How to Report Copyright Infringement

Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)
Anyone who believes their copyrighted work is being infringed upon through Access Washington and/or Ask George should notify the following DMCA agent in writing at:

The designated agent listed above is not able to answer questions about copyright in general. If you are interested in learning more about copyright, please visit http://www.copyright.gov/.

DMCA Notification Of Alleged Infringement
Notices of copyright infringement must be mailed or faxed. E-mail notices are not accepted. Please provide the following information in your written notice:

1. A description and location of the material that you believe is infringing. (For example, "The copyrighted work in question is the photo that appears on the upper left corner of the page at www.samplesite.com")
2. If the material in question was found by conducting a web search using Ask George, please provide the search term that you used and the URL for each search result that is allegedly infringing. (For example, the search query music returned the following infringing web page(s) www.samplesite.com")
3. Your contact information in case we need to reach you, including your name, address, telephone number, and email address if you have one.
   
   Please read the following statements carefully. If both are true, include them in your written notice:
   
   1. I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials on the web page(s) described above is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
   2. I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
4. Your signature.

What We Do When We Receive A Proper DMCA Notice
Access Washington will follow the procedures provided in the DMCA, which prescribed a notice and takedown procedure.

Notice and Takedown Procedure
If Access Washington is notified of claimed copyright infringement, or otherwise becomes aware of copyright infringement, it will respond expeditiously by removing, or disabling access to, the infringing material. Access Washington will forward the notice to the alleged infringer.

Writing a Counter-notification
If access to your website is disabled due to operation of the Access Washington notice and takedown procedure described above, and you believe the takedown was improper, you must submit a Counter-notification. Counter-notifications must be mailed or faxed. E-mail notices are not accepted. Please provide the following information in your written notice:

1. State that access to your website was disabled due to operation of the notice and takedown procedure.
2. Identify the material that has been removed and designate its URL prior to removal.
3. State, under penalty of perjury:
   1. Your name, address, and telephone number,
   2. That you have a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as result of mistake or misidentification of the material,"
   3. That you consent to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court for the judicial district in which the address is located."

Submitting the Counter-notification
To exercise your DMCA rights, you must send your written Counter-notification to the Designated DMCA Agent stated above.

Putback
If the infringement claim can be proved to be inaccurate, AW can allow the material to be putback. Putback procedures outlined in the DMCA allow AW to promptly notify the copyright owner of a dispute and replace material to its previous location within two weeks. Materials referred to court by the copyright owner are not allowed to be putback until the matter is resolved.

Last Modified: February 16, 2006