Submission agreements are documents or recordings between the person or company that has the rights to use the content and the person or company that will publish or use the content, defining the terms for the content contribution or posting. White paper submission agreements range from simple email confirmation messages to detailed documents that define the rights and responsibilities for multiple participants.

Authorized Uses - A white paper submission agreement defines how the host or publisher is allowed to use the white paper and its content. The publisher may be authorized to use portions (excerpts) of the white paper for promotional purposes. However, the publisher may not be allowed to use or associate the contributor’s brand name with their own brand logos.

Agreement Time Period - A white paper agreement is the period of time during which the agreement is valid. White paper hosting companies invest resources in creating and promoting listings, so the initial term of the hosting agreement may range from months to years. Contributing companies commonly want their white papers to be available for long periods of time so an automatic renewal clause may be included.

White paper hosting agreements may include a termination clause, which allows either the contributor or hosting company to terminate the agreement when certain conditions exist. The termination clause may define how termination may occur (in writing or from violations of the agreement), as well as the final responsibilities of each participant (delisting and final fee assessment).

Promotion - The hosting company (publisher) may agree to perform promotional services in addition to the hosting or listing of the white paper on its web site. These services may include paid advertising (such as search engine marketing) and email broadcasting to lists of site members that have interests in the same categories. The publisher may also perform other marketing services such as direct mail promotion, podcasts and web seminars.

Reporting - The publisher may periodically provide (monthly or other) the contributor with information related to the viewing and use of the white paper. This may include the number of downloads, contact registration information and link usage reports. The submission agreement may define how the reports will be provided and how they can be accessed.

Compensation - Companies that host or publish white papers may charge fees for their services. These fees may be comprised of hosting charges (listing fees), link fees (from publisher’s site to contributor’s site) and download registration fees (per registration), as well as other incidental fees.