Copyright & DMCA Policy

Our Position on Copyright

FirstReader respects the intellectual property rights of others. Users upload manuscripts they wrote or have permission to use, and we expect that to be the case. If you believe content submitted to or processed through FirstReader infringes your copyright, this page explains how to tell us, and what we'll do in response.

This policy is provided pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (17 U.S.C. § 512).

Designated Copyright Agent

FirstReader LLC has designated the following agent to receive notifications of claimed infringement under the DMCA:

This agent is registered with the United States Copyright Office pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(2).

How to Submit a DMCA Notice

If you believe that a manuscript or other content on FirstReader infringes your copyright, you may submit a written notice to our Designated Agent (above). Your notice must include all of the following elements, as required by 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3):

1. A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner, or a person authorized to act on their behalf.
2. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed. If your notice covers multiple works, a representative list is sufficient.
3. Identification of the material claimed to be infringing, with enough detail for us to locate it (e.g., the manuscript title, the account holder's email if known, report URLs, or any other identifying information).
4. Your contact information: name, address, telephone number, and email address.
5. A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
6. A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or are authorized to act on the owner's behalf.

Incomplete notices may not be effective. We encourage you to consult an attorney if you have questions about whether a particular use is infringing.

Please note: knowingly submitting a materially misrepresentative notice may subject you to liability under Section 512(f) of the DMCA, including damages and attorneys' fees.

Our Response to a Valid Notice

Upon receipt of a notice that substantially complies with the requirements above, FirstReader LLC will:

• Remove or disable access to the allegedly infringing material promptly.
• Notify the account holder who submitted the material, providing them with the contents of the takedown notice (redacting personal information where appropriate).
• Inform the account holder of their right to submit a counter-notice (see below).

Counter-Notice Procedure

If you are an account holder whose manuscript or content has been removed in response to a DMCA notice, and you believe the removal was a mistake or a misidentification, you may submit a counter-notice to our Designated Agent.

Your counter-notice must include:

1. Your physical or electronic signature.
2. Identification of the material that was removed and the location where it appeared before removal.
3. A statement, under penalty of perjury, that you have a good-faith belief that the material was removed as a result of mistake or misidentification.
4. Your name, address, and telephone number.
5. 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 outside the United States, the federal district for the Eastern District of South Carolina), and that you will accept service of process from the person who submitted the original notice or their agent.

Upon receipt of a valid counter-notice, we will forward a copy to the party who submitted the original takedown notice. Unless the copyright owner files a court action seeking a restraining order within 10–14 business days, we may restore the removed material.

Repeat Infringer Policy

FirstReader LLC has adopted and reasonably implements a policy, as required by 17 U.S.C. § 512(i), providing for the termination of accounts belonging to users who are repeat infringers.

Three valid DMCA notices against a single account will result in termination of that account without refund. We may terminate an account earlier if circumstances warrant (for example, a single unambiguous case of willful, large-scale infringement).

Questions

Questions about this policy? Contact us at dmca@firstreader.app. For questions about FirstReader more broadly, see our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.