Terms of Service & Commercial Service Level Agreement (SLA)
These Terms and Conditions govern all press release distribution orders, media wire syndication packages, editorial submissions, and clipping dossiers managed by Strategic Media.
Custom enterprise Master Services Agreements (MSAs) or dedicated agency riders?
1. Scope of Services & Contractual Acceptance
By submitting a press release brief, executing a digital distribution order, or approving an invoice with Strategic Media ("Strategic Media", "we", "us", or "the Wire"), the ordering entity ("Client", "Brand", or "Agency") enters into a legally binding agreement under these Terms and Conditions.
Our services encompass journalistic editorial review, press release formatting, distribution queue routing, newsroom transmission to national and regional publisher desks (including Hindustan Times, ThePrint, ANI News, Lokmat Times, Dailyhunt, and state digital dailies), search index syndication, and live clipping dossier generation.
2. The 48-Hour to 45-Day Turnaround SLA
Our syndicated newsroom distribution and publication timelines operate strictly on a verified schedule of 48 hrs to 45 days (T&C Apply), defined across service packages:
Applies to standard digital press releases across digital business dailies, RSS newsfeeds, state news portals, and news aggregators. Commences upon final copy clearance.
Applies to Tier-1 editorial placements, regional language print syndications, founder feature profiles, and comprehensive multi-state clipping verifications.
3. Editorial Guidelines, Defamation & Fact-Checking
All submitted announcements must adhere to the Press Council of India standards and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules:
- Factual Attribution: Press releases must state the legal entity name, executive quote sources, and a valid corporate media contact.
- Prohibited Categories: Strategic Media strictly rejects releases promoting illegal gambling, unverified cryptocurrency schemes, explicit materials, hate speech, or defamatory allegations against third parties.
- Editorial Prerogative: Copy editors reserve the right to modify headlines and syntax to comply with AP/Reuters journalistic conventions without altering core factual substance.
4. Embargo Transmissions & Time-Locked Release
For funding rounds, mergers, corporate acquisitions, or sensitive product rollouts marked EMBARGOED:
Strategic Media encrypts and holds all embargoed releases in a restricted newsroom queue. Distribution to media networks commences strictly at the designated date and hour specified in the client docket.
6. Intellectual Property, Canonical URLs & Citation Rights
The Client retains full intellectual property ownership of submitted corporate trademarks, logos, and factual announcement narratives.
Full commercial rights to re-publish live media links, badges, and clippings across marketing assets, investor presentations, and corporate websites.
Strategic Media retains non-exclusive rights to maintain public news archives and showcase live coverage metrics in client proof dossiers.
7. Commercial Fees, GSTIN & Invoicing
Distribution packages are billed in Indian Rupees (INR) or equivalent international currencies based on selected syndication tiers:
- Advance Payment: All single distribution orders and package tiers require 100% advance payment prior to newsroom dispatch.
- Goods & Services Tax (GST): Invoices are subject to statutory GST (18%) under Indian taxation rules. GST tax credit invoices are issued promptly upon clearance.
- Non-Refundable Post-Dispatch: Once a release has been transmitted to publisher wires, fees are non-refundable due to non-reversible third-party editorial processing.
8. Corrections, Retractions & Wire Kill Requests
If an error is identified following broadcast, the Client must notify our newsroom desk immediately in writing.
Strategic Media will issue an official correction notice or kill request to syndicated network partners. Note that external publisher desks operate on independent editorial schedules for updating archived pages.
9. Governing Law & New Delhi Jurisdiction
These Terms of Service and any commercial engagements shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India. Any disputes arising out of or related to these terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts in New Delhi, India.