Draft for legal review. Not yet in effect.

Copyright Policy

Last updated: October 5, 2026

LocalBooks respects authors’ rights, which is the whole point of the site. Authors may only list books and upload text they have the rights to. We respond to notices of claimed infringement under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and similar laws.

1. Reporting infringement

The fastest way is the “Report” link on the book’s page or in the reader. Choose “It’s my work (copyright)”; the form asks for everything a valid notice needs. You can also send a written notice to our designated agent (below) that includes:

your physical or electronic signature;
the copyrighted work you say is infringed;
where the infringing material is on LocalBooks (a link to the book page or chapter);
your name, address, telephone number and email address;
a statement that you believe in good faith that the use isn’t authorized by the copyright owner, its agent or the law; and
a statement that the information in the notice is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that you are the owner or authorized to act for the owner.

Knowingly false notices can make you liable for damages. If you’re not sure the material infringes (for example, quotation or public-domain text), please check before sending a notice.

2. What we do

When we get a valid notice, we remove or disable the material, usually the uploaded ebook text and, where needed, the whole listing. We tell the person who uploaded it and include a copy of the notice (we may remove your contact details from it where the law allows).

3. Counter-notice

If your material was removed and you believe that was a mistake or misidentification, send a counter-notice to our designated agent with:

your physical or electronic signature;
what was removed and where it appeared before removal;
a statement under penalty of perjury that you believe in good faith it was removed by mistake or misidentification;
your name, address and telephone number, and a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal district court for your address (or, if you’re outside the US, any judicial district where LocalBooks may be found), and that you’ll accept service of process from the person who sent the original notice.

We’ll forward it to the person who sent the notice. Unless they tell us within 10 business days that they’ve filed a court action, we may restore the material 10–14 business days after receiving your counter-notice.

4. Repeat infringers

We suspend the accounts of people who repeatedly infringe, in appropriate circumstances. [Lawyer: confirm the strike policy, e.g. three valid notices.]

5. Designated agent

[Agent name], Belladrey LLC, [mailing address], [phone], support@localbooks.app. [Register this agent with the US Copyright Office (dmca.copyright.gov) before launch.]