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Copyright and takedowns

Effective October 3, 2026.

Trace the Roots respects the work of writers, historians, archivists, filmmakers and artists, and expects its members to do the same. This page explains what on the site belongs to whom, and what to do if you think something here infringes your copyright.

What belongs to whom

  • Event stories and links between events: the summaries, explanations, "built on" links and their reasons were written for Trace the Roots. They were drafted with the help of an AI model, Claude, made by Anthropic, and then fact-checked and edited by the founder. They are not copied from other works. Short quotations, where they appear, are attributed to their source.
  • Linked sources: the documents, articles, books, videos and archives we point to belong to their owners. We link to them rather than copy them. Book links go to library catalogs such as Open Library, and video suggestions go to searches on the video site.
  • Images: where the site shows historical images, we use images in the public domain or under open licenses, and credit the creator, source and license.
  • Member contributions: notes, comments, source descriptions and profile photos belong to the members who posted them. They give us a license to show them on the site, as explained in our terms of service. Members must only post what they have the right to share.
  • The site itself: the design, code, name and logo of Trace the Roots belong to the site's founder.

You are welcome to quote short passages from the event stories with a link back to the page. For anything more, email hello@tracetheroots.com.

Reporting copyright infringement (DMCA notice)

If you believe material on Trace the Roots infringes your copyright, send a written notice to our designated agent under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. section 512). Your notice must include:

  • Your physical or electronic signature, as the copyright owner or a person authorized to act for the owner.
  • A description of the copyrighted work you believe has been infringed, or, if several works are covered by one notice, a representative list of them.
  • The exact location of the material you want removed, preferably the full web address (URL) of the page and a description of the note, comment, image or link concerned, so we can find it.
  • Your name, postal address, telephone number and email address.
  • A statement that you have a good faith belief that the use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent or the law.
  • 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.

Send your notice to our designated agent:

  • By email: hello@tracetheroots.com (our designated agent registration with the US Copyright Office is in progress)
  • Email: hello@tracetheroots.com, with "DMCA notice" in the subject line

Please think about fair use and other exceptions before you send a notice. Under US law (17 U.S.C. section 512(f)), anyone who knowingly makes a false claim that material is infringing can be liable for damages, including costs and legal fees.

Notices that are not about copyright, such as complaints about accuracy, privacy or trademarks, should go to the same email address without the DMCA heading, or through the report button on the post.

What happens after we receive a notice

  • If your notice is complete, we will promptly remove or disable access to the material.
  • We will tell the member who posted it what was removed and why, and send them a copy of the notice. We remove your phone number and postal address from that copy unless you ask us not to, but your name and email will be included so the member can contact you.
  • If your notice is missing required information, we will ask you to complete it.
  • Where we only link to material hosted elsewhere, we can remove the link from our site, but we cannot remove the material itself. Contact the site that hosts it.

Counter-notices

If your contribution was removed and you believe that was a mistake, or that you have the right to post it, you can send a counter-notice to our designated agent at the address above. It must include:

  • Your physical or electronic signature.
  • A description of the material that was removed and where it appeared before it was removed.
  • A statement, under penalty of perjury, that you have a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of a mistake or misidentification.
  • Your name, postal address and telephone number.
  • A statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal district court for the judicial district where your address is, or, if your address is outside the United States, any judicial district in which Trace the Roots may be found, and that you will accept service of legal papers from the person who sent the original notice or their agent.

When we receive a complete counter-notice, we will send a copy to the person who sent the original notice. If they do not tell us within 10 business days that they have filed a court action to stop you from posting the material, we will restore it within 10 to 14 business days of receiving your counter-notice.

Repeat infringers

We close the accounts of members who repeatedly infringe copyright. As a rule, an account that receives three valid copyright notices within 12 months will be closed. A notice that is withdrawn, or successfully answered with a counter-notice, does not count. We may close an account sooner for clear or deliberate infringement.

Requests from outside the United States

You don't need to use the DMCA process if you are outside the United States. Email hello@tracetheroots.com and tell us:

  • who you are and how to reach you;
  • the work or right you believe is infringed, and that you own it or act for the owner;
  • the exact web address of the material on our site; and
  • why you believe it is unlawful, including the law that applies if you know it.

This also works as a notice under the EU Digital Services Act and similar laws. We will review every request in good faith, act on it as quickly as we can, tell you what we decided and why, and tell the member who posted the material. Members can ask us to review a decision by emailing us within 6 months.

Contact

For anything about copyright on Trace the Roots, email hello@tracetheroots.com.