Copyright & DMCA Policy

1. Our Respect for Intellectual Property

Mercoly ("Mercoly," "we," "us," or "our") operates a nationwide online business directory, multi-vendor marketplace, and lead-generation platform at https://mercoly.com (the "Platform"). We respect the intellectual property rights of others and expect everyone who uses the Platform to do the same. This Copyright & DMCA Policy explains how we respond to claims of copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 512 ("DMCA"), and describes the procedures for submitting takedown notices, counter-notifications, and our policy regarding repeat infringers.

Mercoly is a neutral platform, venue, and intermediary only. Mercoly is not the author, source, seller, manufacturer, or provider of the listings, products, services, images, text, reviews, logos, or other content that appears on the Platform. The overwhelming majority of content on the Platform is created, uploaded, or supplied by independent third-party Businesses, Sellers, and users, or is auto-generated from public and open business-data sources. Mercoly does not pre-screen, vet, endorse, or verify this content for intellectual-property ownership. As an online service provider that stores and transmits material at the direction of users, Mercoly avails itself of the safe harbors of the DMCA and other applicable intermediary protections, including Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (47 U.S.C. § 230). Nothing in this Policy waives, limits, or diminishes any such protection, immunity, or defense available to Mercoly under federal or state law.

2. Reporting Alleged Copyright Infringement (DMCA Takedown Notice)

If you are a copyright owner, or an agent authorized to act on behalf of one, and you believe in good faith that content available on or through the Platform infringes your copyright, you may submit a written notice of alleged infringement (a "DMCA Notice") to our Designated Agent identified below. We will process notices that substantially comply with the requirements of 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3).

2.1 Required Elements of a Valid Notice

To be effective, your DMCA Notice must be in writing and must include all of the following:

1. A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright that is allegedly infringed;
2. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works are covered by a single notice, a representative list of such works;
3. Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, with information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material — for example, the specific URL(s) on https://mercoly.com, the listing name or ID, and the position of the item on the page;
4. Information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact you, such as your full legal name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;
5. A statement that you have a good-faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
6. A statement that the information in the notice is accurate, and, under penalty of perjury, that you are the copyright owner or are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

Please send only material you reasonably believe to be infringing. Do not send unrelated complaints, defamation claims, trademark matters, or general grievances through this channel; this Policy addresses copyright only.

2.2 Designated Agent

Mercoly's Designated Agent to receive notifications of claimed copyright infringement is:

• DMCA / Copyright Agent, Mercoly
• Email: support@mercoly.com (please include "DMCA Notice" in the subject line)

This contact is for intellectual-property and DMCA matters. Notices that are incomplete or that fail to substantially comply with § 512(c)(3) may not be effective and may delay or prevent action.

3. How Mercoly Responds to a Valid Notice

Upon receipt of a DMCA Notice that substantially complies with the statutory requirements, Mercoly will, in its sole discretion and within a reasonable time, take one or more of the following actions: remove or disable access to the material claimed to be infringing; notify the user, Business, or Seller responsible for the material that it has been removed or disabled; and, where appropriate, document the action for our repeat-infringer records. Mercoly may also take any of these actions on its own initiative, with or without notice, where it believes content may be infringing or otherwise objectionable.

Mercoly does not act as a judge of competing intellectual-property claims and makes no representation regarding the validity of any notice or counter-notice. Our removal or disabling of material is not, and shall not be construed as, an admission of liability, an endorsement of any claim, or a determination that any content is or is not infringing.

4. Counter-Notification

If you are a Business, Seller, or user whose material has been removed or disabled and you believe in good faith that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification, you may submit a written Counter-Notification to our Designated Agent at support@mercoly.com. To be effective under 17 U.S.C. § 512(g)(3), your Counter-Notification must include all of the following:

1. Your physical or electronic signature;
2. Identification of the material that has been removed or to which access has been disabled, and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or disabled (for example, the URL or listing ID);
3. A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification of the material;
4. Your full legal name, mailing address, and telephone number; and
5. A statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court for the judicial district in which your address is located (or, if your address is outside the United States, any judicial district in which Mercoly may be found), and that you will accept service of process from the person who provided the original DMCA Notice or that person's agent.

Upon receipt of a valid Counter-Notification, Mercoly may forward it to the party who submitted the original DMCA Notice and may inform that party that the material may be restored, or access to it re-enabled, in not less than ten (10) and not more than fourteen (14) business days, unless our Designated Agent first receives notice from the original complaining party that it has filed an action seeking a court order to restrain the allegedly infringing activity. Restoration of material is within Mercoly's sole discretion and subject to our other policies; Mercoly is under no obligation to restore any content and may decline to do so for any reason.

5. Repeat-Infringer Policy & Account Termination

Consistent with 17 U.S.C. § 512(i), Mercoly has adopted and reasonably implements a policy providing for the termination, in appropriate circumstances, of the accounts of users, Businesses, and Sellers who are repeat infringers. Mercoly may, in its sole discretion: track and record DMCA Notices and the accounts associated with allegedly infringing material; remove or disable any listing, content, image, or account; suspend, restrict, or permanently terminate access to the Platform; and refuse future service. We generally treat a user, Business, or Seller as a repeat infringer when it has been the subject of more than one valid or apparently valid infringement complaint, but Mercoly reserves the right to terminate any account at any time, with or without notice and at its sole discretion, for actual or suspected infringement or for any other violation of our terms or policies.

6. Misrepresentation & Liability

Please be aware that, under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), any person who knowingly materially misrepresents (a) that material or activity is infringing, or (b) that material or activity was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification, may be liable for damages, including costs and attorneys' fees, incurred by the alleged infringer, by any copyright owner or its authorized licensee, or by Mercoly as a service provider that is injured by such misrepresentation. Submitting a false, abusive, or bad-faith notice or counter-notice is unlawful. You are solely responsible for the accuracy and legal sufficiency of any notice or counter-notice you submit, and you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold Mercoly harmless from any claim arising out of or related to your submission.

7. Seller and User Responsibility for Content

Businesses, Sellers, and users are solely responsible for ensuring that all content they create, upload, list, or supply — including product images, descriptions, logos, brand names, copy, and other materials — does not infringe any third party's copyright, trademark, or other intellectual-property or proprietary right, and that they hold all rights, licenses, and permissions necessary to display and sell such content. By posting content to the Platform, each Business, Seller, and user represents and warrants that it has the legal right to do so and grants Mercoly a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, display, reproduce, and distribute that content solely for the purpose of operating, promoting, and improving the Platform. Mercoly is a neutral venue and intermediary and assumes no responsibility for, and disclaims all liability arising from, the intellectual-property compliance of any third-party content.

8. Auto-Created and Claimed Listings

Certain business listings on the Platform are automatically generated from public or open business-data sources and are not authored by Mercoly. A business may claim, edit, or request removal of its listing at any time by contacting support@mercoly.com. If you believe an auto-created listing contains material that infringes your copyright, you may submit a DMCA Notice as described above, and we will address it in accordance with this Policy.

9. Changes to This Policy

Mercoly may modify, update, or replace this Copyright & DMCA Policy at any time in its sole discretion. Changes are effective when posted to the Platform, and the "Last updated" date above reflects the most recent revision. Your continued use of the Platform after any change constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy. This Policy is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida, USA, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles, except where federal copyright law controls.

10. Contact

All copyright and DMCA correspondence — including takedown notices, counter-notifications, and listing-removal requests — should be directed to Mercoly's Designated Agent at support@mercoly.com. For your protection and ours, please do not include sensitive personal or financial information beyond what is required by the statutory elements described above.