Offer for Authors

The text of this offer was posted on September 4, 2026. This document constitutes a public offer within the meaning of Articles 435 and 437 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. Acceptance of the Offer is concluded in accordance with Section 5 and does not require the signing of a separate paper agreement.

1. Who is offering the terms

1.1. The Offeror is Limited Liability Company "AC ARGUMENT" (hereinafter – the "Editorial Office"), founder of the online publication "Argument Media" (mass media registration certificate El No. FS77-90184 dated 16.10.2025), website argument.media (hereinafter – the "Website").

1.2. This Offer is addressed to individuals – authors of texts who submit materials for publication to the Editorial Office (hereinafter – the "Author").

1.3. This Offer does not replace the Website's User Agreement: the agreement regulates the use of the Website, while the Offer sets out the terms under which the Editorial Office accepts and publishes author materials.

2. Definitions

Material – the text of an article, column, commentary, or other author's work, as well as the title, lead, captions, and illustrations that the Author has provided to the Editorial Office along with the text.

License – a non-exclusive (simple) license to use the Material in the ways specified in Section 4. The exclusive right to the Material does not transfer to the Editorial Office.

3. Subject Matter. Ownership of Rights

3.1. Authorship and the right to attribution belong to the Author and are inalienable. The Editorial Office shall indicate the Author's name (or agreed pseudonym), except when the Author explicitly requests anonymous publication in writing.

3.2. The exclusive right to the Material remains with the Author. The Editorial Office does not claim assignment of the exclusive right.

3.3. By accepting this Offer, the Author grants the Editorial Office the License. The Author is entitled to use the Material themselves and to grant licenses to other persons, provided this does not contradict their agreements with third parties (e.g., a journal, conference, employer, client).

4. Scope of License

4.1. The License grants the Editorial Office the right to use the Material in the following ways:

• reproduction and making available to the public on the Website, in the Website archive, and in the Editorial Office's applications;
• distribution as part of Argument Media, including in announcements, selections, and newsletters;
• translation, including automatic (machine) translation, and publication of the translation;
• editorial correction of spelling, punctuation, style, title, and lead without distorting the meaning; significant changes to the meaning require agreement with the Author;
• publication of excerpts and announcements on the Editorial Office's social media and messengers;
• technical storage, backup, and processing by the Editorial Office's contractors (hosting, CDN, translation) exclusively for the aforementioned uses.

4.2. The territory of the license is worldwide. The term is for the entire duration of the exclusive right to the Material.

4.3. The License is gratuitous, unless the Editorial Office and the Author have separately agreed on remuneration. A separate agreement on a fee only changes the payment condition and does not cancel other provisions of the Offer.

4.4. For Material already published, the License is irrevocable. The Author may cease submitting new materials to the Editorial Office at any time.

4.5. The right to sublicense to third parties is not granted, except for engaging technical contractors as per clause 4.1.

5. Acceptance

5.1. The Offer is deemed accepted (Art. 438 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation) if the Author, having familiarized themselves with its text on the Website, performs one of the following actions:

• sends the Material to in@argument.media or to the Editorial Office's official messenger after receiving a link to this Offer;
• responds to the Editorial Office's message containing a link to the Offer with the words "I agree," "I accept," or an equivalent confirmation;
• resubmits the Material or gives consent to publication after receiving a link to the Offer.

5.2. The agreement is considered concluded in written form by means of electronic document and message exchange (Art. 434 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation). A paper signature is not required.

5.3. The Author's initial incoming email, if the Editorial Office has not yet sent a link to the Offer, does not constitute acceptance. The Editorial Office will send a link to the Offer in a reply message and request confirmation.

5.4. The Editorial Office has the right to refuse to accept the Material and not conclude an agreement without stating reasons. Acceptance does not oblige the Editorial Office to publish the Material.

6. Author's Warranties

6.1. The Author warrants that:

• they created the Material themselves or are entitled to grant the License under the terms of the Offer;
• if the Material has co-authors, they agree to the granting of the License;
• the exclusive right to the Material has not been transferred or encumbered in such a way that the License to the Editorial Office would become impossible;
• the Material does not infringe upon the rights of third parties, including copyrights, trademarks, and privacy rights;
• they are entitled to use the illustrations, tables, and data provided by the Author in the specified ways, or have explicitly marked that the Editorial Office needs to secure rights for them.

6.2. The Author shall independently settle third-party claims related to the violation of the warranties in clause 6.1 and shall reimburse the Editorial Office for confirmed losses if the claim is caused by such violations.

7. Previously Published Materials

7.1. The Author is obliged to inform, prior to publication, where the Material (or a substantial part thereof) has already been disclosed: scientific journal, conference proceedings, website, preprint, corporate blog.

7.2. If exclusive rights or an exclusive license to the same text have already been granted to a journal, publisher, conference organizer, employer, or other person, the Author is not entitled to accept the Offer with respect to that text. The Editorial Office will not publish such Material until the Author provides confirmation that the rights are free, or written consent from the rights holder.

7.3. An oral presentation, slides, or conference abstracts do not, by themselves, prohibit the publication of a new, expanded text for a general audience, provided that the exclusive rights to this new text are free. The Material shall indicate the original source (conference, journal, date, link).

7.4. Verbatim republication of an article already published in a scientific journal is not performed by default. Adaptation for non-specialists with a reference to the original is possible, subject to compliance with clause 7.2.

7.5. The Editorial Office has the right to refuse publication of previously disclosed text even if the rights are free, based on editorial considerations of originality.

8. Publication and Removal from Publication

8.1. The publication date, title, category, and design are determined by the Editorial Office.

8.2. The Editorial Office has the right to remove the Material from the Website if a legal risk, violation of Author's warranties, requirement from an authorized body, or editorial necessity is identified. The Editorial Office will notify the Author of the removal if possible.

9. Personal Data

9.1. By submitting the Material, the Author consents to the processing of their name, place of work, academic degree, contact details, and photograph (if provided) for the purpose of fulfilling this Offer and publishing the Author's byline – in accordance with the Privacy Policy.

10. Amendment of the Offer

10.1. The Editorial Office shall post a new version of the Offer on this page. The new version applies to materials received after its posting. For already accepted materials, the version in effect on the date of acceptance applies, unless the Author has agreed to the new version.

11. Concluding Provisions

11.1. The law of the Russian Federation applies to this Offer. Disputes shall first be attempted to be settled by negotiations, then in court at the location of the Editorial Office.

11.2. The invalidity of a single provision does not affect the remaining provisions of the Offer.

11.3. This Offer is drafted in Russian. The Russian text shall prevail over any translation.

Contact for submitting materials and questions regarding the Offer: in@argument.media.