Copyright Infringement Claim Procedures

We rely on publicly available information from reputable sources in the Thoroughbred racing domain. These sources include widely accessible pedigree databases, racing publications, and official records that are considered public domain or fair use for the purpose of factual reporting and analysis. Here’s how we ensure compliance with copyright and proprietary data concerns:

1. Publicly Available Data: The pedigree information for Thoroughbred horses, including sires, dams, and their ancestors, is commonly published by organizations like BloodHorse, Equineline, Pedigree Query, or the Jockey Club. These sources provide detailed lineage data that is openly accessible for research and reporting. For example, Quality Road’s sire (Elusive Quality) and dam (Kobla) are well-documented in such databases.
2. Fair Use for Analysis: The pedigree analysis we provide, such as discussing the influence of a horse’s routing ability or stamina, is based on general knowledge of Thoroughbred breeding trends and the performance records of specific sires and dams. This type of analysis falls under fair use, as it involves synthesizing factual data into original commentary without reproducing copyrighted text verbatim.
3. No Proprietary Databases: We do not access or use proprietary, restricted, or subscription-only databases that require special permissions or licenses. All information is sourced from what is available in the public domain, ensuring no violation of intellectual property rights.
4. Citation Practices: Where specific sources are referenced (e.g., BloodHorse for pedigree analysis or Horse Racing Nation for race results), we note them to maintain transparency. These sources are typically open to the public or provide information intended for journalistic or educational use.

We have instituted procedures to receive notification of claimed copyright infringement and to process such claims in accordance with U.S. copyright law. If you believe that any content on our website infringes your copyrights, you should send us a notice of claimed infringement that complies with the requirements of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

To be effective, a notice of claimed infringement must be a written communication provided to our designated agent of a service provider that includes substantially the following:

A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works.

Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit the service provider to locate the material.

Information reasonably sufficient to permit the service provider to contact the complaining party such as an address, telephone number, and if available, an electronic mail address at which the complaining party may be contacted.

A statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent or the law.

A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

Notification from a copyright owner or from a person authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner that fails to comply substantially with the provisions above shall not be considered as providing actual knowledge or an awareness of facts or circumstances from which infringing activity is apparent.

Our agent for receipt of copyright infringement notices and counter notices is:

Robert A. Lafaye
TheFreePPs.com

Please mail notices of infringement and counter notices to Robert Lafaye via email at info at [at] thefreepps.com; Subject: DMCA Complaints.