Intellectual Property & DMCA Policy

How Studio Forward protects creators: DMCA takedown notices, counter-notices, strikes, license fingerprints and the repeat-infringer policy.

Studio Forward respects the intellectual property rights of others and expects its Users to do the same.

1. Reporting copyright infringement (DMCA takedown notice)

If you believe content on Studio Forward infringes your copyright, submit a notice through Support → New ticket → ⚖️ Copyright & DMCA. Subject line: DMCA Takedown Notice — Studio Forward.

A valid notice must include:

1. identification of the copyrighted work claimed to be infringed;

2. the URL of the infringing content on Studio Forward;

3. your contact information: full name, mailing address, phone number and email;

4. a statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent or the law;

5. a statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notice is accurate and that you are the owner or authorized to act on behalf of the owner;

6. your physical or electronic signature.

We also ask for proof of ownership (original files, timestamped screenshots, the original publication) to prevent false claims.

Designated agent. Notices are received by the Studio Forward Copyright Team through the form above. Postal notices: Studio Forward, address available on request through Support.

> Filing a false DMCA claim is a violation of federal law (17 U.S.C. § 512(f)) and may result in legal liability.

2. What happens after a valid notice

1. We remove or disable access to the allegedly infringing content.

2. We notify the uploader with a copy of the notice (your contact details may be shared with them, as the law requires) and issue a strike against their account.

3. The uploader may file a counter-notice if they believe the takedown was a mistake.

3. Counter-notice

A counter-notice must be sent through Support and include: identification of the removed content and its location before removal; a statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief the content was removed by mistake or misidentification; your name, address and phone number; your consent to the jurisdiction of the competent court and to accept service from the person who filed the notice; and your signature. We forward valid counter-notices to the claimant and may restore the content 10 to 14 business days later unless the claimant informs us that they have filed a court action.

4. Repeat-infringer policy

• Each valid takedown results in a strike. Strikes expire after 12 months.

• 2 strikes: the store can no longer publish new Products for 30 days and all listings are reviewed.

• 3 strikes: permanent suspension of the store and of the account.

• Serious cases (selling leaked content at scale, malware) can lead to immediate suspension.

5. Not the copyright owner?

DMCA claims are only for the copyright holder of the original work. To report a Product that seems stolen, inappropriate or against the rules when you are not the original creator, use the Report this product button on the product page.

6. License fingerprints

• Archive downloads (.zip) from Studio Forward may contain a unique license fingerprint: an invisible record of the order embedded in the archive (archive comment and a license file). It identifies the purchase, not the content of your project.

• Sellers may also opt in to placeholders: tags in their text files replaced at download time by your license code, account ID, display name and order number. A Seller may use these values, through the Studio Forward API, only to check that a copy is properly licensed.

• If a fingerprinted file is found leaked, Studio Forward can identify the order it came from. The account concerned may lose its License, be suspended, and the Seller may take legal action.

• Removing, altering or forging a fingerprint is a breach of the License and of the Terms of Service.

7. Trademarks

Do not use names or logos of game publishers, engines or other brands in a way that suggests endorsement. Report trademark issues through Support.