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ALS SCAN v. REMARQ COMMUNITIES Case Brief
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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis
tl;dr: An ISP claimed a copyright holder’s takedown notice was defective for not listing individual files. The court held that a notice identifying entire online newsgroups dedicated to infringement “substantially complied” with the DMCA, stripping the ISP of its safe harbor immunity.
Legal Significance: Established that a DMCA takedown notice need only “substantially comply” with statutory requirements. A notice identifying a forum dedicated to infringement can satisfy the “representative list” and “location” requirements, shifting the burden to the service provider to act or lose safe harbor protection.
ALS SCAN v. REMARQ COMMUNITIES Law School Study Guide
Use this case brief structure for your own legal analysis. Focus on the IRAC methodology to excel in law school exams and cold calls.
Case Facts & Court Holding
Key Facts & Case Background
ALS Scan, Inc. owned the copyrights to adult photographs. It discovered that two online newsgroups hosted by Internet Service Provider (ISP) RemarQ Communities, Inc.—“alt.als” and “alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.als”—were being used by subscribers to post thousands of infringing copies of its images. ALS Scan sent a takedown notice to RemarQ identifying these two newsgroups, asserting that “virtually all” images within them infringed its copyrights, and providing links to its own websites where its copyrighted material could be viewed for verification. RemarQ refused to remove the newsgroups, arguing the notice was legally insufficient under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) because it failed to identify each specific infringing file. RemarQ stated it would only remove individual files if ALS Scan provided a specific list. ALS Scan filed suit for copyright infringement. The district court dismissed the claim, finding ALS Scan’s notice was fatally defective. ALS Scan appealed.
Court Holding & Legal Precedent
Issue: Does a copyright holder’s notification that identifies entire online newsgroups dedicated to infringement, rather than listing individual infringing files, substantially comply with the notice requirements of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s safe harbor provision, 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3)(A)?
Yes. A notification that identifies specific online forums created for the primary Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo conseq
IRAC Legal Analysis
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Legal Issue
Does a copyright holder’s notification that identifies entire online newsgroups dedicated to infringement, rather than listing individual infringing files, substantially comply with the notice requirements of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s safe harbor provision, 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3)(A)?
Conclusion
This case is a foundational precedent for interpreting the DMCA's notice-and-takedown regime, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut
Legal Rule
To be effective under the DMCA's safe harbor provision, a notification of Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate
Legal Analysis
The Fourth Circuit reversed the district court, focusing on the statutory language Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur
Flash-to-Full Case Opinions
Flash Summary
- A DMCA takedown notice is effective if it substantially complies with