Program Policies & FAQs

Core Governance & Compliance Standards

Glossary of Key Terms

• Affiliate Referral Link: The unique, system-generated tracking URL assigned to a partner to record web traffic, user sessions, and customer conversions.
• Negative Keyword List: A mandatory list of search terms (including brand names like Clockify, Pumble, Plaky, and CAKE.com) that partners must exclude from paid search ad campaigns.
• Commission Clawback: The financial deduction or offset of previously paid affiliate commissions resulting from customer refunds, payment cancellations, or bank chargeback
• Services / SaaS Platform: CAKE.com’s proprietary suite of cloud productivity tools, specifically Clockify (time tracking), Pumble (team chat), and Plaky (project management).
• MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price): The global public baseline retail pricing established by CAKE.com.
• Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR): The total annualized contract value of active, non-canceled annual license subscriptions provisioned for end-users, excluding custom setup or implementation fees.
• Managed ARR Footprint: The cumulative aggregate ARR sustained across all active customer workspace environments managed and paid for by a partner at any given time.
• Workspace ID (WS ID): The system-generated alphanumeric database identifier assigned to a specific customer account environment.
• Deal Protection Period: The mandatory registration process granting an approved partner 90 calendar days of exclusive account protection against internal sales outreach or competing partners.
• Track A (CAKE.com-Led Invoicing): A billing workflow where CAKE.com directly invoices the end customer at full MSRP and pays the partner a post-settlement commission.
• Track B (Partner-Led Invoicing): A wholesale billing workflow where CAKE.com bills the partner directly at a discounted net price, allowing the partner to directly invoice and collect from the end customer.
• Step-In Rights: CAKE.com's legal authority to assume direct management over customer workspaces if a partner experiences bankruptcy, payment default, or administrative inactivity.

Partner Allowed vs. Prohibited Activities

• Express Reselling Rights: Resell and distribute software seats to B2B end-users up to purchased quantities, overriding generic consumer Terms of Use restrictions.
• Brand Badging: Display the official title "Authorized CAKE.com Reseller" and partner badges strictly in line with brand guidelines.
• Deal Protection: Hold exclusive 90-day account protection on registered, approved sales opportunities.
• Extended Evaluations: Request trial extensions up to 30 days for prospective enterprise accounts.
• Mid-Term Seat Expansion: Add user seats mid-contract with prorated pricing that co-terminates with the annual workspace renewal date.

• Sub-Distribution Ban: Sublicensing, delegating, or assigning resale rights to sub-resellers, downstream brokers, or white-label networks.
• PPC Advertising Restrictions: Buying, bidding on, or targeting pay-per-click (PPC) search engine keywords matching CAKE.com brand names or products (CAKE.com, Clockify, Pumble, Plaky).
• No Discount Stacking: Partner wholesale margins cannot be stacked on top of public flash sales, promotional campaigns, or independent holiday coupons.
• No Territory Violations: Marketing or capturing sales outside authorized geographic boundaries without express written pre-approval.
• No Poaching Direct Customers: Pitching or reselling to an existing direct paid user of Clockify, Pumble, or Plaky (existing paid accounts belong exclusively to CAKE.com).
• No Employee Poaching: Soliciting, recruiting, or hiring CAKE.com engineering or sales personnel during the agreement term and for 12 months post-termination.
• No EULA Suppression: Hiding, modifying, or bypassing CAKE.com’s standard click-wrap End-User License Agreement during workspace onboarding.
• No Anonymous Inventory: Buying or distributing dead, anonymous, or bulk pre-allocated license pools.

Core Operational Policies

• Tier 1 (Partner Responsibility): First-line helpdesk triage, password resets, environment setup, and general user onboarding.
• Tier 2 (CAKE.com Responsibility): Core software engineering, platform bug remediation, and server infrastructure support.

Affiliate & Digital Marketing Policies

• Strict Anti-Spam Compliance: All promotional email campaigns must strictly comply with CAN-SPAM, GDPR, and local privacy laws. Sending unsolicited bulk emails (spam) or using purchased, rented, or scraped email lists is strictly prohibited.
• Sender Transparency: Partners must not spoof email headers or impersonate official CAKE.com corporate communications. All emails must contain a valid physical postal address and a functional, one-click unsubscribe link.

• Mandatory FTC / Regulatory Disclosures: Partners promoting CAKE.com products on social media platforms, blogs, or video channels must include clear and conspicuous disclosures (e.g., #ad, #affiliate, or explicit sponsorship statements) near the referral link.
• Community Forum Rules: Posting affiliate links in public community forums, official CAKE.com social media comment sections, or unapproved third-party groups is prohibited.
• No Brand Impersonation: Creating social media handles, pages, or profiles that closely imitate official CAKE.com brand identities is strictly forbidden

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• A: Approved lead submissions grant you 90 calendar days of exclusive deal protection. During this window, CAKE.com direct sales and competing partners cannot engage or claim ownership of the registered opportunity.

• A: Track B operates on a strict wholesale model. Partners are required to settle their invoices with CAKE.com within 30 days regardless of downstream customer payment collection.

• A: Yes! Mid-term seat additions are prorated for the remainder of the annual contract term and co-terminate on the workspace's original renewal date.

• A: CAKE.com reserves the legal right to step in and assume direct workspace management to prevent client service disruption if a partner enters bankruptcy, fails to communicate for 30 consecutive days, or defaults on payment (>5 days overdue for Solution Partners; >30 days overdue for Resellers).