How to Report a Claim of Infringement
**All information in the following section was adapted from Central Missouri State University's DMCA web site.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act requires that a claim of copyright infringement sent to our designated agent provide certain information specified below. Before submitting a notice, please try to determine that the service provider really is associated with The Community Software Lab. The City of Lowell, for example, is a separate entity, typically with its own DMCA agent. The Copyright Office maintains a list of DMCA agents.
DMCA section (512) (f) defines penalties for knowingly misrepresenting a claim.
DMCA section 512 (c) (3) (A) requires the following of notices alleging copyright infringement:
ELEMENTS OF NOTIFICATION. To be effective under this subsection, a notification of claimed infringement must be a written communication provided to the designated agent of a service provider that includes substantially the following:
(A) A physical signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
(B) 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 notification, a representative list of such works at that site.
(C) 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 the service provider to locate the material.
[Please include a URL such as http://... or ftp://... identifying the material or representative material. If possible specify any IDs, passwords, or other authorization required to access the material. Please specify date, time, and time zone from which the material was observed. Technicians may require time information in order to identify dynamically assigned internet locations.]
(D) Information reasonably sufficient to permit the service provider to contact the complaining party, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an electronic mail address at which the complaining party may be contacted.
(E) 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.
(F) 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.
DMCA Section 512 (d) (3) requires similar information for notices requesting removal of links or other references to infringing materials.
The DMCA requires prompt acknowledgment and action from the registered
DMCA agent. The registered DMCA agent will forward any counter-claims.
Laws such as the U.S. Family Educational Right to Privacy Act may control
to what extent the Community Software Lab
can identify specific members or how to contact
them. The DMCA states that someone wanting to make a counter-claim must
provide adequate identification and contact information.
Form to Claim Copyright Infringement
(pdf format requires Acrobat
Reader)
Clicking the above link will display a form to claim copyright infringement. Type the required information in the designated fields, print the form, sign it, and fax it or send it through the mail to the designated agent.