Please see our Developer Hub Article for the most up-to-date and in-depth information.
Developers,
We know that there was a lot of confusion last week when we posted about our DMCA policy. We’d like to provide more information about our DMCA takedown process and our repeat infringer policy. Compared to other UGC platforms, we receive a comparatively small number of takedown notices – on average, 5 or less per month. Hopefully, this post will answer many of the questions that have been shared.
As you probably know, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a US law that many UGC platforms (e.g., YouTube, Facebook, Roblox, etc.) rely on to protect against copyright liability. Our strict adherence to this law has not changed and it is detailed in our Terms of Use. To get the benefit of the DMCA safe harbors, Roblox must respond promptly to takedown requests from IP owners. Roblox must also act to terminate the accounts of users who are determined to be repeat copyright infringers.
If you believe you have uploaded infringing content, please follow the below process to have the content removed:
You can browse through the Create page to identify content you have uploaded. You can also use the Library tab to search for content you have uploaded by “Creator” name. If you previously uploaded content which you wish to take down, you can use the archive feature to remove this content.
As outlined in our terms of use, we have implemented a three-strike policy that is designed to punish repeat offenders who knowingly and repeatedly upload infringing content; this policy is also designed to prevent well-intentioned developers from receiving future strikes and moderation actions by providing them with educational and content removal resources.
If we receive a takedown notice associated with content you have uploaded, Roblox will:
- notify you regarding receipt of the notice;
- remove or disable access to the infringing content;
- work with you to help you understand the definition of infringing content;
- give you an opportunity to file a counter notification in compliance with the DMCA if you dispute that your content is infringing (this is like an appeal);
- provide you with support to help you remove any other infringing content you may have uploaded; and
- as warranted, assign you with a strike (if your appeal is unsuccessful)
Please note that after you receive a strike and while you are actively working with us to remediate copyrights issues (meaning you are working to identify content that we should remove from the platform) during a 45-day period starting as of the date that you are notified that a takedown notice has been submitted, we will associate any subsequent claims on previously uploaded content as part of that same strike (as long as the infringing behavior is not deemed egregious).
We will be reaching out to developers that have previously received a strike to provide them with the support outlined above to help them identify any infringing content they may have uploaded.
We are also working to implement new systems which will help developers more easily and effectively manage their assets (including this DMCA process). We will provide more information on these new features when they are closer to being launched.
Our ongoing success relies on all of us working together to respect the rights of content creators and comply with the DMCA. We are interested in exploring any ideas you have about how to make compliance easier for the community. Feel free to send feedback directly to devrelations@roblox.com with subject line “DMCA issues” or comment on this post.
Thanks for your patience and continued support,
Developer Relations Team