Copyright and DMCA

Under 17 U.S.C. 512(c)(3), a valid notice has to include all of the following. If any of it is missing, we have to come back to you for it, which only slows things down.

• Identification of the copyrighted work you say has been infringed.
• Identification of the material on our site, with enough detail for us to find it. A link is best.
• Your name, address, telephone number and email address.
• A statement that you believe in good faith that the use is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
• A statement that the information in your notice is accurate, and, under penalty of perjury, that you are authorised to act on behalf of the copyright owner.
• Your physical or electronic signature.

Section 512(f) makes it unlawful to knowingly misrepresent that material is infringing. People have been held liable for it. Be sure before you send.

• We remove or disable access to the material promptly.
• We notify whoever uploaded it, and send them a copy of your notice.
• We tell them how to file a counter notice.
• We record the notice against their account.

If your content was removed and you believe that was a mistake, or that the use was authorised or lawful, you can send a counter notice under 17 U.S.C. 512(g)(3). It must include:

• Identification of the material that was removed, and where it appeared before removal.
• A statement, under penalty of perjury, that you believe in good faith it was removed as a result of a mistake or misidentification.
• Your name, address and telephone number.
• Consent to the jurisdiction of the federal court for the district where you live, or, if you are outside the United States, of any district in which we may be found, and consent to accept service of process from the person who sent the original notice.
• Your physical or electronic signature.

If we receive a valid counter notice, we forward it to the person who filed the original notice. Unless they tell us within 10 to 14 business days that they have filed a court action, we may restore the material.

We terminate the accounts of repeat infringers, and we do it in appropriate circumstances without waiting to be asked.

If the issue is that you appear in the content and did not consent to it, copyright is the slow route. Use our Content Removal page instead. It does not require you to own the copyright, and we treat it as urgent.