Most website owners like you don’t fully protect themselves against copyright infringement claims. That typically means paying extra legal fees to a website attorney when things go wrong.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) contains what lawyers call “safe harbor” provisions. In plain English, this means by taking a few simple steps you can make yourself an unattractive target to sue because you’ve limited the amount of damages the other side can collect if you (or someone else) accidentally posted infringing material on your website (photos, graphics, text, videos, audios, etc.).
Although the DMCA is mind-numbingly complicated, here’s 3 keys steps you will want to consider to take advantage of the “safe harbor.”
Step 1. Designate your copyright agent.
Step 2. Post a DMCA Notice on your website.
Step 3. Follow the steps outlined in your DMCA Notice when a complaint is filed.
Of course, talk with your website attorney if you have any specific questions about the DMCA and designating a copyright agent.
To your online success!
-Mike the Website Attorney
