DMCA Takedown Policy

HomewatchIQ ("Platform") respects the intellectual property rights of others and expects its users to do the same. In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 ("DMCA"), 17 U.S.C. § 512, HomewatchIQ will respond promptly to claims of copyright or trademark infringement that are reported to our designated agent.

1. Our Safe Harbor Position

HomewatchIQ operates as a platform host for user-generated content. We do not create, select, or curate the logos, badges, credentials, or other images uploaded by our users. Under the DMCA and applicable platform liability protections, HomewatchIQ maintains safe harbor status by:

• Not having actual knowledge of infringing material prior to notification
• Acting expeditiously to remove infringing material upon receiving proper notice
• Not receiving financial benefit directly attributable to infringing activity
• Enforcing a repeat infringer termination policy

2. How to Submit a Takedown Notice

If you believe that content hosted on HomewatchIQ infringes your copyright or trademark rights, please submit a written takedown notice to our Legal Team. Your notice must include ALL of the following:

• Identification of rights owner: Your full legal name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address
• Identification of the work: A description of the copyrighted work or trademark that you claim has been infringed, including registration numbers if applicable
• Location of infringing content: The specific URL or page location on HomewatchIQ where the allegedly infringing content appears
• Good faith statement: A statement that you have a good faith belief that the use of the content is not authorized by the rights owner, its agent, or applicable law
• Accuracy statement: A statement made under penalty of perjury that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the rights owner or are authorized to act on the rights owner's behalf
• Signature: Your physical or electronic signature

3. Where to Send Your Notice

4. Our Response Process

Upon receiving a complete and valid takedown notice, HomewatchIQ will:

• Review the notice for completeness and validity
• Notify the user who uploaded the allegedly infringing content
• Remove or disable access to the content if the notice is valid
• Provide the uploading user with a copy of the takedown notice
• Inform the user of their right to submit a counter-notification

5. Counter-Notification Procedure

If content you uploaded was removed due to a DMCA notice and you believe it was removed in error, you may submit a counter-notification. Your counter-notification must include:

• Your full name, address, telephone number, and email address
• Identification of the content that was removed and its former location
• A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good faith belief the content was removed by mistake or misidentification
• A statement that you consent to jurisdiction of the Federal District Court for the district in which your address is located
• Your physical or electronic signature

Upon receiving a valid counter-notification, HomewatchIQ will forward it to the original complainant and may restore the content within 10–14 business days unless the complainant files a court action.

6. Repeat Infringer Policy

HomewatchIQ maintains a strict repeat infringer policy in compliance with DMCA requirements. Users who receive multiple valid takedown notices will have their accounts suspended or permanently terminated at HomewatchIQ's sole discretion.

7. User Audit Log

HomewatchIQ maintains an audit log of all user uploads, including timestamp, IP address, and the user's affirmative acknowledgment of content ownership at the time of upload. This information may be relevant to any legal proceeding involving uploaded content.

8. Trademark Complaints

While the DMCA primarily addresses copyright, HomewatchIQ also takes trademark complaints seriously. If you believe a user is displaying your registered trademark without authorization, please use the same notice process described above and clearly identify the trademark registration number and the nature of the infringement.

Please note that HomewatchIQ is a user-generated content platform. Users who upload association logos, certification badges, or other credential images do so under their own representations of authorization. HomewatchIQ is not a party to any membership agreement between a user and a professional association.