What is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)?

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a law enacted by the United States federal government in 1998. It is an intellectual property law that provides copyright protection for digital works. The purpose of the DMCA is to protect the exclusive rights of copyright holders in their works, such as music, movies, and software from being misused or plagiarized without proper authorization. In New Hampshire, the DMCA affects copyright holders in two ways. First, it prohibits the circumvention of technological measures that control access to copyrighted works. Second, it provides a safe harbor for online service providers from copyright infringement liability. This means that if a service provider, such as an internet service provider, hosts content that is not owned by them and that infringes on copyright, then the service provider is not liable for the infringement. The DMCA also provides copyright holders with the ability to issue takedown notices to anyone using their works without prior authorization. Takedown notices require the person who is using the works to cease with the unauthorized use, and if they do not, legal action can be taken against them. In short, the DMCA is a law that provides copyright holders with protection for their digital works and offers protection for online service providers from copyright infringement liability. It also provides copyright holders with the ability to take legal action against anyone using their works without authorization.

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