Copyright Policy

GarbageCan operates under and complies with:

As an online service provider hosting third-party content, we rely on the safe harbor protections available under these laws. To maintain those protections, we follow the procedures described below.

2.1 Who May Report

You may submit a Takedown Notice if you are:

• The copyright owner; or
• A person authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

2.2 What Your Notice Must Include

A valid Takedown Notice must contain all six of the following elements. Notices missing any element will be returned as incomplete and will not be processed.

2.3 How to Submit

3.1 Processing Timeline

3.2 If Your Notice Is Valid

• We will promptly remove or disable access to the identified material.
• We will notify the user who uploaded it, including:
  • What was removed and why
  • A copy of your Takedown Notice (with your personal contact details redacted)
  • Instructions on how to file a Counter-Notification (Section 4 below)
• We will retain records as required by law.

3.3 If Your Notice Is Incomplete

We will respond explaining exactly which elements are missing. Once you provide the missing information, processing resumes from the validation stage. The clock does not run while we wait for your response.

3.4 Warning: Misrepresentation Is Actionable

Under the DMCA (17 U.S.C. § 512(f)), the Canadian Copyright Act, and other applicable laws, knowingly making a false claim of infringement may expose you to liability for damages, including costs and attorneys' fees. Do not submit a Takedown Notice unless you have a genuine, good-faith belief that infringement has occurred.

If content you uploaded was removed due to a Takedown Notice, and you believe the removal was a mistake or misidentification, you may file a Counter-Notification.

4.1 What Your Counter-Notification Must Include

4.2 What Happens Next

We may restore the removed material between 10 and 14 business days after receiving your Counter-Notification, unless the original complainant files a court action and notifies us within that period.

We terminate the accounts of repeat infringers. This is not optional — it is required under the DMCA and DSA safe harbor provisions.

Important rules:

• Only Takedown Notices that are validated and substantiated count toward this threshold.
• If you file a successful Counter-Notification and your content is restored, that strike is removed from your record.
• A terminated account cannot be reinstated through normal support channels.
• Terminated users forfeit any remaining VIP membership, creator earnings balance, and other account benefits.

6.1 The Legal Landscape

The law on AI-generated works is still developing. Key principles as of 2026:

• United States

  The U.S. Copyright Office has ruled that works created solely by AI, without meaningful human creative input, are not eligible for copyright protection. However, content that reproduces or derives from copyrighted training data may still infringe existing copyrights.

• Canada

  Canadian copyright law requires human authorship. Purely AI-generated works without human creative contribution do not qualify for protection.

• European Union

  The EU AI Act classifies certain AI systems by risk level. Platforms hosting AI content have transparency obligations under the DSA.

6.2 GarbageCan's Position

• We are a platform, not a publisher. We do not create, review, or endorse user content.
• AI does not exempt you from copyright law. Uploading AI-generated content that reproduces recognizable copyrighted characters, scenes, or distinctive elements may give rise to a valid Takedown Notice. We will process such notices the same as any other.
• We encourage original creations. Unique, original AI characters and worlds carry lower legal risk than content based on existing IP.
• We label AI content. All AI-generated comics are marked as such on our Platform.
• We do not train or control AI models. Users are responsible for the AI tools they use and the content they generate.

6.3 Not Legal Advice

Nothing in this Policy is legal advice. Copyright law — especially around AI — is complex and evolving. Consult a qualified lawyer if you have questions about your specific situation.

Canada's Copyright Modernization Act operates on a notice-and-notice model, not a notice-and-takedown model like the U.S. DMCA. The key difference:

GarbageCan voluntarily removes content in response to valid Takedown Notices as a matter of global best practice — even in jurisdictions where we are not statutorily required to do so.

When we receive a notice under Canada's notice-and-notice regime:

• We forward the notice to the alleged infringer.
• We retain identifying records for the statutory period.
• We do not disclose user identity to the complainant except as required by court order.

For European Union users, we comply with the DSA:

• Article 16 (Notice and Action): The procedures in Sections 2–4 of this Policy implement our DSA notice and action mechanism.
• Article 17 (Statement of Reasons): Users whose content is removed receive a clear explanation.
• Article 23 (Repeat Offenders): Section 5 of this Policy implements our repeat-offender measures.

EU Representative: [To be appointed prior to serving EU users]

EU users may also complain to the Digital Services Coordinator in their Member State.

We reserve the right to reject or disregard:

• Notices that are clearly frivolous, abusive, or submitted in bad faith
• Notices that appear to be part of a harassment campaign
• Notices attempting to suppress lawful fair use, criticism, parody, or commentary
• Notices from parties who have repeatedly submitted false or invalid claims

Users who repeatedly file abusive Takedown Notices may be blocked from submitting further notices.

Non-copyright inquiries should be directed to our general support channels, not to the Copyright Agent address above.

We may revise this Policy to reflect changes in law, platform operations, or industry practice. Material changes will be announced on the Platform. The "Last Updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of GarbageCan after a change constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.