Copyright & DMCA Policy

Purpose and Scope

The Geek Menu LLC (“The Geek Menu,” “the Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) respects copyright and other intellectual-property rights. This Copyright & DMCA Policy explains ownership and permitted use of content made available through thegeekmenu.com (the “Website”), the rules that apply to content submitted by others, and the process for reporting claimed copyright infringement.

This Policy applies to the Website and to online features, pages, files, publications, community areas, and other content that The Geek Menu LLC owns, operates, or controls. It does not control independent websites, platforms, services, accounts, or materials operated by third parties.

Copyright Ownership

Unless another owner or source is identified, original text, articles, photographs, graphics, illustrations, videos, audio, downloadable materials, page layouts, compilations, and other creative content published by The Geek Menu LLC are owned by the Company or used under permission, license, or another lawful basis.

Copyright protection applies only to material protected under applicable law. A copyright notice, attribution, or ownership statement does not expand protection beyond what the law permits.

Permitted Personal Use

Visitors may access and view Website content for ordinary personal, noncommercial use. A visitor may print or save a reasonable copy for personal reference when the copy retains any copyright, attribution, and other notices that appear with the content.

Except when authorized by law, an applicable license, a separate written agreement, or express permission from The Geek Menu LLC, Website content may not be republished, sold, licensed, distributed, scraped for republication, displayed as another person’s work, used to create a competing publication or content library, or materially altered and presented as approved by or affiliated with the Company.

Recipes, Facts, and Other Unprotected Material

Copyright may not protect facts, ideas, methods, systems, procedures, ingredient lists, or other material that applicable law treats as unprotected. A basic list of recipe ingredients, standing alone, is generally not protected by copyright. Simple directions may also lack sufficient original expression for copyright protection.

Original photographs, illustrations, written descriptions, commentary, storytelling, selection and arrangement, videos, and sufficiently creative explanatory or instructional text associated with a recipe may be protected. Permission may therefore be required to copy the expressive presentation of a recipe even when an underlying idea, method, fact, or ingredient list is not protected.

Fair Use and Other Lawful Uses

Nothing in this Policy is intended to prevent fair use, use of public-domain material, use permitted by an applicable license, or another use authorized by copyright law. Whether a particular use is lawful depends on the specific facts and applicable law. A person relying on fair use or another legal exception is responsible for evaluating that use.

When quoting, reviewing, criticizing, reporting on, teaching from, or otherwise referring to Website content, users should use only what is reasonably necessary, provide appropriate attribution when required, and avoid implying sponsorship, endorsement, or authorization that does not exist.

Trademarks and Brand Assets

The Geek Menu name, The Geek Menu LLC name, logos, icons, slogans, graphics, trade dress, and other brand elements may be protected by trademark, copyright, contract, or other law. Limited reference to the Company or its products and services may be permitted for truthful identification, commentary, review, or another lawful purpose. Brand assets may not be used in a way that is confusing, deceptive, falsely suggests affiliation or endorsement, or misrepresents the source of content, products, or services.

User-Submitted Content

A person who submits a comment, review, recipe, photograph, video, article, suggestion, or other material represents that the person owns the content or has the rights, permissions, and authority needed to submit and authorize its intended use. Appropriate credit, notices, and permissions must be provided when required.

Submitted content must comply with this Policy, the Terms & Conditions, Acceptable Use Policy, Community Guidelines, Privacy Policy, and any additional terms, notices, or rules that apply to the relevant feature, activity, promotion, or submission process.

The Geek Menu LLC does not assume ownership of original user-submitted content merely because it is submitted. The contributor generally retains ownership unless a separate written agreement or applicable submission terms expressly state otherwise. To the extent reasonably necessary to operate, maintain, display, distribute, archive, promote, format, and make technical or accessibility adjustments to the Website and related services, the contributor grants the Company the license described in the Terms & Conditions or applicable submission terms.

Submission does not guarantee acceptance, publication, continued availability, compensation, promotion, a particular placement, or attribution beyond what is legally or contractually required. The Geek Menu LLC may decline, limit, edit for formatting or accessibility, remove, preserve, or disable access to submitted content when reasonably appropriate, including when the content may violate law, another person’s rights, or an applicable policy.

Requests for Permission

A request to reproduce, distribute, adapt, license, or commercially use material owned by The Geek Menu LLC should identify the requested content, the proposed use, the format, the expected audience or distribution, and the requesting person or organization. Permission is not granted unless The Geek Menu LLC provides express written authorization. A lack of response does not constitute permission.

Reporting Claimed Copyright Infringement

A copyright owner or authorized representative who believes material available through the Website infringes a copyright may send a written notice to the Copyright Contact listed below. A notice intended to comply with 17 U.S.C. Section 512 should include substantially the following: (1) a physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or a person authorized to act for the owner; (2) identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or a representative list when multiple works on the Website are covered by one notice; (3) identification of the material claimed to be infringing or the subject of infringing activity, together with information reasonably sufficient to locate it, such as the exact webpage address; (4) the complaining party’s name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address; (5) a statement that the complaining party has a good-faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, the owner’s agent, or law; and (6) a statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notice is accurate and that the complaining party is the copyright owner or authorized to act for the owner.

A notice should be specific enough to permit a reasonable review. General claims, unsupported demands, notices concerning non-copyright disputes, or notices that do not identify the material and its location may be delayed, rejected, or returned for additional information.

Review and Processing of Notices

The Geek Menu LLC may review a notice, request clarification, preserve relevant records, contact the person who posted the material, remove or disable access to material, or take another action that is reasonably appropriate under the circumstances and applicable law. Removal or continued availability does not constitute a final legal determination regarding ownership, infringement, fair use, authorization, or any other defense.

The Company may provide a copy of a notice, including the sender’s contact information, to the person who posted the material, to service providers, to legal advisers, or to another person when reasonably necessary to process the matter, protect rights, comply with law, or respond to legal process. Notices should not include sensitive information that is unnecessary to the claim.

Counter Notifications

A person whose material was removed or disabled in response to a copyright notice may submit a written counter notification when the person believes the material was removed or disabled because of mistake or misidentification. A counter notification intended to comply with 17 U.S.C. Section 512 should include substantially the following: (1) the person’s physical or electronic signature; (2) identification of the material removed or disabled and the location where it appeared before removal or disabling; (3) a statement under penalty of perjury that the person has a good-faith belief the material was removed or disabled because of mistake or misidentification; and (4) the person’s name, mailing address, and telephone number, together with a statement consenting to the jurisdiction of the appropriate United States federal district court as required by law and agreeing to accept service of process from the person who submitted the original notice or that person’s agent.

The Geek Menu LLC may forward a valid counter notification, including the submitter’s contact information, to the person who submitted the original notice. A counter notification should not be submitted unless the sender understands the legal statements and consequences involved.

Restoration After a Counter Notification

When the statutory counter-notification process applies, The Geek Menu LLC may restore or re-enable the affected material after forwarding a valid counter notification and waiting the period required by law. Under the current federal framework, restoration may occur not fewer than 10 and not more than 14 business days after receipt of the counter notification unless the Copyright Contact receives notice that the original complaining party has filed a qualifying court action seeking to restrain the challenged activity. Timing and restoration may vary when the law does not require restoration, the material violates another policy or law, or technical or operational circumstances prevent restoration.

Repeat Infringement

The Geek Menu LLC may restrict or terminate accounts, access, submission privileges, or participation by users who repeatedly infringe copyright or repeatedly submit unauthorized material, when appropriate under the circumstances and consistent with applicable law. The Company may also address serious or intentional infringement without waiting for repeated violations.

Misrepresentations and Abuse of Process

A person should not knowingly make a material misrepresentation in a copyright notice or counter notification. Federal law may impose liability for certain knowing misrepresentations. Fraudulent, abusive, retaliatory, or bad-faith use of the reporting process may also violate the Website’s policies and may result in rejection of a request, restriction of access, preservation of records, or other appropriate action.

Third-Party Content and Services

The Website may identify, quote, review, embed, link to, or otherwise reference content, products, services, trademarks, and materials owned or controlled by third parties. Ownership remains with the applicable owners. A reference does not necessarily imply sponsorship, endorsement, authorization, or affiliation.

Independent websites and services maintain their own copyright, trademark, content, reporting, and removal practices. A complaint about material hosted by an independent service should ordinarily be directed to that service or its designated contact. The Geek Menu LLC cannot guarantee that an independent third party will remove, restore, preserve, or respond to material or a complaint.

Copyright Contact

Copyright notices, counter notifications, and permission requests should be sent to the Copyright Contact in the Contact section below. The Geek Menu LLC may publish updated contact or designated-agent information when required or appropriate. A sender should use the current information published through the Website at the time of submission.

No General Duty to Monitor

The Geek Menu LLC may review content and reports but is not obligated to monitor every page, submission, link, or use of Website content. The absence of immediate action does not approve a use, waive a right, prevent later action, or create a duty to continue hosting or displaying material.

Changes to This Policy

This Policy may be updated to reflect changes in Website features, business operations, content practices, technology, legal requirements, or the copyright-reporting process. The current approved version will be made available through thegeekmenu.com, and the Last Updated date will identify the most recent approved revision.

A revised Policy becomes effective upon publication unless another effective date is stated. A change to this Policy does not by itself determine ownership, permission, infringement, or the outcome of a notice concerning conduct that occurred before the change.

Related Policies

This Policy complements any other terms, policies, notices, or agreements that may apply to The Geek Menu LLC’s website, services, products, promotions, programs, events, or physical locations. Where provisions differ, the document most directly addressing the matter will apply unless applicable law requires otherwise.

Contact

Questions about this Policy, copyright notices, counter notifications, and permission requests may be submitted using the contact information below. Email submissions should use a clear subject line such as “Copyright Notice,” “DMCA Counter Notification,” or “Permission Request.”