Copyright and DMCA Statement

Overview

Wikipedia describes copyright as "a legal right, existing globally in many countries, that basically grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights to determine and decide whether, and under what conditions, this original work may be used by others." It is one form of protection of Intellectual Property.

In United States copyright law, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) augments earlier copyright law by offering copyright holders additional safeguards from unfair use of their copyrighted intellectual property. One such feature is referred to as a Takedown Notice, a means by which a copyright holder can request the removal of claimed copyright infringement from a website.

While an effective tool, the Takedown has also been subject to much abuse. The DMCA has provisions stating that fraudulent Takedown notices are criminal offenses, since the filer must swear, under penalty of perjury, that their claim is accurate, and that they act on behalf of the copyright owner.

This Site Produces Original Content

This site proudly produces original content, and its authors will not knowingly infringe on another's copyighted material, nor make use of them outside of Fair Use provision, common to copyright law in many countries.

If you believe a legitimate copyright infringement exists on this site, please initiate direct communication (note the contact link at the bottom of this page) to resolve the matter, as we are always willing to improve content by correcting an oversight.

However, it is up to you to be aware of what protections copyright entitles you to, and for you to understand Fair Use which allows (among other things) citations, links, and limited excerpts to copyrighted work for the purposes of "criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research."

Filing a DMCA Takedown Notice is always an option reserved to you, but understand that fraudulent use caries criminal liability. Fraudulent filing of a Takedown to suppress otherwise legal use of copyrighted material will be defended against vigorously.

Fraudulent Takedown is Damaging

In light of the foregoing, should a Takedown notice be filed against material on this site where such Takedown notice is subsequently determined to be fraudulent or otherwise improperly applied, the filer of said notice agrees without dispute, by virtue of having filed the notice, to pay to the author of the taken-down material:

1. The amount of sixty dollars (USD $60) per hour for each hour—or fraction thereof—the impacted material remains unavailable as a result of the takedown.
2. The amount of one hundred dollars (USD $100) per hour for each hour—or fraction thereof—the author spent addressing the takedown and restoring the impacted material.
3. Any additional costs incurred by the author directly related to the restoration of the impacted material.

A letter of apology, to be posted on the site, may also be requested.