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DMCA Policy

We respect the work of writers, photographers and other creators. This page explains how to report copyright concerns about content on sustainfv.org and how we respond.

Last updated: October 14, 2026

The short version: If you think something on sustainfv.org uses your copyrighted work without permission, email our DMCA Agent at [email protected] with the details listed in section 3. We will review it and remove or disable the material if appropriate. If your material was removed and you believe that was a mistake, you can send a counter-notice (section 5). If you simply want an image credit corrected, you do not need a formal notice; just email us (section 8).

1. Our commitment to copyright

The operators of Sustainable Fox Valley (sustainfv.org) (“we,” “us,” or “our”) respect the intellectual property rights of others and expect visitors and contributors to do the same. We write our own articles and guides, and we use photographs and other materials either with permission, under open licenses such as Creative Commons, or because they are in the public domain. We credit images on our Image Credits page.

This policy describes how we respond to claims of copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), codified in Title 17 of the United States Code, including section 512. It applies to content on sustainfv.org, including content submitted by community members, and should be read with our Terms & Conditions.

2. Designated agent

Please send copyright infringement notices and counter-notices to:

  • Name: DMCA Agent, Sustainable Fox Valley
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Subject line: “DMCA Notice” or “DMCA Counter-Notice”

Email is the fastest and most reliable way to reach us. This address is for copyright matters and general inquiries; for privacy requests, please follow our Privacy Policy.

3. How to file a takedown notice

Under 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3), a notice of claimed infringement must be a written communication to our designated agent that includes substantially all of the following:

  1. Signature. A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the exclusive right that is allegedly infringed. Typing your full legal name at the end of an email is generally accepted as an electronic signature.
  2. The copyrighted work. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed or, if multiple works on our site are covered by a single notice, a representative list of those works. A link to where the original appears, or a registration number if you have one, helps us.
  3. The infringing material. Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing, or to be the subject of infringing activity, that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to allow us to locate it. Please give the full URL of each page and, for images, a description of the image or its file URL.
  4. Your contact information. Information reasonably sufficient to allow us to contact you, such as your name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address.
  5. Good-faith statement. A statement that you have a good-faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
  6. Accuracy and authority statement. A statement that the information in the notice is accurate, and, under penalty of perjury, that you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

A notice that does not substantially comply with these requirements may not be effective. If your notice is missing something, we will usually reply and ask for the missing information rather than ignoring it.

Sample wording: “I have a good-faith belief that use of the material described above is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law. The information in this notice is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, I am the owner, or authorized to act on behalf of the owner, of the exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.” Then sign with your full name and the date.

3.1 Before you send a notice: consider fair use and licenses

Before sending a notice, please consider whether the use may be authorized. Many images on our site are used under Creative Commons licenses, and short quotations may be fair use under 17 U.S.C. § 107, for example when we quote a public document to comment on it. The US Copyright Office offers helpful background on section 512 and on fair use. If you are unsure whether material infringes your rights, you may wish to consult an attorney.

3.2 Misrepresentations

Under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), any person who knowingly and materially misrepresents that material is infringing, or that material was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification, may be liable for damages, including costs and attorneys’ fees. Please make sure your notice is accurate.

4. What happens after we receive a notice

  1. Acknowledgment. We will confirm receipt by email, usually within 3 business days.
  2. Review. We will review the notice for completeness and check the material identified.
  3. Removal. If the notice is complete, we will act expeditiously to remove or disable access to the material identified. For images, we may replace the image with a different one.
  4. Notifying the contributor. If the material was submitted by a community member or customer, we will take reasonable steps to promptly notify that person that the material was removed and give them a copy of the notice (we may redact personal contact details other than those needed for a counter-notice). They may then send a counter-notice.
  5. Record keeping. We keep a record of notices and counter-notices, including for purposes of our repeat-infringer policy.

Where content is written or chosen by us, rather than submitted by a user, we will still review your notice promptly and in good faith and remove or correct the content if it infringes your rights.

5. How to file a counter-notice

If material you submitted was removed or disabled because of a takedown notice, and you believe in good faith that it was removed by mistake or misidentification, you may send a counter-notice to our designated agent. Under 17 U.S.C. § 512(g)(3), a counter-notice must be a written communication that includes substantially the following:

  1. Signature. Your physical or electronic signature.
  2. Identification of the material. Identification of the material that has been removed or to which access has been disabled, and the location (URL) at which the material appeared before it was removed or disabled.
  3. 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 of the material to be removed or disabled.
  4. Your contact information and consent to jurisdiction. Your name, address, and telephone number, and 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 your address is outside the United States, for any judicial district in which we may be found, and that you will accept service of process from the person who provided the original notice or an agent of that person.

5.1 What happens after a counter-notice

When we receive a valid counter-notice, we will promptly send a copy to the person who submitted the original notice and tell them that we will restore the removed material, or stop disabling access to it, in 10 business days. We will restore the material no sooner than 10 and no later than 14 business days after we receive the counter-notice, unless our designated agent first receives notice from the original complaining party that they have filed an action seeking a court order to restrain you from engaging in infringing activity relating to the material on our site.

Please note that the counter-notice, including your name and contact details, will be shared with the person who filed the original notice, because the law requires it.

6. Repeat-infringer policy

In appropriate circumstances, we will disable or terminate the accounts and posting privileges of users who are repeat infringers. Specifically:

  • We track valid takedown notices relating to material submitted by each user or account.
  • A user who is the subject of two or more valid notices that are not successfully countered may lose the ability to submit content, and their account may be closed.
  • We may act sooner, including after a single notice, where infringement is clear, willful, or commercial in scale.
  • Notices that are withdrawn, or that lead to restoration after a valid counter-notice, are not counted against a user.

Closing an account under this policy does not cancel valid orders already placed; any refund due will be handled under our Refund, Return & Cancellation Policy.

7. Content you submit

When you send us content for publication, such as a project story or photo, you confirm that you own it or have permission to share it, as explained in our Terms & Conditions. Please do not send us photographs taken by other people unless you have their permission or the photo is clearly licensed for reuse, and tell us who should be credited.

8. Creative Commons attribution corrections

Many photographs on our site come from Wikimedia Commons and are used under Creative Commons licenses such as CC BY and CC BY-SA, or are CC0 or public domain. These licenses allow reuse when the conditions are met, typically crediting the creator, linking to the license, and indicating changes. We take these conditions seriously and want to get them right.

If you are the creator of an image we use and our credit is wrong, incomplete, or does not follow your license terms, you do not need to file a formal DMCA notice. Instead:

  1. Email us. Write to [email protected] with the subject line “Image credit correction.”
  2. Tell us which image. Include the URL of the page where the image appears and, if possible, the Wikimedia Commons file page or other original source.
  3. Tell us what is needed. Let us know how you want to be credited, for example your name or username, the license version, and any link you would like included.
  4. We fix it. We aim to correct the credit on the page and on our Image Credits page within 5 business days and will confirm by email.
  5. Removal on request. If you would prefer that we stop using the image altogether, we will remove or replace it, even if our use complies with the license.

Images may be cropped or resized to fit our layout; the Image Credits page notes this. If you believe our use goes beyond what the license permits, for example because the license terms were not met, you may still send a formal DMCA notice under section 3, but we hope a quick email will solve most issues.

9. Other intellectual property concerns

This policy covers copyright. If you have a concern about trademark use, such as the use of an organization’s name or logo, or about other rights, please email [email protected] with details and we will review it promptly. As explained in our Disclaimer, references to organizations and programs on our site identify public resources and do not suggest affiliation or endorsement.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this DMCA Policy from time to time, for example to reflect changes in the law or in how we handle notices. The “Last updated” date above shows the current version.

11. Contact

For anything related to this policy, please contact the DMCA Agent, Sustainable Fox Valley, at [email protected]. For general questions, use our contact page.

This page is provided for information and is not legal advice. If you are unsure of your rights or obligations, please consult an attorney.