copyright

copyright & dmca policy

The Collection is built on people sharing work they have the right to share. When that goes wrong, this is how we put it right — how to report infringing material, how to push back if your work was removed by mistake, and what happens to repeat offenders.

Last updated: June 28, 2026

Reporting infringement

If you believe a specimen in the Collection copies your work without permission, you have two paths. For a quick flag, use the report control on the specimen and pick “copyright” — that lands in our moderation queue. For a formal takedown under the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), send a written notice to our copyright agent with the details below. We respond to valid notices promptly, typically by removing or disabling the material.

Filing a DMCA notice

To be valid, your notice needs to include all of the following. Missing pieces will slow us down or make the notice ineffective:

  1. Your physical or electronic signature.
  2. Identification of the copyrighted work you say has been infringed (or a representative list, if there are several).
  3. Identification of the infringing material and enough detail to find it— the specimen URL is ideal.
  4. Your contact information: name, address, telephone number, and email.
  5. A statement that you have a good-faith belief the use isn’t authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
  6. A statement that the information in your notice is accurate, and — underpenalty of perjury — that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the owner’s behalf.

Where to send it

Send your notice to our designated copyright agent:

A mailing address for formal service is available on request. Email reaches us fastest, so please use it where you can.

After we receive a valid notice

We remove or disable access to the material in question and let the person who published it know why, passing along your notice so they can respond. If they file a valid counter-notice (below), we’ll forward it to you; unless you tell us you’ve filed a court action to keep the material down, we may restore it after 10 to 14 business days, as the DMCA contemplates.

Filing a counter-notice

If your specimen was removed and you believe that was a mistake or a misidentification — for example, you hold the rights, or the use is permitted — you can send a counter-notice to the same agent. It needs to include:

  1. Your physical or electronic signature.
  2. Identification of the material that was removed and the location where it appeared before removal.
  3. A statement, under penalty of perjury, that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed as a result of mistake or misidentification.
  4. Your name, address, and telephone number, plus a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal court for your district (or, if you’re outside the U.S., the district where we may be found), and that you will accept service of process from the person who filed the original notice.

Repeat infringers

Accounts that repeatedly infringe others’ rights are suspended or terminated. We keep a record of notices we act on so we can recognize a pattern.

One important caution

Don’t file a notice or a counter-notice you don’t mean. Under U.S. law (DMCA section 512(f)), anyone who knowingly misrepresents that material is infringing — or was wrongly removed — can be held liable for damages, including costs and legal fees. If you’re not sure whether something is infringing, talk to a lawyer before you send anything.

Outside the United States

The DMCA is a U.S. law, but copyright isn’t only a U.S. concern. If you’re a rights-holder elsewhere, send us the same information and we’ll act on legitimate claims under the applicable law just the same.

See also the Terms of Service and thePrivacy Policy.