DMCA Policy

1. Overview

HappyMod respects the intellectual property rights of copyright owners and expects its users, contributors, and third-party content providers to do the same. This DMCA Policy explains how HappyMod handles claims of copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and other applicable copyright laws.

If copyrighted material is made available through HappyMod without authorization, the copyright owner or an authorized representative may submit a copyright infringement notice requesting removal or restriction of access to the material.

HappyMod will respond to valid copyright notices, remove or disable access to allegedly infringing material when appropriate, and take reasonable steps to address repeat infringement.

2. Scope of This Policy

This Policy applies to content made available through HappyMod, including but not limited to:

  • Application files
  • Game files
  • Modded application packages
  • Text descriptions
  • Images, icons, screenshots, and graphics
  • User-submitted content
  • Any other materials hosted, indexed, displayed, or distributed through HappyMod

HappyMod may remove, disable, restrict, or refuse to restore any content when required by law, by this Policy, or by HappyMod’s internal review standards.

3. Copyright Infringement Notice Requirements

A copyright owner or authorized agent may submit a DMCA takedown notice if they believe that material available through HappyMod infringes their copyright.

A valid copyright infringement notice must include all of the following:

  1. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed
    The notice must clearly identify the copyrighted work or works that are allegedly infringed. If multiple works are involved, a representative list may be provided.

  2. Identification of the allegedly infringing material
    The notice must identify the specific material claimed to be infringing and provide enough detail for HappyMod to locate it.

  3. A statement of good faith belief
    The notice must include a statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, the copyright owner’s agent, or the law.

  4. A statement of accuracy and authority
    The notice must include a statement that the information in the notice is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is the copyright owner or is authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

  5. Signature
    The notice must include a physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or a person authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

Notices that do not contain the required information may be rejected or may result in delayed processing.

4. How HappyMod Handles Takedown Notices

When HappyMod receives a complete and valid copyright infringement notice, HappyMod may take one or more of the following actions:

  • Review the reported material
  • Remove or disable access to the allegedly infringing content
  • Notify the uploader, user, or relevant party that the material has been removed or disabled
  • Restrict access to related content while the claim is being reviewed
  • Terminate or limit access for users who repeatedly infringe copyrights
  • Preserve records related to the notice as required or permitted by law

HappyMod may remove or disable access to content without prior notice when it has a good faith belief that removal is appropriate under copyright law, platform policy, or applicable legal obligations.

5. Incomplete, Invalid, or Abusive Notices

HappyMod may reject or decline to act on notices that are incomplete, inaccurate, fraudulent, abusive, or not submitted by the copyright owner or an authorized representative.

Examples of notices that may be rejected include:

  • Notices that fail to identify the copyrighted work
  • Notices that fail to identify the allegedly infringing material
  • Notices submitted without a required statement under penalty of perjury
  • Notices submitted by parties who lack authority to act
  • Notices targeting lawful uses such as fair use, licensed use, public domain material, or other legally permitted uses
  • Notices submitted for reasons unrelated to copyright infringement

Submitting false, misleading, or bad-faith claims may result in legal liability.

6. Counter-Notification Process

If material is removed or disabled as a result of a DMCA notice, the affected user or content provider may submit a counter-notification if they believe the material was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification.

A valid counter-notification must include all of the following:

  1. Identification of the removed or disabled material
    The counter-notification must clearly identify the material that was removed or disabled and where it appeared before removal or restriction.

  2. A statement under penalty of perjury
    The counter-notification must include a statement, under penalty of perjury, that the affected party has a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification.

  3. Consent to jurisdiction
    The counter-notification must include consent to the jurisdiction of the appropriate federal court as required under the DMCA.

  4. Acceptance of service of process
    The counter-notification must include a statement that the affected party will accept service of process from the person who submitted the original copyright notice or that person’s authorized agent.

  5. Signature
    The counter-notification must include a physical or electronic signature of the affected party.

Counter-notifications that do not satisfy the legal requirements may be rejected or may result in delayed processing.

7. What Happens After a Counter-Notification

After HappyMod receives a valid counter-notification, HappyMod may forward it to the party who submitted the original takedown notice.

Unless the original complaining party files a legal action seeking a court order to prevent restoration of the material, HappyMod may restore the removed material or re-enable access after the time period required by the DMCA.

HappyMod is not obligated to restore content if it determines that the content violates HappyMod’s policies, applicable law, third-party rights, security standards, or any other applicable requirement.

8. Repeat Infringer Policy

HappyMod maintains a policy for addressing repeat copyright infringement. Users, uploaders, or content providers who repeatedly submit or make available infringing material may have their access limited, suspended, or terminated.

Actions HappyMod may take include:

  • Removing infringing content
  • Disabling access to specific files or pages
  • Limiting upload or submission privileges
  • Suspending accounts or contributor privileges
  • Permanently terminating access
  • Blocking attempts to resubmit previously removed infringing material

HappyMod may determine repeat infringement based on valid DMCA notices, court orders, admissions, internal review, or other reliable evidence.

9. Restoration Is Not Guaranteed

Submission of a counter-notification does not guarantee that removed content will be restored. HappyMod may decline to restore content for reasons including but not limited to:

  • The content appears to infringe copyright
  • The content violates applicable law
  • The content violates HappyMod’s policies
  • The content presents security, privacy, malware, or user safety concerns
  • The content was removed for reasons separate from the copyright claim
  • HappyMod receives evidence that restoration would be improper

HappyMod reserves the right to make final platform moderation decisions consistent with applicable law.

10. Good Faith Review

HappyMod processes copyright notices and counter-notifications in good faith. HappyMod may consider the information provided by the complaining party, the affected user, internal records, publicly available evidence, and other relevant materials.

HappyMod does not adjudicate ownership disputes, licensing disputes, trademark disputes, contract disputes, or other private legal conflicts between third parties. Parties involved in such disputes should resolve them directly or through the appropriate legal process.

11. Misrepresentations

Any person who knowingly makes a material misrepresentation that content is infringing, or that content was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification, may be liable for damages, costs, and attorneys’ fees under applicable law.

HappyMod may suspend or restrict parties who submit fraudulent, abusive, or bad-faith notices or counter-notifications.

12. Changes to This Policy

HappyMod may update or modify this DMCA Policy at any time. Changes become effective when published. Continued use of HappyMod after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.