Copyright & DMCA Policy

Plain-language summary

If your copyrighted work appears on Clap Ideas without permission, you can ask us to remove it.
File a takedown notice using our copyright takedown form. A valid notice needs specific details (listed below).
If your content was removed and you think that was a mistake, you can file a counter-notice.
After a valid counter-notice, content may be reinstated in about 10 to 14 business days unless the complainant goes to court.
Do not file false claims. Knowingly misrepresenting infringement can create legal liability.
We may terminate accounts of repeat infringers.
Outside the U.S., you can still report infringement to dmca@clapideas.com.

1. Our approach to copyright

Clap Ideas respects intellectual-property rights and expects users to do the same. Posting content that infringes someone else’s copyright violates our Acceptable Use Policy. This Copyright & DMCA Policy explains how to report infringement and how we respond, following a notice-and-takedown process consistent with the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) and with broader international copyright norms.

The DMCA is a U.S. law that gives online platforms a safe-harbour process for handling copyright complaints. We provide a comparable path for rights-holders outside the U.S. as well (see section 9). A few legal terms appear below; we explain them in plain words.

2. Use our forms

We provide two working forms for copyright matters:

File a copyright takedown notice — report content you believe infringes your copyright.
File a counter-notice — if your content was removed and you believe that was a mistake or misidentification.

Using these forms is the fastest way to reach the right team. You may also email dmca@clapideas.com for copyright matters.

3. Who can report infringement

A takedown notice may be filed by the copyright owner, or by a person authorised to act on the owner’s behalf (for example an agent, attorney, or employee with authority). If you are filing on behalf of someone else, you must have, and be prepared to confirm, the authority to do so.

4. What a valid takedown notice must include

To be valid, your copyright takedown notice must include all of the following. Our takedown form guides you through each item:

Identification of the work: a clear description of the copyrighted work you say is being infringed (or, if many works, a representative list).
Identification of the infringing material:a description and the specific location — ideally the exact URL or other details — so we can find and review it.
Your contact information: your name, mailing address, and email address (and a telephone number where the law requires one). We correspond by email.
A good-faith statement: a statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
An accuracy statement under penalty of perjury:a statement that the information in the notice is accurate and that you are the owner, or are authorised to act on behalf of the owner, of the right being infringed. (“Under penalty of perjury” means you confirm it is true and could face legal consequences for lying.)
Your signature: a physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or authorised agent.

If your notice is incomplete, we may not be able to act on it, and we may contact you for the missing details.

5. What happens after a valid notice

When we receive a valid takedown notice, we generally:

Remove or disable access to the identified material, or restrict it.
Make a reasonable effort to notify the user who posted it.
Pass along the notice (which may include your contact details) to that user so they can respond.
Record the notice for our compliance records.

Removing content in response to a notice is not a finding of guilt. It is part of the notice-and-takedown process and allows the other side to respond with a counter-notice.

6. Counter-notices and the reinstatement window

If your content was removed and you believe it was a mistake or a misidentification, you may file a counter-notice using our counter-notice form. A valid counter-notice must include:

Your physical or electronic signature.
Identification of the material that was removed and the location where it appeared before removal.
A statement, under penalty of perjury, that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed as a result of mistake or misidentification.
Your name, mailing address, and email address (and a telephone number where the law requires one), and a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the appropriate court, and that you will accept service of process from the person who filed the original notice (or their agent).

After we receive a valid counter-notice, we forward it to the person who filed the original notice. We may restore the removed material in not less than 10 business days, and generally within about 10 to 14 business days, unless the original complainant first notifies us that they have filed a court action seeking to keep the material down. Timelines may vary with the facts and applicable law.

7. Repeat-infringer policy

We take repeat infringement seriously. In appropriate circumstances, and consistent with applicable law, we will terminate the accounts of users who are repeat infringers. We may also remove content and take other enforcement action under our Moderation, Enforcement & Appeals Policy.

8. Warning against false claims

Both notices and counter-notices are made under penalty of perjury. Under U.S. law (17 U.S.C. § 512(f)), a person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material is infringing, or that it was removed by mistake, may be liable for damages, including costs and attorneys’ fees. Do not use this process to harass, censor, or make claims you know to be false.

9. Reporting from outside the United States

Copyright is protected internationally, including under the Berne Convention. If you are a rights-holder outside the United States, you can still report infringement. Email the details to dmca@clapideas.com, or use our takedown form, and include the same kind of information described in section 4 so we can locate and review the content. We will handle international notices in a comparable, good-faith manner.

10. Removal, restriction, and restoration

Depending on the situation, we may remove content entirely, disable access to it, or restrict its visibility. If a valid counter-notice is filed and the conditions in section 6 are met, we may restore the material. We aim to keep these actions proportionate and to communicate with the people involved where practical.

11. Recordkeeping

We keep records of copyright notices, counter-notices, and related actions for our compliance, audit, and legal purposes, consistent with our Privacy Policy. These records help us administer the notice-and-takedown process and enforce our repeat-infringer policy.

12. Designated copyright agent

The Platform is operated by CLAPPE Inc. Please direct copyright notices to the designated agent by email at dmca@clapideas.com or through the takedown form. Where a mailing address is needed, the agent can be reached at: CLAPPE Inc., Suite C, 16644 — 71 St, Edmonton, AB T5Z 0N5, Canada. Contact is by email only; we do not offer telephone support.

The formal U.S. Copyright Office registration details of our designated agent will be confirmed on formal launch and remain pending operator and counsel confirmation. We will update this page with those details once they are finalised.

This policy works together with our IP & Attribution Policy and our Moderation, Enforcement & Appeals Policy, and relates to our Acceptable Use Policy. For copyright matters, use the takedown form or the counter-notice form, or email dmca@clapideas.com. For other legal questions, email legal@clapideas.com.

Change history is tracked by document version; see the Legal Centre.