PianoLabs respects the intellectual-property rights of others and expects its users to do the same. This Copyright Policy explains how copyright owners can submit a takedown notice, how users can submit a counter-notice, and how we deal with repeat infringers.
This policy is modelled on the United States Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), 17 U.S.C. § 512 (which applies if your work is U.S.-protected), the EU Digital Services Act notice-and-action regime, and the principles under the South African Copyright Act, 1978 (Act 98 of 1978), as amended.
1. Reporting infringing content
If you believe that content hosted on PianoLabs infringes your copyright, send a written notice to support@pianolabs.io with the subject line "Copyright Notice — Takedown" containing:
- Your physical or electronic signature.
- Identification of the copyrighted work or works claimed to be infringed (for a published work, the title, author or rights-holder, and a link or copy if available).
- Identification of the allegedly infringing material on PianoLabs, with enough detail for us to locate it (URL, project ID, marketplace listing number, screenshot).
- Your contact information — full name, postal address, telephone number, and email address.
- A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
- A statement, under penalty of perjury (or in the case of South African complainants, a statement that the information is true and correct to the best of your knowledge), that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or are authorised to act on behalf of the owner.
We may treat incomplete notices as not yet valid and ask you to complete them before we act.
2. Our response
On receipt of a complete and apparently valid notice, we will:
- Promptly remove or disable access to the allegedly infringing material.
- Notify the user who posted the material, and provide them with a copy of your notice (with personal contact details redacted only if they ask and we agree).
- Add a record of the complaint to that user's account.
We do not generally pre-screen User Content. Our action under this policy is not an admission of infringement and is not a substitute for a court order.
3. Counter-notice
If your content was removed and you believe it was removed in error or misidentified, you may submit a counter-notice to support@pianolabs.io with the subject line "Copyright Notice — Counter-Notice" containing:
- Your physical or electronic signature.
- Identification of the material that was removed and the location at which it appeared before removal.
- A statement, under penalty of perjury (or, for South African users, a sworn or solemnly affirmed statement), that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed as a result of mistake or misidentification.
- Your full name, postal address, and telephone number.
- A statement consenting to the jurisdiction of the South African courts (or, if you are based in the United States, the federal courts of the district where you reside), and that you will accept service of process from the original complainant.
If we receive a valid counter-notice, we will forward it to the original complainant. We may restore the content after at least 10 business days and no more than 14 business days, unless the complainant notifies us that they have filed legal proceedings against you to restrain the alleged infringement.
4. Repeat infringers
We will terminate, in appropriate circumstances, accounts of users who are repeat infringers of copyright. For this purpose:
- A "strike" is recorded against your account each time we remove material in response to a valid copyright notice that you do not successfully counter.
- Three strikes within any 24-month period will normally result in account termination, except where individual strikes are clearly minor or have been resolved with the rights-holder.
- We may terminate sooner for a single severe or wilful infringement (for example, large-scale uploading of clearly commercial sheet music or recordings).
- You may appeal a strike or termination by replying in writing within 14 days and providing evidence of your right to the material; we will review in good faith.
5. Marketplace listings
Marketplace listings are User Content. The same notice procedure applies. We may, in addition, freeze any pending payments to a seller while we investigate a credible copyright complaint about their listing.
6. Misrepresentations
Submitting a false or misleading takedown notice or counter-notice may result in legal liability. Under section 512(f) of the DMCA and equivalent principles under South African law, a person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material is infringing, or that material was removed by mistake, may be liable for damages, including costs and attorneys' fees. Please ensure your claims are accurate.
7. Designated agent / contact
All copyright notices and counter-notices should be sent to:
- PianoLabs — Copyright Agent
- Email: support@pianolabs.io
- Postal: [INSERT REGISTERED TRADING ENTITY, POSTAL ADDRESS], Cape Town, South Africa
We aim to acknowledge receipt within 2 business days and to act on valid notices within a further 3 to 5 business days. Where a notice raises complex or contested questions of fact, this may take longer.