The DMCA amended the Copyright Law (USC 17 § 512 Limitations on liability relating to material online*) to provide an exemption to Internet providers and other intermediaries from direct and indirect liability for copyright infringement by their users. The DMCA was passed on October 12, 1998, by a unanimous vote in the United States Senate and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on October 28, 1998.
DMCA Title II, the Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act ("OCILLA"), creates a safe harbor for online service providers (OSPs), like masters.edu, against copyright infringement liability, provided they meet specific requirements OSPs must adhere to and qualify for certain prescribed safe harbor guidelines and promptly block access to alleged infringing material (or remove such material from their systems) when they receive notification of an infringement claim from a copyright holder or the copyright holder's agent (a "notice and takedown" process). OCILLA also includes a counternotification provision that offers OSPs a safe harbor from liability to their users when users claim that the material in question is not, in fact, infringing.
For details on the Digital Millennium Copyright Acts see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Millennium_Copyright_Act
*(e) Limitation on Liability of Nonprofit Educational Institutions. -- (1)(C) the institution provides to all users of its system or network informational materials that accurately describe, and promote compliance with, the laws of the United States relating to copyright.
Last updated September 2023.
TMU Designated Agent
USC 17 § 512 Limitations on liability relating to material online ...
...(c)(2) Designated agent.—The limitations on liability established in this subsection apply to a service provider only if the service provider has designated an agent to receive notifications of claimed infringement described in paragraph (3), by making available through its service, including on its website in a location accessible to the public, and by providing to the Copyright Office, substantially the following information: (A) the name, address, phone number, and electronic mail address of the agent. (B) other contact information which the Register of Copyrights may deem appropriate.
Last updated September 2023.