Terms and Conditions

By using the Mahara platform (the «Platform») or creating an account on it, you confirm that you have read and agreed to these terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.

To register, you must be:

• 18 years of age or older.
• Legally able to enter into binding contracts in your country.
• Not banned from the Platform for a previous violation.

The Platform supports two kinds of account:

• Developer / designer (the «freelancer»): provides professional services for payment.
• Client: requests services and pays for them.

A single account may switch between the two roles at any time.

The following are strictly forbidden on the Platform:

• Fraud or deception in any form.
• Publishing illegal, racist, or hate-inciting content.
• Impersonating another person.
• Attempting to breach the Platform or bypass its restrictions.
• Sending spam or unsolicited promotional messages to members.
• Contacting the other party directly in order to bypass the Platform commission (this results in a ban).
• Publishing personal contact details in public descriptions before a project is accepted.
• Publishing any indecent, sexually explicit or obscene service, image or content, whether in services, portfolios, profile pictures, requests or messages. This results in the service being paused and the account suspended immediately.

• The Mahara name, logo and design are our exclusive property.
• Portfolio work a freelancer publishes remains theirs. By hosting it on the Platform they grant us a non-exclusive licence to display it for promotional purposes.
• Work delivered to a client transfers to that client once payment is complete, unless the project agreement says otherwise.

• Platform commission: 7% of the project value, deducted from the freelancer's share.
• Accepted payment methods: bank transfer and Sham Cash only. All payments pass through the Platform's escrow system.
• Payment timing: the client pays the full project value up front, and it is held in full by the Platform (escrow) until the project is delivered completely. After delivery and client acceptance, the amount is released to the service provider's account (less the 7% Platform commission).
• Hourly work: the full weekly block is funded up front (hourly rate × weekly cap). Time-log approval records the work but never releases funds; release occurs only after the client explicitly accepts the final delivery.
• Disputes: in the event of a dispute we apply a fair mediation process (see clause 10).
• Taxes: each party is responsible for their own taxes in their own country.

• Before work starts: a full refund within 24 hours of payment.
• While work is in progress: a partial refund in proportion to the work completed, after review by the mediation team.
• After delivery: the client has a 3-day review window to request revisions. After final acceptance, payment is final.

In the digital products section a freelancer sells something they made themselves, such as templates, design assets, e-books, recorded courses, code, or complete projects and apps. This clause governs these products and prevails over clause 9 where the two differ.

• Seller ownership: when publishing, the seller confirms the product is their own work and that they have the right to sell it. The platform team reviews each seller's first digital product before it appears.
• Selling copies: the seller keeps ownership of the product and the buyer receives a copy for their own use, which they may not resell or redistribute. The files reach the buyer as soon as payment is confirmed.
• Objection window for copies: the buyer has 2 days (48 hours) from delivery to open a dispute if the file is damaged, does not match the description, or is not the seller's work. If the window passes without a dispute, receipt is confirmed automatically, the payment is released to the seller, and it becomes final.
• Selling a whole project: the project passes to a single buyer. The seller lists on the product page everything they will hand over, must hand over every item on that list, and may not sell the project or copies of it to anyone else after the sale.
• Confirming a whole-project handover: the payment is released to the seller only after the buyer confirms receipt of every item on the handover list. If the handover cannot be completed, the buyer may open a dispute under clause 10.
• Refunds: a digital product that works and matches its description is not refundable once delivered, since it cannot be returned. It is refunded in full if it proves damaged, does not match the description, is not the seller's work, or was never delivered.

The following may not be sold as digital products:

• In-game currency and points top-ups.
• Accounts of any kind, in games, on social networks or elsewhere.
• Gift cards and top-up cards.
• Subscriptions, activation keys and licences.
• Followers, likes, views and any artificial engagement.
• Other people's work or copies of it, and resale-rights products.
• Pirated or leaked software or courses.
• Lists of personal data or contact details.
• Hacking tools and malware.

Any product that breaks these rules is removed, the buyer is refunded, and the seller's account may be suspended under clause 11.

When a dispute arises:

• First: we encourage direct dialogue between the two parties.
• Second: either party may request mediation by the Platform team (free of charge); we review the evidence from both sides.
• Third: the Platform's decision is binding on the Platform, but it does not prevent either party from pursuing the matter through the courts.

We may suspend or terminate your account in cases including:

• Violation of these terms.
• Publishing an indecent service, image or content: the service is paused and the account suspended immediately, without prior warning.
• Fraud or harmful conduct.
• Repeated serious complaints.
• Inactivity for more than 3 years.

You may delete your account at any time from your account settings.

Mahara is an intermediary between freelancers and clients. We do not guarantee the quality of every service, and we are not liable for damages arising from the acts of a third party on the Platform. Our maximum financial liability in any dispute equals the value of the project concerned.

We reserve the right to amend these terms. Material changes will be announced 30 days before they take effect. Continuing to use the Platform means you accept the updated version.

These terms are governed by the laws of the Syrian Arab Republic. We also comply with the applicable international data-protection laws, including the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for users resident in the European Union where it applies to them.

Legal questions: info@mahara.sy