Copyright infringement occurs when protected intellectual property including sound recordings, musical compositions, cover artwork, artist names, or visual likenesses is distributed or utilized without verifiable legal authorization from the rights holder.
At DistroVibe, we enforce strict compliance standards to safeguard intellectual property rights across the global music ecosystem.
How Copyright Infringements Are Handled on DistroVibe
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Infringement Notification: If a third party or digital service provider (DSP) files a copyright claim against your catalog, you will receive an official notice via your account email. The notice outlines the flagged release, the specific tracks or assets affected, and the claimant’s contact information when available.
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Account Holds & Feature Restrictions: Accounts subject to active copyright infringement claims or DMCA notices will be placed on temporary administrative restriction. This includes a hold on wallet withdrawals/payouts, restrictions on creating new releases, or temporary catalog freezes until the dispute is resolved.
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Store-Level Content Takedowns: When an infringement notice is served, affected DSPs (such as Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube) remove the disputed content directly from their platforms. DistroVibe may also execute safety takedowns across remaining stores while the claim is investigated.
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Resolving Disputes with Claimants: Because copyright claims are legal disputes between the copyright holder and the uploading party, you must resolve the claim directly with the claimant. Once the claimant agrees to withdraw their notice or provides written clearance, submit documentation of the retraction to our support team to unlock your account.
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Proof of Ownership & Chain of Title: If our compliance team requests chain-of-title documentation, you must provide verifiable proof of authorization, such as:
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Signed split sheets and producer agreements.
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Commercial sample clearance licenses or master purchase receipts.
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Formal copyright registration certificates.
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Uncompressed DAW session files, stems, or creation logs.
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DistroVibe’s Administrative Role: DistroVibe acts as a technical distributor and rights administrator; we cannot act as legal arbiters or provide legal advice. If you require legal counsel to navigate a complex rights dispute, we advise consulting an intellectual property attorney.
Other Platform Infringements & Content Violations
Digital service providers, social platforms, and channel networks enforce broad editorial and safety standards. Stores reserve the right to remove content under the following circumstances:
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Artist Relationship & Unauthorized Association: If a streaming platform or partner channel receives legitimate complaints regarding an artist's likeness, unapproved name association, or unauthorized features, the channel reserves the right to take down the release to protect artist relations. Legitimate disputes resolved amicably will not result in permanent account strikes.
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Brand Protection & Harmful Content: Partner DSPs reserve the right to immediately remove content deemed abusive, defamatory, infringing on trademarks, or harmful to their brand reputation. Platforms may issue permanent platform strikes against the offending artist or label profile.
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Artificial Streaming & Chart Manipulation: Digital storefronts continuously monitor catalogs for artificial streaming spikes, bot farms, loop scripts, and playlist payola. Any release flagged for manipulated activity will be removed immediately, subject to financial penalties from DSPs, and may result in the immediate termination of the offending DistroVibe account.
Need to Report an Infringement?
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To report an unauthorized release distributed through our network, submit a formal claim via our Copyright Complaint Form or email support@distrovibe.com
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For existing claims or account compliance inquiries, contact our Trust & Safety team at support@distrovibe.com.