Sometimes you just want to pound your head against the wall...

[elc32955]

Well, we received our first DMCA content notice from Google. A website owner in Pakistan apparently believes that some of our content violates their copyrights and requested Google to remove the following material....

Here are the affected URL(s):
viewtopic.php?t=2437
viewtopic.php?t=3330
viewtopic.php?t=3788
viewtopic.php?t=4241

I responded with the following counter-claim;

In review of the DMCA complaint and the material portrayed on the NewCaprice.Com website, we unequivocally state the DMCA material copyright violation allegations have no basis in fact. The owner of the site resides in Country Code PK, and all of the material alleged to violate copyright is located in the United States of America. The PK resident apparently alleges that the term "Caprice" has bearing on her copyrights. In the United States, Australia, and multiple other countries the term "Caprice" refers to an automotive brand that is sold by the General Motors Company, Chevrolet and Holden Divisions, headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.

The material on my website, and with more specificity the URL's on the NewCaprice.Com website referenced in the Complaint constitutes automotive support and modification content on an automotive enthusiast website, and in no way is related to the content referenced in the other URL's targeted in this complaint. This is believed to be, plain and simple, a misidentification of material that was flagged for takedown. I respectfully request that my material be immediately reinstated and that the claimant's purported allegation of ownership of copyright on this material be found without merit and dismissed with prejudice.

All four of the threads deal with the topic of Caprice (fluid or exhaust) leaks in one way or another, in my opinion this complaint is nothing more than someone's AI gone wild. All of the other sites in the complaint alleged to be in violation appeared to deal with adult content except ours.

You can't make this stuff up.... jeez.....

Eric

[GammaFlat]

Automated litigation. We're all screwed.

[Mooseman]

In French, the word "caprice" means like a "vice" or a "treat". Maybe that's why the others were adult content.

In any case, what's Google gonna do about it? They can't force you to take down the site. Wouldn't an actual copyright infringement involve real lawyers?

[elc32955]

It's directed at Google to take their links down to this indexed material, not at us to pull the site down. For me to pull this material down will require them to prove a copyright exists that trumps our and the originators/commentators rights to the material. Frivolous claim, probably Ai generated. Just a pain to go through the motions of a response.....

Eric

[elc32955]

And.... after reviewing my response - WHAMMO! Our links to those threads have been restored by Google. At least they responded quickly to my rebuttal claim.

With all of the new generation of bots, Ai, and other associated devices/methods of vetting content on-line, we can probably expect more of this down the road. Running websites used to be so simple, then the lawyers got involved (geez... automated litigation as GammaFlat alluded to makes me shudder!).

Thanks
Eric

[Mooseman]

AI can be used for good but also bad. Just have to wait for the Terminators to show up now

Glad it got sorted. Maybe Google will realize what is going on an quash these as soon as they get them.

[BluesBro]

Excellent response.

The terms the ai was flagging are very funny considering the actual context being automotive.