DMCA / Intellectual Property Complaint Policy

Effective Date: June 17, 2025

Last Updated: June 17, 2025

This DMCA / Intellectual Property Complaint Policy explains how Grip Culture receives, reviews, and responds to copyright and intellectual property complaints involving content posted, uploaded, displayed, submitted, or made available through the Grip Culture platform.

This policy applies to all users, including organizers, academy owners, coaches, athletes, parents, legal guardians, managed athlete profile managers, referees, spectators, staff, volunteers, administrators, and any person or entity that uses Grip Culture.

Grip Culture respects intellectual property rights and expects users to do the same.

1. User Responsibility for Content

Users are solely responsible for the content they upload, submit, publish, display, or use on Grip Culture.

This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Academy logos.
  • Tournament logos.
  • Tournament banners.
  • Event posters.
  • Promotional images.
  • Athlete photos.
  • Coach photos.
  • Academy photos.
  • Venue photos.
  • Videos.
  • Written descriptions.
  • Tournament names.
  • Academy names.
  • Sponsor names.
  • Federation names.
  • Team names.
  • Trademarks.
  • Copyrighted materials.
  • Brand assets.
  • Music.
  • Graphics.
  • Designs.
  • Results content.
  • Any other content submitted through the platform.

By uploading or using content on Grip Culture, the user confirms that they own the content or have all necessary rights, permissions, licenses, releases, or authorizations to use it.

2. No Unauthorized Use

Users may not upload, publish, display, or use content that infringes or violates another party’s intellectual property rights.

Prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • Uploading copyrighted photos without permission.
  • Uploading copyrighted videos without permission.
  • Using another academy’s logo without authorization.
  • Using another tournament’s branding without authorization.
  • Using another federation’s name or logo without permission.
  • Using sponsor logos without authorization.
  • Using copyrighted music without permission.
  • Copying tournament flyers, posters, or graphics without permission.
  • Impersonating another academy, organizer, brand, federation, venue, sponsor, athlete, coach, or tournament.
  • Using names, trademarks, logos, or images in a way that falsely suggests endorsement, sponsorship, affiliation, or approval.
  • Uploading content removed by Grip Culture after an intellectual property complaint without resolving the issue.

3. DMCA Copyright Complaints

If you believe that content on Grip Culture infringes your copyright, you may send a written DMCA notice to Grip Culture’s designated copyright agent.

Grip Culture’s DMCA Agent:

  • Name: [Insert DMCA Agent Name or Department]
  • Company: Grip Culture
  • Email: [Insert DMCA Email]
  • Mailing Address: [Insert Mailing Address]
  • Phone: [Insert Phone Number, if used]
  • Website Contact Page: [Insert Contact Page, if used]

Grip Culture should also register its designated DMCA agent with the U.S. Copyright Office and keep that registration current.

4. Required DMCA Notice Information

To submit a DMCA copyright complaint, your notice should include the following information:

  • Your physical or electronic signature, or the signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.
  • Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed.
  • If multiple copyrighted works are involved, a representative list of the works.
  • Identification of the material claimed to be infringing or the subject of infringing activity.
  • Information reasonably sufficient for Grip Culture to locate the material, such as the URL, tournament name, academy name, profile name, image location, or other identifying information.
  • Your name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address.
  • 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, the copyright owner’s agent, or the law.
  • A statement that the information in the notice is accurate.
  • A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

5. Incomplete DMCA Notices

Grip Culture may reject, delay, or request additional information for incomplete DMCA notices.

A notice may be incomplete if it does not identify the copyrighted work, does not identify the allegedly infringing material, does not provide enough information to locate the material, does not include required statements, or does not include contact information.

Grip Culture may take action when it has enough information to locate and evaluate the allegedly infringing content.

6. Response to DMCA Notices

When Grip Culture receives a proper DMCA notice, Grip Culture may:

  • Remove the content.
  • Disable access to the content.
  • Hide the content.
  • Restrict the content.
  • Notify the user who uploaded or posted the content.
  • Request additional information.
  • Preserve records related to the complaint.
  • Suspend or restrict repeat infringers.
  • Take any other action Grip Culture considers necessary to comply with law, enforce policies, or protect the platform.

Grip Culture may act quickly and without prior notice when required or appropriate.

7. Counter-Notification

If your content was removed or disabled because of a DMCA notice and you believe the removal was a mistake or misidentification, you may submit a counter-notification to Grip Culture’s DMCA Agent.

A counter-notification should include:

  • Your physical or electronic signature.
  • Identification of the material that was removed or disabled.
  • The location where the material appeared before it was removed or disabled.
  • 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 name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address.
  • A statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal district court for the judicial district where your address is located.
  • If your address is outside the United States, a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of any judicial district where Grip Culture may be found.
  • A statement that you will accept service of process from the person who submitted the original DMCA notice or that person’s agent.

8. Restoration After Counter-Notification

After receiving a valid counter-notification, Grip Culture may forward the counter-notification to the original complainant.

Grip Culture may restore the removed material if the original complainant does not notify Grip Culture that they have filed a court action seeking to restrain the user from engaging in infringing activity.

Grip Culture may choose not to restore content if it violates other Grip Culture policies, creates legal risk, appears fraudulent, involves impersonation, violates privacy or safety rules, or otherwise creates platform integrity concerns.

9. Repeat Infringer Policy

Grip Culture may suspend or terminate users who repeatedly infringe intellectual property rights.

Grip Culture may consider a user a repeat infringer based on:

  • Multiple valid DMCA notices.
  • Multiple intellectual property complaints.
  • Re-uploading removed content.
  • Repeated unauthorized use of logos, photos, videos, names, marks, or copyrighted works.
  • Ignoring prior warnings.
  • Creating new accounts to avoid enforcement.
  • Using academy, tournament, or organizer tools to repeatedly infringe rights.

Grip Culture may suspend or terminate accounts, profiles, academies, tournaments, listings, or access to features for repeat infringers.

10. Trademark and Brand Complaints

The DMCA applies primarily to copyright complaints. Trademark, brand, impersonation, false affiliation, and logo misuse complaints may be handled separately under this Intellectual Property Complaint Policy, the Community Standards / Acceptable Use Policy, the Tournament Listing and Publication Rules, and the Academy Registration and Verification Policy.

If you believe content on Grip Culture violates your trademark or brand rights, you may submit an intellectual property complaint that includes:

  • Your name and contact information.
  • Identification of the trademark, brand, logo, trade name, or other right at issue.
  • Registration number, if applicable.
  • Country or jurisdiction of registration, if applicable.
  • A description of how the content violates your rights.
  • The URL, tournament name, academy name, profile name, or other location of the content.
  • A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is unauthorized.
  • A statement that the information you provide is accurate.
  • A statement that you are the rights owner or authorized to act on behalf of the rights owner.
  • Your physical or electronic signature.

Grip Culture may remove or restrict content that appears to impersonate, mislead, misuse trademarks, misuse logos, falsely suggest affiliation, or create brand confusion.

11. Academy Names, Tournament Names, and Public Identity

Grip Culture may receive disputes involving academy names, tournament names, team names, federation names, sponsor names, venue names, athlete names, coach names, or organizer identities.

Grip Culture may request proof of identity, business registration, trademark rights, academy ownership, event authorization, venue authorization, or other documentation.

Grip Culture may hide, restrict, suspend, transfer, rename, or remove disputed content when necessary to reduce confusion, fraud, impersonation, legal risk, user harm, or platform integrity concerns.

Grip Culture is not required to resolve ownership disputes between third parties, but may take platform action when content appears misleading, unauthorized, infringing, or harmful.

12. User Photos, Athlete Images, and Minor Images

Users may only upload images or videos that they own or are authorized to use.

Users must be especially careful with images or videos involving minors, managed athletes, athletes, coaches, referees, spectators, or private individuals.

Grip Culture may remove or restrict images or videos if there are concerns involving:

  • Copyright infringement.
  • Unauthorized use of likeness.
  • Minor safety.
  • Privacy.
  • Harassment.
  • Exploitation.
  • Misrepresentation.
  • Impersonation.
  • False affiliation.
  • Lack of authorization.
  • Legal or platform integrity risk.

13. False or Abusive Complaints

Grip Culture may reject or take action against false, abusive, fraudulent, malicious, retaliatory, or bad-faith intellectual property complaints.

Submitting false claims may have legal consequences.

Grip Culture may suspend or restrict users who repeatedly submit abusive, fraudulent, or bad-faith complaints.

14. No Legal Determination

Grip Culture may remove, restrict, restore, or preserve content as part of platform enforcement, risk management, or legal compliance.

Grip Culture’s action or inaction does not mean that Grip Culture has made a final legal determination about ownership, infringement, fair use, trademark rights, authorization, or liability.

Disputes about ownership, infringement, licensing, or authorization may need to be resolved between the parties or by a court.

15. Records and Evidence

Grip Culture may preserve records related to intellectual property complaints, including:

  • Complaint submissions.
  • DMCA notices.
  • Counter-notifications.
  • User account information.
  • IP address.
  • User agent.
  • Upload history.
  • Edit history.
  • Removed content records.
  • URLs.
  • Academy records.
  • Tournament records.
  • Profile records.
  • Payment link records.
  • Communications.
  • Admin actions.
  • Repeat infringer records.
  • Policy acceptance records.

These records may be used for legal compliance, dispute review, fraud prevention, safety review, intellectual property enforcement, account enforcement, and platform integrity.

16. No Permission to Use Grip Culture Marks

Users may not use Grip Culture’s name, logo, trademarks, branding, trade dress, screenshots, platform visuals, or other brand assets without written permission.

Users may not suggest that Grip Culture sponsors, endorses, certifies, guarantees, operates, supervises, insures, or approves any academy, tournament, organizer, coach, athlete, product, service, or event unless Grip Culture expressly states so in writing.

17. Platform Rights

Grip Culture may remove, hide, restrict, label, suspend, or terminate content, accounts, profiles, academies, tournaments, payment links, or platform access when Grip Culture believes there is intellectual property infringement, impersonation, false affiliation, unauthorized branding, privacy risk, minor safety risk, fraud risk, or platform integrity risk.

Grip Culture may act with or without prior notice when necessary.

18. Relationship to Other Policies

This policy works together with:

  • Grip Culture Terms of Service.
  • Grip Culture Privacy Policy.
  • Community Standards / Acceptable Use Policy.
  • Academy Registration and Verification Policy.
  • Organizer External Payments and Tournament Responsibility Policy.
  • Organizer Paid Services and Subscription Policy.
  • Tournament Listing and Publication Rules.
  • Safety, Assumption of Risk and Event Responsibility Notice.
  • External Payment Warning for Participants.

If a signed written agreement with Grip Culture applies to a specific intellectual property issue, that signed written agreement controls only where it expressly conflicts with this policy.

19. Policy Updates

Grip Culture may update this policy from time to time.

If changes are material, Grip Culture may notify users by email, account notice, platform notice, or another reasonable method.

Continued use of Grip Culture after policy updates means acceptance of the updated policy.

20. Acceptance

By using Grip Culture, I confirm that:

  • I will only upload, submit, publish, display, or use content that I own or am authorized to use.
  • I will not infringe copyrights, trademarks, logos, images, videos, names, brands, publicity rights, or other intellectual property rights.
  • I will not impersonate another person, academy, tournament, organizer, sponsor, federation, venue, brand, or Grip Culture representative.
  • I understand Grip Culture may remove, restrict, suspend, or terminate content or accounts that violate intellectual property rights or platform policies.
  • I understand Grip Culture may process DMCA notices, counter-notifications, trademark complaints, brand complaints, and repeat infringer enforcement.
  • I accept the DMCA / Intellectual Property Complaint Policy.