Respect for Intellectual Property
SSM respects intellectual property rights — including copyright, trademark, and trade dress — and expects Platform users to do the same. We comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), 17 U.S.C. § 512, and enforce policies against trademark infringement and counterfeit goods.
DMCA Takedown Procedure
Designated DMCA Agent
Our designated agent for receiving DMCA takedown notices:
DMCA Agent
Second Street Music
1954 N 2nd St
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Email: dmca@secondstreetmusic.com
Filing a Takedown Notice
If you believe your copyrighted work has been infringed on the Platform, send a written notice to our DMCA Agent containing:
- Your physical or electronic signature
- Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to be infringed
- Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing, with sufficient information for us to locate it (URL, listing ID, etc.)
- Your contact information (address, phone, email)
- A statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law
- A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner
Takedown Process
Upon receiving a valid DMCA notice:
- We will promptly remove or disable access to the allegedly infringing material
- We will notify the user who posted the material ("Alleged Infringer")
- The Alleged Infringer may file a counter-notice (see Section 4.3 below)
Counter-Notice Process
If you believe your material was removed in error, you may file a counter-notice containing:
- Your physical or electronic signature
- Identification of the material removed and its location before removal
- A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good faith belief the material was removed by mistake or misidentification
- Your name, address, and phone number
- A statement consenting to jurisdiction of the federal court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- A statement that you will accept service of process from the person who filed the original notice
Upon receiving a valid counter-notice, we will forward it to the original complainant. If the complainant does not file a court action within 10-14 business days, we will restore the removed material.
Repeat Infringer Policy — Scoped Three-Strike Model
SSM enforces a three-strike model scoped per content area, not applied globally to the entire account. Strikes are tracked separately for each content area where infringement occurs.
Content Areas Subject to IP Enforcement
- Sheet music uploads
- Marketplace digital products (presets, samples, beats)
- Merch designs (original art, POD designs)
- EPK media (photos, recordings, videos)
- Course content (instructional materials)
- Profile images and event graphics
Strike Escalation (Per Content Area)
| Strike | Consequence |
|--------|------------|
| 1st | Warning + content removal from that area |
| 2nd | 30-day suspension from that feature (e.g., marketplace selling, sheet music uploads, course publishing) |
| 3rd | Permanent ban from that feature area |
Always Accessible Regardless of Strikes
The following Platform features are
never restricted due to IP strikes:
- Booking services (studio, provider, facility)
- Buying event tickets
- Purchasing from the marketplace (as a buyer)
- Messaging and communication
- Account management
- Account credits (money owed to you is never forfeited)
Full Account Termination
Full account termination occurs only if:
- A user accumulates strikes across 3 or more different content areas (pattern of willful infringement), OR
- The infringement is clearly commercial and intentional (e.g., selling counterfeit merchandise or gear)
Strike Expiration
Strikes expire after
12 months of clean behavior within each content area.
Digital Product Licensing
All digital products sold on the SSOS Marketplace are sold under a single standard license as described in the Provider & Seller Agreement (Section 3.2.8). Users must comply with those license terms. Violations of digital product license terms (redistribution, resale, false authorship claims) may be enforced through the repeat infringer policy above.
Fair Use Guidance
NOT IP Violations (Not Subject to Strikes)
- Private project uploads: Files uploaded to your own private project workspace (not shared publicly) are not subject to DMCA enforcement. SSM has no obligation to proactively scan private content — DMCA is a notice-and-takedown regime per Section 512.
- Live cover performances: Licensed through ASCAP/BMI venue blanket licenses.
- Rehearsal song analysis: Using tools to analyze songs for educational/rehearsal purposes (fair use — educational).
- Course clips for instruction: Short clips played during instruction for commentary, analysis, or demonstration (fair use — educational, transformative, not substitutional for the original work).
IP Violations (Subject to Strikes)
- Uploading copyrighted sheet music, samples, or recordings for public distribution without rights
- Selling counterfeit merchandise or gear (trademark/trade dress infringement)
- Using copyrighted photos in EPK, profiles, or listings without the photographer's permission (attribution alone is not legally sufficient — the photographer owns the copyright)
- Hosting full copyrighted recordings as standalone downloadable content in courses (not fair use)
- Selling digital products that incorporate unlicensed copyrighted material
EPK Photos — Practical Guidance
If you are the subject of a photo (e.g., a promotional shot of your band), industry norm is that the photographer grants promotional use with credit. However, the photographer legally owns the copyright. Our policy: "You must have rights or permission to use uploaded media." We will respond to valid takedown requests from photographers.
Trademark & Counterfeit
Selling counterfeit gear, knockoff merchandise, or goods bearing unauthorized trademarks is prohibited. This includes:
- Fake branded instruments, equipment, or accessories
- Unauthorized reproductions of branded merchandise
- Goods falsely represented as being from a particular brand or artist
Counterfeit goods violations follow the same scoped three-strike model. Clearly commercial/intentional counterfeiting (e.g., a seller with a pattern of listing fake goods) may result in immediate account termination.
Safe Harbor
SSM qualifies for DMCA safe harbor protection as a service provider (17 U.S.C. § 512). We do not proactively monitor, scan, detect, or police all user-submitted content. We will act expeditiously upon receiving valid notices.
Platform Obligations
- Register DMCA agent with the U.S. Copyright Office
- Respond to valid takedown notices
- Maintain a repeat infringer policy
- Provide counter-notification process
- We do NOT have an obligation to proactively scan or detect infringing content
User Responsibility
You are solely responsible for ensuring your Content does not infringe any third-party rights. This includes:
- Music in marketplace listings or event promotions
- Images in profiles, listings, and EPKs
- Sheet music, samples, presets, and other digital products
- Cover songs, remixes, and derivative works
- Merchandise designs and branding
Contact Us
Copyright/IP questions: dmca@secondstreetmusic.com
Or use our contact form
Last Updated: March 9, 2026 | Version: 2.0