PAKVITAE respects the work of photographers, writers, designers and other creators, and we expect the same respect for our own. This page explains how to tell us if you believe something on pakvitae.org infringes your copyright, how we respond, and what you can do if content you posted was removed by mistake.
1. Our commitment to copyright
Most of the content on pakvitae.org — product descriptions, articles, guides, project stories and many photographs — is created by PAKVITAE. Some images are licensed from third parties or taken from open-licence sources such as Wikimedia Commons, in which case we credit the author and licence. Customers may also post reviews and photographs.
We respond to notices of alleged infringement in line with the United States Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. §512 (“DMCA”), because many creators and hosting providers use it as a common standard, and with the Copyright Ordinance, 1962 of Pakistan (as amended), which protects literary, artistic and other works and gives owners the right to act against infringement. Using this procedure does not limit any other rights you or we have under Pakistani or international law.
2. Before you send a notice
- Please check whether the use might be licensed (for example, an open-licence image with credit) or a fair dealing such as criticism, review or news reporting.
- If you simply want a credit corrected or added, email us — we are happy to fix it quickly without a formal notice.
- Knowingly making a false claim of infringement can make you liable for damages (see section 7).
3. How to file an infringement notice
Send a written notice to our designated copyright agent (section 4). Under DMCA §512(c)(3), a valid notice must include all of the following:
- Signature — a physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or of a person authorised to act on their behalf. A typed full name at the end of an email is acceptable as an electronic signature.
- Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to be infringed — or, if multiple works are covered by one notice, a representative list of them. A link to the original work, or a description and registration number if available, helps.
- Identification of the infringing material and information reasonably sufficient for us to locate it — ideally the exact URL(s) on pakvitae.org and a description such as “the second photograph in the article on floods”.
- Your contact information — name, postal address, telephone number and email address.
- A good-faith statement that you believe the use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent or the law.
- An accuracy statement that the information in the notice is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that you are the copyright owner or authorised to act on the owner’s behalf.
Notices that leave out required elements may not be actionable; if so, we will tell you what is missing.
4. Designated copyright agent
Please send notices and counter-notices to:
- Copyright Agent, PAKVITAE
- Block 20, Gulistan-e-Johar, Karachi, Sindh 74200, Pakistan
- Email: [email protected] (subject line: “DMCA Notice” or “DMCA Counter-Notice”)
- Phone: 0304-1110227 (for follow-up only; notices must be in writing)
Email is the fastest way to reach us. Other enquiries sent to this address under a DMCA subject line will not receive priority.
5. What happens after we receive a notice
- We acknowledge receipt, normally within 3 working days.
- We review the notice for completeness.
- If it is complete, we remove or disable access to the material expeditiously — usually within 5 working days.
- If the material was posted by a user (for example in a product review), we make reasonable efforts to notify that user and give them a copy of the notice, with personal contact details redacted where appropriate.
- We keep a record of the notice and our action.
If the content is our own and we believe our use is licensed or lawful, we will reply explaining why, and may provide licence evidence.
6. Counter-notices
If material you posted was removed and you believe that was a mistake or misidentification, you may send a counter-notice to our agent. Under DMCA §512(g)(3) it must include:
- your physical or electronic signature;
- identification of the material that was removed and the location where it appeared before removal;
- a statement, under penalty of perjury, that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification;
- your name, address and telephone number, and a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the appropriate court for your address (or, if you are outside the United States, any judicial district in which PAKVITAE may be found), and that you will accept service of process from the person who submitted the original notice or their agent.
When we receive a valid counter-notice, we will forward a copy to the original complainant. Unless the complainant tells us within 10 working days that they have filed a court action to restrain the alleged infringement, we may restore the material 10–14 working days after receiving the counter-notice.
7. False or misleading notices
Under DMCA §512(f), any person who knowingly and materially misrepresents that material is infringing, or that material was removed by mistake, may be liable for damages, including costs and attorneys’ fees, incurred by the alleged infringer, by the copyright owner or by PAKVITAE. Please make sure your notice is accurate. Under Pakistani law, making false statements may also have civil or criminal consequences.
8. Repeat infringers
We may, in appropriate circumstances and at our discretion, remove all content from and close the accounts of users who are found to have repeatedly infringed copyright. Typically, an account that receives three valid, uncontested notices within twelve months will be closed.
9. Use of PAKVITAE content
You are welcome to quote short extracts from our articles with a visible link back to the original page on pakvitae.org. Please do not copy entire articles, product photographs, our logo or the “Water Ka Doctor” name for commercial use, or use them to sell look-alike or counterfeit products. If you find our content or brand being misused, please let us know at [email protected]. Our trademarks and content are protected under the Copyright Ordinance, 1962 and the Trade Marks Ordinance, 2001.
10. Image credits
Where we use open-licence images (for example CC BY or CC BY-SA from Wikimedia Commons), we credit the author and licence near the image or on the page. If you are the author of an image and the credit is missing or wrong, contact us and we will correct it promptly.
11. Sample notice
To make things easier, you can copy and adapt the following text into an email to [email protected]:
Subject: DMCA Notice
I am the owner (or authorised agent of the owner) of the copyrighted work described below. The work is: [title and description, link to original]. The material I believe infringes this work appears at: [exact URL on pakvitae.org and description of where on the page].
My contact details are: [full name, postal address, telephone, email].
I have a good-faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law. The information in this notice is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, I am the owner, or authorised to act on behalf of the owner, of the copyright that is allegedly infringed.
Signature: [typed full name] — Date: [date]
12. Remedies under Pakistani law
Because PAKVITAE is based in Karachi, rights holders may also rely on the Copyright Ordinance, 1962, which provides civil remedies such as injunctions, damages and accounts of profits, and criminal penalties for knowing infringement. Copyright in Pakistan arises automatically on creation; registration with the Intellectual Property Organisation of Pakistan (IPO-Pakistan) is optional but serves as useful evidence. We will cooperate with lawful orders from Pakistani courts and authorities. If you prefer, you may raise your complaint under Pakistani law directly rather than through the DMCA procedure — the contact details in section 4 apply either way.
13. Changes
We may update this policy as laws and our website change. The current version is always at this address. See also our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.