DMCA / Copyright Policy

1. Public-domain content

Federal legislative materials we republish (bill text, roll-call vote records, the Congressional Record, member rosters, committee data, floor proceedings) are in the public domain under 17 U.S.C. § 105. We don't claim copyright on government works.

Our own contributions — plain-English summaries, design, code, AI letter prompts, the trademarks "Open America" and the logo — are owned by us or our licensors, and protected by copyright and other intellectual-property law.

2. Filing a copyright takedown notice

If you believe material on Open America infringes a copyright you own (or are authorized to enforce), send a written notice to our designated agent (section 4) that contains all of the following — as required by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3):

1. A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or someone authorized to act on their behalf.
2. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to be infringed (or a representative list, if multiple works at one site).
3. Identification of the material claimed to be infringing, with enough specificity for us to locate it (a URL is best).
4. Your contact information: name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address.
5. A statement that you have a good-faith belief that use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
6. A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notice is accurate, and that you are the owner or authorized to act on the owner's behalf.

We may, at our discretion, share the contents of your notice (including your identifying information) with the user who posted the allegedly infringing material so they can respond.

3. Counter-notice procedure

If you are a user whose content has been removed in response to a takedown notice and you believe the removal was a mistake (for example, because you have a license, the use is fair use, or the material was misidentified), you may send a counter-notice to our designated agent containing:

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, mailing address, telephone number, and a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court for the judicial district where you are located (or, if you are outside the U.S., for any judicial district where Open America may be found), and that you will accept service of process from the person who provided the original notice (or their agent).

We will forward a counter-notice to the original complainant. If the complainant does not file an action seeking a court order against you within 10 business days, we may restore the removed material at our discretion.

4. Designated DMCA agent

Open America has registered its designated DMCA agent with the U.S. Copyright Office. Filing a notice by email to the address above is the fastest way to reach us; we will treat email-only notices as effective when they contain the elements required by 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3).

5. Repeat infringer policy

We will terminate the accounts of users who repeatedly infringe copyright, as required by the DMCA. Where the underlying conduct is clearly malicious or in bad faith, we may terminate the account on first occurrence.

6. False claims have consequences

Under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), a person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material is infringing — or that material was removed by mistake — may be liable for damages, including costs and attorneys' fees. Don't send a takedown notice unless you have a good-faith basis for it.

7. Trademark concerns

The DMCA covers copyright. If you have a trademark concern about how something on the Service uses your trademark, contact legal@openamerica.io with the relevant URL, the mark in question, and proof of your rights.