Copyright & Fan Works.

Fan works on Storylines

Fans have always written new adventures for characters they love, and Storylines is built for that kind of interactive, transformative storytelling. Many fan works are lawful as fair use or under similar exceptions because they add new expression and meaning, are non-commercial, and do not replace the original. Whether a particular work qualifies depends on the facts and the law of the place involved, and only a court can decide it for certain.

We do not pre-screen fan works for copyright, and we will not remove a fan work just because it uses existing characters or settings. We will act on valid legal notices, and remove content that copies protected material wholesale.

What is usually fine

• New stories, scenes, alternate endings, crossovers and "what if" branches using existing characters and worlds.
• Brief quotations, epigraphs and references to the original.
• Non-commercial work: you are not selling it or charging for access.
• A note crediting the original creators. A credit does not make copying lawful, but it is good practice.

What is not

• Posting substantial parts of a book, script, comic, game or song lyrics, or retyping the original with small changes.
• Uploading official art, screenshots, music or voice clips you do not have rights to use, beyond a small amount clearly needed for commentary.
• Copying another fan's story or art without their permission, or remixing a Storylines story that does not allow remixes.
• Selling or monetising fan works, or using them to advertise.
• Using a franchise's logos, official cover art or title styling, or presenting a story as official or endorsed. Character and place names may appear in your story and its title, but make clear it is a fan work (for example, a note such as "Fan work. Not affiliated with the original creators or rights holders.").
• Anything a court has found to infringe.

Our art and music

The backgrounds, characters, UI art, music and other items in the Storylines Asset Library are Service Content. You may use them in stories on Storylines, but not outside the app (see Terms, section 8). If you think a library item infringes your rights, send a notice as described below and we will review it like any other.

Sending a takedown notice

If you own a copyright, or are authorised to act for the owner, and believe material on Storylines infringes it, send a notice through the DMCA notice form or by email to storylineshq@gmail.com with the subject "DMCA notice". To be valid, a notice must include:

1. your physical or electronic signature (typing your full legal name counts);
2. identification of the copyrighted work, or a representative list if there are several;
3. identification of the material you believe infringes and enough information for us to find it, such as the story title, author name and a link or story id;
4. your name, postal address, telephone number and email address;
5. a statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent or the law; and
6. a statement that the information in the notice is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that you are the owner or authorised to act for the owner.

Please consider fair use before sending a notice. Under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), anyone who knowingly makes a material misrepresentation in a notice or counter-notice may be liable for damages. Incomplete notices may not be acted on; we will tell you what is missing.

Designated agent: Ventures Ventures LLC, Copyright Agent, storylineshq@gmail.com.

What happens next

1. We review the notice. If it is complete, we promptly remove or disable access to the material.
2. We tell the user who posted it, and send them a copy of the notice. The copy will include the complainant's name and the details of the claim. We may also send notices to Lumen or a similar archive with personal contact details removed.
3. The user may send a counter-notice if they believe the removal was a mistake or the material is lawful.

Counter-notices

If your material was removed and you believe that was a mistake or misidentification, or that your use is lawful (for example, as fair use), you can send a counter-notice to storylineshq@gmail.com with the subject "DMCA counter-notice". It must include:

1. your physical or electronic signature;
2. identification of the removed material and where it appeared before removal;
3. a statement, under penalty of perjury, that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification;
4. your name, address and telephone number; and
5. a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the U.S. federal district court for the judicial district where your address is located (or, if your address is outside the U.S., any judicial district in which VVLLC may be found), and that you will accept service of process from the person who sent the original notice or their agent.

We send the counter-notice, including your contact details, to the person who sent the original notice. Unless they tell us within 10 business days that they have filed a court action to stop the infringement, we may restore the material 10 to 14 business days after receiving your counter-notice.

Repeat infringers

We close the accounts of users who repeatedly infringe copyright. As a guideline, an account that receives three valid takedown notices that are not successfully countered may be closed, and we may close accounts sooner for clear or wilful infringement. Notices withdrawn by the sender, or successfully countered, do not count.

Trademarks and other claims

For trademark, privacy, defamation or other legal complaints that are not about copyright, email storylineshq@gmail.com with the details and the legal basis. If you are in the EU, you can also notify us of content you believe is illegal under EU or national law; please explain why, identify the content precisely, and give your name and email (unless the report concerns child sexual abuse material). We will review it and tell you what we decided.