INNOVATION #52: THE COMPETITOR WELCOME PROTOCOL

“We Give Them What We Would Want”

Respectful IP Acquisition for the Little Guys

THE PHILOSOPHY

“If you have ever gone to the pet supply store to buy antibiotics for your dog because you can’t afford to take your daughter to the doctor, we might have something in common.”

The little guys who started their own terrain systems, their own platforms, their own dreams—they’re not enemies. They’re us, from a different timeline.

We don’t crush competitors. We invite them in.

And we pay them what we would want to be paid.

THE PROBLEM WE’RE SOLVING

Across the creative economy, there are thousands of small creators who:

• Started something cool
• Built real IP (designs, systems, content)
• Never quite took off
• Are sitting on valuable work that’s gathering dust
• Would love to see their ideas live on
• Need fair compensation for what they built

Traditional acquisition: “We’ll buy you out for pennies, take your IP, and you’ll never see it again.”

Our approach: “Join us. Keep creating. Get paid fairly. See your work thrive.”

THE COMPETITOR WELCOME PACKAGE

Component 1: Founder Level Status

Immediate Recognition

• Founder’s Circle Medallion (physical + NFT)
• Listed in Sacred Texts as contributing inventor
• Credit on all derivative works
• Voting rights in platform governance

Component 2: Quantified Opportunity Cost Compensation

The Formula:

OPPORTUNITY COST PAYMENT = MAX(Minimum Floor, Proven Value)

Where:
- Minimum Floor = Healthy baseline that's advantageous to them
- Proven Value = Quantifiable evidence of their investment

Proven Value Calculation:

Example:

Small Terrain Creator "HexMaster":
├── Time: 500 hours × $25 = $12,500
├── Money: $3,000 spent × 1.5 = $4,500
├── Revenue: $2,000 sales × 2.0 = $4,000
├── Community: 800 followers × $1 = $800
├── IP: 45 STL designs appraised at $5,000
└── TOTAL PROVEN VALUE: $26,800

Minimum Floor: $10,000 (healthy baseline)

PAYMENT: $26,800 (Proven Value wins)

Component 3: Shared IP Structure

They Keep:

• Co-ownership of their contributed IP
• Right to continue using their own designs
• Attribution on all platform uses
• Revenue share from platform sales of their IP

LB Gets:

• License to use IP on platform
• Right to derivative works
• Priority filing rights (LB wins ties)
• Integration into ecosystem

The Tie-Breaker Rule: When both parties have claim to similar IP:

• Check filing dates
• Earlier filer wins exclusive rights
• Later filer gets revenue share
• If same date: 50/50 split

Component 4: MARKS for Opportunity Loss

The Concept: They’re giving up the potential of their independent path. Even if it wasn’t working, it had value as possibility.

MARKS Package:

MARKS Benefits:

• Immediate platform currency
• Can be used to back other projects
• Can be used to hire help for continued development
• Cannot be cashed out (legal compliance)
• Equivalent to significant head start on platform

THE WELCOME PROCESS

Step 1: Identification

We Find Them:

• Search Kickstarter for related campaigns (funded and unfunded)
• Search Etsy, Gumroad for small creators
• Search Thingiverse, MyMiniFactory for STL creators
• Monitor Reddit, Discord for community builders
• Accept inbound interest

What We Look For:

• Genuine creative work (not copycats)
• Complementary to our ecosystem
• Creator still engaged (or willing to re-engage)
• Clean IP (they actually own it)

Step 2: Outreach

The Message (template):

Hi [Name],

I’m Jonathan with Liana Banyan. I’ve been following your [project name] and I’m impressed with what you’ve built.

We’re building a cooperative commerce platform where creators keep 83.3% of value. We’re not trying to compete with creators like you—we want to bring you in.

We have a Competitor Welcome Protocol specifically designed to fairly compensate creators who join our ecosystem. This includes:

• Cash/credit compensation based on your proven investment
• Founder status with governance rights
• Shared IP ownership (you keep rights to your work)
• MARKS to give you a head start on the platform

Would you be open to a conversation about what this could look like for [project name]?

No pressure. No tricks. Just one creator to another.

— Jonathan

Step 3: Evaluation

Joint Assessment:

• Creator provides documentation of investment
• We verify claims (receipts, analytics, etc.)
• Both parties agree on valuation
• Structure negotiated (more cash vs. more MARKS, etc.)

Dispute Resolution:

• Third-party appraisal if needed
• Defaults favor the creator (we absorb uncertainty)
• Walk-away option always available

Step 4: Integration

Onboarding:

• IP transferred/licensed to platform
• Creator receives compensation package
• Founder status activated
• IP integrated into ecosystem
• Creator can continue developing (now with LB resources)

Ongoing Relationship:

• Revenue share on all uses of their IP
• Invitation to contribute to new development
• Community recognition
• Path to deeper involvement if desired

SPECIFIC USE CASE: TERRAIN CREATORS

The Landscape

Dozens of small creators have built terrain systems:

• Modular dungeon tiles
• Sci-fi scatter terrain
• Fantasy buildings
• Hex-based map systems

Many launched Kickstarters. Some funded. Most didn’t scale.

Our Offer

To the little terrain creators:

“You built something cool. We want to bring it into HexIsle.

Here’s what we offer:

• Fair payment for your time and investment
• Your designs stay yours (shared ownership)
• Revenue share on every sale through our platform
• Founder status in a growing ecosystem
• Resources to keep creating (if you want)

Your designs could reach thousands of people through our network. You could keep earning from work you’ve already done. And you’d be part of something bigger.”

Integration Path

1. STL Library: Their designs join our asset library
2. Ghost Items: Their terrain becomes purchasable in HexIsle
3. Manufacturing: Distributed nodes can produce their designs
4. Revenue: They earn on every unit sold
5. Attribution: Full credit in Sacred Texts

THE ECONOMICS

For Us (Liana Banyan)

Costs:

• Opportunity cost payments ($10K-$50K per acquisition)
• MARKS issuance (platform currency, not cash)
• Revenue share (ongoing)
• Integration work

Benefits:

• Instant IP library expansion
• Proven designs (market-tested)
• Built-in communities (their followers)
• Reduced competition
• Goodwill in creator community
• Faster ecosystem growth

For Them (Acquired Creators)

They Receive:

• Fair compensation for past work
• Ongoing revenue from platform sales
• Founder status and governance rights
• Resources to continue creating
• Community and support
• Path to sustainable income

They Give Up:

• Exclusive control of their IP
• Independent brand identity
• Solo decision-making

The Trade: They trade isolation for integration. Struggle for support. Potential for actual.

LEGAL STRUCTURE

IP Transfer Agreement

Key Terms:

1. Creator grants non-exclusive license to LB
2. Creator retains right to use own IP
3. LB gets right to derivatives and sublicensing
4. Revenue share terms (typically 50% of IP-specific revenue)
5. Attribution requirements
6. Term: Perpetual (or matches platform existence)

Filing Priority

The Tie-Breaker Rule:

• All IP registered with filing date
• If dispute arises over similar IP:
  • Compare filing dates
  • Earlier filer gets priority
  • Later filer compensated with revenue share
  • If same date: 50/50 split, LB administers

Compensation Agreement

Payment Structure Options:

• Option A: 100% upfront (cash/credits)
• Option B: 50% upfront + 50% over 12 months
• Option C: 25% upfront + enhanced revenue share
• Option D: Mostly MARKS + minimal cash (for believers)

Creator chooses. We accommodate.

THE MORAL ARGUMENT

Why This Matters

Traditional M&A: “We’ll take your stuff and you’ll disappear.”

Our Approach: “We’ll honor your work and you’ll be part of something bigger.”

This isn’t just business strategy. It’s the right thing to do.

These creators:

• Took risks we understand
• Built things we admire
• Deserve respect, not exploitation
• Could be us in a different timeline

The Golden Rule Applied

“We don’t offer something to someone else that we wouldn’t take ourselves.”

Would Jonathan take this deal if he were on the other side?

• Fair payment for 9 years of work? Yes.
• Keep rights to his creations? Yes.
• Ongoing revenue share? Yes.
• Founder status in a real platform? Yes.
• Resources to keep building? Yes.

If we would take it, we can offer it.

CLAIMS FOR INNOVATION #52

Claim 1: Competitor Acquisition Framework

A method of acquiring competitor intellectual property comprising: a) identification of complementary small creators in relevant markets b) quantified valuation based on documented opportunity cost c) minimum floor compensation advantageous to acquired party d) shared IP structure preserving creator rights e) platform currency (MARKS) compensation for opportunity loss

Claim 2: Opportunity Cost Calculation

A system for calculating acquisition compensation comprising: a) time investment multiplied by baseline rate b) monetary investment multiplied by risk premium c) proven revenue multiplied by market validation factor d) community value based on engaged user count e) appraised IP value for creative works f) maximum of calculated value or minimum floor

Claim 3: Shared IP Governance

A method of managing jointly-owned intellectual property comprising: a) co-ownership structure preserving original creator rights b) platform license for derivative works and distribution c) filing date priority for dispute resolution d) revenue sharing based on IP-specific sales e) attribution requirements in all uses

Claim 4: Creator Onboarding Protocol

A method of integrating acquired creators comprising: a) founder status conferral with governance rights b) IP transfer or licensing agreement execution c) compensation package delivery d) platform integration of contributed IP e) ongoing relationship management with revenue sharing

INTEGRATION WITH ECOSYSTEM

Sacred Texts (#51): Acquired IP registered with full genealogy Medallion System (#3): Founder medallions for acquired creators Observatory (#39): Integration progress tracked publicly Bounty Board (#44): Acquisition outreach posted as bounties Answer the Call (#46): Acquired creators join guilds MARKS (#14): Compensation in platform currency

IMMEDIATE TARGETS

Terrain Creators (HexIsle Integration)

• Search: “modular dungeon tiles kickstarter”
• Search: “hex terrain STL”
• Search: “tabletop scatter terrain”

Game Creators (Tereno Integration)

• Search: “indie tabletop game kickstarter failed”
• Search: “solo game designer patreon”

Tool Creators (Platform Integration)

• Search: “creator economy tool startup”
• Search: “indie marketplace platform”

SUCCESS METRICS

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

Innovation #: 52 Name: The Competitor Welcome Protocol Inventor: Jonathan Ray Jones Date: November 27, 2025 Parents: #9 (Boaz Principle), #3 (Medallion), #14 (MARKS), #51 (Exponential Engine) Claims: 4 Status: DRAFT

THE CLOSING STATEMENT

“The little guys who built cool stuff but never took off—they’re not competition. They’re family we haven’t met yet.

We pay them what we would want to be paid.

Because that’s who we are.”

Innovation #52: The Competitor Welcome Protocol “We give them what we would want.” Liana Banyan Corporation