DMCA Takedown Policy

Taciturn Studios LLC ("we," "us," or "our") respects the intellectual property rights of others and expects users of CoverCrush (covercrushing.com) to do the same. In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 ("DMCA"), 17 U.S.C. § 512, we will respond promptly to claims of copyright infringement that are reported to our designated copyright agent.

1. Designated Copyright Agent

To report a claim of copyright infringement, please contact our designated DMCA agent:

Our DMCA agent is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office as required by 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(2). Only DMCA notices should be sent to this address; other inquiries will not receive a response here. For general questions, please use our contact form.

2. How to Submit a Takedown Notice

If you believe that content available on CoverCrush infringes your copyright, you may submit a written takedown notice to our DMCA agent. To be valid under 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3), your notice must include all of the following elements:

1. Identification of the copyrighted work. A description of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed, or, if multiple works are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works.
2. Identification of the infringing material. A description of the material you claim is infringing and that you want removed, with enough detail for us to locate it on the Service (e.g., a direct URL to the specific page or image).
3. Your contact information. Your name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address.
4. Good faith statement. A statement that you have a good faith belief that the use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
5. Accuracy statement. A statement that the information in your notice is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that you are the copyright owner or are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.
6. Signature. A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or a person authorized to act on their behalf.

Warning: Under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), any person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material or activity is infringing may be subject to liability for damages, including costs and attorneys' fees.

3. Our Response to Valid Notices

Upon receipt of a valid and complete DMCA takedown notice, we will:

• Promptly remove or disable access to the allegedly infringing material.
• Notify the user who uploaded the material that it has been removed.
• Provide the user with a copy of the takedown notice (with your personal contact information redacted where possible).
• Inform the user of their right to submit a counter-notification.

We aim to process valid notices within 5 business days of receipt.

4. Counter-Notification Procedure

If you believe your content was removed as a result of a mistake or misidentification, you may submit a counter-notification to our DMCA agent. Under 17 U.S.C. § 512(g)(3), a valid counter-notification must include:

1. Identification of the removed material. A description of the material that was removed and the location where it appeared before removal (e.g., the URL).
2. Statement under penalty of perjury. A statement, under penalty of perjury, that you have a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification.
3. Your contact information. Your name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address.
4. Consent to jurisdiction. A statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court for the judicial district in which your address is located (or, if outside the United States, any judicial district in which Taciturn Studios LLC may be found), and that you will accept service of process from the person who submitted the original takedown notice.
5. Signature. A physical or electronic signature.

Upon receipt of a valid counter-notification, we will forward it to the original complainant and restore the removed material within 10 to 14 business days, unless the complainant notifies us that they have filed a court action seeking an order to restrain the allegedly infringing activity.

5. Repeat Infringer Policy

In accordance with 17 U.S.C. § 512(i), Taciturn Studios LLC maintains a policy of terminating, in appropriate circumstances, the accounts of users who are repeat infringers. A user who receives three or more valid DMCA takedown notices within any 12-month period may have their account permanently suspended without refund.

6. User-Submitted Cover Images

CoverCrush is a platform where authors submit book cover images for testing. By submitting a cover image, users represent and warrant that they own the image or have all necessary rights to submit it (see our Terms of Service, §4). Taciturn Studios LLC does not pre-screen user submissions for copyright compliance and operates as a service provider under the DMCA safe harbor provisions.

If you are a stock image provider, photographer, or illustrator and believe your work has been submitted to CoverCrush without authorization, please submit a takedown notice using the procedure described in Section 2 above.

7. Contact