Our Takedown Process

(Last modified September 24th, 2021)
The process begins when a copyright holder (or someone acting on their behalf) submits a takedown notice to us, claiming that their content is published on the PzazTV Platform without their permission. A takedown notice can be submitted to Pzaz by emailing legal@pzaz.tv.

On receipt of a takedown notice, the following happens:

• We review the notice.
• If the notice is complete and valid, we remove the allegedly infringing content (interchangeable with ‘content’).
• We notify the channel owner and reply to the copyright holder to let both parties know we’ve taken action.
• We add a strike to the owner’s account if they don’t counter the notice.
• If the channel owner believes they have rights to use the content or that the notice was submitted incorrectly, we review and process their counter notice.
• We restore the content if the copyright holder doesn’t take further legal action within ten business days.

Step 1: We Review the Takedown Notice

When we first receive a takedown notice regarding a channel, we review it to confirm that all of the required elements are present. Because the takedown notice is a legal procedure, we cannot accept a notice that’s missing any of the important pieces outlined below.

A takedown complaint must include the following information to ensure it is handled properly:

• Physical or electronic signature of the original copyright owner or someone authorized on the owner’s behalf.
• A detailed description of the copyrighted work that is suspected being infringed upon.
• The location and identification of the infringing material (this could be URLs, etc).
• The contact information, address, phone number, and mailing address of the individual filing the takedown complaint.
• A statement of good faith that the use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner.
• A statement that everything in the notice is accurate (again, remember you may be liable under penalty of perjury).

In addition to reviewing notices for completeness, we also assess their validity. Failure to submit a complete notice as per the guidelines stated above may result in its lack of validity. Although we respect copyrights, we also support everyone’s right to use content within the boundaries afforded by the law. Specifically, we reject notices that appear to be fraudulent or where the content identified:

• Is not copyrightable (for example, works in public domain, ideas, methods, and systems).
• Is content that the complaining party may not own the copyright for (for example, your house may feature in a photo or a video, but that does not necessarily make you the copyright owner of the photo or the video).
• Is fair use of copyrighted content (only a small amount of copyrighted material employed).

Step 2: We Remove the Allegedly Infringing Content

If we receive a complete and valid takedown notice, where possible, we remove the allegedly infringing content from the channel and replace it with a removal message.

Step 3: We Notify the Channel Owner and Reply to the Copyright Holder

Whenever we remove the content from a channel in response to a takedown notice we email the channel owner and provide a copy of the original complaint. We also notify the copyright holder to let them know that the allegedly infringing content has been removed.

If the channel owner wants to republish the content, they can edit the channel to remove the specific content at issue. (This is only an option when only a portion of a channel was identified as infringing.) After making the changes, the channel owner must reply to our message to request removal of the takedown message.

Channel owners cannot, under any circumstances, republish the allegedly infringing content. Republishing content that was removed after receipt of a valid takedown notice could result in the channel being permanently suspended from PzazTV. If the counter notice procedure is followed, we’ll restore the content at the appropriate time.

Step 4: We Add a Strike

We’re required to have a reasonable repeat infringer policy, so if a channel owner doesn’t counter a complete and valid takedown notice, we add a strike to their account.

We assess strikes after 10 business days, so that no one’s channel is suspended before they have a chance to review the issue and submit a valid counter notice.

Step 5: We Review and Process the Counter Notice

Sometimes a channel owner will disagree with the takedown notice, believing that they are lawfully using the content. We encourage channel owners to submit a counter notice if this is the case. After reviewing the counter notice for completeness, we reply to the channel owner and notify the copyright holder, providing them with a copy. Be very careful when you file a counter-notice, if you are not sure whether or not you own the content then you should probably seek legal advice.

Step 6: We Restore the Content

Upon being notified of the counter notice, the copyright holder claiming infringement then has 10 business days to initiate legal proceedings against the channel owner to prevent them from using their content on PzazTV. If at the end of the 10 business days, the copyright holder failed to initiate legal proceedings in this regard (which must be notified to us), we are required to restore the content.

Be Aware

Although there is content is stored on Pzaz servers, Pzaz also contains external video files and streams which were provided by the copyright holders and with whom we have licensing agreements. If any content available on Pzaz infringe on the rights of the copyright holder, it may be removed by sending a takedown request or opening an issue with our support. However, note that we have no control over the stream, and just removing the channel from the Pzaz will not remove its contents from the web. To remove this content from the web, you should contact the web host that’s hosting and streaming the content.