitable before publication. My liability relating to image sourcing or third-party assets will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be limited in accordance with the liability provisions in these Terms and Conditions.

12. Portfolio and Marketing Use

Unless confidentiality has been agreed, I may:

identify you as a client
refer generally to the nature of the work provided; and
display final work that has already been lawfully made public in my portfolio, website, social media or other marketing materials

I will not publish or disclose confidential, embargoed, commercially sensitive or unreleased work without your permission.

You may ask me not to identify you or display the work by notifying me in writing before the project begins. Any restriction that materially affects the promotional value of a reduced-fee or portfolio-based arrangement may require the fee to be reconsidered.

13. Confidentiality

Each party will keep the other party’s confidential information private and will use it only for purposes connected with the project.

Confidential information includes information that is identified as confidential or that a reasonable person would understand to be confidential because of its nature or the circumstances in which it was disclosed.

Confidential information does not include information that:

is already publicly available other than because of a breach of these terms
was lawfully known to the receiving party before disclosure
is independently developed without use of the confidential information
is lawfully received from another source without confidentiality restrictions; or
must be disclosed by law, court order or a competent regulatory authority

Where disclosure is legally required, the receiving party will, where legally permitted, notify the other party before disclosure.

Confidentiality obligations will continue after the project ends for as long as the information remains confidential.

14. Artificial Intelligence and Digital Tools

I may use artificial intelligence and other professional digital tools as part of my normal working process, including for:

background research
idea generation
planning and outlining
transcription
language analysis
drafting support
editing
proofreading and quality control

These tools support my work and do not replace my professional judgement. All final deliverables are produced under my direction and reviewed and edited by me using reasonable professional care.

By engaging me, the client accepts that I may use artificial intelligence and other professional digital tools when providing the services. The client’s responsibility to review and approve factual, legal, technical, regulatory and other specialist content continues to apply.

The client must tell me before work begins about any mandatory legal, regulatory or contractual restriction affecting the use of artificial intelligence or particular digital tools.

Any restriction must be expressly agreed by me in writing before it will apply to the project. I will decide whether I can reasonably accommodate it. A restriction may require a revised fee, scope, working method or timetable. If a restriction is incompatible with my normal working process, I may decline the project.

I will not knowingly enter confidential, embargoed or commercially sensitive material, or information I reasonably understand not to be public, into a third-party artificial intelligence tool without the client’s prior permission. Personal data will be handled in accordance with applicable data protection law.

Unless otherwise agreed or legally required, I am not required to disclose the particular tools, prompts, methods or internal working processes used to produce the final deliverables.

15. Data Protection

Each party will comply with applicable data protection law when processing personal data in connection with the project.

You must ensure that personal data supplied to me:

is provided lawfully
is relevant and reasonably necessary for the project
may lawfully be used for the agreed purpose; and
is not subject to restrictions that have not been disclosed to me

You should avoid supplying special category, highly sensitive or unnecessary personal data unless its use has been discussed and agreed in advance.

In most projects, each party will act as an independent data controller for the personal data it handles for its own business purposes.

If the services require me to process personal data solely on your documented instructions as your data processor, the parties will enter into any additional data-processing terms required by applicable law before that processing begins.

16. Subcontractors and Independent Status

I may use suitably qualified subcontractors or professional service providers to assist with research, transcription, proofreading, administration or other parts of the services.

Anyone given access to confidential information will be subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations. I will remain responsible for the services delivered to you.

I provide the services as an independent contractor. Nothing in the agreement creates an employment, partnership, joint venture, fiduciary or agency relationship between us.

Neither party has authority to make commitments or enter into obligations on behalf of the other.

17. Client Responsibility for Claims

You will reimburse me for losses, liabilities, damages and reasonable professional costs arising directly from:

inaccurate, unlawful or infringing materials supplied by you
instructions that breach these terms
claims relating to products, services, statistics, promises or representations supplied or approved by you
publication or use of work before final approval or full payment
alterations made by you or another person after delivery; or
use of the work for a purpose materially different from the purpose agreed

This responsibility will not apply to the extent that the relevant loss was caused by my own breach of these terms, negligence or unlawful conduct.

I will notify you reasonably promptly of any relevant third-party claim and will take reasonable steps to limit avoidable loss.

18. Liability

I will provide the services with reasonable skill and care.

I do not guarantee that the work will achieve any particular level of:

sales
enquiries
conversions
engagement
website traffic
search-engine ranking
media coverage
funding
investment
regulatory approval; or
other commercial result

Subject to the liabilities that cannot legally be excluded or limited, I will not be liable for:

indirect or consequential loss
loss of profit, revenue or anticipated savings
loss of sales, contracts, business or opportunity
loss of goodwill or reputation
loss or corruption of data
losses arising from information supplied or approved by you
losses arising from changes made after delivery
publication delays caused by you or another party; or
decisions made in reliance on the work without appropriate professional or specialist advice

For a one-off project, my total liability arising from any claim or series of connected claims will not exceed the total fee paid or payable for the project giving rise to the claim.

For ongoing or retainer services, my total liability arising from any claim or series of connected claims will not exceed the fees paid or payable for the specific services giving rise to the claim, subject to a maximum of the retainer fees paid or payable during the month immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

The liability limits apply to claims arising in contract, negligence, misrepresentation, breach of statutory duty or otherwise.

Nothing in these terms limits or excludes liability for:

fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation
death or personal injury caused by negligence
deliberate unlawful conduct; or
any other liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited

19. Circumstances Outside Reasonable Control

Neither party will be responsible for delay or failure caused by circumstances outside its reasonable control.

These may include serious illness, accident, bereavement, fire, flood, extreme weather, industrial action, interruption of utilities or communications, failure of essential technology, cyberattack, government action, civil emergency or the failure of a critical third-party supplier.

The affected party will notify the other as soon as reasonably practical and will take reasonable steps to reduce the effect of the disruption.

If the disruption continues for more than 30 days and materially prevents completion, either party may end the affected project by written notice. You will remain responsible for work completed and agreed costs incurred before termination.

20. Files and Record Retention

You are responsible for securely storing the final deliverables after they have been supplied.

Unless otherwise agreed, I do not guarantee that drafts, working files, research, recordings, source materials or project correspondence will be retained for more than 90 days after completion or termination.

I may retain records reasonably required for tax, insurance, legal, regulatory or legitimate business purposes.

21. Notices and Written Agreement

A notice or approval under these terms may be given by email to the usual business email address used by the relevant party.

A reference to something being agreed “in writing” includes agreement by email.

The agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties concerning the project and replaces previous discussions, representations or understandings relating to the same subject.

Any variation must be agreed in writing.

22. General Provisions

A delay or failure to enforce a right under these terms does not waive that right.

If any provision is found to be invalid or unenforceable, it will be adjusted to the minimum extent necessary or removed, and the remaining provisions will continue to apply.

You may not transfer or assign the agreement to another party without my prior written consent.

No person other than the parties to the agreement will have the right to enforce any of its terms under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

Before beginning formal court proceedings, each party will make reasonable efforts to resolve any dispute through direct discussion.

23. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These terms, the agreement and any dispute or non-contractual obligation arising from them are governed by the law of England and Wales.

The courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction.

Terms & Conditions