Effective date: 2026-04-22 Last updated: 2026-04-22
About this policy
This Intellectual Property and DMCA Policy ("IP Policy") explains how Awiser handles allegations that content on the Service infringes a third party's intellectual-property rights, and how you can submit or respond to such notices. It is part of the Terms of Service and should be read together with the Acceptable Use Policy.
Awiser respects the intellectual-property rights of others and expects users of the Service to do the same. Awiser will respond to properly submitted notices under the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA"), 17 U.S.C. §512, and to properly submitted notices under Article 16 of the EU Digital Services Act ("DSA"), Regulation (EU) 2022/2065.
1. Who operates Awiser for IP purposes
Awiser is operated by Valentin LAFONT, an individual based in the Republic of Korea, as described in §1 of the Privacy Policy and §1 of the Terms of Service. In this policy, "Awiser" means that operator.
Awiser does not have a separate legal entity at the effective date of this policy. The designated agent for intellectual-property notices is the operator, reachable at the contact point in §12. Contact.
2. What this policy covers
This policy covers allegations that content on Awiser infringes:
- Copyright — the rights of an author, artist, designer, developer, or other creator in an original work
- Trademark — the rights of a person or company in a name, logo, or other identifier
- Right of publicity / right to one's image — the rights of a person in their name, likeness, voice, or signature
- Moral rights — the rights of an author to attribution and to the integrity of their work, to the extent these apply
Awiser also responds to other intellectual-property notices — patent, trade-secret, design right, database right — on a case-by-case basis. Send these to the contact in §12 with the subject line "IP Notice".
3. DMCA notices (copyright — U.S. framework)
If you are the owner of a copyrighted work, or are authorised to act on behalf of the owner, and you believe that content on Awiser infringes that copyright, you may submit a DMCA notice under 17 U.S.C. §512(c)(3).
3.1. Required information
To be effective, a DMCA notice must include all of the following:
- A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or a person authorised to act on their behalf
- Identification of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed, or, if multiple works at a single site are covered by a single notice, a representative list of such works
- Identification of the material that you claim is infringing and that you are asking Awiser to remove or disable, with information reasonably sufficient to permit Awiser to locate it — typically a full Awiser URL
- Your contact information — name, postal address, telephone number, and email address
- A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law
- A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorised to act on the owner's behalf
A notice missing any of these elements is not effective under the DMCA and may be returned to you without action.
3.2. Where to send
Send the notice to privacy@awiser.co with the subject line "DMCA Notice". Awiser accepts notices by email only.
Alternatively, send to the postal address in §12, addressed to the "Designated DMCA Agent".
3.3. §512(f) warning — misrepresentation
17 U.S.C. §512(f) provides that any person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material on a service is infringing, or that material was removed by mistake, shall be liable for any damages — including costs and attorney's fees — incurred by the alleged infringer, the service provider, or any copyright owner who is injured by such misrepresentation.
If you send a DMCA notice in bad faith, you may be liable under §512(f). Do not send a DMCA notice to remove content you simply dislike or with which you disagree.
3.4. What Awiser will do
Upon receipt of a DMCA notice that satisfies §3.1, Awiser will, in a commercially reasonable timeframe:
- Remove or disable access to the material that is the subject of the notice
- Take reasonable steps to notify the user who submitted the material that it has been removed
- Forward a copy of the notice to that user (including your name and the content of the notice), so that they may submit a counter-notification if they wish
If the notice does not satisfy §3.1 but substantially does, Awiser may contact you to request the missing elements before acting.
4. Counter-notification
If your content was removed as a result of a DMCA notice and you believe it was removed by mistake or as a result of misidentification, you may submit a counter-notification under 17 U.S.C. §512(g).
4.1. Required information
A counter-notification must include all of the following:
- Your physical or electronic signature
- Identification of the material that was removed or disabled, and its location on Awiser before removal
- A statement, under penalty of perjury, that you have a good-faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification
- Your contact information — name, postal address, telephone number, and email address
- A statement consenting to the jurisdiction of the federal district court for the judicial district in which you are located, or — if you are outside the United States — the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California, and that you will accept service of process from the person who submitted the DMCA notice or their agent
4.2. Where to send
Send the counter-notification to privacy@awiser.co with the subject line "DMCA Counter-Notification".
4.3. What happens next
Upon receipt of a proper counter-notification, Awiser will:
- Promptly forward it to the original complaining party, including your name and contact information
- Notify the complaining party that Awiser will restore the removed material in not fewer than 10 and not more than 14 business days
- Replace the material unless the complaining party notifies Awiser, within that window, that they have filed a court action seeking a court order against you to restrain the alleged infringement
By submitting a counter-notification, you consent to Awiser sharing your name, address, and the content of your counter-notification with the complaining party. This is required by §512(g).
5. Repeat-infringer policy
Awiser has adopted, and will reasonably implement, a policy of terminating the accounts of users who are repeat infringers of intellectual-property rights.
Awiser uses its discretion in deciding what counts as "repeat". In general, a user who is the subject of three or more effective DMCA or IP notices within any 12-month period is liable for account termination. A single notice involving severe or wilful infringement may also result in termination at Awiser's discretion.
Termination under this section is in addition to any action Awiser takes under §5 of the Acceptable Use Policy.
6. DSA Article 16 — notice-and-action for EU users
Independently of the DMCA, users in the European Union may submit a notice under Article 16 of the Digital Services Act that any content on Awiser is illegal under EU or Member-State law — including content that infringes intellectual-property rights.
6.1. What to include
To submit a DSA notice, send an email to privacy@awiser.co with the subject line "DSA Notice — Illegal content" and include:
- A sufficiently substantiated explanation of why you believe the content is illegal — including, where relevant, the law that is infringed and why
- A clear indication of the exact electronic location of the content — typically a full Awiser URL
- Your name and contact email (unless the notice concerns content that Awiser's terms and Article 22 of the DSA allow you to submit anonymously — e.g., content constituting a criminal offence affecting a victim's life, safety, or sexual integrity)
- A statement confirming your good-faith belief that the information in the notice is accurate and complete
6.2. What Awiser will do
Upon receipt of a DSA notice, Awiser will:
- Send you an acknowledgement of receipt
- Review the notice in a diligent, non-arbitrary, and objective manner
- Decide whether to remove, disable, restrict, or leave the content in place
- Notify you of its decision and the reasoning
- Inform the user whose content is the subject of the notice of the decision and their right to appeal
Appeals against Awiser's decisions may be made under §7 of the Acceptable Use Policy. Awiser does not at this time offer a certified out-of-court dispute-settlement body under Article 21 DSA. Users who want one may still submit their complaint to an EU-certified body of their choice; Awiser will cooperate with certified bodies to the extent required by the DSA.
7. Trademark complaints
If you believe content on Awiser infringes your trademark, send a notice to privacy@awiser.co with the subject line "Trademark Notice" and include:
- The trademark at issue, with the registration number and jurisdiction (or evidence of common-law rights)
- Your name, contact information, and the entity that owns the trademark
- A description of the allegedly infringing content and its location (URL or username)
- Why you believe the use on Awiser infringes (for example, creates a likelihood of confusion as to source, sponsorship, or affiliation)
- A good-faith statement that the use is not authorised by you, your agent, or the law
- A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate
Fair use, nominative fair use, parody, and commentary are not infringements. Awiser will consider these defences when evaluating a notice. Trademark notices that appear to be attempts to suppress lawful commentary or competition will not be actioned, and may be publicly disclosed (with your name redacted) in future transparency reporting.
8. Right to one's image and right of publicity
If you believe content on Awiser uses your name, likeness, voice, or signature without permission in a way that violates your right of publicity or right to one's image, send a notice to privacy@awiser.co with the subject line "Right of Publicity Notice" and include the information in §3.1, adapted as necessary.
Awiser does not require this type of notice to include a DMCA-style penalty-of-perjury statement, but knowingly false notices may be referred to §9.
9. Abuse of this policy
Do not abuse this policy. Submitting false or bad-faith notices can:
- Expose you to liability under §512(f) (for DMCA notices) or under applicable law
- Result in termination of your account on Awiser
- Be referred to law-enforcement authorities where the conduct amounts to fraud or extortion
Awiser may publicly disclose the fact and substance of IP notices received — including the sender's identity — where Awiser determines this is necessary to counter abuse or to explain its content-moderation decisions. Personal email addresses and postal addresses are not disclosed.
10. Awiser's own rights
The Awiser name, the Awiser logo, the Service's software, and the structure, selection, and arrangement of content on the Service are protected by intellectual-property rights owned by Awiser (or licensed to Awiser). Nothing in the Terms of Service grants you any right to use these marks or this material except as expressly permitted.
11. Changes to this policy
Awiser may update this IP Policy. Material changes are notified as described in the Terms of Service. The current effective date is at the top of this policy.
12. Contact
For all IP notices, counter-notifications, and questions about this policy:
- Email:
privacy@awiser.co - Postal address: Valentin LAFONT, Designated Agent for IP Notices, Paris, France
Awiser accepts notices in English. Notices in other languages may be accepted at Awiser's discretion but will not reset any legally-required response window until an English version is provided.
End of IP and DMCA Policy.
Questions about this document? Email privacy@awiser.co.