What We Do | How We Do It | Copyright Protection for 360 Deals | Frequently Asked Questions
What We Do
GrayZone specializes in customized brand protection and content protection services, digital content protection and trademark protection. We take a comprehensive approach to digital rights enforcement. In our Search and Destroy program, we:
Conduct extensive research to find the leaked track or album, uploaded eBook or film, pirated merchandise, counterfeit official music releases or pirated software, wherever it exists.
Immediately remove infringing files from many major file-sharing and streaming websites on which we have access (through a special interface) in real time. A partial list of websites is available on request. The ability to remove infringing content in real time, at the moment it first appears online, is imperative to limiting a leak.
Issue DMCA notices (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) to websites worldwide that are hosting the infringing product, track those notices, and send follow-up notices when necessary. If the files are not removed, we are poised to take additional steps.
Send reports as to our progress, with those reports available 24/7 on our secure client portal.
Take proactive measures, when requested, with online monitoring for leaks of upcoming releases. If a leak appears, we are the first to see it through our monitoring methods so we can take it down immediately before it spreads.
Specific examples of GrayZone services for the music industry include finding and removing:
- Pre-release materials (for an upcoming album) that have not been authorized. These can be demos or the unfinished album at any stage of the process.
- Albums that have been released and are being spread throughout the piracy websites.
- Unauthorized use of copyrighted music (including but not limited to advertising, marketing campaigns, samples and remixes).
- An established artist’s entire back catalog of releases.
- Counterfeit, unauthorized and unlicensed artist merchandise (T-shirts, posters, products with the band name and/or logo, etc.).
- Unauthorized images (so long as they aren’t generic icons and/or public domain).
- Unauthorized videos.
We also monitor and remove illegal downloads for movies, eBooks, games and software, pre- and post-release, and can locate and remove any pirated, counterfeit or unauthorized products.
How We Do It
A perfect match of technology and the human touch – We use a combination of proprietary search algorithms, automated monitoring and careful review by our experienced staff of Internet professionals and anti-piracy experts. In this way, we can ensure that our DMCA notices and file removals are precise, accurate and effective in protecting your copyright and your brand. All audio and video files are carefully reviewed before removing.
We can find and remove:
- Illegal music, film and book downloads (found on blogs, online forums, peer-to-peer networks (P2P), Usenet services and other websites and social media sites).
- Search engine results for infringing material. This prevents pirated content from competing with legitimate releases. We can remove URL listings for illegal downloads and pirated merchandise, ensuring that when someone searches for your products, only your official sites and distributors are displayed.
- Streaming video and video downloads.
- Torrents from BitTorrent sites.
- Embedded downloads on blogs or message boards. We remove the download posted at the source (typically a public file-sharing site). When users click on the download link, the file is no longer available. We avoid sending DMCA notices to blog sites and message boards, unless they are hosting the pirated content on their own server.
- Auctions of bootleg, counterfeit, pirated and leaked material. All auctions are reviewed before a notice is sent for removal. Most auctions can be removed instantly or within minutes.
Comprehensive Reporting – We provide our clients with weekly and monthly reports listing all the files removed and takedown notices sent. These reports are accessible at all times on our secure client portal. Additional or more frequent reports are available on request.
For more information on GrayZone’s anti-piracy services, please call us at 718.360.9941 or email us.
Copyright Protection Services for 360 Deals
For a label that has a 360 deal with a band or artist, it isn’t enough to protect their recorded work from piracy. If a company has a financial interest in licensing and publishing, touring, merchandising, books and DVDs, that increases revenue streams, but it also creates potential vulnerabilities. GrayZone shuts down piracy and copyright infringement wherever it occurs, whether it’s the illegal downloading of music, bootleg DVDs of live performances, unauthorized use of compositions or unlicensed T-shirts and collectibles. We keep a watchful eye on all possible fronts to protect your company’s interests, while being careful not to tread on promotional campaigns and fan activities. This level of awareness and sensitivity goes far beyond what algorithms can achieve, which is why our approach to our anti-piracy efforts combines the very best of technology and highly experienced researchers and account representatives for the all-important human touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
A track/album of ours just leaked. What can you do to get the situation under control?
Since we tailor our costs to fit each client, we can very quickly set you up with an account for that specific track or album and begin our work immediately to remove all online files as well as search results pointing to those files. You’ll be routinely updated on our progress. Status reports are also available on our client portal, accessible at all times.
Will you monitor the track/album on an ongoing basis, or should we send you the links we want removed?
We offer both services. You can send specific links that come to your attention and we will investigate and remove the illegal content immediately. We can also put the track or album on our “Search and Destroy” list, which means we will continue to search for the material around the clock, removing illegal files whenever and wherever we find them.
How much will it cost?
There isn’t a stock answer to that question, as we tailor our pricing plans to match each client’s needs. We can bill by the project or hourly. Some of our larger clients prefer to pay us a retainer to monitor specific tracks, albums or artist catalogs. In these cases, we will be automatically on alert leading up to new releases and are “on call” for any emergency situations that may arise. You can also put a ‘cap’ on the number of hours we work. We charge by the Internet hour. Although we conduct manual and automated searches 24 hours a day, the client is only billed for the actual time our staff spends taking action to remove unauthorized product. Please contact us for more information about our pricing plans.
A common scenario: A popular release has leaked. GrayZone will spend the entire month searching for unauthorized postings of the product. However, the client will only be charged for time spent enforcing the copyright (locating product and sending notices for removal). If no links are found, the invoice will be $0.00.
Can you help me get a fake Twitter account removed?
Yes.
Can you help me shut down a bunch of fake Facebook pages that aren’t really me?
Yes.
Why don’t you mention specific websites and list the ones you have “backdoor access” to?
Through the years, we have cultivated amicable relationships with many websites and Internet providers. These partnerships are based on trust, professionalism and discretion. We believe that our work is best done “behind the scenes” with little fanfare. A partial listing of specific sites that we have relationships with for instantly removing infringing product is available by request.