Copyright Policy & Grievance
1. Our position
AiduPlay respects the intellectual property rights of others and requires all users to do the same. We operate as an intermediary under the Information Technology Act, 2000 (India) and qualify for safe-harbour protection under both the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), 17 U.S.C. § 512.
Content uploaded in violation of someone else's copyright will be expeditiously removed or disabled upon receipt of a valid takedown notice, in accordance with applicable law.
2. Expeditious removal
Upon receiving a valid takedown notice that satisfies the requirements below, we will:
- Disable access to the allegedly infringing content within 36 hours of receipt of the notice.
- Notify the uploader that a claim has been filed and that their content has been disabled.
- Hold any accrued revenue from the content in escrow pending resolution.
Content remains disabled until the claim is resolved, a counter-notification is processed, or an appeals board overturns the decision.
3. How to file a copyright claim
Rights holders (or their authorised agents) may file a claim through our grievance intake form. Your submission must include:
- Your full legal name, contact details, and (if applicable) the legal entity you represent
- Identification of the copyrighted work you own or are authorised to protect
- The URL or content ID of the allegedly infringing material on AiduPlay
- Proof of ownership (registration certificates, links, or attachments)
- A sworn statement of good-faith belief that the use is not authorised
- A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notice is accurate and that you are the rights holder or authorised to act on behalf of the rights holder
- Your physical or electronic signature
4. What happens after a claim is filed
- Content is disabled (for takedown claims) or revenue is escrowed (for monetisation claims).
- The uploader is notified and given 30 days to file a dispute or counter-notification.
- If disputed, the claimant has 7 days to respond or withdraw.
- A moderator issues a written decision within 5 business days of the dispute closing.
- Either party may escalate to our appeals board for a final ruling.
5. Counter-notifications
If you believe your content was removed in error, you may file a formal counter-notification from your creator dashboard. A valid counter-notification must include:
- Your name, address, and contact information
- Identification of the content that was removed
- A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief the content was removed by mistake
- Consent to the jurisdiction of the appropriate court
- Your physical or electronic signature
Upon receipt of a valid counter-notification, we will forward it to the original claimant. If the claimant does not file a court action within 10–14 business days, the content will be restored.
6. Repeat infringer policy
In accordance with DMCA § 512(i) and IT Rules 2021 Rule 3(1)(b), AiduPlay has adopted and reasonably implements a policy that provides for the termination of accounts of users who are repeat infringers, in appropriate circumstances. Our strike system operates as follows:
| Strike | Consequence | Expiry |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Warning — completion of a copyright education module is required before the next upload. | 90 days (clean record) |
| 2nd | 7-day freeze — uploads and monetisation are suspended. Education module required. | 90 days (clean record) |
| 3rd | 30-day freeze — uploads and monetisation suspended, channel demonetised until cleared by moderation. | No auto-expiry |
| 4th | Permanent channel termination — all content removed, pending payouts forfeited. | Permanent |
Strikes are counted within a rolling 12-month window. Four strikes within that window result in permanent termination of the creator's channel and forfeiture of any pending payouts. This termination is final and may not be appealed beyond the appeals board.
AiduPlay reserves the right to terminate any account at any time if, in its sole discretion, the account holder is a repeat infringer, regardless of whether the formal strike threshold has been reached.
7. Re-upload prevention
When content is removed due to a copyright claim, we retain a perceptual fingerprint of the removed material. Any subsequent upload that matches a previously removed work will be automatically blocked, regardless of which user attempts the upload. This measure prevents circumvention of our copyright enforcement.
8. Bad-faith claims
Filing a copyright claim in bad faith has consequences. Under DMCA § 512(f), any person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material is infringing may be liable for damages. A pattern of fraudulent claims will result in:
- Loss of Rights Manager access
- Permanent blacklisting from our grievance system
- Referral to legal authorities
9. Designated agent
Our designated agent for receiving DMCA notifications is:
- Name: [To be configured]
- Email: copyright@aiduplay.com
- Postal address: [To be configured]
This agent is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office as required by DMCA § 512(c)(2). For non-US claims, contact the Grievance Officer below.
10. Grievance Officer (India IT Rules, 2021)
In compliance with Rule 3(2) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021:
- Grievance Officer: [To be configured]
- Email: grievance@aiduplay.com
- Response SLA: Acknowledgment within 24 hours, resolution within 15 days
11. Rights Manager
Rights holders can register reference assets for proactive matching. Our system uses perceptual fingerprinting to automatically detect and enforce policy on matching uploads. Open Rights Manager →