These terms apply to guest articles in the Merchavio guides (merchavio.com/guides, German version at merchavio.com/de/ratgeber), operated by Philippe Ramón Hamerla, Agiou Georgiou 2-4, 8220 Chlorakas, Paphos, Cyprus (“we”). They apply to the application, the author area and every article a guest author (“author”) submits to us.
By submitting the application, the author accepts these terms. We store the accepted version and the time; we send earlier versions on request. There is no right to have an application accepted or an article published.
Guest authors write in their field, usually as part of their professional activity. Only adults (18 or older) can become guest authors. Taking part does not create an employment, service or agency relationship. The author does not act on behalf of Merchavio.
We review every application ourselves and decide at our discretion, in particular based on whether the author has practical experience in the subject and whether the topic fits the guides. If we accept the application, the author receives access to the author area.
Sign-in works with a code that we send to the author’s email address. Access is personal and not transferable. The author protects their mailbox against access by third parties and informs us without delay if they suspect misuse. Multiple accounts for the same person are not allowed.
The author only submits articles they have written themselves and that have not been published before, in whole or in substantial part. As long as we publish the article, the author does not publish it elsewhere; short excerpts with a link to the article are allowed. If we decline the article, the author withdraws it before publication or we take it offline, the author is free to use it.
Articles must be factually correct and helpful and be based on own experience or careful research. The author supports prices, figures, statistics and statements about providers with a source and the date on which the information applied.
We do not publish:
If the author uses AI for research or writing, they state this in the author area; the author box then says so. The author remains responsible for the content.
The author only uploads images for the article (e.g. screenshots or graphics) if they hold the necessary rights. They only show recognisable people with their consent and make third-party personal data (e.g. names or email addresses in screenshots) unrecognisable beforehand. Every image gets an alternative text describing what it shows.
If the author has an economic interest in a product or provider mentioned in the article (e.g. as an owner, employee, partner or paid ambassador), they disclose this in the note to the editors. We point this out in the article or decline it.
Articles must not contain affiliate, partner or tracking links, discount codes or advertising for products or services of the author or third parties. Links in the article are only allowed as evidence (source) or as a reference to further information; we may mark them as “nofollow”.
The author does not accept payment or other benefits from third parties for placing content or links in their articles. They do not submit articles on behalf of third parties, such as agencies or link sellers.
We review every article before publication. We may accept it, ask for changes or decline it; we briefly state the reasons for declining. Beforehand, an automatic filter scans applications, profile information and articles for terms we do not publish and for affiliate or tracking links; decisions are always made by people.
We may edit articles, in particular improve spelling and style, shorten and structure them, adapt headings, title and description for search engines, add internal links, images and graphics, insert notes on Merchavio that are recognisable as such (e.g. a box at the end of the article) and update outdated information. We agree changes that substantially alter the message of the article with the author in advance.
We decide on the time, address, category and design of the publication. We may update a published article and mark it as updated, or take it offline, for example if it is outdated, if there are legal concerns or if it violates these terms. If we take an article offline, we inform the author in text form and give reasons.
Changes by the author to a published article only go live after another review.
On submission, the author grants us the right to store the article for review and to edit it in accordance with section 5. On approval for publication, they grant us, for the article including its images, the non-exclusive, free right, unlimited in time and territory, to publish the article on merchavio.com, make it publicly available, reproduce it, edit it in accordance with section 5, translate it and use excerpts, naming the author, in Merchavio’s own channels (e.g. newsletter and social networks). This right continues after the end of the cooperation; section 7 paragraph 3 remains unaffected. We acquire no rights to articles that are declined or withdrawn before publication.
The author warrants that they hold these rights and that the article does not infringe any third-party rights. This also applies to parts of the text created with the help of AI; the author checks them before submission to make sure they do not reproduce other people’s texts.
As long as an article is published under the author’s name, we name them as the author.
The author agrees that we publish their name, photo, role, introduction, niche, website and the profiles they provide on their own profile page, in the author box below their articles and in the information for search engines (structured data). The profile only becomes visible once the author’s first article is published. We take details from the application (name, niche, website, profiles) as a suggestion that the author can check and change in the author area. If none of the author’s articles is online any more, we take the profile offline.
The author only uploads a photo that shows themselves and for which they hold the necessary rights. They grant us the rights under section 6 to the photo and profile texts for the purposes of this section; if the photographer must be credited, the author tells us. They make changes to the profile in the author area; the changes become visible after our review.
The author can request at any time that their name and profile are no longer published. We then remove them within 14 days and take their articles offline or, if the author agrees, continue them without naming the author as articles by the editorial team.
For each published article, we show a link to the author’s own website in the author box and in the author profile. The link leads to the domain the author states as their website in the profile, for example to a page that goes deeper into the topic of the article.
As link text, the author uses their name, the name of their brand or the title of the linked page, not a search term. Links to third-party pages, affiliate or redirect pages and pages with illegal, pornographic content or content harmful to minors, with gambling or with content that violates the Terms are not allowed.
We decide on the technical attributes of the link; in particular, we may mark it as “nofollow” or “sponsored” if search engine guidelines or the law require it. No particular effect of the link on search engines, visitor numbers or sales is owed. The link remains as long as the article is published and the linked page complies with these terms.
A link from the author’s website to Merchavio is welcome, but not a condition for publication.
There is no monetary remuneration. For each published article, the author receives credit as the author, their author profile and the link under section 8. We do not reimburse the author’s costs.
We do not charge for publication. We decline offers of money or other benefits to us for a publication or for links.
In particular, the following is prohibited:
If these terms are violated, we may, depending on the severity, decline, change or take articles offline, remove the link under section 8, block access to the author area and end the cooperation. We inform the author of the measure in text form and give reasons. The author can object via the point of contact; we review the objection and reply with reasons. If we only block access without ending the cooperation, the author’s drafts are kept.
The author indemnifies us against third-party claims, including reasonable costs of legal defence, based on an article, photo or profile information submitted by them infringing third-party rights or laws, unless the author is not responsible for this.
Our liability is governed by section 12 of the Terms (merchavio.com/legal/agb), which applies accordingly.
How we process the data from the application and the author area and when we delete it is set out in the Privacy Policy, section 16.
The cooperation is free of charge and for an indefinite period. The author can end it at any time without notice; an email to the point of contact is sufficient. We can end it with 14 days’ notice and, for good cause, in particular in the event of serious violations of these terms (section 11), with immediate effect.
When the cooperation ends, access to the author area ends; we delete unpublished drafts within 30 days. On request, we send the author their drafts as a file beforehand. Published articles remain online under sections 6 and 7 until the author requests under section 7 paragraph 3 that we no longer publish their name and profile.
We may change these terms with effect for the future if there is an objective reason, such as a change in the law, in search engine guidelines or in our guides. We inform the author in text form about the content of the changes at least 30 days before they take effect. If the author is a business, the changes are deemed accepted unless they object in text form before they take effect; we point out this consequence, the right to object and the deadline separately in the notice. If the author is a consumer, changes only take effect with their express consent. Changes to sections 6 to 9 to the author’s disadvantage always require their express consent. If the author objects or does not consent, the previous terms continue to apply to them; either party may then end the cooperation under section 14. The rights granted for articles already published continue to apply.
The law of Cyprus applies, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods; mandatory consumer protection provisions of the country in which an author who is a consumer has their habitual residence remain unaffected (Art. 6 Rome I Regulation). For authors who are businesses, the exclusive place of jurisdiction is Paphos, Cyprus. Consumers can sue and be sued at their place of residence.