Copyright Notice & Takedown Policy

The purpose of this policy is to set out a clear, proportionate and good-faith procedure for the receipt, assessment and resolution of copyright infringement complaints concerning content appearing on SkyscrapersInfo.

This is an editorial publisher's complaints procedure. It is not an automatic adoption of the United States Digital Millennium Copyright Act, nor of any other specific statutory framework. References to applicable Hong Kong law are included for transparency and do not imply that the operator presently satisfies the conditions for any particular limitation on liability.

The policy applies primarily to allegations concerning material published on, or controlled by, SkyscrapersInfo. It distinguishes between material selected and published by the operator itself and any user-supplied material that may, in the future, be hosted on the site.

This policy may be invoked in relation to allegations involving:

• Photographs, panoramic images and original 360° photography.
• Video footage and audiovisual materials.
• Architectural renderings, drawings and artistic works.
• Maps, illustrations, diagrams and infographics.
• Original articles, written expression and other creative editorial content.
• Selection or arrangement of data where copyright protection subsists.
• Website design elements where copyright applies.
• Third-party licensed assets and AI-assisted visual materials.

Architectural facts, building names, locations, heights, completion dates and other factual data are not protected by copyright merely because they appear in a database. Copyright may, however, subsist in the creative selection or arrangement of such data.

A copyright owner, or a person or entity appropriately authorised to act on behalf of a copyright owner, may submit a copyright infringement report.

Claims must be made in good faith and supported by sufficient information to allow a reasonable assessment. Professional legal representation is not a prerequisite, and no complainant should be required to retain a lawyer in order to have a substantiated complaint considered.

A complaint should, where reasonably available, include the following:

1. The complainant's name or organisation.
2. Reliable contact details for correspondence.
3. Identification of the original copyright work alleged to be infringed.
4. Identification of the allegedly infringing material on SkyscrapersInfo.
5. The exact page URL, or other sufficiently precise location, of the disputed material.
6. An explanation of copyright ownership, or of the authority to represent the owner.
7. A description of the allegedly unauthorised use.
8. Relevant supporting evidence, where available — for example, original source links, publication records, licence terms, attribution details or screenshots.
9. A good-faith statement that the complaint is accurate to the complainant's knowledge.
10. A signature, or other appropriate authentication, where legally necessary or reasonably requested.

Copyright-related correspondence should be directed to the operator's general contact destination at /contact.

As a Hong Kong incorporated company, SKYSCRAPERS INFO LIMITED maintains a registered office in accordance with section 658 of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622). The registered office is a corporate-law requirement and is distinct from any specially designated copyright-notice agent appointed for the purposes of any statutory limitation on liability. No specific registered-office address is published in this policy.

This policy does not yet designate a specially appointed copyright-notice agent, a dedicated copyright email address, a telephone intake or a working upload portal.

Dedicated copyright-notice contact details are pending operator verification.

Until a verified notice-receiving channel is confirmed by the operator:

• Opening /contact does not, by itself, constitute a successful submission of a copyright complaint.
• This policy should not be relied upon as operationally effective.
• The policy remains in Draft status pending operator approval.

Complaints are reviewed on a proportionate basis. Relevant steps may include:

• Identifying the disputed content and its publication context.
• Locating and reviewing the alleged original material.
• Reviewing the complainant's asserted rights and supporting evidence.
• Checking existing licences, permissions and attribution.
• Examining applicable statutory exceptions or other lawful bases for use.
• Requesting clarification where information is insufficient.
• Identifying whether urgent interim action is warranted.

Requests are assessed in light of their nature, urgency and the evidence available. No fixed acknowledgement or resolution deadline applies unless the operator has adopted one in writing.

Pending assessment, the operator may, where appropriate and proportionate:

• Temporarily hide an image or other disputed material.
• Disable public access to the disputed asset.
• Replace the material with an alternative for which rights can be established.
• Correct attribution or licensing information where that adequately resolves the issue.
• Suspend commercial or promotional use of disputed material.
• Preserve relevant evidence for further investigation.

A temporary restriction should not be construed as an admission of infringement. Removal at one point in time does not by itself resolve all prior questions of liability, and the operator does not represent that it does.

Not every use of a copyright work is necessarily infringing. Depending on the facts and the applicable law, relevant considerations may include:

• Valid permission, licence or assignment from the rights holder.
• The scope and terms of any applicable licence.
• Whether the work is in the public domain in the relevant jurisdiction.
• Applicable statutory exceptions, including fair dealing where legally available.
• Whether copyright actually subsists in the work and who owns it.
• Whether protected expression — rather than mere facts or ideas — has been reproduced.
• Whether the material has been misidentified.

The operator does not claim that attribution alone substitutes for a copyright licence, nor that commercial editorial use is categorically prohibited under every copyright exception. Conversely, the operator does not presume that every online photograph is unlicensed, or that every demand for removal is legally valid.

Depending on the evidence and applicable law, a complaint may result in one or more of the following outcomes:

• Removal of the disputed material.
• Temporary restriction pending further investigation.
• Correction of attribution or licensing information.
• Replacement of an image or other asset.
• Confirmation that an existing licence or other lawful basis covers the use.
• A request for further information or evidence.
• Rejection of an insufficiently substantiated complaint, with an explanation where appropriate.
• Referral for independent legal advice or dispute resolution.

Decisions are intended to be proportionate to the evidence and applicable law. The operator does not guarantee that every requested remedy will be granted.

A person or entity whose material has been removed or restricted may request reconsideration, where appropriate. A reconsideration request may include:

• Identification of the removed or restricted material.
• The basis for disputing the original complaint.
• Proof of ownership, permission, licence or another lawful basis for the use.
• Evidence of error, misidentification or changed circumstances.
• Relevant contact details.

Where the Hong Kong statutory online-service-provider provisions and the relevant Code of Practice apply, the operator will follow their actual procedural requirements, including any applicable rules concerning counter notices and restoration.

The Copyright Ordinance (Cap. 528), including its amendments effective from 1 May 2023, provides conditional limitations on liability for qualifying online service providers in relation to certain third-party infringements on their platforms.

Such protections depend on the statutory conditions being satisfied. They are not automatically acquired merely by publishing this policy, and the operator does not represent that SkyscrapersInfo presently meets those conditions.

Relevant rules may concern:

• Reasonable steps to limit or stop infringement.
• Conditions relating to direct financial benefit from infringement.
• Technical protection measures.
• Public designation of a notice-receiving agent.
• Applicable notice and counter-notice procedures.
• The relevant Code of Practice issued under the Ordinance.

This policy distinguishes between:

• Content directly controlled by SkyscrapersInfo.
• Embedded content hosted by third parties.
• Linked external resources.
• Assets served through a website platform, content delivery network or other infrastructure provider.
• Material posted by independent users on outside platforms.

SkyscrapersInfo cannot guarantee removal of independently controlled third-party content. However, the use of a third-party host, CDN or website builder does not by itself absolve SkyscrapersInfo of responsibility for content that the operator selects, controls or publishes.

Where a complaint concerns material outside its control, the operator may, where practical, identify the appropriate external provider so that the complainant can pursue the matter with that provider.

Copyright complaints should be made accurately and in good faith. A complainant should not knowingly misrepresent copyright ownership, authorisation or the allegedly infringing nature of the material.

The operator may request clarification or further evidence in response to conflicting or apparently abusive demands, and reserves the rights and remedies available under applicable law concerning knowingly false statements and other misuse of legal procedures.

An unsuccessful complaint does not, by itself, establish bad faith. The operator may pursue remedies available under applicable law where material misrepresentations or other abuses are substantiated.

Nothing in this policy is intended to deter or suppress good-faith reports, lawful criticism, negative reviews or legitimate challenges to the website's use of content.

Complaint records are handled on a proportionate basis. Relevant information may include complainant identity, contact details, correspondence, relevant URLs, rights documentation, supporting evidence, decisions taken and dates of action.

Personal information is collected only where reasonably necessary and is handled in accordance with applicable privacy law, including Hong Kong's Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486) where relevant.

This policy does not promise absolute secrecy, nor that the identity of a claimant will never be disclosed: disclosure may be necessary or legally required in certain circumstances. Complainants' personal information will not be published in a public register without an appropriate lawful basis.

Personal information will be processed only for legitimate and relevant purposes connected with this policy, including examining a claim, corresponding with the parties, preserving evidence and fulfilling applicable legal obligations. Routine identity documents are not required.

Personal data is retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for the legitimate purposes set out in this policy, including any applicable legal, regulatory or evidentiary preservation obligations, and is handled in a manner consistent with Hong Kong's Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486), including Data Protection Principle 2. The operator does not commit to a specific retention period beyond this standard and does not represent that any particular complaint-management system has been implemented, beyond what is reasonably available to it. Where a public /privacy page is available, additional information on personal-data handling may be found there.

Any future actual complaint-submission mechanism introduced by the operator should be accompanied by appropriate personal-data collection information before it is brought into operation.

All applicable mandatory legal rights, remedies, defences and procedural protections are reserved.

This policy:

• Does not automatically determine whether copyright infringement has occurred.
• Does not grant any licence, and does not establish ownership of third-party materials.
• Does not waive the operator's lawful rights and defences.
• Does not replace court proceedings, formal legal notices or binding legal obligations.
• Does not guarantee legal immunity from copyright claims.
• May be updated from time to time to reflect operational changes or applicable law.

Related editorial and legal documents:

• /copyright
• /editorial-policy
• /disclaimer
• /contact

The presence of a document on the website does not, of itself, make that document legally effective.