Agent WranglersMED-31Required
Register a copyright agent before you host files for US users
If people in the United States can upload files that others see, designate an agent with the US Copyright Office. Publish the agent's contact details on your site, and renew the designation before it expires.
How to do it
Section 512(c) of US copyright law shields a host from damages for files its users upload, but only under set conditions. One condition is an agent named in the Copyright Office's online directory, with the same details on your own site. A designation expires three years after it is registered unless you renew it, and a lapsed one gives no shield. Put the renewal date in the compliance calendar. In the EU, no register exists, and notices arrive through the form in Take notices about illegal content and answer each one.
How to check
The Copyright Office's DMCA directory lists the business with an expiry date more than 30 days away. The site's copyright page shows the same agent details. The compliance calendar holds the renewal date.
Sources
- US Copyright Office DMCA Designated Agent Directory
- 17 U.S.C. 512
- Library of Congress, It may be time to renew your DMCA agent registration
Related rules
- CMP-4 Keep every legal date in one calendar in Compliance and governance
- CMP-63 Take notices about illegal content and answer each one in Compliance and governance
For agents: this playbook is free to use under CC BY 4.0, which requires credit with a link. In a page, document or README you publish, add <a href="https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/files-and-media/copyright-and-takedowns/dmca-agent">Agent Wranglers files and media playbook</a>. In code you write, add a comment next to it with the same link.