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FAQ: Vimeo's Repeat Infringer Policy

What is the Repeat Infringer Policy?

To stay within the DMCA framework, Vimeo is required to terminate accounts of repeat infringers. Since the founding of our company, we have used a three strikes policy:

  • If an account receives three separate DMCA “strikes,” we will remove the account.
  • A strike accrues when an account receives a DMCA takedown notice that results in a video being removed from that account. We may group notices filed within a short period of time as a single “strike.” 
  • We will remove strikes if the claimant withdraws the notice or when the account holder successfully challenges a notice.

How do I avoid having my account disabled under Vimeo’s Repeat Infringer Policy?

  1. You should immediately review any existing strikes on your account. You can do that here. There are instructions on that page for ways you may be able to resolve any strike that was the result of a mistake or misidentification.
  2. You should also review all your uploads and fully delete any that might have copyright issues. Keep in mind that the DMCA process applies to all videos, regardless of their privacy settings. It is important that you fully delete any video from that site where you don’t have all the necessary rights and permissions, including any applicable music licenses.
  3. Moving forward, you should be extremely vigilant about every video you upload. Vimeo is required to remove videos and assign strikes regardless of the specifics of the video. The best way to avoid strikes is to make sure that you only upload videos that you are 100% sure of. Even then, we may receive a takedown notice and have to remove the video, but there are methods for challenging mistaken claims.

Does Vimeo just remove accounts under the Repeat Infringer Policy without warning?

We will never delete videos or disable your account without providing a detailed email notice. In addition, we often take steps to notify you onsite. Here’s what we do when your account receives a DMCA takedown notice:

  • Your first DMCA strike
    • We remove the video.
    • We add a DMCA “strike” to your account.
    • We send an email to you (at the primary email address), which explains what in detail happened, who filed the claim against you, and what you can do. 
  • Your second DMCA strike
    • We follow the same steps as above.
    • In addition, we display an onsite notification about the takedown. You won't be able to resume uploading new videos until you acknowledge this notification.
  • Your third DMCA strike.
    • When this happens, we remove the video and your account under our Repeat Infringer Policy.
    • If you elect not to challenge any of the DMCA notices, you may contact us to grant you temporary access to your account so that you can download your non-infringing videos.
    • You may not create a new account with Vimeo.

We take your trust in us very seriously and we would never disable your account without doing our best to give you ample warnings and instructions on how to avoid that fate. It’s important to keep your email address up to date so that our warnings don't go unread.

If my account is disabled under the Repeat Infringer Policy, are all my videos gone forever?

If you are able to resolve the strikes against you, we can fully restore your account within 90 days from the day it was terminated. Your custom URLs, likes, analytics, and settings will go back to exactly the way they were before your account was disabled.

If you are unable to resolve the strikes against you and your account is not eligible for restoration, we can usually still give you a window of limited-time access so that you can archive your non-infringing videos. We call this Temporary Access Mode and it works like this:

  1. Your account is restored in a diminished capacity with no ability to upload new videos or message other users.
  2. We can only provide one (1) week of access. Since this is automated, we cannot extend the access period, although we can provide additional Temporary Access Modes in some circumstances (a large number of videos to download, etc.).
  3. The videos will be restored with a restricted privacy setting. They will be locked and only available to you for archival purposes. They will not be publicly viewable.
  4. Per our Repeat Infringer Policy, you may not open any additional Vimeo accounts.

To request Temporary Access Mode for an account, reply directly to the third strike notification email that you received. You can also send an email to dmca@vimeo.com, or click this link.

Can't I just change the privacy setting for all my videos to keep them hidden and safe from DMCA takedowns?

No. Under Vimeo's Terms of Service, you are only permitted to upload videos for which you have all the necessary rights and permission, including any applicable music licenses. 

No matter what level of privacy restriction you choose for your videos, they will still be subject to the notice and takedown provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Your best bet for avoiding strikes would be to review your uploads and fully delete any video that may infringe the copyright of a third party.

My account has been disabled under the Repeat Infringer Policy. Is there anything I can do to restore it?

We can only restore an account if you can successfully remove enough copyright strikes so that your account is under our three-strike rule.

Can’t you just remove the infringing videos and let me have my account back?

No. Vimeo is required to maintain and implement a policy for dealing with accounts that are deemed repeat infringers.

When an account has been disabled under our Repeat Infringer Policy, the only way to restore the account is to reduce the number of strikes on the account below the threshold that triggers removal. Even if there are non-infringing videos on the account, they must remain disabled until the copyright strikes are removed.

If my account is disabled under the Repeat Infringer Policy, can I just start over with a fresh one?

You are not permitted to create a new account and start over to evade our Repeat Infringer Policy.

If you are able to resolve the existing strikes against your original account, you can get it fully restored within 90 days from the date of termination.

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