Unlock MLS DMCA Statement

Digital Millennium Copyright Act

There are multiple ways to have your content removed from the Austin Board of REALTORS® or ACTRIS MLS (cumulatively referred to herein as “ABoR”) websites or databases.

For takedown notices based on alleged copyright infringement of your content on an ABoR website (and for counter-notices), please send a valid DMCA notice (or counter-notice) according to the procedures described in this Policy by e-mail.

Our policy is to respond to notices of alleged infringement that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA"). Copyright-infringing materials found on any ABoR website or database can be identified and removed via ABoR's DMCA compliance process listed below, and you agree to comply with such process in the event you are involved in any claim of copyright infringement to which the DMCA may be applicable.

If you believe in good faith that ABoR or any ABoR members have infringed your copyright(s), you can request that we take down the infringing material(s) by following the steps in this DMCA compliance process. Please note that we do not make any legal decisions about the validity of your claim.

When a clear and valid Notice is received pursuant to the guidelines set forth below, we will respond by either taking down the allegedly infringing content ("Allegedly Infringing Content") or blocking access to it. We may contact the Notice provider to request additional information.

Under the DMCA, we are required to take reasonable steps to notify the person or entity who posted the Allegedly Infringing Content ("Alleged Infringer"). The Alleged Infringer is allowed under the law to send us a counter-notification as instructed below ("Counter-Notice"). On receiving a Counter-Notice, we may restore the Allegedly Infringing Content unless we receive notice from the original Notice provider that a legal action has been filed seeking a court order to restrain the Alleged Infringer from engaging in the allegedly infringing activity.

Notices and Counter-Notices are legal notices distinct from regular ABoR website activities or communications. As such, they are not subject to ABoR's Privacy Policy. This means we may publish or share them with third parties at our discretion, and we may produce them pursuant to a legal discovery request.

Anyone making a false or fraudulent Notice or Counter-Notice may be liable for damages under the DMCA, including costs and attorney's fees. If you are unsure of whether certain material infringes your copyright, contact an attorney.

Filing a DMCA Notice

To file a DMCA Notice with ABoR, you must send us a written letter by regular mail or email. We reserve the right to ignore a Notice that is not in compliance with the DMCA.

Your Notice must:

Identify specifically the copyrighted work(s) you believe has/have been infringed (for example, "My copyrighted work is an image that appears at [list URL where material is located].");
Identify the Content that you claim is infringing on your copyrighted work. You must provide information reasonably sufficient to enable us to locate the item on the website. You should provide clear screenshots of the Allegedly Infringing Materials (this is for identification purposes only, not to "prove" your claims). The information provided should be as detailed as possible;
Provide information sufficient to permit us to contact you directly: your name, street address, telephone number, and email (if available);
If possible, provide information sufficient to permit us to notify the Alleged Infringer (email address preferred);
Include the following statement: "I 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.";
Include the following statement: "I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in this notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.";
The Notice must be signed;
The Notice must be sent to our DMCA designated agent at the following address:

DMCA Agent
Austin Board of REALTORS®
4800 Spicewood Springs Road
Austin, TX 78759
512-454-7636
Email: dmca@abor.com

Filing a Counter-Notice
If your material has been removed or blocked by us as a result of a DMCA Notice, you may send us a Counter-Notice pursuant to Sections 512(g)(2) and (3) of the DMCA asking for the Allegedly Infringing Material to be restored. To file a DMCA Counter-Notice with us, you must send us a written letter by regular mail or email.

When we receive the Counter-Notice, we will send a copy of the Counter-Notice to the party who originally requested the removal of the Allegedly Infringing Material and we will reinstate the Allegedly Infringing Material, unless that party obtains a court order supporting removal of the Allegedly Infringing Material. We reserve the right to ignore a Counter-Notice that is not in compliance with the DMCA.

Your Counter-Notice must:

Describe and list all material(s) that were removed by ABoR and the location at which the material(s) appeared before it/they was/were removed. Please provide the specific profile or other unique identifying information so that we may have reasonably sufficient information to identify the item(s). The information provided should be as detailed as possible;
Provide your name, address, telephone number and email address (if available);
State that you consent to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Federal District Court for the judicial district in which your address is located (or Travis County, Texas if your address is outside of the United States);
State that you will accept service of process from the person (or an agent of such person) who provided the DMCA Notice to us.
Include the following statement: "I swear under penalty of perjury, that I have a good faith belief that the material identified above was removed or disabled as a result of a mistake or misidentification of the material to be removed or disabled."
The Counter-Notice must be signed.
The Counter-Notice must be sent to our DMCA designated agent at the following address:

DMCA Agent
Austin Board of REALTORS®
4800 Spicewood Springs Road
Austin, TX 78759
512-454-7636
Email: dmca@abor.com

Last updated February 17, 2020