Kickstater is a very popular way to fund small potentially more 'indie' projects to fruition. It's opened up the word of development to so many small groups and companies that there's no doubt that it plays a major part in the uprising of the indie game developer as well as the general upsurge of small business start-ups that have appeared over the last decade. However, it's not without risk and sometimes backers have found themselves out of pocket having backed something that the creator never had the intention of finishing (for example, the Asylum Playing Cards).
Yesterday Kickstarter seeked to address that by making alterations to their Terms and conditions that more clearly outlines what both sides of the agreement between Backers and Creators should expect from the other. While it once again states that Backers should "understand that when they back a project, they’re helping to create something new — not ordering something that already exists", going on to say that changes, delays or even the non-completion of a project could happen; it makes sure that Creators understand their responsibility to the Backers too.
"When a project is successfully funded, the creator must complete the project and fulfill each reward. Once a creator has done so, they’ve satisfied their obligation to their backers." This is the very first sentence of the passage and it goes on to say that Backers deserve a "high standard of effort, honest communication, and a dedication to bringing the project to life". It then says that if a project cannot be completed that Creators must do all in their power to remedy the situation by "bringing the project to the best possible conclusion for backers." They must show how the raised funds were used and offer to refund any backers who haven't received their rewards or explain how they'd be used to complete the project in an alternative way. It ends by warning Creators that if they cannot fulfill the terms of this agreement they might be subject to legal action from their Backers.
For some this change in wording will already have come a little too late, but in a way it is good to see that the people running Kickstarter have taken notice of problems and are seeking to close loopholes before they are exploited again.
Kickstarter Blog: "An update to our Terms of Use": [x]
Kickstarter Terms of Use: [x]