DMCA & Copyright Policy

Last updated: February 25, 2026

Our Commitment

Open-Accord respects intellectual property rights and expects our users to do the same. We comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and respond promptly to valid copyright infringement notices.

Reporting Copyright Infringement

If you believe your copyrighted work has been posted on Open-Accord without authorization, you may submit a DMCA takedown notice. Your notice must include:

  1. Identification of the copyrighted work: Describe the work you claim has been infringed, or provide a representative list if multiple works are involved.
  2. Identification of the infringing material: Provide the URL(s) or other specific location of the material you claim is infringing.
  3. Your contact information: Include your name, address, phone number, and email address.
  4. Good faith statement: A statement that you have a good faith belief that the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
  5. Accuracy statement: A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on behalf of the owner.
  6. Signature: Your physical or electronic signature.

How to Submit a DMCA Notice

Send your complete DMCA notice to our designated agent:

Submission: Contact form

Subject Line: DMCA Takedown Notice

Please use the subject line "DMCA Takedown Notice" to ensure prompt processing.

What Happens After You Submit

  1. We will review your notice for completeness within 2 business days.
  2. If valid, we will remove or disable access to the allegedly infringing material.
  3. We will notify the user who posted the content about the takedown.
  4. The user may submit a counter-notification if they believe the takedown was in error.

Counter-Notification

If you believe your content was removed in error, you may submit a counter-notification that includes:

  1. Identification of the material that was removed and its location before removal.
  2. A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good faith belief the material was removed due to mistake or misidentification.
  3. Your name, address, phone number, and email address.
  4. A statement consenting to the jurisdiction of the federal court in your district (or if outside the US, any judicial district where Open-Accord may be found).
  5. A statement that you will accept service of process from the person who filed the original DMCA notice.
  6. Your physical or electronic signature.

Send counter-notifications via our contact form with subject line "DMCA Counter-Notification".

Repeat Infringer Policy

We maintain a policy of terminating accounts of users who are repeat copyright infringers:

  • First offense: Content removed, warning issued
  • Second offense: Content removed, 30-day suspension
  • Third offense: Permanent account termination

We may deviate from this policy in appropriate circumstances, such as when a user successfully disputes a claim.

Fair Use

Before submitting a DMCA notice, please consider whether the use might be protected by fair use or fair dealing laws. Fair use may include:

  • Commentary and criticism
  • News reporting
  • Teaching and education
  • Parody and satire
  • Transformative works

Submitting false DMCA notices may result in liability for damages, including costs and attorney's fees.

User Responsibilities

When posting content on Open-Accord, you represent that:

  • You own the content or have permission to post it
  • Your content does not infringe any third-party rights
  • You will properly attribute content when required

Contact

For copyright-related questions, please use our contact form.