Copyright & DMCA

1. Overview

We remove or disable access to material that is properly reported as infringing, and we terminate the accounts of users who infringe repeatedly. This page sets out how to report material, how a user can contest a removal, and what we do in between.

All correspondence goes to [email protected]. Please put Copyright notice or Counter-notice in the subject line so it reaches the right queue.

2. Sending a copyright notice

To be effective, a notice must be in writing and include all of the following. These are the elements required by 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3); an incomplete notice may delay or prevent us acting on it.

• your physical or electronic signature, as the owner of an exclusive right or as a person authorised to act on the owner’s behalf;
• identification of the copyrighted work you say has been infringed — or, if the notice covers many works on Taiyō, a representative list of them;
• identification of the material you say is infringing, with enough detail for us to locate it. Direct URLs are essential; a title alone is not enough;
• your contact details: name, postal address, telephone number, and email address;
• a statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use complained of is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law;
• a statement that the information in the notice is accurate and — under penalty of perjury — that you are authorised to act on behalf of the owner of the exclusive right.

3. What happens next

We acknowledge notices as we receive them and aim to act on complete ones promptly. Where a notice is effective we remove or disable access to the material and record a strike against the account that posted it.

We tell the affected user what was removed and pass on your notice, including your name and the contents of the notice, so that they can decide whether to respond. Consider using a role address rather than a personal one if that concerns you.

4. Sending a counter-notice

If your material was removed and you believe that was a mistake, or that you hold the rights, you may send a counter-notice. Under 17 U.S.C. § 512(g)(3) it must include:

• your physical or electronic signature;
• identification of the material that was removed, and the location where it appeared before removal;
• a statement, under penalty of perjury, that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed as a result of mistake or misidentification;
• your name, address, and telephone number, and a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal district court for the district in which you live, or, if you live outside the United States, of any district in which Taiyō may be found, and that you will accept service of process from the person who filed the notice.

We forward a valid counter-notice to the original complainant. If they do not tell us within 10 to 14 business days that they have filed an action seeking a court order, we may restore the material.

5. Repeat infringers

Accounts that accumulate repeated, unrebutted copyright strikes are terminated, and we may refuse service to the same person under a new account. Evading a termination is a breach of our Terms of Service.

6. A warning about false claims

Under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), anyone who knowingly makes a material misrepresentation — that material is infringing, or that it was removed by mistake — may be liable for damages, including costs and legal fees. If you are not certain whether the use is infringing, take advice before filing. We are not able to give you legal advice.

7. Where to send it