This is a translation for your convenience. Only the German version is legally binding.
Version 2026-10-23 · Draft, not yet in force. These terms will be legally reviewed before the programme launches and may change until then.
These terms govern participation in the Authorial affiliate programme (Stefan Achter, Weichselbaum 8, 82234 Weßling; hereinafter "Authorial"). Participants ("Partners") recommend Authorial and receive a commission in return.
Natural persons of legal age and businesses with an Authorial account may take part. A paid subscription is not required. One partner profile is permitted per account.
Participation is free of charge. There are no minimum sales and no obligation to carry out particular advertising activities.
Partners receive 35% of the regular net subscription price (list price before the new-customer discount under section 4) for every subscription payment that new customers referred by them actually make to Authorial during the first twelve months of their paid subscription. The list price of the plan and billing period actually paid for is decisive. VAT does not form part of the commission base; fees charged by the payment service provider are not deducted. If a payment is refunded or charged back in whole or in part, the commission base is reduced in the same proportion.
No commission is earned for free memberships and trial periods, payments to which another discount promotion has been applied, unpaid invoices, AI add-on packs, usage-based AI services, one-off services, third-party services, self-referrals, or artificially generated or fraudulent referrals. The commission is the same for all partners.
Referred new customers receive a 10% discount on their eligible Authorial subscription during the first twelve months of the paid subscription. The affiliate programme cannot be combined with other discount promotions. If a referred person uses another discount promotion for a billing period, the new-customer discount does not apply for that period; the period is not extended as a result.
The commission and discount periods begin with the first paid subscription period and end twelve calendar months later. A change of plan, cancellation, reactivation or a change of payment interval does not extend these periods. If a paid service falls only partly within the period, the pro rata amount counts.
A referral is attributed via the partner's personal referral link or referral code. A click on the link can be taken into account within 60 days, insofar as this is technically and legally possible (in particular with consent to the referral cookie). As a rule, the first valid referral counts; if a person deliberately enters a referral code when signing up, that code takes precedence.
The attribution becomes binding when the account is created and can thereafter only be corrected by Authorial in the event of demonstrable technical errors. Existing free accounts can confirm a code once if the account is less than 30 days old, nothing has been paid yet and no referral has been attributed yet. The first paid payment must be made within 180 days of the account being created.
Commission is earned exclusively upon actual receipt of payment as confirmed by the payment service provider. A registration or an issued but unpaid invoice does not give rise to any claim.
Commissions are approved no earlier than 30 full days after the confirmed receipt of payment, provided there is no legitimate reason for withholding them.
Approved commissions for a calendar quarter are paid out in the following month (January–March in April, April–June in July, July–September in October, October–December in January of the following year), by the last bank working day of the payout month at the latest. There is no minimum amount.
Payouts are made exclusively by SEPA transfer to an account held by the partner. There are no credits, vouchers or other forms of remuneration. The time at which the amount is credited to the recipient may differ from the time the transfer is instructed.
If required details (in particular bank details, billing address, tax details) are missing or invalid, no payout is made. The amount remains allocated to the partner and is paid out in the next possible run once the details have been completed. Changes to bank details require confirmation and are only used after a security check.
If a customer payment is refunded or charged back in whole or in part, the associated commission is adjusted accordingly. Commissions already paid out are corrected by means of offsetting entries.
Negative amounts are offset against future commissions. Recovery by direct debit does not take place. If a negative balance remains after participation has ended and there are no future commissions, Authorial and the partner will settle it separately; a claim to repayment exists only insofar as it is established by law.
Self-referrals are excluded, as are referrals within the same economic unit. Suspicious transactions are reviewed and excluded from payout until clarified; an identical IP address or home address alone does not constitute proof.
In particular, the following are not permitted: unsolicited advertising (spam), misleading statements, offering the link on voucher and discount portals, paid ads on the brand name "Authorial", artificial clicks, automated registrations and any manipulation of referral identifiers.
Partners label referral links and content as advertising or as an affiliate link for their audience, as required by competition and media law.
Partners are themselves responsible for their tax obligations. Partners acting in a business capacity agree with Authorial on settlement by self-billing (§ 14 (2) sentence 5 UStG); if VAT is payable on the commission, it is shown separately and paid out in addition. For private individuals, Authorial issues a commission statement without VAT. Partners inform Authorial without delay of any changes to their tax status.
Authorial processes the data required for the programme in accordance with the privacy policy. Partners do not receive any personal data of the referred customers; referrals are displayed in anonymised form.
Either party may end participation at any time without giving reasons. Authorial may suspend participation or terminate it without notice in the event of breaches of these terms.
Upon termination, no new commissions are earned. Legitimate claims accrued up to that point remain in place and are settled in accordance with these terms, unless they are based on a breach.
Authorial may amend these terms with effect for the future and will inform partners in good time beforehand. Changes apply only to attributions made from the date they come into force; existing commission claims are not changed retroactively. Partners may object to a change by ending their participation.