Date of Last Revision: July 1, 2026

PLEASE READ THESE TERMS OF USE (“TERMS”) CAREFULLY. BY ACCESSING OR USING THE WEBSITE THEBARBEDWIRE.COM (THE “SITE”) OR BECOMING A MEMBER, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS AND ALL TERMS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, YOU MAY NOT USE THE SITE.

The Site is operated by Barbed Wire Media, A Public Benefit Corporation, doing business as The Barbed Wire (“TBW,” “we,” “our,” or “us”). These Terms govern your access to and use of the Site, including any paid memberships and any merchandise purchased through the Site.

We may modify these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will provide reasonable notice — for example, by updating the date above and, where appropriate, posting a notice on the Site or notifying members by email. Changes take effect when posted, and your continued use of the Site after that constitutes acceptance. We encourage you to review these Terms periodically.

1. Privacy Policy

Our Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and disclose personal information and is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

2. Memberships and Subscriptions

The Barbed Wire offers free and paid memberships. Paid memberships are available at several tiers, each offered on a monthly or annual basis, and are processed by our payment processor, Stripe. By purchasing a paid membership, you authorize us and Stripe to charge your payment method according to the plan you select.

• Automatic renewal. Paid memberships renew automatically at the end of each billing period (monthly or annual) at the then-current rate, using your payment method on file, until you cancel. This is a recurring charge.
• Cancellation. You may cancel at any time from your account page on the Site, which stops future renewals. You may also email support@thebarbedwire.com for help cancelling. When you cancel, your membership and access continue through the end of the period you have already paid for, and you will not be charged again.
• Refunds. If you are unhappy with a paid membership, contact us at support@thebarbedwire.com and we will work with you, including by providing a refund. We are a reader-supported, open publication and aim to be fair about this.
• Price changes. We may change membership prices. If we do, the new price will not take effect for your membership until your next renewal after we provide notice, and you may cancel before then if you do not wish to continue at the new price.
• Eligibility. You are responsible for keeping your account and payment information accurate, and you agree that you are authorized to use the payment method you provide.

3. Merchandise

Merchandise offered through the Site is produced on demand and fulfilled by our third-party provider, Fourthwall, which serves as the merchant of record for those purchases. When you buy merchandise, your purchase is also subject to Fourthwall’s terms and policies, and Fourthwall handles payment processing, production, shipping, and related customer service.

Because items are printed on demand specifically for you, all merchandise sales are final and we do not offer refunds or returns except where an item arrives defective or damaged, or as otherwise required by law. If something is wrong with your order, contact us at support@thebarbedwire.com and we will help you resolve it.

4. Copyright, Content, and Limited License

Unless otherwise indicated, the Site and its content and materials — including the TBW name and logo, and all designs, text, graphics, images, data, software, and the selection and arrangement of these — (the “Site Materials”) are the property of TBW or its licensors and are protected by U.S. and international intellectual-property laws.

Subject to these Terms, we grant you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-sublicensable license to access and use the Site and Site Materials for your personal, non-commercial use. You agree that you will not:

• license, sell, rent, lease, transfer, reproduce, distribute, host, or otherwise commercially exploit the Site Materials, except as expressly permitted here or by applicable law (including fair use);
• frame or use framing techniques to enclose any TBW trademark, logo, or other Site Materials without permission;
• use TBW’s name or trademarks in metatags or other hidden text without permission;
• remove or alter any copyright or proprietary notices in the Site Materials; or
• access or use the Site Materials in a way that infringes the rights of others or violates applicable law.

Automated access, indexing, and machine learning. The Barbed Wire is an open publication, and we generally welcome our journalism being read, indexed, and used — including by search engines and to train or improve machine-learning and artificial-intelligence systems. We therefore permit automated access to publicly available pages of the Site for these purposes. This permission does not extend to activity that harms the Site or other users — for example, accessing non-public or members-only content without authorization, circumventing security or access controls, scraping at a volume or rate that degrades or disrupts the Site, or copying the Site Materials to build a substantially similar or competing publication. We may revoke or limit this permission, in whole or in part, at any time.

Some Site Materials may be hosted by third parties. We cannot monitor all such materials, and you access them at your own risk.

5. Copyright Complaints (DMCA)

Consistent with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) and other applicable law, we may, in appropriate circumstances and at our discretion, limit access to the Site or terminate the accounts of users who infringe the intellectual-property rights of others, including repeat infringers.

If you believe content on the Site infringes a copyright you own or control, you may send a notice to our designated agent that meets the requirements of 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3):

DMCA Designated Agent, The Barbed Wire1401 Lavaca, Suite 193, Austin, TX 78701support@thebarbedwire.com

Note that if you knowingly misrepresent that material is infringing, you may be liable for damages, including costs and attorneys’ fees, under § 512(f).

6. Trademarks

The TBW name, logo, and related marks, and the look and feel of the Site, are trademarks and trade dress of TBW and may not be used without our prior written permission. Other marks appearing on the Site are the property of their respective owners. References to third-party products or services do not imply our endorsement.

7. User Conduct

As a condition of using the Site, you agree not to take any action that: (a) infringes any intellectual-property, privacy, publicity, or other right of any person; (b) is unlawful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, deceptive, fraudulent, obscene, or otherwise objectionable; (c) constitutes unauthorized advertising or spam; (d) impersonates any person or entity, including TBW staff; (e) interferes with the proper functioning or security of the Site; or (f) attempts to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Site, its servers, or members-only content, or introduces malicious code. (Routine automated access of public pages for the purposes permitted in Section 4 is not a violation of this Section.)

8. Third-Party Sites, Content, and Services

The Site may link to or make available third-party websites, content, products, and services that we do not control. We provide these for convenience and do not endorse them or take responsibility for their content, accuracy, or practices. Your dealings with third parties, including any purchase made through a third party such as our merchandise provider, are solely between you and that third party. When you leave the Site, these Terms no longer govern, and you should review the third party’s own terms and privacy practices.

9. Feedback

If you send us feedback, questions, comments, suggestions, or ideas about the Site or TBW (“Feedback”), you agree it is non-confidential and that we may use it for any purpose without compensation or attribution. You represent that you have the rights necessary to provide any Feedback you submit and that it does not violate the rights of others.

10. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless TBW and its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, employees, agents, partners, suppliers, and licensors (each a “TBW Party”) from any losses, costs, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of: (a) your use of, or inability to use, the Site Materials; (b) your violation of these Terms; or (c) your violation of any applicable law. We may assume the exclusive defense of any matter subject to indemnification by you, and you agree to cooperate. This Section does not require you to indemnify a TBW Party for that party’s own fraud, deception, misrepresentation, or unconscionable commercial practice. This Section survives termination of your access.

11. Disclaimers

TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, YOUR USE OF THE SITE AND SITE MATERIALS IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK, AND THEY ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE,” WITH ALL FAULTS AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TBW DISCLAIMS ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE OR SITE MATERIALS ARE ACCURATE, COMPLETE, RELIABLE, CURRENT, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF HARMFUL COMPONENTS. TBW IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS OR OMISSIONS, INCLUDING AS TO PRICING. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN WARRANTIES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

12. Limitation of Liability

TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL THE TBW PARTIES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, OR DATA, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SITE, SITE MATERIALS, OR THESE TERMS, ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER OR NOT TBW HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE TOTAL LIABILITY OF THE TBW PARTIES FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SITE OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE TOTAL AMOUNTS YOU PAID TO TBW IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE LIABILITY, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100). THIS CAP DOES NOT APPLY TO LIABILITY FOR DEATH OR PERSONAL INJURY CAUSED BY A TBW PARTY’S NEGLIGENCE, OR FOR A TBW PARTY’S FRAUD OR FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN LIMITATIONS, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

13. International Users

The Site is operated from the United States. We make no representation that the Site or Site Materials are appropriate or available for use outside the United States. Those who access the Site from other locations do so on their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local law.

14. Governing Law and Venue

These Terms and your use of the Site are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Any action arising out of or relating to these Terms must be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Texas, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

15. Termination

We may, in our discretion and without notice, suspend or terminate your license to use the Site and Site Materials, and block future access, including for any violation of these Terms. Sections that by their nature should survive termination — including Sections 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, and 16 — will survive.

16. Release

You release the TBW Parties and their successors from all claims, demands, losses, and damages of any kind, known or unknown, arising from your use of the Site or Site Materials, including any interactions with third-party sites. If you are a California resident, you waive California Civil Code Section 1542, which says a general release does not extend to claims the releasing party does not know or suspect to exist at the time of the release and that, if known, would have materially affected the settlement. This release does not apply to a TBW Party’s own fraud, deception, misrepresentation, or unconscionable commercial practice.

17. General

• Assignment. You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights under them without our prior written consent; any attempt to do so is void. We may assign these Terms freely, including in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
• Force majeure. We are not liable for delays or failures to perform caused by events beyond our reasonable control.
• Severability. If any provision is found unenforceable, it will be limited or severed, and the remaining provisions will stay in effect.
• Entire agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any terms applicable to a specific membership or purchase, are the entire agreement between you and TBW regarding the Site and supersede prior discussions on the subject.
• No waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of our right to do so later.

18. Contact

Questions or comments about these Terms or the Site may be sent to support@thebarbedwire.com.