Copyright & DMCA Policy

World Headlines Inc. respects the intellectual property rights of others. We aggregate news content from licensed sources and public feeds, and we respond promptly to valid copyright infringement claims. This policy explains how to submit a takedown notice under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), how to file a counter-notice, and how we handle repeat infringers.

1. Our Role

World Headlines is an independent digital news publisher. We produce original journalism by gathering information from multiple sources, including licensed news feeds, public records, and original reporting, and rewriting it into independent news articles. Our editorial process includes AI-assisted drafting with human editorial oversight, original image sourcing and processing, and multilingual translation. All published articles are original works created by our editorial team.

We do not reproduce or republish third-party articles verbatim. However, our reporting draws on factual information from external sources, and images used in our articles may originate from third-party photographers or agencies. All images are displayed with attribution credits identifying the source.

If you believe that any content on our platform infringes your copyright, or if you are a publisher who wants us to stop referencing your content, you can submit a DMCA takedown notice using the procedure below.

2. DMCA Takedown Notice Requirements

Under the DMCA (17 U.S.C. § 512), a valid takedown notice must include the following elements:

• Your physical or electronic signature as the copyright owner or a person authorized to act on their behalf.
• Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed. If the notice covers multiple works, you may provide a representative list.
• Identification of the infringing material displayed in our app, with enough detail for us to locate it. Include the headline, article link, or screenshot if possible.
• Your contact information so we can reach you. This should include your name, address, telephone number, and email address.
• A statement of good faith belief that the use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
• A statement of accuracy and authority under penalty of perjury, affirming that the information in the notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on their behalf.

Notices that do not include all of these elements may not be processed. We may contact you to request missing information before taking action.

3. How to Submit a DMCA Notice

Send your DMCA takedown notice to our designated copyright agent:

World Headlines Inc.
Copyright Agent
Email: support@wh.news
Subject: DMCA Takedown Notice

We aim to review DMCA notices within two business days and take action promptly if the notice is valid. We will notify the person who posted the content (if applicable) or the API provider that supplied the content.

We plan to register a designated agent with the U.S. Copyright Office in the future. Once registered, we will update this policy with the agent's official registration details.

4. Counter-Notice Procedure

If content you posted or linked was removed due to a DMCA notice, and you believe the removal was made in error or that you have the right to use the material, you may file a counter-notice. A valid counter-notice must include:

• Your physical or electronic signature.
• Identification of the material that was 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 telephone number, and a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court for the judicial district in which your address is located (or New York County, New York, if your address is outside the United States), and that you will accept service of process from the person who submitted the original DMCA notice or their agent.

Send your counter-notice to the same email address: support@wh.news with the subject line "DMCA Counter-Notice."

If we receive a valid counter-notice, we will forward it to the original complainant. If the complainant does not file a court action seeking an injunction within 10 business days, we may restore the removed content.

5. Repeat Infringer Policy

We have a policy of terminating accounts or blocking access for users who repeatedly infringe copyrights. If we receive multiple valid DMCA notices regarding content posted by the same user, or if an API provider is found to repeatedly supply infringing content, we will take appropriate action, which may include:

• Suspending or terminating the user's account.
• Removing the user's ability to post content.
• Discontinuing our relationship with the API provider.

What constitutes a "repeat infringer" is determined on a case-by-case basis, considering factors such as the number of valid notices, the severity of the infringement, and whether the user or provider took corrective action.

6. Misrepresentation and Penalties

Under the DMCA, if you knowingly misrepresent that content is infringing (in a takedown notice) or that content was removed by mistake (in a counter-notice), you may be liable for damages, including costs and attorneys' fees. Do not submit false or bad faith notices.

7. Jurisdiction and Consent

By submitting a DMCA notice or counter-notice, you agree that any disputes arising from such submissions shall be resolved under the laws of the State of New York, United States, and you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal courts located in New York County, New York.

8. Non-U.S. Copyright Claims

While the DMCA is a U.S. law, we honor similar copyright takedown procedures under the laws of other jurisdictions, including the EU Copyright Directive and national laws in countries where we operate. If you are outside the United States and believe we are infringing your copyright, you may submit a notice using the same format and contact information listed above. Please specify the applicable law and jurisdiction in your notice.

9. Publisher Removal Requests

If you are a news publisher and you want us to stop displaying your content (whether or not there is a copyright infringement claim), you can request removal by contacting us at support@wh.news with the subject line "Publisher Removal Request." Include:

• Verification that you represent the publisher (use your official email domain or provide contact information we can verify).
• A list or description of the content you want removed.
• Whether you want us to stop displaying all of your content or only specific articles.

We process verified publisher removal requests within 24 hours.

10. Limitations and Disclaimers

We act as an intermediary displaying content from third-party sources. We do not control the content on the original publisher's website. If the infringing material appears on the publisher's site, you must contact the publisher directly. We can only remove content from our app; we cannot remove it from the internet.

We are not obligated to monitor all content displayed in our app for copyright infringement. We rely on rights holders to notify us of infringements.

11. International Treaties and Copyright Compliance

We operate in accordance with international copyright treaties, including the Berne Convention and WIPO Copyright Treaty. As a publisher of original editorial content, we take responsibility for the materials we publish rather than relying on intermediary safe harbor provisions. We maintain proactive copyright compliance systems, including automated image source verification, mandatory attribution for all images, and blocking of content from known rights-enforcement agencies. We respond to all valid takedown notices regardless of whether safe harbor applies.

12. Image Attribution and Compliance

All images published on World Headlines display source attribution in a visible caption beneath the image. We use a tiered compliance system to manage image rights:

• Licensed stock photos sourced from Unsplash and Pexels under their respective free-use licenses, with photographer credit displayed.
• Editorial images from news sources, displayed with source attribution and used under editorial fair use principles for news reporting purposes.
• Blocked sources: Images from agencies known to actively enforce licensing (such as Getty Images, AP Images, and Reuters Connect) are automatically blocked and replaced with licensed alternatives.

If you are a photographer or rights holder and your image appears on our platform without proper attribution or authorization, please contact us using the DMCA procedure above and we will promptly correct or remove the image.

13. Contact

For copyright-related inquiries or to submit a DMCA notice, contact:

World Headlines Inc.
Copyright Agent
500 8th Avenue FRNT 3-1632
Manhattan, NY 10018
United States
Email: support@wh.news

For general questions about our content policies, see our Editorial Policy or Contact Us page.