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DMCA / Copyright Policy

How copyright holders can submit takedown notices and counter-notifications.

DMCA / Copyright Policy

Effective date: May 20, 2026

Vicinity respects the intellectual-property rights of others and expects users of our service at inyourvicinity.ca (the "Service") to do the same. This policy describes how to notify us of content available on the Service that you believe infringes your copyright, and how to respond if your content has been removed.

This policy is provided in connection with the United States Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA"), 17 U.S.C. § 512. It is also available to rights-holders in Canada and elsewhere who wish to bring allegedly infringing material to our attention.

1. How to submit a notice of copyright infringement

If you believe that material available on the Service infringes a copyright you own or are authorized to act on behalf of, you (or your authorized agent) may send us a written notice that contains all of the following information, as required by 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3):

  1. Identification of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed (or, if multiple works are covered by a single notice, a representative list).
  2. Identification of the material that you claim is infringing and that you want removed or disabled, with information reasonably sufficient to let us locate it — for example, the URL on the Service where the material appears.
  3. Your contact information, including your full legal name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address.
  4. A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
  5. A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or are authorized to act on the copyright owner's behalf.
  6. Your physical or electronic signature (typing your full legal name is sufficient for an electronic signature).

Send your notice to:

Vicinity — DMCA Designated Agent c/o Spencer Spiegelman & Varun Mehrotra Ontario, Canada Email: info@inyourvicinity.ca (subject line: "DMCA Notice")
Note for rights-holders relying on §512 safe harbour: Vicinity is in the process of registering a designated agent with the U.S. Copyright Office. Until registration is complete, notices may still be submitted to the address above and we will act on them in accordance with this policy.

A notice that does not substantially comply with the requirements above may not be effective.

2. What happens after you submit a notice

If we receive a notice that substantially complies with §1, we will:

  • promptly remove or disable access to the allegedly infringing material;
  • take reasonable steps to notify the user who posted the material that we have removed or disabled it; and
  • forward a copy of the notice to that user.

3. False or bad-faith notices

Under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), any person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material is infringing may be liable for damages, including costs and attorneys' fees, incurred by the alleged infringer, by any copyright owner or copyright owner's authorized licensee, or by us. Please consider this carefully before submitting a notice.

4. Counter-notification

If you are a user whose content has been removed in response to a DMCA notice and you believe the removal was a mistake or misidentification, you may send us a counter-notification. The counter-notification must contain all of the following, as required by 17 U.S.C. § 512(g)(3):

  1. Your physical or electronic signature (typing your full legal name is sufficient).
  2. Identification of the material that has been removed or disabled and the location where the material appeared before it was removed.
  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.
  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 Vicinity may be found, and that you will accept service of process from the person who provided the original DMCA notice or that person's agent.

Send your counter-notification to the same address listed in §1.

If we receive a valid counter-notification, we will forward it to the original complainant. Unless the complainant files an action seeking a court order against you within ten to fourteen business days of our forwarding the counter-notification, we may, in our discretion, restore the removed material.

5. Repeat infringer policy

It is our policy to terminate the accounts of users who, in appropriate circumstances, are determined to be repeat infringers. We may also limit access to the Service and terminate the accounts of any users who infringe intellectual property rights, whether or not there is any repeat infringement.

6. Contact

Spencer Spiegelman & Varun Mehrotra Ontario, Canada info@inyourvicinity.ca