This Copyright And Takedown Policy explains how to report material published on Wearside Online when you believe it infringes your rights. It covers photographs, text, documents, recordings, forum content and other material available through the website.
Wearside Online takes credible complaints seriously and reviews them carefully. However, submitting a request does not automatically establish infringement or guarantee removal. This policy does not replace independent legal advice or restrict any rights available under applicable law.
What The Copyright And Takedown Policy Covers
You may use the takedown process to report material that you reasonably believe:
- infringes copyright or another intellectual property right;
- uses a photograph, document or recording without permission or another lawful basis;
- reveals confidential or unlawfully disclosed information;
- contains personal information that creates a serious privacy or data protection concern;
- contains a false factual allegation that may cause serious harm;
- breaches a court order or another binding legal restriction; or
- is otherwise unlawful and requires prompt review.
This process is not intended for ordinary disagreements, criticism, unfavourable opinions or requests to remove accurate reporting merely because it is unwelcome.
Before Sending A Request
Please identify the exact material and explain the legal or factual basis for your concern. General statements that a page is unfair, upsetting or copied are rarely enough for a proper assessment.
You should normally submit a copyright complaint only when you own the relevant rights or are authorised to represent the rights holder. Wearside Online may ask representatives to provide evidence of their authority.
Copyright law permits some limited uses without direct permission. These may include quotation, criticism, review, caricature, parody, pastiche and other permitted uses. Whether an exception applies depends on the purpose, amount used and surrounding circumstances. Some exceptions also require sufficient acknowledgement.
For an ordinary factual correction, broken link or general website enquiry, please use the Contact Us page instead.
Information Required For A Copyright Complaint
A copyright or ownership complaint should include enough information for Wearside Online to identify the work, locate the disputed use and understand your claim.
- Your full name or verifiable organisation name.
- A working email address where you can receive a response.
- Your relationship to the copyright owner or rights holder.
- The exact Wearside Online URL containing the disputed material.
- A clear description of the photograph, text, recording or other original work.
- The precise location of the disputed material within the page or forum post.
- Evidence supporting ownership, authorship, licensing rights or representative authority.
- An explanation of why you believe the use is unauthorised or unlawful.
- The action you request, such as correction, attribution, replacement or removal.
- A statement that the information supplied is accurate and submitted in good faith.
- Your typed name as an electronic signature.
Useful evidence may include an original file, publication record, dated source, contractual document, licence or link to an earlier authorised publication. Do not send passports, financial records or unnecessary identification documents unless specifically requested.
Photographs And Archive Material
Wearside Online publishes historical photographs, scans, maps and other archive material relating to Sunderland and the wider Wearside area. Some historical material has incomplete creator, date or ownership records. Wearside Online reviews available provenance information and considers credible new evidence.
A photograph does not become free to use because it is old, unwatermarked or widely available online. In many cases, copyright lasts throughout the creator’s lifetime. It then continues until 70 years after the end of the calendar year in which the creator died.
When reporting an archive image, please provide any available information about its creator, date, original publication and ownership history. Evidence linking you to the original negative, file, commission, collection or rights transfer can assist the review.
Please state whether you require complete removal or would accept another solution. Appropriate outcomes may include corrected attribution, a revised caption, replacement material, restricted display or removal.
Privacy, Personal Information And Other Concerns
A request involving personal information should identify the specific information, its location and the harm you believe continued publication may cause. Please explain whether the information is inaccurate, outdated, unlawfully disclosed or exceptionally sensitive.
A complaint about an allegedly defamatory statement should quote the exact words concerned. It should also explain why you say they are false and provide supporting evidence where available.
Data protection questions and requests are handled in accordance with the Privacy Policy. The takedown form should not be used to obtain information about other people or private moderation decisions.
Wearside Online acknowledges data protection complaints within 30 days of receipt. It investigates them without undue delay and explains the outcome. Separate legal time limits may apply to individual rights requests.
How Wearside Online Reviews Requests
Wearside Online will first check whether the request contains enough information for a meaningful review. Wearside Online may request additional details or evidence where the complaint is unclear or incomplete.
Depending on the circumstances, Wearside Online may:
- review the disputed page, image, file or forum contribution;
- check publication records, licences, sources and available evidence;
- temporarily restrict access while reviewing a serious concern;
- contact the author, contributor or person who supplied the material;
- consult professional advisers, insurers or hosting providers where appropriate;
- correct wording, attribution, captions or identifying details;
- replace, redact, restrict or remove part of the material;
- remove the complete page, attachment or forum contribution; or
- retain the material where the complaint is unsupported or publication remains lawful.
The outcome depends on the evidence, applicable law, publication context, competing rights and any relevant public interest. Wearside Online does not act as a court and cannot determine complex ownership disputes conclusively.
No single decision period applies to every copyright or general takedown request. Wearside Online prioritises credible urgent concerns, while complex ownership or historical evidence may require more time. Separate statutory periods apply to data protection complaints and rights requests.
Sunderland Forum Content
Concerns about material posted in the Sunderland Forum should normally be reported using the forum’s report function. Copyright complaints should also be submitted through the takedown form with the relevant forum URL.
Please identify the post, username, date and exact material concerned. A report against one contribution does not automatically justify removing an entire discussion or another member’s lawful reply.
Wearside Online may remove, restrict, redact or preserve forum material where appropriate. Moderation and account action will follow the Terms Of Use and applicable forum rules.
Responses And Requests For Review
A contributor or other affected person may dispute a complaint and provide evidence supporting continued publication. This may include proof of permission, authorship, ownership, licensing, public-domain status or lawful use.
Wearside Online may reconsider an earlier decision when relevant new information becomes available. Material will not necessarily be restored merely because the original contributor objects to its removal.
Wearside Online will act on a valid and binding court order according to its terms. Anyone involved in a serious unresolved dispute should consider obtaining independent legal advice.
False, Misleading Or Abusive Requests
Do not use the takedown process to impersonate a rights holder, conceal relevant facts, harass contributors or suppress lawful criticism. Wearside Online may reject incomplete, abusive, repetitive or apparently fraudulent requests.
Wearside Online may retain notices, supporting evidence and related correspondence where reasonably necessary. This may assist with complaint handling, legal obligations, fraud prevention and the defence of legal claims.
Search Engines, Archives And Third Parties
Removing material from Wearside Online does not automatically remove copies held by search engines, web archives, social networks or unrelated websites. Those services control their own systems and removal procedures.
Search results and cached copies may continue appearing temporarily after material has been removed. Where appropriate, the person concerned may need to contact the relevant third-party service directly.
Copyright In Wearside Online Material
Copyright in original articles, graphics, branding, photographs and other Wearside Online material belongs to the relevant creator or rights holder unless stated otherwise.
You may link to public pages and quote limited extracts with clear acknowledgement where permitted by law. Do not reproduce complete articles, branded graphics or photographs without permission or another lawful basis.
Copyright and other rights in third-party photographs, quotations and material remain with their respective rights holders. References to third-party names do not imply endorsement, partnership or ownership.
Privacy And Complaint Information
Wearside Online uses information supplied through the form to assess the complaint, communicate with the parties and keep an appropriate record. Only information reasonably necessary for those purposes should be submitted.
Wearside Online may share relevant details with a contributor, service provider, adviser, insurer, hosting company or competent authority where reasonably necessary. Unnecessary personal information will not be shared merely because someone requests it.
Submit A Copyright Or Takedown Request
Use the form below to submit a copyright complaint or another serious takedown concern. Include every relevant URL and provide enough information to support a fair review.
Please submit one clear request rather than sending repeated copies. Additional information can be supplied later when it relates to an existing complaint.
Submitting the form confirms that you have read this Copyright And Takedown Policy and believe the information provided is accurate. It does not create an automatic entitlement to removal.
Sources And Further Reading
- UK Intellectual Property Office: Enforcing your copyright.
- UK Intellectual Property Office: Exceptions to copyright.
- UK Intellectual Property Office: Digital images, photographs and the internet.
- UK Legislation: Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
- Information Commissioner’s Office: How to deal with data protection complaints.
Last updated: 21 July 2026.