Copyright & DMCA Policy

1. Introduction

This Copyright and DMCA Policy ("Policy") explains how TexasLobby.org ("we," "our," or "us") responds to claims of copyright infringement. TexasLobby.org is operated by Ronin Holdings LLC, a Texas Limited Liability Company. We respect the intellectual property rights of others and expect users of our website and services (the "Services") to do the same.

We comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 ("DMCA"), 17 U.S.C. § 512. This Policy describes how a copyright owner (or an agent acting on the owner's behalf) may notify us of allegedly infringing material, how a user whose material has been removed may respond, and our policy for terminating repeat infringers.

This Policy is incorporated into and forms part of our Terms of Service. Capitalized terms not defined here have the meaning given in the Terms of Service.

2. Nature of the Content on Our Platform

TexasLobby.org is a directory that publishes two broad categories of content, and it is helpful to understand the distinction before submitting a copyright notice:

• Public-records and factual data. A substantial portion of our directory consists of lobbyist registration data, client relationships, and legislative information sourced from public records maintained by the Texas Ethics Commission and the Texas Legislature. Facts, names, registration details, and other data drawn from government public records are generally not protected by copyright, and a DMCA notice is not the appropriate mechanism for disputing them. If you wish to correct, update, or request removal of factual profile information about yourself, please use our data-correction and removal channels rather than this Policy.
• User-uploaded and third-party creative material. Our Services also host creative works, including profile photographs, biographical text, logos, testimonials, and other media that may be uploaded by users or otherwise displayed on profile pages. Where such a work is protected by copyright and is used without authorization, the copyright owner may submit a takedown notice under this Policy.

If you are the subject of a profile and object to a photograph or other image displayed on that profile, you may submit a notice under this Policy if you own the copyright in that image, or you may contact us to request removal of the image regardless of copyright ownership. We honor good-faith requests from individuals to remove their own likeness where we are able to verify the request.

3. Reporting Copyright Infringement (Takedown Notice)

If you are a copyright owner, or authorized to act on behalf of one, and you believe that material available through our Services infringes your copyright, you may submit a written notification of claimed infringement (a "Takedown Notice") to our Designated Agent identified in Section 7 below.

3.1 Required Contents of a Takedown Notice

To be effective under 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3), your Takedown Notice must be a written communication that includes substantially all of the following:

1. A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
2. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works at a single online site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works.
3. Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material (for example, the full URL of the profile page or image on TexasLobby.org).
4. Information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact you, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an email address.
5. A statement that you have a good-faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
6. A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

3.2 Consequences of a Materially False Notice

Please be aware that under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), any person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material or activity is infringing may be liable for damages, including costs and attorneys' fees. Do not make false claims. If you are unsure whether material is protected by copyright or whether its use may be permitted under the doctrine of fair use or another exception, you should consult an attorney before submitting a Takedown Notice.

3.3 Our Response

Upon receipt of a Takedown Notice that substantially complies with Section 3.1, we will act expeditiously to remove or disable access to the material claimed to be infringing. We will also take reasonable steps to notify the user who uploaded or is responsible for the material that we have removed or disabled access to it, so that the user may submit a Counter-Notice if appropriate. If your notice does not substantially comply with the statutory requirements, we may contact you for clarification or may be unable to act on it.

4. Counter-Notice Procedure

If material you uploaded to the Services has been removed or disabled in response to a Takedown Notice, and you believe the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification, you may submit a written counter-notification (a "Counter-Notice") to our Designated Agent.

4.1 Required Contents of a Counter-Notice

To be effective under 17 U.S.C. § 512(g)(3), your Counter-Notice must be a written communication that includes substantially all of the following:

1. Your physical or electronic signature.
2. Identification of the material that has been removed or to which access has been disabled, and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or access was disabled (for example, the URL where the material previously appeared).
3. 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 of the material to be removed or disabled.
4. Your name, 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 we may be found), and that you will accept service of process from the person who provided the original Takedown Notice or an agent of that person.

4.2 What Happens After You Submit a Counter-Notice

If we receive a valid Counter-Notice, we will promptly forward a copy to the party who submitted the original Takedown Notice and inform that party that we may replace the removed material or cease disabling access to it within ten (10) business days. Unless our Designated Agent first receives notice from the original complaining party that it has filed an action seeking a court order to restrain the allegedly infringing activity, we may, in our discretion, replace or restore access to the removed material in not fewer than ten (10) nor more than fourteen (14) business days following receipt of the Counter-Notice.

Submitting a Counter-Notice does not obligate us to restore material, and we reserve the right to remove or decline to restore any material at our discretion and in accordance with our Terms of Service.

5. Repeat Infringer Policy

In accordance with the DMCA and other applicable law, we have adopted a policy of terminating, in appropriate circumstances and at our sole discretion, the accounts of users who are determined to be repeat infringers. We may also, in our discretion, limit access to the Services or terminate the accounts of any users who infringe the intellectual property rights of others, whether or not there is any repeat infringement.

A "repeat infringer" is a user who has been the subject of more than one valid Takedown Notice, or who has otherwise repeatedly uploaded or posted material that infringes the copyrights or other intellectual property rights of others. We may consider the totality of the circumstances, including any Counter-Notices submitted, in determining whether a user is a repeat infringer.

6. Trademarks and Other Intellectual Property

This Policy addresses claims of copyright infringement under the DMCA. If you believe that content on our Services infringes a trademark, violates a right of publicity or privacy, is defamatory, or otherwise infringes rights that are not copyrights, the DMCA notice-and-takedown process does not apply. Please instead contact our Designated Agent (or use the contact channels in our Terms of Service) with a detailed description of your claim, and we will review it under our applicable content and removal policies.

7. Designated Copyright Agent

We have designated the following agent to receive notifications of claimed copyright infringement (Takedown Notices) and Counter-Notices under the DMCA. Notices that do not concern copyright infringement, or that are unrelated to the DMCA, may not receive a response through this channel.

Important compliance note (internal / to be completed before publishing): To qualify for the DMCA safe harbor under 17 U.S.C. § 512(c), the above Designated Agent must be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office through its online Designated Agent Directory (dmca.copyright.gov), and the registration must be kept current and renewed as required (currently every three years). The name, address, telephone number, and email address listed publicly here must match the information on file with the Copyright Office. Do not publish this page with the placeholder fields above; replace each bracketed value with the registered agent's actual contact information first.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Copyright and DMCA Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. When we do, we will revise the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. Your continued use of the Services after any change constitutes your acceptance of the revised Policy.