Terms · Plain language
Stica is the trading name of Ian Pattison, a sole trader. These are the terms on which we provide the free sample and any paid work. Plainly put, and fair both ways.
fair both
ways.
These terms apply between Ian Pattison trading as Stica ("Stica", "we") and the organisation or person who submits a brief or engages us ("you", "the client"). By submitting a brief you accept these terms and confirm you have read our Privacy Notice.
Stica designs evidence-based learning and behaviour-change interventions. Our work is built on published learning science and on the material and context you give us.
We may offer a free needs analysis and a sample piece of content. The free sample is provided at no charge and places you under no obligation to buy anything. We may decline, limit, or stop offering it at our discretion, and we will be honest about what a free, research-based piece can and cannot do for your situation.
Any paid engagement is agreed separately in a written proposal or statement of work that sets out the scope, deliverables, fees, and timing. Where a paid engagement and these terms conflict, the written proposal takes precedence for that engagement.
You confirm that the information in your brief is accurate to the best of your knowledge; that you have the right to share any material you send us; and that, where you declare a compliance floor (the non-negotiable elements of your topic), that declaration is yours to make. We may propose candidates for that floor, but we never assign it for you.
The methods, templates, frameworks, and know-how we use remain ours. The bespoke deliverables we create for a paid engagement become yours once that engagement is paid in full, except for those underlying methods and any third-party or openly licensed material, which keep their own terms. The free sample remains our intellectual property; you may use it within your own organisation, and we share it to demonstrate the work rather than to transfer ownership.
Our analyses and deliverables are produced with the help of AI tools and are evidence-based recommendations. They are not legal, medical, regulatory, financial, or other professional advice, and are not a substitute for it. You are responsible for deciding whether and how to act on our recommendations, and for obtaining any professional or regulatory advice your situation needs.
We design the effective strategy; you, as the client or sponsor, own the legal, compliance, and regulatory decisions about your content and how it is used. We state our assumptions, basis, and areas of concern so you can make those decisions with open eyes.
Each of us will keep the other's confidential information confidential and use it only for the engagement. Where you send us confidential material, we handle it under our data protection terms (section 10) and, for confidential or regulated work, under a separate confidentiality agreement and a contained handling process.
We handle personal data as described in our Privacy Notice. Where we process personal data on your behalf, such as data within material you send, we do so under a data processing agreement that meets the UK GDPR.
We bring evidence and method, and we are honest about confidence and limits. We do not guarantee a particular learning or behavioural outcome, because outcomes depend on factors beyond the content, including how it is implemented in your organisation.
Our total liability to you for any claim arising from an engagement is limited to the fees you have paid us for that engagement. Where work is provided free, such as the sample, our liability for it is limited to a nominal sum. We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for loss of profit, revenue, or anticipated savings. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited, including for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud.
Either of us may stop a free-sample interaction at any time. A paid engagement runs and ends as set out in its proposal. You can ask us to close your request and delete your data at any time (see the Privacy Notice).
These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.
Questions about these terms: hello@stica.co.uk.
16 June 2026. Stica is an early release; these terms reflect that stage and may be updated, with the date shown here.