Terms of Service

1. Acceptance & Electronic Contract

By accessing, registering on, or using the SkillNoob platform ("Platform"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. This document constitutes a legally binding electronic contract between you and SkillNoob. In accordance with the Iraqi Electronic Signature and Electronic Transactions Law No. 78 of 2012, your registration and use of the Platform constitute valid electronic acceptance of these terms. If you do not agree to these terms, you must not use the Platform.

2. Definitions

• Buyer/Client: A user who purchases services on the Platform.
• Freelancer/Seller: A user who offers and performs services on the Platform.
• Gig: A predefined service offered by a Freelancer on the Platform.
• Package: A specific tier of service within a Gig, containing a set scope of work and price.
• Order: The formal agreement created when a Client purchases a Gig Package.
• Escrow: The temporary holding of funds by the Platform upon Order creation until the Order is successfully completed.
• Platform Fee: The commission, set at 10%, charged by SkillNoob for facilitating the transaction.

3. Eligibility & Account

To use SkillNoob, you must be at least 18 years of age. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during the registration process and to keep your account information updated. SkillNoob reserves the right to update registration requirements at any time. You are solely responsible for safeguarding your account credentials. Users may only hold one active account at a time. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent a suspension, avoid a previous account's history, or manipulate rankings or reviews is strictly prohibited and will result in permanent termination of all associated accounts.

4. Role of the Platform

SkillNoob operates exclusively as a neutral middleman and marketplace facilitator. The Platform is not a party to any contract, agreement, or transaction entered into directly between Clients and Freelancers. SkillNoob is not an employer, broker, or agent of any user. We do not guarantee the quality, safety, or legality of any Gigs offered.

5. Client Obligations

Clients must fulfill all payment obligations through the Platform. Upon placing an Order, the Client is responsible for promptly providing all necessary requirements, instructions, and materials for the Freelancer to commence work.

6. Freelancer Obligations

Freelancers are obligated to deliver high-quality work in accordance with the specified Gig Package and the Client's instructions. Freelancers must meet delivery deadlines, refrain from any form of plagiarism, and ensure that they have the right to deliver the provided work.

7. Gigs & Orders

SkillNoob operates on a Gig-purchase model exclusively; there are no job postings, project bidding, or proposal systems. Freelancers post Gigs containing service Packages with fixed prices, which Clients purchase directly. Direct messaging between a Client and a Freelancer is strictly locked until an Order is placed and paid for; no pre-order contact is permitted. Upon delivery of the final work by the Freelancer, the Client has 3 days to review it. If the Client does not respond within this 3-day period, the Order will be automatically marked as completed.

8. Payments & Escrow

All prices, transactions, and account balances on SkillNoob are denominated strictly in Iraqi Dinars (IQD). Currently, ZainCash is the sole supported payment method. When a Client purchases a Package, the funds are collected by the Platform and held in Escrow. These funds (minus the Platform Fee of 10%) are only released to the Freelancer's account balance upon the successful completion of the Order.

9. Refunds & Cancellations

At this stage of the Platform's development, SkillNoob's current refund policy is strictly limited. A Client is eligible for a full refund only in the event of total non-delivery (i.e., the Freelancer fails to deliver any work whatsoever). Quality disputes, partial delivery disputes, and revision disputes are not covered by the Platform's refund policy at this stage. By using the Platform, Clients acknowledge this limitation of protection. A comprehensive dispute resolution and refund system is under development and will be introduced in a future update.

10. Disputes

Currently, no formal dispute mediation system exists for the assessment of work quality or content alignment. SkillNoob does not mediate or adjudicate disputes between users regarding the quality of deliverables. Platform intervention is limited exclusively to cases of verified non-delivery. A broader dispute mediation framework is planned for future versions of the Platform.

11. Payouts & Withdrawal

Freelancers may request a withdrawal of their available balance only when it reaches a minimum threshold of 25,000 IQD. Payouts are not automated. Upon submitting a withdrawal request, SkillNoob administrators will manually process the transaction to the Freelancer's designated ZainCash account within five (5) business days. SkillNoob reserves the right to delay or withhold a payout where fraud is suspected, a dispute is pending, the account is under review, or identity/payment verification is incomplete. The hold will be lifted once the relevant issue is resolved. In the event a Freelancer's account is suspended or permanently terminated while an Order is active, any escrowed funds for that Order will be returned in full to the Client.

12. Prohibited Conduct

Users are strictly prohibited from engaging in any off-platform transactions; all payments and communications post-order must remain on SkillNoob. Soliciting or accepting payment outside the Platform is a material breach of these terms. Additionally, users must not: create fake accounts, manipulate reviews or ratings, harass or threaten others, distribute illegal content, commit plagiarism, impersonate others, upload malicious files, or scrape Platform data. Furthermore, users are strictly prohibited from:

• Reciprocal review arrangements: Offering, requesting, or agreeing to exchange positive reviews with another user ("I'll give you 5 stars if you give me 5 stars" or similar).
• Review incentivization: Offering or demanding any reward, refund, discount, or bonus in exchange for a specific rating or review outcome.
• AI-generated work misrepresentation: Submitting AI-generated content as original human work in a Gig where the listing or package does not explicitly disclose the use of AI. Freelancers who use AI tools must clearly disclose this in their Gig description.

13. Intellectual Property

Upon full payment and the successful completion of an Order, all intellectual property rights to the delivered work automatically transfer from the Freelancer to the Client, unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing between the two parties. All intellectual property related to the Platform itself (design, code, branding) remains the exclusive property of SkillNoob.

14. User Content License

Users may upload profile pictures and include images and YouTube links within their Gig listings. By uploading or sharing such media, you grant SkillNoob a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, display, reproduce, and distribute this content across the Platform for operational and promotional purposes. You warrant that you own or possess the necessary rights for any content you upload.

15. Reviews & Ratings

Following the completion of an Order, Clients may leave a review and rating for the Freelancer. Reviews must be honest, objective, and strictly related to the service provided. Review manipulation, purchasing fake reviews, or using extortion to alter reviews is strictly forbidden. The reviews and ratings feature is currently under development and will be available in a future update. This section will come into full effect upon its release.

16. Content Moderation

SkillNoob reserves the right, but is not obligated, to monitor, review, and moderate user content, messages, and Gig listings. We maintain the absolute right to remove any content that violates these Terms of Service or is deemed inappropriate, illegal, or harmful to the Platform's reputation, without prior notice.

17. Suspension & Termination

SkillNoob may suspend, restrict, or permanently terminate your account and access to the Platform at our sole discretion, with or without notice, if you breach these Terms of Service, engage in prohibited conduct, or pose a legal or security risk to the Platform or other users.

18. Disclaimers

The SkillNoob Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or entirely secure.

19. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, SkillNoob, its directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages, including loss of profits or data, arising out of or related to your use of the Platform or transactions between users. Our total liability for any claim shall not exceed the Platform Fees retained by SkillNoob from your transactions in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim.

20. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless SkillNoob and its affiliates from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, or expenses, including reasonable legal fees, arising from your use of the Platform, your breach of these Terms, or your violation of any third-party rights.

21. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Terms of Service, and any disputes arising out of or related to them or the use of the Platform, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Iraq. Any legal action or proceeding shall be brought exclusively in the competent courts located in Baghdad, Iraq.

22. Force Majeure

SkillNoob shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance resulting from circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, internet outages, governmental actions, or infrastructure failures.

23. Changes to Terms

SkillNoob reserves the right to modify these Terms of Service at any time. We will notify users of any material changes by posting the updated terms on the Platform or via email. Continued use of the Platform following such modifications constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

24. General Provisions

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect. The failure of SkillNoob to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not be deemed a waiver of such right or provision.

25. Contact & Legal Notices

For any questions, concerns, or legal notices regarding these Terms of Service, please contact the SkillNoob administration via the following specific contact details:

• General support: support@skillnoob.com