Charter of Operations

1.1 Non-Profit Nature

Three Hat Studio operates strictly as an unincorporated, non-profit creative association run by a sole creator. The studio does not possess a commercial profit motive. It exists solely for personal recreation, artistic expression, and the preservation of Tasmanian cultural heritage.

1.2 Mandated Asset Rollover (Non-Distribution Clause)

All revenue, community contributions, micro-transactions, or crowdfunding generated by the activities of Three Hat Studio must be directly reinvested into the project's operational infrastructure (including but not limited to: web hosting, domain maintenance, software licensing, asset procurement, and print-on-demand manufacturing costs). No funds, capital, or surplus revenue shall ever be distributed as personal income, dividends, or private profit to the operator or any third party.

1.3 Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Compliance

In accordance with ATO rulings regarding Hobbies and Unincorporated Associations, Three Hat Studio does not require an Australian Business Number (ABN). All transactions are casual, recreational, and non-commercial. For external platforms requiring tax documentation, operations are legally protected via the ATO Statement by a Supplier framework under the category of a private recreational pursuit.

2.1 Creative Scope & Core Ecosystem

Three Hat Interactive is the digital development arm of the studio, focused on creating small, fast, highly responsive digital experiences. The primary creative foundation for this arm is the "Underpunks Universe" — a pre-established, proprietary creative intellectual property. The studio will systematically develop a diverse plethora of smaller, modular, browser-first, and desktop micro-games expanding upon the lore, mechanics, and characters of the Underpunks setting.

2.2 Financial Separation of the Underpunks RPG

The ongoing Underpunks RPG Discord game, alongside its associated community funding via Patreon, is officially incorporated into this charter. All incoming Patreon capital is structurally defined as community micro-donations intended solely to cover the ongoing operational, server, and bot-hosting costs of the RPG and its spin-off micro-games. This revenue is completely offset by production expenses, resulting in a net-zero commercial footprint.

3.1 Literary Scope

Three Hat Press handles the physical and digital publishing requirements of the studio. This includes the production of fiction novels expanding the Underpunks Universe, regional historical magazines, and documentation assets for digital applications.

3.2 Zero-Inventory Operational Mandate

To maintain a strict hobby status and eliminate commercial business practices, Three Hat Press operates exclusively under a Print-on-Demand (POD) and digital-distribution model. The studio is expressly prohibited from purchasing, storing, or managing physical commercial inventory. Financial transactions occur dynamically via third-party fulfillment platforms at the exact moment of user purchase, ensuring no upfront commercial capital risk is held by the operator.

4.1 Cultural Preservation Mandate

Three Hat Media is the community-facing broadcasting arm, deeply rooted in the creator's Tasmanian heritage. This division produces non-commercial audio series, local history podcasts, video essays, and interactive regional heritage apps designed to preserve and highlight the unique history, wilderness, and colonial narratives of Tasmania.

4.2 Non-Commercial Syndication & Public Relations

Three Hat Media operates as a free public resource. Content generated under this banner is intentionally optimized for non-commercial distribution, including free digital streaming and syndication to Tasmanian community radio stations and public archival platforms. This arm exists purely to build regional community goodwill, educational value, and local PR without engaging in commercial advertisement sales.

5.1 Independent Craft over Inflation

We reject over-scoped projects. We prioritize highly focused, bite-sized ideas across games, books, and audio that feel carefully handmade rather than artificially inflated.

5.2 Technical Simplicity

We deliberately keep our software dependencies and tech stacks minimal. This ensures our work remains accessible, low-cost to host, and completely light enough to run without digital friction.

5.3 Assisted Production with Human Judgment

Generative AI tools are utilized transparently within our workflow for early code exploration, localization drafts, structural text layouts, and rapid prototyping iteration. However, AI is treated strictly as an administrative and technical assistant; the final creative direction, narrative taste, historical integrity, and world-building design remain entirely guided by human judgment.

5.4 Absolute Respect for Intellectual Property Rights

To eliminate personal legal liability, Three Hat Studio enforces a strict zero-plagiarism policy. We avoid borrowed commercial characters, unverified creative imagery, and ambiguous licensing agreements. All historical assets used must be securely verified as public-domain via state archives, or licensed under explicit open-source terms.

This charter governs the private creative activities of The Founder, operating under the recreational studio moniker "Three Hat Studio". All digital assets, intellectual property, and financial accounts tied to this project are held by the operator strictly in a trustee capacity to fulfill the non-profit objectives outlined above.