Stck respects the intellectual property rights of others, and we expect everyone who uses the Service — creators, readers, publishers, and imprints — to do the same. This Copyright Policy explains how we respond to claims of copyright infringement on stck.me, Stck Books, and Whisper, in accordance with the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and, where relevant, comparable laws in other jurisdictions where Stck operates. Capitalized terms not defined here have the meaning given to them in our Terms of Use.

(Last Updated: August 1st, 2026)

Caution advised

Copyright notices are serious legal actions with real consequences for both sides:

  • Filing a false notice can be unlawful. Beyond the risk of perjury, knowingly submitting a false claim can expose you to liability under the DMCA.
  • We track copyright disputes for the purposes of our repeat-infringer policy (Section 6). Both how notices are filed and how they’re responded to inform that evaluation.
  • Consider seeking professional advice before submitting or disputing a notice if you’re unsure of your rights.

1. What this policy covers

This policy applies to copyright claims involving:

  • User-generated Content posted on stck.me — stories, chapters, comments, images, audio, and other material users upload;
  • Catalogue and manuscript content distributed through Stck Books, including titles from publishers, imprints, and independent authors;
  • Whisper character chat content, including character profiles and dialogue drawn from serial fiction on the platform.

This policy does not cover trademark, right-of-publicity, defamation, or other non-copyright claims. If your concern falls into one of those categories, please contact us at community@stck.me and let us know what kind of issue you’re raising so we can route it correctly.

2. Submitting a takedown notice

If you’re a copyright owner, or authorized to act on one’s behalf, and you believe material on Stck infringes your copyright, you may submit a notice to our designated Copyright Agent. To be effective, your notice must include, in writing:

  1. Identification of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed — or, if your notice covers multiple works, a representative list of them.
  2. Identification of the infringing material and where it’s located on the Service (a direct URL, wherever possible).
  3. Your contact information — name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address (or that of the copyright owner, if you’re acting as an agent).
  4. A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law (for example, as a fair use).
  5. A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate, and that you’re the copyright owner or authorized to act on their behalf.
  6. Your physical or electronic signature.

Notices that don’t substantially comply with the above may not receive a response. We may also request additional information before acting on a notice.

3. What happens after we receive a valid notice

Upon receiving a complete, valid notice, we will, in our discretion:

  • Remove or disable access to the identified material;
  • Notify the user who posted the material, including a copy of the notice (with your contact information, unless prohibited by law) so they can respond or file a counter-notice;
  • Where a Stck Books title is affected, notify the relevant publisher or imprint, since removal may also require pulling the title from distribution partners and POD inventory.

We track copyright notices against user and publisher accounts for the purposes of our repeat-infringer policy (Section 6).

4. Counter-notices

If you believe your Content was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification, you may submit a counter-notice to our Copyright Agent. To be effective, it must include:

  1. Identification of the material that was removed and its location before removal.
  2. A statement, under penalty of perjury, that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed as a result of mistake or misidentification.
  3. Your name, address, and telephone number, and a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal court in your district (or, if outside the U.S., an appropriate jurisdiction), and that you’ll accept service of process from the person who filed the original notice.
  4. Your physical or electronic signature.

If we receive a valid counter-notice, we’ll forward it to the original complainant. Unless they notify us that they’ve filed a court action seeking to restrain the user from engaging in the infringing activity, we may reinstate the material within 10–14 business days of receiving the counter-notice, as required by the DMCA.

5. Publisher and Stck Books catalogue disputes

Because Stck Books distributes titles on behalf of publishers, imprints, and authors, copyright disputes involving distributed catalogue content may also implicate the underlying distribution agreement between Stck and the rights holder. Where a takedown notice concerns a Stck Books title:

  • We will disable the listing across affected storefronts and POD channels while the dispute is resolved;
  • We may pause payouts related to the disputed title pending resolution;
  • Publishers and imprints remain responsible under their distribution agreement with Stck for warranting that they hold the rights to the content they submit for distribution.

6. Repeat infringer policy

Stck will terminate, in appropriate circumstances, the accounts of users or publishers who are determined to be repeat infringers. We evaluate this based on the number of valid notices received against an account, whether counter-notices were filed and upheld, and the overall pattern of conduct.

7. Whisper and AI-assisted content

Whisper generates character dialogue based on source material from serial fiction published on Stck. If you believe a Whisper character or generated content infringes your copyright in an underlying work:

  • The takedown process in Section 2 applies — identify the character, series, or specific generated content you’re concerned about.
  • Where the underlying source story is removed from Stck following a valid notice, we will also disable the associated Whisper character.

8. International users

Stck operates and distributes content globally. The DMCA is a U.S. law, but we apply the same notice-and-takedown process described above as our global standard for handling copyright complaints, regardless of where the claim originates.

9. False claims

Submitting a knowingly false takedown or counter-notice may expose you to liability, including for damages incurred by Stck, the affected user, or the copyright owner as a result of our reliance on your notice.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We’ll update the “Last Updated” date above, and where changes are material, we’ll notify users by email or a prominent notice on the Service.

Contact us: community@stck.me