Your Business. Your Website. User Content.: What You Need to Know About the DMCA

The “safe harbor” provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) are not just for search engines, record companies, and television networks anymore.

Companies whose Web sites permit the posting of user-generated content need to be aware of how the DMCA can provide protection against monetary liability for copyright infringement. Those companies whose own content is posted by others should know how to use the “notice and takedown” provisions of the DMCA to remove infringing content quickly as well as how to use the DMCA and “John Doe” lawsuits to help track down the identities of those who anonymously post infringing or damaging material.

Foley presented the first installment of our Internet Generation Web Conference series in which we discussed:

• How the safe harbor provisions in Section 512 of the DMCA insulate Web site operators from damages for copyright infringement


• Requirements that must be met to obtain and keep safe harbor protection


• How to obtain the identities of those who post infringing material or engage in libel, disclosure of trade secrets, or illegal conduct other than copyright infringement

Speakers:

• Abigail Phillips, Legal Director, Product & Transactional, Yahoo!


• Andrew Baum, Partner, Foley


• Robert Weisbein, Partner, Foley