Copyright & Takedowns

If something on this site is yours and it should not be here, tell us and we will take it down. You do not need a lawyer or a form. Send the link to [email protected] and say what is wrong. We read every one of those, usually the same day.

Most of the time the fix is small. A photo needs a credit, an organizer changed their mind about a listing, a description reads too close to the original. We would rather fix it fast than argue about it. The formal process below is here because the law asks for it, not because we plan to hide behind it.

1. Where our content comes from

Ventura County Local is a directory. Almost everything on it started somewhere else, so here is exactly how it gets here.

• Event listings come from organizers, public agencies, venues, and other public community calendars.
• Facts stay facts. What is happening, when, where, how much it costs. Nobody owns those, and we gather them freely.
• Descriptions are rewritten in our own words. We do not republish someone else's write-up as our own.
• Some sources ask us not to reuse their writing through their robots.txt or content signals. For those we publish the facts plus a short excerpt, clearly marked, with a prominent link back to the original.
• Photos come from the organizer or venue, licensed stock, or Creative Commons images used with credit. Event photos carry their source with them.
• We link back. Every listing points at the source so readers can go check it and so the source gets the traffic.

If you run a site we read and you want to know how our crawler behaves, or you want to block it, that is all on the bot page.

2. Asking us to remove something

The easy way: email [email protected] with the page address and a sentence about what is yours. That is enough for us to act.

If you would rather send a formal notice under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, send it to our copyright agent below and include all six of these, because the law requires them:

1. A description of the copyrighted work you believe was infringed. If several works are involved, a representative list is fine.
2. The material you want removed and the exact address of the page it appears on, specific enough that we can find it without guessing.
3. Your contact information: name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address.
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 that the information in your notice is accurate, and, under penalty of perjury, that you are the copyright owner or are authorized to act on the owner's behalf.
6. Your physical or electronic signature.

One caution, and we say it because it protects both of us: knowingly claiming that material infringes when it does not can make you liable for damages, including our costs and attorney fees, under 17 U.S.C. 512(f).

When we get a complete notice we remove or disable the material promptly and let the person who posted it know.

3. Our designated copyright agent

4. If we removed something of yours by mistake

It happens. If we took down material you posted and you believe it was a mistake or a misidentification, send us a counter notice at the same address. Include:

1. Your physical or electronic signature.
2. The material that was removed and the address where it appeared before we took it down.
3. A statement, under penalty of perjury, that you have a good faith belief the material was removed as a result of a mistake or a misidentification.
4. Your name, address, and telephone number, plus a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal district court for the district where you live, or, if you are outside the United States, the Central District of California, and that you will accept service of process from the person who filed the original notice.

We forward complete counter notices to the person who complained. If they do not file a court action within ten business days, we may put the material back, typically between ten and fourteen business days after we receive your counter notice.

5. Repeat infringers

Accounts that repeatedly post material that infringes someone else's copyright get removed. That is not a threat, it is just the policy.

6. Using our content

Facts are free. Dates, times, venues, addresses, ticket prices: nobody owns those. Reference them, build on them, tell your neighbors. A link back is appreciated and helps us keep the lights on.

What is ours is the writing we do, the guides and blog posts, the photos we shoot or license, the newsletter, our logo, and the design and code of the site. A short quote with a link is always fine. Republishing whole descriptions, guides, or photo sets is not. If you want to use something bigger, ask us at [email protected]. We say yes more often than you would think.

7. Related pages

• Our crawler and how to block it
• Terms of Service
• Privacy Policy
• Contact us about anything else