Copyright and takedown requests

BooksBarbecue respects the rights of authors, translators, editors and publishers. This page explains how we decide what to publish and what to do if you believe something here should not be.

Our approach

We only list works that are in the public domain, or that the rights holder has given us permission to share. We do not host pirated material, and we do not knowingly publish anything that infringes copyright. Each book page shows the licence we rely on.

What "public domain" means

A work enters the public domain when its copyright has expired, or if it never qualified for copyright. In many countries, copyright lasts for the life of the author plus a number of years, commonly 70, though some countries use a shorter or longer term. In the United States, the term for older published works is counted from the year of publication, which is why a new group of books becomes free each January. Because these rules differ, a book can be free to share in one country and protected in another. We try to follow the rules that apply to where our readers are most likely to be, but we cannot guarantee that a book is public domain everywhere.

Also remember that a new translation, an introduction, notes or a modern edition of an old book can have its own copyright, even if the original text does not. If you spot an edition like this, please let us know.

How to send a takedown notice

If you believe that a book on this site infringes your copyright, please email [email protected] with the following information:

1. Your full name, postal address, email address and telephone number.
2. A description of the copyrighted work you say has been infringed, with enough detail for us to identify it (for example, the title, author and edition).
3. The address (URL) of the page on our site where the material appears.
4. Evidence that you own the rights or are authorised to act for the owner.
5. A statement that you believe in good faith that the use is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent or the law.
6. A statement, made under penalty of perjury where the law of your country requires it, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the owner or authorised to act on the owner's behalf.
7. Your physical or electronic signature.

Notices that are missing key information may take longer to process, so please include everything above.

What we do next

When we receive a complete notice we review it promptly. If it appears valid, we remove or disable access to the material while we look into it, and we may tell the person who supplied it. We keep a record of notices we receive. We may also remove material at our own discretion if there is a real doubt about its status.

Counter-notices

If material was removed by mistake, or you have permission to use it, you may send a counter-notice to the same address. Please include the page address of the removed material, a statement that you believe in good faith that it was removed by mistake or misidentification, your name and contact details, and your signature. We will pass the counter-notice to the person who sent the original notice and, unless they tell us they have started legal action within a reasonable time, we may restore the material.

Repeat infringement

We will not accept submissions from anyone who repeatedly provides material that infringes copyright.

Questions about a book's status

If you are not sure whether a book is free to use, or you would like to give us permission to publish your own work, write to us through the contact form and choose "Copyright question".