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Copyright and Takedown Policy 

Purpose

The purpose of the Copyright and Takedown Policy is to provide an explicit statement for The Canadian Pride Historical Society (CPHS) regarding copyright and the removal or adjustment of online content. This policy supports the CPHS in fulfilling its mandate, complying with the Canadian Copyright Act, and engaging with the public in a respectful and informed manner. This policy outlines the commitment, principles, and procedures that the CPHS will follow to prevent copyright infringement. This policy also addresses the public’s right to privacy and ability to request changes to personal information being made available through CPHS to represent their identity. 

Application 

This policy and its related procedure apply to all volunteers who act on behalf of the CPHS. This policy will assist volunteers with their roles and responsibilities as it relates to material found on any website and social media pages administered by the CPHS. 

Definitions 

  • Personal information: Information about an identifiable individual or organization, including, but not limited to, a person’s name, an organization’s name, contact information, image, or other information that could reasonably identify them. 

  • Public: With regards to this policy, clients, users, researchers, and the general public will be referred to as “the public.” 

  • Rights holder: An individual or organization that holds legal rights to a piece of content, including but not limited to intellectual property rights such as copyright, trademark, or moral rights. This may include the original creator, an assignee, a publisher, or any authorized representative acting on their behalf. 

  • Social media: Applies to any online social media platform that the CPHS currently or in future chooses to use. 

  • Volunteer: A volunteer is anyone who, without compensation or expectation of compensation beyond reimbursement, performs a task at the direction of and on behalf of the CPHS  

  • Website: Regarding this policy, website refers to any online domain managed by the CPHS such as the organization’s website. 

Institutional Responsibility 

The Vice-President, Research and Education or their designate will: 

  • Establish procedures to address copyright and takedown requests. 

  • Provide all volunteers and Board members with training and information regarding this policy. 

  • Monitor the organization’s compliance with this policy and related procedures. 

  • Review this policy to ensure that it is current and useful. 

  • Act promptly in response to all complaints. 

  • Maintain the confidentiality of all parties involved in requests. 

  • Maintain a secure record of all takedown requests, including the submitted documentation, assessment outcomes, and final decisions, for a minimum of two years. 

  • Ensure documentation is accessible only to those with a legitimate need to know, in accordance with CPHS’s privacy and confidentiality policies. 

A designated volunteer (appointed by the Vice-President, Research and Education or their designate) will: 

  • Monitor email for any takedown requests. 

  • Report any request for takedowns to the Vice-President, Research and Education. 

  • Update online descriptions as the need arises. 

  • Remove or reinstate any content as needed. 

The Board of Directors will: 

  • Review and approve the Copyright and Takedown Policy. 

  • Ensure that volunteers under their supervision receive adequate information and training on this policy. 

Policy 

  • t is the policy of the CPHS to make every reasonable effort to identify, locate, and contact rights holders to obtain necessary permissions and to ensure that third parties are not harmed by inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information. 

  • The CPHS recognizes that occasionally material published online may contain sensitive personal data and takes all reasonable efforts to protect the safety of individuals while publishing material.  

  • If any published content infringes on the rights of individuals or the rights of any third parties, or content is not correctly identified or acknowledged, the CPHS will temporarily remove or restrict access to the material as soon as reasonably practicable, normally within 48 hours, while the takedown request is reviewed. 

  • The designated volunteer and the Vice-President, Research and Education shall assess the case’s merits within ten (10) business days and come to a decision. 

  • The Vice-President, Research and Education or their designate will inform the requester of the decision by email. If the request is not well-founded, the material will be restored to social media, the CPHS’s website, and/or the Digital Exhibitions page.  

  • Individuals may submit a written request for reconsideration if new, material evidence becomes available. The Vice-President, Research and Education or their designate may, at their discretion, initiate a secondary review in consultation with the Executive. The outcome of the secondary review will constitute the CPHS’s final internal decision on the request. 

  • This policy will be made available on our website. When relevant, the Digital Exhibitions site will also link to the policy to allow for requests to be made easily. 

  • Individuals may submit a request that information available through the CPHS be changed to reflect their current identity, such as a change in name or pronoun usage. Where reasonably possible, the CPHS will update published website content and other materials under its control. The CPHS does not edit original historical sources and may not be able to revise previously published fixed-format materials, such as designed reports, or remove or alter past social media content. Where changes cannot reasonably be made, the CPHS may consider other appropriate measures to reflect the individual’s current identity. 

Procedures 

In making material available online, the CPHS makes every reasonable effort to identify, locate, and contact rights holders to obtain necessary permissions and ensure that third parties are not harmed by inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information. The CPHS recognizes that occasionally material published online may be in breach of copyright laws, may contain sensitive personal data, or may include content that may be regarded as defamatory.

If you have found such material on any of our websites, please contact us in writing stating the following: 

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  1. Your contact information (name, pronouns, email, phone number). 

  2. A detailed description of the material in question. 

  3. The exact URL of the material. 

  4. If applicable, proof of rights ownership and a statement confirming you are the rights holder or their authorized representative. 

  5. The reason for your request (e.g., copyright violation, privacy breach, defamation, change of information). 

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Upon receipt of the request: 

  1. The content will be temporarily removed within 48 hours.  

  2. The Vice-President, Research and Education or their designate and designated volunteer will assess the request within 10 business days. 

  3. The Vice-President, Research and Education or their designate will notify the requester of the decision by email.  

  4. If new, material evidence becomes available, the requester may submit a written request for reconsideration. The Vice-President, Research and Education may, at their discretion, initiate a secondary review in consultation with the Executive. The outcome of this review constitutes the CPHS’s final internal decision on the request. 

Version

1.0.    Adopted     2023-07-17 

2.0     Amended     2025-08-18

3.0     Amended     2026-09-21 

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