Terms and conditions

Last updated: 25 September 2026

About Open Thread

Open Thread is the trading name of Lorena Seco de Herrera Ortega, a sole trader based in England. Business address: 151 Ladywell Road, London, SE13 7HZ, United Kingdom. Email: lorena@openthreadmarketing.com. In these terms, “I”, “me” and “my” mean Lorena trading as Open Thread; “you” means the website visitor or client, as applicable.

These terms cover use of this website and business-to-business community building and customer marketing services. The services may include strategy, programme design, customer advocacy, customer insight, advisory boards, planning and agreed implementation support.

Using this website

You may browse this website and use its information to learn about Open Thread and enquire about working together. Please do not misuse the website, attempt unauthorised access, introduce malicious software or use its content unlawfully. Website content belongs to me or its respective owners. You may share links, but please obtain permission before reproducing content commercially.

Website information describes my approach and experience. It is general information, not advice tailored to your circumstances. Examples of past work describe specific outcomes and do not promise equivalent results. External websites are responsible for their own content and practices.

Agreeing a project

Before work starts, we will agree a written proposal, statement of work or other engagement document covering the scope, deliverables, timing, fees and any project-specific conditions. A service contract begins when both parties accept that document in writing, including by email, and it incorporates these terms. Submitting a contact form does not create a service contract.

If the agreed engagement document conflicts with these terms, the engagement document takes priority for that project. These terms do not replace a separate signed client contract unless we expressly agree that they do.

Scope, delivery and collaboration

I will provide the agreed services with reasonable care and skill. You will provide timely access to the information, people, systems, feedback and approvals reasonably needed for the work, and identify a person authorised to make decisions. You remain responsible for your business decisions and for the accuracy and lawful use of materials you provide.

We will agree material changes to scope, deliverables, revisions, fees or timing in writing before the additional work starts. If delayed information or approvals affect delivery, we will discuss a revised timetable and any resulting costs. Timelines and dependencies will be set out in the engagement document.

Community and customer marketing outcomes depend on factors including your audience, resources, implementation and market conditions. I do not guarantee a particular revenue, pipeline, engagement or other commercial result.

Fees and payment

The engagement document will specify the fee, currency, invoice schedule, payment due dates and any deposit. Taxes, where applicable, will be identified in the agreed pricing or invoice. Travel, third-party tools and other additional expenses require your approval before they are incurred.

Please raise any invoice query promptly so we can resolve it. Undisputed amounts remain payable by the agreed due date. For overdue business invoices, I may exercise statutory rights to interest and recovery costs where applicable. I may pause work after giving written notice and a reasonable opportunity to settle an overdue undisputed payment.

Cancellation, postponement and ending a project

Notice periods, retainer commitments and any specific cancellation or rescheduling charges must be agreed in the engagement document. If no notice period is agreed, either party may end the engagement by written notice. You will pay for work completed up to the end date and any unavoidable third-party costs that you previously authorised. I will return advance payments for work not delivered after deducting amounts properly due.

If either party materially breaches the agreement, the other may give written notice identifying the breach and a reasonable opportunity to remedy it. If it is not remedied, the affected party may end the engagement. We will agree an orderly handover of completed work and any client materials.

Ownership and use of work

You retain ownership of the information, branding and other materials you supply. You confirm that you have the rights and permissions needed for me to use them to deliver the services.

Ownership of bespoke deliverables and any copyright transfer will be set out in our written engagement document. Unless we agree otherwise, I retain copyright and, once the relevant fees are paid in full, grant you a perpetual, non-exclusive licence to use, copy and adapt the final deliverables for the business purposes for which they were commissioned, including agreed customer-facing use. You may allow your team and suppliers to use them on your behalf for those purposes.

My existing templates, frameworks, methods and general know-how remain mine. Where they are incorporated in paid deliverables, the licence above lets you use them as part of those deliverables. It does not permit resale of my underlying materials as a standalone product. Third-party materials remain subject to their own licence terms. Any transfer of copyright must be agreed in writing and signed by the rights owner.

Confidentiality and publicity

Each party will protect the other’s confidential information and use it only for the engagement. It may be shared with people who need it for the work and are bound by appropriate confidentiality duties, or when disclosure is required by law. This does not cover information already lawfully known, independently developed or publicly available through no breach of confidence.

I will seek your permission before publishing your name, logo, testimonial, identifiable project details or confidential results as a case study. Confidentiality obligations continue after the engagement ends.

Personal data

My Privacy Policy explains how I handle enquiries and business contact information. Each party is responsible for its own data protection obligations. If a project requires me to process customer, community member or research participant data on your behalf, we will agree the necessary data processing terms before that processing begins. Please do not send sensitive personal information or customer datasets through the website contact form.

Responsibility and liability

Each party remains responsible for its own breach of contract or negligence under applicable law. Any project-specific allocation of risk or financial limit on liability must be expressly agreed in the engagement document. Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

The services described here are intended for business clients. If you contract as a consumer, your mandatory consumer rights remain unaffected, and any required consumer information and cancellation arrangements must be provided separately before the contract is agreed.

Questions, disputes and changes

If a concern arises, please email lorena@openthreadmarketing.com so we can try to resolve it promptly and in good faith. These terms and business engagements are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and disputes are subject to the courts of England and Wales, unless our signed agreement provides otherwise. This does not remove any mandatory rights or protections that apply to a consumer.

I may update the website terms from time to time. The date above identifies the current version. Updates do not retrospectively change an existing service contract; changes to an ongoing engagement require agreement in writing.