On a general level, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA") provides protection for your copyrighted material with respect to posting on the Internet. If you own copyrighted material and someone utilizes that material without your expressed permission, you can request to have that material removed from the website where it is being displayed.
As an owner and operator of websites, it is Internet Brands' policy to respond to clear notices of alleged copyright infringement and to follow processes as recommended by the DMCA.
Note: The policy and process described below is only for copyright infringement situations and is NOT to be used for trademark infringement claims.
Regardless of whether this website or Internet Brands may be liable for copyright infringement under U.S. law, our response to takedown notices may include removing or disabling access to material claimed to be the subject of infringing activity and/or terminating members responsible for the infringement. If we find that members are repeat copyright infringers, we may terminate their account from the respective website.
If we remove or disable access in response to such a notice, we will make a good-faith attempt to contact the owner or administrator of the affected website or content, so that they may make a counter notification.
Please note that we may also document notices of alleged copyright infringement upon which we take action. In addition to forwarding the notification to the person who provided the allegedly-infringing content, a copy of this legal notice may be sent to a third-party which may publish and/or annotate it. As such, your letter (with your personal information removed) may be forwarded to Chilling Effects (http://www.chillingeffects.org) for publication. By submitting your notification you acknowledge and agree to this forwarding. You can see an example here.
It is critical that all DMCA takedown requests follow the procedures provided here. We will not accept notifications that deviate from these procedures.
Note: Be aware that you will be liable for damages (including costs and attorneys' fees) if you materially misrepresent that a product or activity is infringing your copyright. If you are not sure whether material infringes your copyright, we suggest that you first contact an attorney.
To file a notice of copyright infringement with us, you must provide a written communication (by fax or regular mail -- not by email) that includes the following and references the respective section numbers:
If you are the party whose content has been removed -- i.e., the administrator of an affected website or the provider of affected content -- you may make a counter notification pursuant to DMCA sections 512(g)(2) and (3). When we receive a counter notification, we may determine to reinstate the material.
Note: Be aware that you will be liable for damages (including costs and attorneys' fees) if you materially misrepresent copyright ownership or permission to utilize copyrighted material. If you are not sure what your status is with respect to the copyrighted material, we suggest that you first contact a licensed attorney.
To file a counter notification with us, you must provide a written communication (by fax or regular mail --- not by email) that includes the following and references the respective section numbers:
Revised: 1/19/2010