Castle DMCA & Intellectual Property Compliance Policy

Castle respects the rights of film studios, broadcasters, sports bodies, regional houses, and independent creators, in India and worldwide. This policy explains how copyright complaints are handled, under the Copyright Act, 1957 of India and the principles of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Castle indexes; it does not host

Castle is an automated indexing tool and technical directory. It runs no content distribution network, no digital locker, and no media repository, and it hosts, archives, and stores no media files on its own infrastructure. The system gathers and organises publicly reachable third-party links so viewers can find content already on the open web. As a neutral intermediary with no editorial control over, and no knowledge of, the material behind those links, Castle operates within the statutory safe-harbour standards for technical intermediaries.

How to file a takedown notice

A rights holder, or an agent authorised to act for one, who finds a link in the Castle index that resolves to infringing material may file a takedown notice through our online compliance channel. For it to be actionable, the notice must include all six of these:

  1. The physical or electronic signature of the person authorised to act for the copyright owner.
  2. Identification of the copyrighted work, by exact title with a release year, studio, or a reference link to the original.
  3. The precise link or in-app location that resolves to the material; broad terms, category names, or screenshots cannot be traced.
  4. The complainant's contact details: full legal name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address.
  5. A good-faith statement that the use is not authorised by the owner, its agent, or the law.
  6. A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the notice is accurate and that the filer is authorised to act for the rights holder.

Once a complete notice is verified, the identified link is removed from our index, language feeds, and trending tables without undue delay.

What removal reaches

Taking a link out of Castle de-indexes it from our directory, so the app no longer leads anyone to it. It does not delete the underlying file, which sits on a third-party server beyond our ownership or control. To remove the material from the wider internet, a rights holder must contact the host storing it directly. Castle's remedy is de-indexing, and within that scope it is applied reliably and promptly.

Counter-notification

Section 52 of the Copyright Act, 1957 preserves fair dealing, including criticism, review, news reporting, and similar lawful uses. A party who believes a link was removed by mistake or misidentification may file a counter-notification through the same channel, setting out the exemption relied on, identifying the removed material and its former location, providing signature and contact details, and consenting to the jurisdiction of the courts of New Delhi or Mumbai. Where it holds and no legal proceedings begin within the statutory period, the link may be reinstated.

Repeat infringers

Castle applies a graduated three-strike policy to anyone who repeatedly misuses the platform or tries to inject unauthorised links into the index. The first instance brings a formal warning with the offending links removed; the second, a temporary suspension from the relevant tools; the third, permanent exclusion from the service. Severe or plainly bad-faith conduct may reach the final stage directly, and filing a notice in knowing bad faith exposes the sender to liability rather than any advantage.