(Digital Millennium Copyright Act Compliance and Intellectual Property Protection Framework)
1.INTRODUCTION
1.1 One Big Future Foundation, a not-for-profit company incorporated under the laws of India and having its registered office at W-6, Greater Kailash-II, New Delhi- 110048 (hereinafter referred to as “OBFF”, “Foundation”, “We”, “Us”, or “Our”), is committed to protecting intellectual property rights and expects all individuals and entities interacting with its ecosystem to respect such rights. OBFF owns and operates its official website(s), incubation portals, research dissemination platforms, digital repositories, event microsites, podcast channels, social media accounts, multimedia archives, publications, newsletters, and all related digital and physical communication channels (collectively, the “Platforms”).
1.2 This Copyright Policy (“Policy”) establishes the framework governing ownership, licensing, permissible use, and enforcement of intellectual property rights in connection with OBFF’s activities, including without limitation incubation programs, innovation challenges, advisory engagements, sponsorship initiatives, research collaborations, multimedia productions, podcasts, events, digital amplification, publications, and institutional outreach. This Policy is framed in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 1998 (“DMCA”), the Copyright Act, 1957 (India), the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and other applicable intellectual property, all of which include any or their amendment or modifications time to time and intermediary liability laws.
1.3 For the purposes of this Policy, the following capitalized terms shall have the meanings assigned to them below. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meanings assigned to them in OBFF’s Terms and Conditions.
i. “Contributed Content” shall mean any content, material, information, submission, presentation, recording, data, work product, or intellectual property submitted, uploaded, transmitted, presented, shared, or otherwise provided to OBFF by any founder, startup, sponsor, advisor, expert, guest, researcher, institutional partner, participant, User, or other third party, including without limitation business plans, pitch decks, research papers, branding materials, multimedia files, photographs, testimonials, interviews, audio recordings, and video recordings.
ii. “Counter-Notification” shall mean a written counter-notice submitted in response to a Notice, asserting that material removed or disabled pursuant to such Notice was removed due to mistake or misidentification, and containing the statements and information required under applicable law and this Policy.
iii. “Designated Copyright Officer” shall mean the individual or department formally appointed by OBFF to receive and process Notices and Counter-Notifications under this Policy, whose contact details are published on the Platforms.
iv. “Notice” shall mean a written Notice of Alleged Infringement submitted to the Designated Copyright Officer pursuant to Clause 7 of this Policy, containing the information required under applicable law.
v. “Privacy Policy” shall mean OBFF’s Privacy Policy governing data collection, processing, and protection practices on the Platforms, as amended from time to time which can be accessed at [www.onebigfuture.com/privacy-policy].
vi. “Terms and Conditions” shall mean OBFF’s Terms and Conditions governing access to and use of the Platforms, as amended from time to time [www.onebigfuture.com/terms-and-conditions].
vii. “User” shall mean any individual or entity accessing, browsing, using, participating in, contributing to, uploading content to, or otherwise interacting with the Platforms.
2.OWNERSHIP OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
2.1 All intellectual property rights subsisting in and arising out of the Platforms, including without limitation all original works created, commissioned, curated, compiled, edited, designed, recorded, or otherwise produced by OBFF in furtherance of its objectives, including research reports, whitepapers, policy briefs, training materials, toolkits, databases, compilations, podcasts, audio-visual recordings, event documentation, graphics, branding materials, website architecture, textual content, and derivative works thereof, shall vest exclusively in OBFF unless expressly assigned otherwise pursuant to a written agreement.
2.2 Nothing contained in this Policy shall operate to transfer ownership of any OBFF intellectual property to any User, contributor, sponsor, advisor, expert, partner, or third party. All rights not expressly granted herein are reserved by OBFF.
3.USER LICENSE AND PERMITTED USE
3.1 Subject to compliance with this Policy and applicable terms and conditions, OBFF grants Users’ a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable license to access and use the content available on the Platforms solely for personal, informational, educational, or other non-commercial purposes aligned with OBFF’s mission. This license does not permit reproduction, republication, distribution, transmission, public communication, adaptation, translation, creation of derivative works, data mining, scraping, commercial exploitation, or use for fundraising, promotional, revenue-generating, or competitive purposes without prior written consent from OBFF.
3.2 Any unauthorised use of OBFF’s intellectual property, including without limitation systematic downloading, redistribution of multimedia recordings, reproduction of research publications for commercial purposes, or removal of copyright notices, may result in suspension or termination of access and pursuit of civil or criminal remedies as available under law.
4.CONTRIBUTED CONTENT AND LICENSE TO OBFF
4.1 Where any founder, startup, sponsor, advisor, expert, guest, researcher, institutional partner, participant, or other contributor submits, uploads, presents, shares, or otherwise provides Contributed Content, such contributor represents and warrants that they possess all necessary intellectual property rights, licenses, consents, and authorizations required to submit such Contributed Content.
4.2 By providing Contributed Content, the contributor grants to OBFF a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable (except where prohibited by law), royalty-free, non-exclusive, transferable, and sublicensable license to host, store, reproduce, digitize, edit, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly communicate, broadcast, transmit, distribute, archive, create compilations or derivative works from, and otherwise use such Contributed Content in any media format now known or hereafter developed, including without limitation for research dissemination, educational programming, event promotion, podcast publication, multimedia production, donor communications, sponsor acknowledgments, reporting, digital amplification, and institutional documentation.
5.MULTIMEDIA RECORDINGS AND PUBLIC DISSEMINATION
5.1 In connection with conferences, workshops, webinars, podcasts, interviews, innovation challenges, award ceremonies, and other events organized, hosted, supported, or documented by OBFF, audio recordings, video recordings, transcripts, photographs, live streams, and derivative works may be created. Participants and Users acknowledge and agree that such recordings may be edited, excerpted, reformatted, archived, reproduced, distributed, publicly communicated, broadcast, streamed, monetized, or otherwise disseminated by OBFF in perpetuity in furtherance of its institutional objectives, including without limitation research publication, educational dissemination, digital outreach, social media amplification, and sponsor engagement, subject to any separate written agreement executed with the participant.
5.2 Unauthorized recording, redistribution, clipping, commercial exploitation, or manipulation of OBFF’s multimedia content without written consent is strictly prohibited.
6.MORAL RIGHTS WAIVER AND PUBLICITY CONSENT
6.1 To the maximum extent permissible under applicable law, contributors of Contributed Content, including without limitation speakers, podcast guests, researchers, authors, founders, and multimedia participants, expressly waive any and all moral rights, including without limitation rights of attribution, integrity, modification, withdrawal, or objection to derogatory treatment, in relation to the use, editing, adaptation, translation, reproduction, publication, dissemination, or archival of such Contributed Content by OBFF.
6.2 Where a complete waiver of moral rights is not legally permissible, the contributor irrevocably consents to OBFF exercising all rights necessary to use, edit, adapt, and publish the Contributed Content without further approval, including without limitation modifying content for clarity, duration, format, branding, promotional use, or platform compatibility.
6.3 Contributors further grant OBFF the right to use their name, likeness, voice, biographical information, professional designation, photograph, and publicly shared identity in connection with the publication, promotion, and dissemination of Contributed Content, without additional compensation unless expressly agreed in writing.
7.NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
7.1 Any copyright owner or authorized representative who believes that material available on OBFF’s Platforms infringes their copyright may submit a written Notice of Alleged Infringement (“Notice(s)”) to OBFF’s Designated Copyright Officer. Such Notice must identify the copyrighted work claimed to be infringed, including without limitation sufficient detail regarding authorship, ownership, and registration where applicable. The Notice must clearly identify the allegedly infringing material, including its exact URL or location, and provide complete contact details of the complainant.
7.2 The Notice must contain a statement affirming a good faith belief that the use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law, and a statement made under penalty of perjury that the information provided is accurate and that the complainant is authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner. The Notice must bear a physical or electronic signature.
8.REVIEW AND TAKEDOWN PROCESS
8.1 Upon receipt of a Notice that substantially complies with legal requirements, OBFF shall conduct a reasonable review and may remove or disable access to the allegedly infringing material, notify the content provider, or request further clarification. OBFF reserves sole discretion in determining whether the Notice meets statutory requirements and whether removal is warranted, including consideration of fair dealing, fair use, licensed use, or public domain status.
9.COUNTER-NOTIFICATION
9.1 If a User believes that content removed pursuant to a Notice was removed due to mistake or misidentification, such User may submit a Counter-Notification containing identification of the removed material, a statement under penalty of perjury asserting lawful use, consent to jurisdiction of competent courts, contact details, and a physical or electronic signature. OBFF may restore the content in accordance with applicable law if no legal proceedings are initiated by the original complainant within the prescribed period.
10.REPEAT INFRINGER POLICY
10.1 OBFF reserves the right to suspend, restrict, or terminate access to its Platforms of any User who is determined, upon reasonable review, to be a repeat infringer of intellectual property rights.
11.RESEARCH AND FAIR DEALING
11.1 OBFF publishes original research and may reference secondary research, datasets, academic publications, industry reports, publicly available materials, and third-party works in accordance with applicable fair dealing and fair use principles, including without limitation purposes of criticism, review, commentary, reporting, education, scholarship, and research. Any rights holder who believes their work has been used beyond permissible statutory limits may submit a Notice in accordance with this Policy.
12.LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
12.1 OBFF shall not be liable for infringing content submitted by third parties where OBFF acts in good faith and in compliance with intermediary safe harbour provisions. OBFF shall further not be liable for temporary removal of content during investigation of a copyright claim or for actions taken in reliance upon a facially valid Notice.
13.MISREPRESENTATION
13.1 Any person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material is infringing, or that material was removed due to mistake, may be liable for damages under applicable law. OBFF reserves the right to pursue appropriate remedies against abusive or fraudulent complainants.
14.DESIGNATED COPYRIGHT OFFICER AND GRIEVANCE OFFICER
14.1 In order to ensure compliance with applicable intellectual property laws, intermediary regulations, and data protection obligations, OBFF has appointed a Designated Copyright Officer and a Grievance Officer to receive and address complaints, Notices, and communications relating to copyright infringement, intellectual property violations, content-related grievances, and other statutory concerns arising from use of the Platforms.
14.2 All Notices of Alleged Copyright Infringement, Counter-Notifications, and communications submitted pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 1998, the Copyright Act, 1957 (India), or other applicable intellectual property laws shall be addressed to the Designated Copyright Officer. Such Notices must comply with the procedural requirements set forth in this Policy and must be submitted in writing to the contact details provided below. OBFF shall respond expeditiously to Notices that substantially comply with applicable legal requirements and may take such action as it deems appropriate within its sole discretion, including without limitation removal or disabling of access to allegedly infringing material and termination of repeat infringers.
14.3 Separately, in accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, OBFF has appointed a Grievance Officer for the purpose of receiving and resolving complaints relating to unlawful content, misuse of the Platforms, violations of applicable law, privacy concerns, data protection issues, or other grievances arising in connection with the use of the Platforms. The Grievance Officer shall acknowledge complaints within the timeline prescribed under applicable law and shall endeavour to resolve such complaints in a time-bound manner consistent with statutory requirements.
14.4 For the avoidance of doubt, where a complaint relates specifically to copyright infringement, such complaint must be submitted in accordance with the Notice requirements under this Policy. General grievances that do not concern intellectual property infringement may be submitted to the Grievance Officer.
14.5 The contact details for the Designated Copyright Officer and the Grievance Officer are as follows:
Designated Copyright Officer / Grievance Officer
Email: support@onebigfuture.com
14.6 All communications must clearly specify the nature of the complaint in the subject line, including without limitation “DMCA Notice,” “Copyright Infringement Notice,” “Counter-Notification,” or “Grievance under IT Rules.” Notices or complaints sent to any other employee, officer, advisor, consultant, social media channel, or general contact address of OBFF shall not constitute valid notice under this Policy and may not be acted upon.
14.7 OBFF reserves the right to update the contact details, designation, or identity of the appointed officers from time to time. Any such update shall be reflected on the Website, and it shall be the responsibility of the complainant to verify current contact details prior to submission.
14.8 Nothing in this clause shall limit OBFF’s rights to seek additional documentation, clarification, verification of identity, proof of ownership, or supporting materials before taking action in response to any complaint or Notice.
15.INTERPRETATION WITH OTHER POLICIES
15.1 This Copyright Policy shall be read in conjunction with OBFF’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. In the event of any inconsistency, the interpretation most protective of OBFF’s intellectual property rights and statutory compliance obligations shall prevail to the extent permitted under applicable law. Together, these documents constitute the complete legal framework governing intellectual property and content usage on the Platforms.