At ITLDC, we take copyright compliance seriously and adhere to international and regional laws, including the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and similar EU regulations.
What Is the DMCA and Similar EU Laws?
The DMCA is a U.S. law designed to protect copyrighted material from unauthorized use or distribution online. It establishes processes for copyright holders to notify service providers about infringing content hosted on their platforms and outlines the responsibilities of service providers to respond to such complaints.
In the European Union, similar provisions exist under laws such as the E-Commerce Directive (2000/31/EC) and the Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive (2019/790/EU). These laws also require service providers to take action against copyright infringement, even for user-generated content or links to copyrighted materials.
Our Obligations as a Cloud Provider
As a cloud provider, we are legally obligated to:
- Act as an intermediary: We must process DMCA and similar copyright infringement notices sent to us.
- Notify customers promptly: If a notice pertains to content hosted on your dedicated server, VDS, or colocation service, we will forward the request to you.
- Require timely action: Customers must address the issue and inform us of the steps taken to resolve it within 48 hours.
- Enforce compliance: Repeated or severe violations may result in service or account restrictions.
What This Means for Our Customers
If you host user-generated content, metadata, or links to potentially infringing material on your services, you must comply with DMCA and similar laws. Even if you do not directly upload the content, hosting platforms are still required to take action when notified.
Responding to DMCA Requests
- Upon receiving a forwarded DMCA request: Review the complaint and verify the content mentioned and take appropriate actions, such as removing the infringing content or disabling access to specific URLs.
- Notify our support team: Reply within 48 hours of receiving the forwarded request. Your response should include details of the actions taken, for example: “The URL (specify URL) has been removed from the server.”
Failure to respond in time or adequately resolve the issue may lead to service suspension or termination.
High-Volume DMCA Requests
For customers with services receiving frequent DMCA requests (≥ 10 per month per account), we classify these as advanced support procedures. Handling these requests may incur a fee of EUR100,00/hour, as they require additional administrative resources. We encourage such customers to review their hosting policies and implement stricter content monitoring to minimize these requests.
Abuse Report Handling
All DMCA requests are treated as abuse reports. These reports may result in:
- Temporary or permanent service suspension for unresolved or repeated issues.
- Account restrictions to prevent further violations.
Staying Compliant
To avoid potential disruptions, we recommend:
- Monitoring your hosted content regularly.
- Implementing proactive measures to prevent copyright infringement.
- Responding swiftly and transparently to forwarded requests.
By complying with DMCA and EU copyright laws, you can ensure uninterrupted services and maintain a safe, legal hosting environment for your users. If you have any questions or need assistance with compliance, our support team is here to help.