A DMCA Safe Harbor
The DMCA Safe Harbor provision outlines:
- how an artist can properly format and transmit a copyright complaint such that the OSP will take action
- what action(s) an OSP must take, upon receiving a properly-formatted copyright complaint, to avoid lawsuits and legal damages arising from this particular copyright violation complaint
- how a subscriber can file a DMCA counter-notice and when they can restore the questioned materials to their account
This all means that copyright holders know what information they need to provide to have their copyrighted works protected — or, at least, no longer distributed through one particular account. It also lets Scribehost staff know what they're required to do when they do receive a copyright complaint, and protects them from future reprisals if they do comply with the steps laid out in the DMCA Safe Harbor clause. Scribehost staff doesn't have to take drastic steps, such as shutting down entire accounts or terminating users, in order to protect itself and the rest of its client base from interruptions in service. Clients who are accused of violating copyright are also protected: they have clearly-defined tools to file a claim that they have the rights to distribute the content in question, letting them keep their accounts in good standing and restore any files which may have been removed.
