BLUEPRINT VALIDATOR TERMS OF SERVICE

‍1. SCOPE AND ACCEPTANCE
By delegating stake to any Blueprint‑operated validator address on a supported blockchain network (a "Delegation"), you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Validator Terms of Service (these "Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not delegate stake to our validators. Your continued Delegation following the effective date of any update to these Terms constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

‍2. NON-CUSTODIAL RELATIONSHIP

‍2.1 Control of Assets. Delegation is non‑custodial. You retain exclusive ownership and control of your digital assets and private keys at all times. Blueprint does not take custody of, or control over, your assets.

‍2.2 Nature of Delegation. Delegation does not constitute a transfer of ownership or custody of your assets. Rather, it designates Blueprint as your validator for purposes of earning protocol‑level rewards and, where applicable, being subject to protocol‑level penalties in accordance with the rules of the applicable blockchain network.

‍2.3 Termination. Either party may terminate the Delegation relationship at any time by undelegating stake, subject to network protocol unbonding periods.  To the extent the specific protocol does not allow a validator to unilaterally undelegate your stake, termination shall be effected by your submission of the applicable undelegation instruction and remains subject to protocol unbonding/cool-down periods.

‍3. FEES AND REWARD MECHANICS

‍3.1 Commission Structure. Each supported network's validator operated by Blueprint maintains a published commission rate (our "Commission"), which represents the percentage of gross protocol rewards that Blueprint retains as compensation for validator services. The Commission is deducted on‑chain from gross protocol rewards prior to distribution to delegators.

‍3.2 Reward Distribution. Your staking rewards, if any, are delivered directly by the blockchain network protocol, net of our Commission. Blueprint does not separately invoice or bill you for staking services.

‍3.3 Fee Schedule and Changes. Commission rates are set per validator node and reflected on-chain by the applicable network. We may change a node’s Commission at any time. A changed Commission is effective when applied on-chain to that node and will apply to rewards calculated thereafter under the network’s rules. We do not issue off-chain invoices for Commission.

‍3.4 Minimum Delegation Amounts. Certain networks may impose minimum delegation amounts as specified on the fee schedule page.

‍4. NO ADVICE; NO FIDUCIARY DUTY Blueprint provides blockchain infrastructure services only. We do not provide investment, legal, tax, accounting, or other professional advice, and we owe you no fiduciary or similar duties. You are solely responsible for evaluating the risks and benefits of Delegation, determining your compliance obligations, and making all decisions regarding your digital assets.

‍5. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RISKS 5.1 Protocol Risk. Network forks, software upgrades, governance proposals, consensus changes, and parameter modifications may adversely affect validator operations, reward rates, penalties, or asset availability.

‍5.2 Slashing and Penalties. Where applicable, blockchain protocols may impose slashing, inactivity penalties, or other sanctions that reduce staked assets in the event of validator downtime, equivocation (double‑signing), protocol violations, or other conduct deemed improper by the network protocol.

‍5.3 Operational Risk. Validator outages, scheduled or unscheduled maintenance, infrastructure failures, network congestion, cloud provider disruptions, or third‑party service failures may result in reduced rewards, missed blocks, or inactivity penalties.

‍5.4 Lock‑up Periods. Many blockchain networks impose unbonding, cool‑down, or withdrawal delay periods during which staked assets or accumulated rewards cannot be transferred or accessed.

‍5.5 Security Risk. Despite Blueprint’s implementation of industry‑standard security controls, no system is entirely immune to compromise, and cryptographic key management involves inherent risk.

‍5.6 Market and Volatility Risk. The value of staked assets and staking rewards may fluctuate, and you may experience losses unrelated to validator performance.

‍6. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION 6.1 No Compensation for Protocol‑Level Actions; Missed Rewards. Blueprint does not compensate you for protocol-level penalties or losses, including without limitation slashing, inactivity penalties, changes to reward rates or economics, or any missed, reduced, or foregone rewards attributable to validator downtime, maintenance windows, software or hardware failures, network congestion, third-party service outages, or other operational or network events, whether or not within Blueprint’s control.

‍6.2 Limitation of Liability. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW: BLUEPRINT SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF DATA, OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, REGARDLESS OF THE THEORY OF LIABILITY AND WHETHER OR NOT BLUEPRINT HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THE FOREGOING CAP SHALL NOT APPLY TO LIABILITY FINALLY DETERMINED TO BE DIRECTLY AND PROXIMATELY CAUSED FROM BLUEPRINT’S GROSS NEGLIGENCE, WILLFUL MISCONDUCT, OR FRAUD.

‍NO WARRANTIES. THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, BLUEPRINT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY WARRANTIES ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE.

6.3 Your Indemnification Obligations. You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Blueprint and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents, and contractors from and against any third‑party claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or related to your use of Delegation services or your breach of these Terms, except to the extent finally adjudicated to have resulted from Blueprint’s gross negligence, willful misconduct, or fraud.

‍7. SANCTIONS COMPLIANCE AND PROHIBITED USE

7.1 Compliance Obligations. Blueprint is committed to complying with applicable anti‑money laundering (AML), counter‑terrorist financing (CTF), and economic sanctions regulations. While Blueprint does not conduct formal onboarding of public delegators, we reserve the right to refuse service to, suspend, or cease servicing any Delegation where we reasonably believe such action is necessary to comply with applicable law or our internal compliance policies.

7.2 Your Representations. (a) You are not, and are not acting on behalf of, any person or entity that appears on any sanctions list maintained by the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United Nations, or any other applicable jurisdiction; (b) you are not located in, organized under the laws of, or ordinarily resident in any country or territory subject to comprehensive economic sanctions; and (c) your use of Blueprint’s validator services does not violate any applicable law, regulation, or contractual obligation, and is not for any unlawful purpose.

7.3 Protocol Limitations. On most blockchain networks, validators cannot unilaterally force the undelegation of stake. If we determine that continued service to your Delegation may violate applicable law or our policies, we may: (i) request that you deactivate your Delegation; (ii) disable acceptance of new delegations; (iii) retire or rotate the affected validator; or (iv) take other lawful measures to address the compliance risk.

‍8. GOVERNANCE VOTING RIGHTS
Unless expressly agreed otherwise in a separate written agreement between you and Blueprint, you do not delegate any on‑chain governance voting rights to Blueprint by virtue of staking with our validators. Blueprint may vote or abstain on proposals affecting the networks on which we operate validators solely with respect to stake we control or where a separate written authorization exists.

‍9. OPERATIONAL DISCRETION Blueprint retains full discretion regarding the means and methods of validator operations, including without limitation: selection of geographic regions, cloud service providers, hardware specifications, failover configurations, key‑management practices, software versions, and upgrade schedules. Blueprint will manage validator infrastructure in accordance with industry‑standard practices designed to maximize performance and security. Blueprint does not guarantee any specific uptime percentage or performance level. To the extent performance figures or dashboards are provided, they are informational only and do not constitute guarantees or commitments.
 
‍10. RELATIONSHIP OF THE PARTIES; GOVERNING LAW; DISPUTE RESOLUTION 10.1 Independent Contractor Status. Blueprint is an independent contractor. Nothing in these Terms creates any agency, partnership, joint venture, employment, or fiduciary relationship between you and Blueprint.

‍10.2 Governing Law. These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict‑of‑laws principles.

‍10.3 Binding Arbitration. Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or any Delegation (collectively, "Disputes") shall be finally resolved by binding arbitration administered by JAMS pursuant to its Comprehensive Arbitration Rules and Procedures. The arbitration shall be conducted by a single arbitrator with substantial experience in blockchain and cryptocurrency matters. The seat of arbitration shall be Boston, Massachusetts, and the arbitration shall be conducted in English. Judgment on the award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction.

‍10.4 Class Action and Jury Trial Waiver. YOU AND BLUEPRINT AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, COLLECTIVE, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING, AND YOU AND BLUEPRINT WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL.

‍10.5 Equitable Relief. Notwithstanding Section 10.3, either party may seek temporary or permanent injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to protect its intellectual property rights, confidential information, or proprietary rights, or to prevent irreparable harm.

‍11. MODIFICATIONS TO THESE TERMS We may update these Terms at any time by posting the updated version at theblueprint.xyz/validator-terms. Unless a later effective date is stated, updates are effective upon posting. Your continued Delegation after an update becomes effective constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree, you must cease delegating to Blueprint validators (subject to any network unbonding or cool-down periods).

‍12. SEVERABILITY; ENTIRE AGREEMENT
If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect. These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Blueprint regarding the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior or contemporaneous understandings and agreements, whether written or oral, regarding such subject matter. Institutional clients may enter into separate master service agreements with Blueprint that expressly supersede these Terms as to such institutional clients.  These Terms are for the sole benefit of you and Blueprint and do not create rights for any third party.  Headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.

‍13. NOTICES
We may provide notices by posting on our Website and/or by email to a contact address you provide (if any). Legal notices to Blueprint must be sent to legal@theblueprint.xyz with the subject line “Legal Notice - Validator Terms”.

‍14. ASSIGNMENT; SURVIVAL; WAIVER
You may not assign or transfer these Terms, by operation of law or otherwise, without our prior written consent, and any attempted assignment in violation of this Section is void. We may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets. Sections which by their nature should survive (including Sections 3–7 and 10–15) shall survive termination or expiration. No waiver of any term will be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or any other term.

‍15. FORCE MAJEURE; EXPORT; TAXES
Blueprint is not liable for any delay or failure to perform resulting from events beyond its reasonable control, including acts of God, labor disputes, utility or power failures, Internet or telecommunications outages, DDoS or other attacks, acts of government, regulatory or government actions or other force majeure events. You are solely responsible for compliance with applicable export control and sanctions laws in connection with your Delegation. You are responsible for any taxes, duties, or similar assessments arising from your receipt of staking rewards; Blueprint does not provide tax reporting or withholding for public delegations.  

END OF TERMS