DMCA Copyright Procedure

BigForkSteering respects intellectual property rights. If you believe content on the site infringes your copyright, this page explains how to send a takedown notice that we can act on, and what we will and will not remove on receipt.

What we host

BigForkSteering is a catalogue. We do not host software binaries. We do not host installer packages. We do not redistribute the programs we list. The catalogue contains: editorial reviews (our own work), screenshots of program interfaces (fair-use editorial illustration), program logos (nominative use), version metadata (factual information), and external links to the developer’s own download pages. If your copyright concern is about a hosted binary, please contact the developer or distribution platform directly — we will not have a copy of it.

Required elements of a notice

To act on a DMCA notice we need each of the following, per 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3):

  1. A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or their authorized agent.
  2. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed (or a representative list, if multiple).
  3. Identification of the specific material on BigForkSteering you claim infringes, with the exact URL on our site where it appears.
  4. Your contact information: name, email, postal address, telephone number.
  5. A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use 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 copyright owner or are authorized to act on the owner’s behalf.

Where to send the notice

Send the full notice to dmca@bigforksteering.org with subject line beginning "DMCA:". Postal notices may be sent to BigForkSteering, United Kingdom, but email is processed faster.

What we will do

Notices that meet all six required elements are processed within ten business days. If we agree the content is infringing, we remove or disable access to it and notify the alleged infringer if their contact details are known. If we believe the use is editorial fair use (e.g., a screenshot used in a critical review) we will respond explaining the basis and may keep the content live; you remain free to pursue other remedies under copyright law.

What we will not act on

We do not act on notices that lack required elements; we do not act on notices that ask us to remove links to lawful content on third-party sites; we do not act on notices that target editorial criticism, parody, or fair-use commentary; we do not act on notices that are obviously automated takedown spam with no human review. Bad-faith notices may be reported and may carry penalties under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f).

Counter-notice procedure

If your content was removed and you believe the removal was wrong, you may send a counter-notice. To meet 17 U.S.C. § 512(g)(3), the counter-notice must contain:

  1. Your physical or electronic signature.
  2. Identification of the removed material and the URL where it appeared before removal.
  3. A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification.
  4. Your name, postal 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 your address is outside the United States, for any judicial district in which BigForkSteering may be found).
  6. A statement that you will accept service of process from the person who provided the original takedown notice (or their agent).

Send counter-notices to dmca@bigforksteering.org. On receipt of a compliant counter-notice we will forward it to the original complainant; the material is typically restored 10–14 business days after that unless the complainant files a court action to keep it down.

Repeat infringers

BigForkSteering does not host user-uploaded content, so 17 U.S.C. § 512(i) "subscriber and account-holder" termination is not directly applicable — there are no user accounts to terminate. Editorially, however, we maintain an internal record of all valid takedown notices. Any catalogue entry that produces repeated valid notices, or any external content source that is the subject of repeated valid notices, will be removed from the catalogue.

This is not legal advice

This page describes our internal procedure. It is not legal advice. If you are unsure whether you have a valid copyright claim, please consult an intellectual property lawyer in your jurisdiction.

Common DMCA Questions

How do I submit a DMCA takedown?

Send a written notice by email to the designated agent listed on this page. The fastest route is plain text in the body of the email, not a scanned letter. Include the exact URLs you want removed, proof you own or represent the copyright, and a signature. Notices without those parts get sent back rather than actioned.

What information must my notice include?

A valid notice needs six things under 17 USC 512(c)(3): your physical or electronic signature, identification of the copyrighted work, the exact URL of the allegedly infringing material, your contact details, a good-faith statement that the use is not authorised, and a sworn statement that the information is accurate under penalty of perjury.

How quickly do you process takedown requests?

A complete, well-formed notice is usually actioned within one to three business days from receipt. Complex cases involving disputed ownership or multiple URLs can take longer because each entry is checked by hand. You’ll get an email when the listing is removed, and the affected URLs return a 410 status afterwards.

What if my software was wrongly delisted?

Developers who believe a takedown was filed by someone without authority should email the editorial address with proof of ownership, such as the official project domain, a signed statement on company letterhead, or a verified GitHub account. If the original notice looks abusive or fraudulent, the listing can be restored and a counter-notice route is offered.

Can I counter-notice if my content was removed?

Yes. A counter-notice must include your name, address, telephone number, the specific material that was removed, a statement under penalty of perjury that the removal was a mistake or misidentification, and consent to the jurisdiction of the relevant federal court. Once received, the original complainant has ten business days to file suit before content may be restored.