Copyright complaints

1. What this covers

Authors upload books, covers, profile pictures and campaign text to Hamsterra and are responsible for having the rights to do so (see the Terms of use). If you believe something on Hamsterra infringes a copyright you own or are authorised to act for, tell us and we will look into it. This includes a book distributed through a campaign without the rights holder's permission and a public author, book or campaign page that copies your work.

If you are an author and found a copy of your own advance review copy shared somewhere else, you can check which copy it is with the copy check in your workspace. Hamsterra does not host copies outside the platform and cannot remove them from other websites; ask the website that hosts them.

2. How to send a notice

Email support@hamsterra.com with “Copyright notice” in the subject line, or write to Cat and box LLP, 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ, United Kingdom. Include:

• your name, postal address, email address and, if you act for someone else, whom you represent;
• the work you say is infringed (for example the title, author and publisher of a book);
• the exact Hamsterra URL of each page you are reporting (such as /books/… or /arc/…);
• why you believe the use is not authorised;
• a statement that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the rights holder or authorised to act for them, with your physical or electronic signature.

A notice that meets the requirements of the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. §512(c)(3)) also meets these requirements, and we handle it in the same way. The same address receives notices from every country.

A notice that knowingly misstates that material is infringing may make the sender liable for the resulting harm.

3. What we do

We review each complete notice. Where it appears valid we may unpublish the reported page, pause the campaign or stop new copies from being issued, and suspend downloads of copies already issued. We tell the author concerned and, where the law allows, send them a copy of the notice, including your contact details, so they can respond. We tell you what we decided.

Removing material from Hamsterra does not decide who owns the rights. Disputes between a rights holder and an author are for them to resolve.

4. If your material was removed

If you are the author and believe the material was removed by mistake or that you have the rights to use it, reply to our message or email support@hamsterra.com with “Copyright counter-notice” in the subject line. Include:

• your name, postal address, email address and telephone number;
• the material that was removed and the Hamsterra URL where it appeared;
• why you believe it was removed by mistake or that you have the rights to use it;
• a statement that the information in your counter-notice is accurate, and that you agree to accept service of legal proceedings from the person who sent the notice, with your physical or electronic signature.

We send a copy of a complete counter-notice, including your contact details, to the person who sent the notice. Unless they tell us within 10 working days that they have started court proceedings about the material, we will restore it within 14 working days after we received your counter-notice, if it is otherwise allowed under our terms.

5. Repeat infringement

We may suspend or close the account of an author who repeatedly uploads material they do not have the rights to distribute.