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DMCA Policy

DMCA Policy

The State Department Passport is committed to respecting the intellectual property rights of others and expects its users to do the same. In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), 17 U.S.C. Section 512, and other applicable laws, we have adopted a policy of responding to notices of alleged infringement that comply with the DMCA and other applicable laws.

Our policy is to investigate any allegations of copyright infringement and to take appropriate action, which may include removing or disabling access to the allegedly infringing material. We also reserve the right to terminate accounts of users who are repeat infringers.

Filing a DMCA Infringement Notice

If you believe that your copyrighted work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement and is accessible via State Department Passport, please notify our designated copyright agent as set forth below. For your complaint to be valid under the DMCA, you must provide the following information in writing:

  1. An electronic or physical signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.
  2. Identification of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed, including the URL (i.e., web page address) of the location where the copyrighted work exists or a copy of the copyrighted work.
  3. Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material (e.g., the URL(s) of the material).
  4. Information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact you, such as your address, telephone number, and, if available, an email address.
  5. 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 law.
  6. A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner's behalf.

Filing a DMCA Counter-Notification

If you believe that your content that was removed or disabled is not infringing, or that you have the authorization from the copyright owner, the copyright owner's agent, or pursuant to the law, to post and use the material in your content, you may send a counter-notice containing the following information to our copyright agent:

  • Your physical or electronic signature.
  • Identification of the content that has been removed or to which access has been disabled and the location at which the content appeared before it was removed or disabled.
  • A statement that you have a good faith belief that the content was removed or disabled as a result of a mistake or a misidentification of the content.
  • Your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address.
  • A statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal court in the judicial district where your address is located, or if your address is outside of the United States, for any judicial district in which State Department Passport may be found, and that you will accept service of process from the person who provided notification of the alleged infringement.

Our designated agent for DMCA notices can be reached via our contact page.