IP & Copyright
This policy covers third-party intellectual property in ASAI Roleplay — what you may build on, what you may not, and how rightsholders get infringing content removed.
If you are a rightsholder, the procedure is in Section 5. It is the same platform-wide procedure set out in Copyright & DMCA; this page adds the roleplay-specific detail.
Effective: 31 July 2026 · Version: 2.0
Operator: APERTURESyndicate OÜ (Republic of Estonia (EU), Registry code 17384111)
1. Our position
ASAI hosts content its users create. Under EU law (the e-Commerce Directive 2000/31/EC and the Digital Services Act) and US law (the DMCA, 17 USC §512), we operate as an intermediary host: we are not the author of user content, we do not pre-screen it, we act on valid notices, and we terminate repeat infringers.
We do not pre-screen it in a stronger sense than most platforms mean by that phrase. Nothing checks a character when it is created or published — not the text, not the universe field, not uploaded images. Enforcement is entirely reactive. See Publication & Review.
We respect IP rights. We also think fan creativity is a legitimate part of culture and worth hosting responsibly. The rules below are how we balance those.
2. Your responsibilities
If you create characters or worlds on ASAI:
- You are responsible for the IP you use. We provide the platform; you provide the content.
- You declare that you have the rights to what you upload — portraits, covers, lore documents, everything.
- You accept that we may remove content when a rightsholder objects, including before a formal claim is resolved where the situation is clear.
The Universe field is your declaration and nothing verifies it. If you mark a character as belonging to a universe you have no rights to, that is on you.
3. What is generally fine
Within the content rules:
- Original characters in any setting
- Fan-created characters sharing a world with a known IP, for private use
- Text descriptions of well-known fictional characters written in your own words
- Your own artwork, including original art inspired by existing IP (derivative-work rules still apply; we do not certify your art as non-infringing)
- Public-domain works — Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, mythological figures, anything out of copyright
4. What is not allowed
4.1 Copying copyrighted artwork
- Uploading official artwork, screenshots, or stills from a game, film, or anime as a portrait or cover
- Uploading generated artwork that closely reproduces a copyrighted character's likeness where the rightsholder has publicly objected to such uses
4.2 Universes that must not be published
Some rightsholders consistently take a hard line on derivative works. Characters from these may exist for private use only and must not be published:
- Nintendo IPs — Mario, Zelda, Pokémon, Splatoon, Metroid, Animal Crossing, Kirby, Star Fox, Fire Emblem, Xenoblade
- Disney IPs and subsidiaries — Disney animation and film, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, 20th Century, Lucasfilm
- The Pokémon Company / Game Freak IPs
- Some Square Enix IPs — Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, assessed case by case on historical takedown patterns
This list changes as rightsholders change their public position.
Nothing blocks publication of these. The universe field is not checked. Publishing one anyway breaches this policy, and the content will be removed when it is reported.
4.3 Real people
A real person playing themselves in a franchise — a musician, an athlete, an actor — is still a real person, and the real-people rules apply. See Acceptable Use Policy, Section 2.3.
4.4 Trademark misuse
You cannot create characters whose name, branding, or description suggests official affiliation with a brand. "Coca-Cola Mascot" is not permitted even as parody, because trademark law treats commercial source-confusion differently from copyright.
5. Reporting infringement
5.1 The main route — EU notice and action
Our primary procedure is the notice-and-action mechanism under Article 16 of the EU Digital Services Act, because we are an EU-established provider.
Send your notice to [email protected]. Under Article 16(2) it must contain:
- A sufficiently substantiated explanation of why the content is unlawful
- A clear indication of the exact location — the URL of the character, world, or library page
- Your name and email address (not required where the notice concerns child sexual abuse material)
- A statement of good faith that the information is accurate and complete
We aim to acknowledge complete notices within 72 hours on working days. We accept notices in English or Estonian. When we act, both you and the uploader receive a statement of reasons under Article 17.
5.2 DMCA notices
If you are a US rightsholder and prefer to proceed under the DMCA, we accept notices under 17 USC §512(c)(3) at the same address, [email protected]. A valid DMCA notice must additionally include your physical address and telephone number, a statement under penalty of perjury that you are authorised to act for the rightsholder, and your physical or electronic signature (a typed full name is acceptable).
Counter-notices under §512(g)(3) are also accepted. If the claimant does not file a court action within 10–14 business days of us forwarding your counter-notice, we restore the content. The full DMCA and counter-notice procedure is set out in Copyright & DMCA.
5.3 Trademark
Write to [email protected] with the subject "Trademark", and include your registration details, the jurisdiction, and the content you are objecting to.
We are particularly responsive to brand names in character names implying official affiliation, registered logos used as portraits, and universe declarations implying your endorsement.
5.4 Right of publicity
If you are a real person whose likeness is being misused, write to [email protected]. We assess whether the content is identifiable as you, whether it is sexualised, defamatory, or commercial, and whether the user has a plausible parody, criticism, or journalism claim. We lean towards removal for living people who have not consented.
5.5 Bad-faith notices
Knowingly false notices can carry legal liability. We may refuse notices from repeat bad-faith filers under Article 23 of the Digital Services Act.
6. What happens after a valid notice
- We remove the content or disable access to it
- We notify the uploader with a statement of reasons and a copy of the notice
- We record a strike against the uploader under the repeat-infringer policy
- We log the action
7. Repeat infringers
Repeat infringers are terminated. The strike ladder, how long strikes last, and how to contest one are set out in a single place — Copyright & DMCA, Section 5 — and that document governs. We deliberately do not restate the ladder here, so that a third strike cannot come to mean two different things in two documents.
In summary, and without adding anything to it: strikes escalate from a warning, through loss of publishing privileges, to termination of the account at the third strike, with immediate termination available for clear, intentional, or large-scale infringement.
8. Changes to this policy
Material changes are announced by email, by in-product notice for 30 days, and through the date and version history on this page.
Version history
- 2.0 — 31 July 2026 — Restructured around the EU Digital Services Act notice-and-action procedure as the primary route, with DMCA retained for US rightsholders. The repeat-infringer ladder now points to Copyright & DMCA rather than restating it, so the third strike means the same thing in both documents. Removed the 14-day appeal restated here. Added an explicit statement that nothing checks the universe field or uploaded images.
- 1.0 — 16 May 2026 — Initial publication
Contact
- Copyright, trademark, and IP claims: [email protected]
- Illegal content generally: [email protected] (subject "Illegal content")
- General support: [email protected]
We accept correspondence in English or Estonian.
Operator
APERTURESyndicate OÜ
Priisle tee 8, Lasnamäe linnaosa, Tallinn, Harju maakond, 13914, Estonia
Registry code 17384111 · VAT EE102972654
[email protected]