DMCA Policy

How to report copyright infringement on State Law Handbook and how the process works — with the specific information the DMCA requires from each side.

Summary

State Law Handbook respects the intellectual property rights of others and expects readers to do the same. In accordance with the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) — codified at 17 U.S.C. § 512 — we respond to notices of alleged copyright infringement that comply with the procedure below.

If you believe content on the Site infringes your copyright, you can submit a DMCA takedown notice using the procedure and required elements below.

DMCA Designated Agent

Notices of alleged copyright infringement should be sent to our Designated Agent:

Please write "DMCA Notice" in the subject line.

How to submit a takedown notice

Under 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3), a valid DMCA takedown notice must include all of the following elements. Notices that omit these elements may not be actionable.

1. A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
2. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed — or, if multiple copyrighted works at a single online site are covered by a single notice, a representative list of such works.
3. Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing (or to be the subject of infringing activity) and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material — including URL(s).
4. Information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact the complaining party, such as an address, telephone number, and (if available) an electronic mail address.
5. A statement that the complaining party has a good-faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
6. A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and — under penalty of perjury — that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

What happens after we receive a notice

1. We review the notice for completeness. Notices missing required elements may be returned to the sender with a note about what's missing.
2. For a valid notice, we typically remove or disable access to the identified material within 5 business days.
3. We notify the person who posted the material (where we have contact information) and provide them with a copy of the takedown notice, including your contact information as required by 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3)(A)(iv).
4. The person who posted the material may submit a counter-notice under the procedure below.

Counter-notice procedure

If you believe your material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification, you may submit a counter-notice under 17 U.S.C. § 512(g)(3). A valid counter-notice must include:

1. A physical or electronic signature.
2. Identification of the material that has been removed or to which access has been disabled and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or access to it was disabled.
3. A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification.
4. Your name, address, and telephone number, and a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court for the judicial district in which the address is located (or, if outside the United States, for any judicial district in which we may be found), and that you will accept service of process from the person who provided the original DMCA notice or an agent of that person.

Send counter-notices to the Designated Agent above.

Upon receipt of a valid counter-notice, we forward a copy to the original complainant. If the complainant does not notify us within 10 to 14 business days that they have filed an action seeking a court order restraining the alleged infringement, we may restore the removed material.

Repeat infringers

Under 17 U.S.C. § 512(i), we terminate — in appropriate circumstances — the accounts or access of readers or contributors who are repeat infringers.

Bad-faith notices

Under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), a person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material is infringing (or that material was removed by mistake or misidentification) may be liable for damages. Please do not submit false or bad-faith DMCA notices.

Questions

General DMCA questions: dmca@statelawhandbook.com. Legal questions about intellectual property rights, however, should be directed to your own attorney — we cannot advise you on your specific IP situation.