DMCA Policy

1. Overview

Staged respects the intellectual property rights of others and expects our users to do the same. In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 ("DMCA"), we will respond promptly to claims of copyright infringement committed using our services.

This policy applies to:

• The Staged website at https://staged.gg
• Our community platforms (Discord, GitHub, Reddit)
• User-generated content shared through our services
• Any other Staged-operated platforms

If you believe that material on our platforms infringes your copyright, please follow the procedures outlined below.

2. DMCA Notice Requirements

If you are a copyright owner or authorized to act on behalf of one, and you believe that your copyrighted work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please submit a notification pursuant to the DMCA by providing our Designated Agent with the following information in writing:

2.1 Required Information

1. Physical or Electronic Signature: A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright interest.
2. Identification of Copyrighted Work: Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works.
3. Identification of Infringing Material: 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 us to locate the material (e.g., URL links).
4. Contact Information: Information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact you, such as an address, telephone number, and email address.
5. Good Faith Statement: A statement that you have 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.
6. Accuracy Statement: A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright that is allegedly infringed.

2.2 Submission

Submit your DMCA notice to our Designated Agent at:

2.3 Processing Time

Upon receipt of a valid DMCA notice, we will:

• Acknowledge receipt within 2 business days
• Review the notice for compliance with DMCA requirements
• Remove or disable access to the allegedly infringing material promptly
• Notify the user who posted the content of the takedown
• Provide the user with a copy of the DMCA notice

3. Counter-Notification

If you believe that material you posted was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification, you may submit a counter-notification under the DMCA.

3.1 Counter-Notice Requirements

Your counter-notification must include:

1. Physical or Electronic Signature: Your physical or electronic signature.
2. Identification of Material: Identification of the material that has been removed or to which access has been disabled and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or disabled.
3. Perjury Statement: A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification.
4. Consent to Jurisdiction: Your name, address, and telephone number, and a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal district court for the judicial district in which your address is located (or, if outside the United States, that you consent to jurisdiction of any judicial district in which Staged may be found), and that you will accept service of process from the person who provided the original DMCA notification or an agent of such person.

3.2 Counter-Notice Process

Upon receipt of a valid counter-notification:

1. We will forward the counter-notice to the original complainant
2. We will inform the complainant that we will restore the removed material within 10-14 business days
3. If the complainant does not file a court action within 10-14 business days, we will restore the material
4. We will notify you of the restoration or any legal action filed

3.3 Submission

Submit counter-notifications to:

4. Repeat Infringer Policy

In accordance with the DMCA, Staged has adopted a policy of terminating, in appropriate circumstances, users who are deemed to be repeat infringers.

4.1 Definition

A "repeat infringer" is any user who:

• Has been the subject of more than two valid DMCA notices
• Has had material removed multiple times due to copyright infringement
• Continues to post infringing material after receiving warnings

4.2 Enforcement

For users identified as repeat infringers, we may take the following actions:

• First Offense: Warning and removal of infringing content
• Second Offense: Temporary suspension of account (7-30 days)
• Third Offense: Permanent termination of account and access

4.3 Severe Cases

In cases of willful or commercial-scale infringement, we may immediately terminate accounts without the progressive steps above. This includes:

• Uploading pirated software or media
• Distributing copyrighted material for profit
• Impersonating copyright holders
• Filing fraudulent counter-notifications

5. Designated Agent

The following is the contact information for Staged's Designated Agent to receive notifications of claimed infringement:

Please note that under Section 512(f) of the DMCA, any person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material or activity is infringing may be subject to liability for damages.

6. Good Faith and Misrepresentation

6.1 Penalties for False Claims

Please be aware that under 17 U.S.C. Section 512(f), any person who knowingly materially misrepresents:

• That material or activity is infringing, or
• That material or activity was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification

may be subject to liability for damages, including costs and attorneys' fees incurred by the alleged infringer, the copyright owner, or the service provider.

6.2 Good Faith Requirements

Before submitting a DMCA notice, please consider:

• Fair Use: Whether the use of the material constitutes fair use under Section 107 of the Copyright Act
• Authorization: Whether you actually own or are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner
• Accuracy: Whether the material identified is actually infringing your copyright
• Public Domain: Whether the work is in the public domain
• Licenses: Whether the material is being used under a valid license

6.3 Open Source Considerations

Staged is open source software under the MIT License. The source code may be freely used, modified, and distributed. Before filing a DMCA notice, please verify that:

• The material is not covered by an open source license
• The material is not a legitimate fork or derivative work
• The material actually infringes your specific copyright

7. Contact Information

For questions about this DMCA Policy or to submit a notice:

• DMCA Notices: hello@staged.gg
  Subject: "DMCA Notice"
• Counter-Notifications: hello@staged.gg
  Subject: "DMCA Counter-Notification"
• General Questions: hello@staged.gg
  Subject: "DMCA Policy Question"

For general support inquiries unrelated to DMCA matters, please visit our Contact page.

Response Times

• Acknowledgment: Within 2 business days
• Initial Review: Within 5 business days
• Action (if valid): Promptly upon determination
• Counter-Notice Processing: 10-14 business days

Note: This DMCA Policy may be updated from time to time. Please check back periodically for any changes.