DMCA / Copyright Policy

1. Our Approach to Copyright

ChamberLight is a civic transparency platform that links to and summarizes publicly available news articles about elected representatives. Our use of article content is limited to brief summaries, headlines, and commentary that we believe constitutes fair use under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act. We always link to the original source and encourage users to visit the original publication for the full article.

Nevertheless, we respect the intellectual property rights of others and comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). If you believe that your copyrighted work has been used on ChamberLight in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, you may submit a takedown notice as described below.

2. DMCA Takedown Procedure

To submit a valid DMCA takedown notice, send a written notification to our designated agent that includes all of the following:

1. A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or a person authorized to act on their behalf.
2. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed.
3. Identification of the material on ChamberLight that is claimed to be infringing, including a URL or other specific information sufficient to locate the material.
4. Your contact information, including your name, address, telephone number, and email address.
5. A statement that you have a good faith belief that the use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
6. A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate, and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

3. Counter-Notification Procedure

If you believe that content you posted on ChamberLight was removed as a result of a mistake or misidentification, you may submit a counter-notification. Your counter-notification must include:

1. Your physical or electronic signature.
2. Identification of the material that was removed and the location where the material appeared before it was removed.
3. A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good faith belief that the material was removed as a result of mistake or misidentification.
4. Your name, address, and telephone number, and a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of a federal court in the judicial district where your address is located (or if you are outside the United States, any judicial district in which ChamberLight may be found), and that you will accept service of process from the party who filed the original DMCA notice or their agent.

Send counter-notifications to dmca@chamberlight.com with the subject line "DMCA Counter-Notification."

Upon receipt of a valid counter-notification, we will forward it to the original complainant. If the original complainant does not file a court action within 10-14 business days, we may restore the removed material.

4. Repeat Infringer Policy

In accordance with the DMCA and other applicable law, ChamberLight has adopted a policy of terminating, in appropriate circumstances, the accounts of users who are deemed to be repeat infringers. We may also, at our sole discretion, limit access to the Platform or terminate the accounts of any users who infringe any intellectual property rights of others, whether or not there is any repeat infringement.

5. Good Faith Notice

Please be aware that under Section 512(f) of the DMCA, any person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material is infringing, or that material was removed by mistake, may be subject to liability. We encourage copyright holders to consider whether the use of their work on ChamberLight constitutes fair use before submitting a takedown notice.

6. Contact

For copyright-related inquiries, contact dmca@chamberlight.com.