Copyright Takedown Policy

Copyright Takedown Policy

How to notify us of allegedly infringing content. Procedure aligned with the US DMCA § 512 and the EU Digital Services Act.

Effective: 12 January 2026
Standards: 17 U.S.C. § 512 · DSA Art. 16

1. Overview

Knowledge Commons hosts content uploaded by independent contributing organisations. If you believe content on this surface infringes your copyright, you can request that we disable access to or remove the content via the procedure below.

We honour the notice-and-takedown framework of 17 U.S.C. § 512 (DMCA) and Article 16 of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA).

2. Designated agent

Send copyright notices in writing to our designated agent:

Designated Agent — Knowledge Commons e.V. Oranienstraße 142
10969 Berlin, Germany
Email: dmca@knowledge-commons.example
The designated agent must be registered with the US Copyright Office to claim § 512 safe harbor. Registration is the operator's responsibility and is logged in the platform Imprint when complete.

3. Required information

A valid notice must include all of the following:

  1. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed.
  2. Identification of the allegedly infringing material, with sufficient detail to allow us to locate it (URLs preferred).
  3. Your contact information: full name, address, telephone, email.
  4. A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
  5. A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notice is accurate and that you are authorised to act on behalf of the copyright owner.
  6. Your physical or electronic signature.

4. Counter-notification

If your content has been removed and you believe it was a mistake or misidentification, you may file a counter-notification including:

  1. Identification of the material removed and the location where it appeared.
  2. A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed in error.
  3. Your name, address, and telephone number; consent to the jurisdiction of the appropriate court; and a statement that you will accept service of process from the complaining party.
  4. Your physical or electronic signature.

Once we receive a valid counter-notification, we will forward it to the original complainant. If they do not file a court action within 10–14 business days, we may restore the content.

5. Repeat-infringer policy

Accounts and contributing organisations that repeatedly upload infringing content will be terminated.

6. Misrepresentation

Knowingly material misrepresentation that content is infringing — or that it was removed by mistake — may subject you to liability under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f).