Copyright Policy - GuardScore Alerts

Overview

GuardScore Alerts is a merchant intelligence curation and analysis service that aggregates payment industry news from public sources. We operate under the principles of fair use as defined in Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 107).

Fair Use Statement

GuardScore Alerts provides transformative curation services by:

• Summarizing - Creating concise 2-3 paragraph summaries (not full articles)
• Analyzing - Adding severity scoring, merchant impact assessment, and confidence ratings
• Translating - Providing multi-language versions (English, Spanish, Portuguese)
• Contextualizing - Explaining what regulatory changes mean for merchants specifically

This constitutes transformative fair use under copyright law.

How We Use Source Content

What We Do ✓

• Short Summaries: We provide 2-3 paragraph summaries representing ~5-10% of original articles
• Clear Attribution: Every alert includes "Curated by GuardScore Alerts. Sources: [URLs]"
• Source Links: All alerts include clickable links to original sources
• Transformative Analysis: We add unique value through severity scoring, impact assessment, and merchant-specific interpretation
• Drive Traffic: Our alerts are designed to direct readers to original sources for full details

What We Don't Do ✗

• Republish full articles
• Remove or obscure source attribution
• Claim authorship of others' work
• Compete with or replace original sources
• Copy paywalled content without permission
• Use content in ways that harm the original publisher's market

Source Priority

We prioritize sources in this order:

Attribution Standards

Every alert includes:

In our multi-language channels:

• English: "Curated by GuardScore Alerts. Sources:"
• Spanish: "Curado por GuardScore Alerts. Fuentes:"
• Portuguese: "Curado por GuardScore Alerts. Fontes:"

Traffic & Value Exchange

GuardScore Alerts drives traffic to original publishers:

• Our 1,000+ subscribers see source attribution in every alert
• Approximately 10-20% of readers click through to original sources
• This provides publishers with qualified, targeted traffic at no cost
• We enhance publishers' brand visibility among payment industry professionals

We are a marketing channel for sources, not a competitor.

Publisher Relations

We Welcome Publishers

If you publish payment industry content, we may feature your articles. Benefits include:

• Free Traffic - Qualified merchants clicking through to your site
• Brand Exposure - Recognition among payment professionals
• SEO Value - Backlinks from our channels and website
• Authority Signal - Being cited as a trusted source

Opting Out

If you prefer we not feature your content:

DMCA Takedown Process

If you believe your copyrighted work is being used improperly, please send a DMCA takedown notice to:

Required Information

Your notice must include:

1. Identification of the copyrighted work
2. Identification of the allegedly infringing material (our alert event_id or link)
3. Your contact information (name, address, email, phone)
4. Statement of good faith belief that use is not authorized
5. Statement that information is accurate and you are authorized to act
6. Physical or electronic signature

Our Response

• Acknowledgment: Within 24 hours
• Review: Within 48 hours
• Action:
  • If valid: Content removed immediately
  • If fair use: Explanation provided
  • If unclear: Request for clarification

We respect intellectual property rights and will promptly address all legitimate concerns.

Legal Basis: Fair Use (17 U.S.C. § 107)

The Four Fair Use Factors

Conclusion: Our use qualifies as fair use under U.S. law.

Contact Information

Acknowledgments

We respect the work of journalists, bloggers, and content creators in the payment industry. Our goal is to amplify authoritative voices and drive qualified traffic to original sources. We believe in a symbiotic relationship where both curators and creators benefit.

Thank you to all the publishers who create the valuable content that makes our curation service possible.