Sanjay Sokal respects the intellectual property of others and expects visitors to do the same. If material published on sanjaysokal.com infringes your copyright, this page explains exactly how to report it and what happens next.
1. Our position on copyright
Articles on this site sometimes include images, diagrams, quotations and excerpts drawn from third-party sources, used for illustrative, educational and commentary purposes. Reasonable efforts are made to use material appropriately and to attribute sources, but with a large archive — some of it migrated from an older version of this site — mistakes are possible.
If you own rights in something published here and you object to its use, it will be removed. No argument, no delay, no requirement that you prove your case in court first. A short, polite email is genuinely all it takes.
2. The fastest way to get something removed
Before preparing a formal notice, consider simply emailing sokalsanjay@gmail.com with:
- the URL of the page on this site, and
- which image, passage or file is yours.
Requests handled this way are normally actioned within 2–5 business days. A formal notice under section 3 is always available to you, but is not a precondition for removal.
3. Filing a formal infringement notice
To submit a formal notice under the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3)) — or an equivalent notice under the Indian Copyright Act, 1957 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules — send a written communication to the contact in section 8 that includes all of the following:
- A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner, or a person authorised to act on their behalf.
- Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed — or, if several works are covered by one notice, a representative list.
- Identification of the material claimed to be infringing, with enough detail to locate it: the full URL of the page on sanjaysokal.com, plus a description of the specific image or passage.
- Your contact details — name, postal address, telephone number and email address.
- A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the disputed use is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
- A statement that the information in the notice is accurate, and — under penalty of perjury — that you are the copyright owner or are authorised to act on the owner's behalf.
Please put “DMCA Notice” in the subject line so it is not missed.
4. What happens after a notice is received
- Acknowledgement — receipt is confirmed by email, normally within 2 business days.
- Review — the notice is assessed for completeness and the material is located.
- Action — where the notice appears valid, the material is removed or disabled expeditiously. Where it is part of a larger article, the specific asset is removed and the article amended.
- Notification — if the material was submitted by a third party (for example, in a comment), that person is informed and given a copy of the notice.
- Record — a record of the notice and the action taken is retained.
5. Counter-notification
If your material was removed and you believe this was the result of a mistake or a misidentification, you may submit a counter-notification containing:
- Your physical or electronic signature.
- Identification of the material that was removed, and the location at which it appeared before removal.
- A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed as a result of mistake or misidentification.
- Your name, address and telephone number.
- A statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the competent courts, and that you will accept service of process from the party who filed the original notice or their agent.
Where a valid counter-notification is received, a copy is forwarded to the original complainant. The removed material may be restored in 10–14 business days unless the complainant notifies us that they have filed an action seeking a court order.
6. Misrepresentation
Be aware that under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), any person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material is infringing — or that it was removed by mistake — may be liable for damages, including costs and legal fees. Please be certain you hold the rights before filing a notice. If you are unsure whether a use is infringing or is permitted as fair use or fair dealing, consult a lawyer first.
7. Repeat infringers
It is the policy of sanjaysokal.com to remove content and, in appropriate circumstances, block the ability to comment for any person determined to be a repeat infringer.
8. Where to send notices
Copyright complaints and counter-notifications should be addressed to:
Sanjay Sokal
Copyright contact, sanjaysokal.com
Khairoli, Mahendergarh, Haryana, 123028
Email: sokalsanjay@gmail.com
Email is the preferred and fastest channel. Notices sent by other routes may take considerably longer to reach the right person.
9. If you find your work used well
Not every use needs to be removed. If you are happy for material to stay but would like proper attribution, a correction to a credit, or a link back to the original source, say so — that is usually the outcome everyone prefers, and it will be actioned just as quickly.
10. Related policies
Section 5 of the Terms & Conditions covers intellectual property and what you may reuse from this site. The Disclaimer covers third-party content and attribution.