Copyright policy

Version 2026.07 · Part of the Terms of Service (§14)

GroupStudy hosts content created by members — messages, notes, code, whiteboards, community posts, and uploaded files. We respect copyright, we respond to valid infringement notices, and we terminate the accounts of repeat infringers. This page explains exactly how, following the notice-and-takedown process of the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA); complainants outside the US may use the same process. [LAWYER REVIEW: EU/other-jurisdiction equivalents and any hosting-liability wording.]

1. Filing an infringement notice

If you believe content on GroupStudy infringes a copyright you own or are authorized to enforce, send a notice containing all of the following (DMCA §512(c)(3)):

1. Identification of the copyrighted work you claim is infringed (or a representative list, if several).
2. Identification of the infringing material and where it is on GroupStudy — a URL or, for content inside a group, enough description for us to locate it (e.g. group name + file name).
3. Your name, postal address, telephone number, and email address.
4. A statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
5. A statement that the information in the notice is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that you are the owner or authorized to act for the owner.
6. Your physical or electronic signature.

Send it to our designated agent:

[FILL: designated agent name]
Email: [FILL: copyright contact email]
Address: [FILL: postal address]
[FOUNDER TASK: register this agent in the US Copyright Office DMCA Designated Agent Directory before launch — safe harbor depends on it. Remove this line once done.]

Incomplete notices may not be actionable; we'll tell you what's missing where we reasonably can.

2. What we do on receipt

On a valid notice we remove or disable access to the material promptly, notify the member who posted it, provide them a copy of the notice (with your contact details, as the process requires), and record a strike against the account. Content removed this way shows as unavailable to the group rather than silently vanishing.

3. Counter-notice

If your content was removed and you believe that was a mistake or misidentification, you may send a counter-notice to the same agent containing: identification of the removed material and where it appeared; your name, address, and phone number; a statement under penalty of perjury of your good-faith belief the removal was mistaken; your consent to the jurisdiction of your local federal district court (or, outside the US, [FILL: venue]) and to service of process from the complainant; and your signature.

We forward counter-notices to the original complainant. Unless they notify us within 10–14 business days that they've filed a court action, we restore the material.

4. Repeat infringers

Accounts that accumulate repeated valid infringement notices are terminated. One-strike termination applies to egregious cases (e.g. accounts that exist to distribute pirated course material — see also Community Guidelines, which ban it outright).

5. Don't misuse this process

Knowingly misrepresenting that material is infringing — or that it was removed by mistake — creates liability for damages, including costs and attorneys' fees (DMCA §512(f)). Takedown notices are not a tool for settling group disputes.

6. A note on course content

GroupStudy's watch-together feature syncs playback position only — each member streams their own licensed copy, and we never host or rebroadcast third-party course content. If you're a course creator and believe a member is sharing your content improperly (e.g. via uploads or screen-share), the process above applies and we act on it; this platform's design and its Terms (§6) are on your side.

7. Trademark complaints

For trademark (rather than copyright) concerns, email the same agent with the mark, registration details, and the allegedly infringing use; we review these case-by-case.