Copyright Policy.

Overview

DecodeBars respects the intellectual property rights of artists, publishers, and rights holders. This Copyright Policy explains how we handle copyrighted content on our platform and the process for reporting copyright infringement.

We believe strongly in fair use for educational and analytical purposes, while also recognizing that artists and rights holders deserve protection and control over their creative work.

Lyrics & User-Submitted Content

User Submissions

Users who submit lyrics to DecodeBars represent that they have the right to do so — either because the lyrics are publicly available for fair use purposes, or because the user owns or has licensed the relevant rights.

Fair Use

DecodeBars operates under the principle of fair use for educational and analytical commentary. We do not store or publicly display full copyrighted lyrics beyond what is submitted by users for their own private analysis sessions. Submitted lyrics are auto-deleted after 24 hours unless saved by the user.

Public Display

We do not publish full song lyrics on public-facing pages. Artist catalog entries include limited lyrical excerpts for identification and analysis purposes only, consistent with fair use commentary and criticism provisions.

Our Analysis Content

The analysis, commentary, scoring, and interpretation generated by DecodeBars — including AI-generated breakdowns, battle verdicts, and cultural analysis — is original work created by DecodeBars and is protected by copyright.

You may share and reference our analysis output for non-commercial purposes with attribution to DecodeBars. Commercial use of our analysis output requires written permission.

Artist Rights & Verified Content

DecodeBars recognizes artists as the ultimate authority on the meaning of their own work. Our Verified Artist program exists specifically to give artists control over how their lyrics are interpreted on the platform.

• Verified artists can submit official breakdowns that override AI analysis
• Artists can request removal of any content related to their work
• Artist-submitted breakdowns remain the property of the artist
• Artists may withdraw from the Verified Artist program at any time

Artists who wish to take down content or establish a verified presence should contact artists@decodebars.com.

DMCA Takedown Process

If you believe content on DecodeBars infringes your copyright, please submit a DMCA takedown notice to copyright@decodebars.com with the following information:

We will respond to valid DMCA notices within 5 business days and take appropriate action, which may include removing the infringing content.

Counter-Notice

If you believe content was wrongly removed, you may submit a counter-notice to copyright@decodebars.com. A valid counter-notice must include:

• Identification of the removed content and its location before removal
• A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good faith belief the content was removed by mistake or misidentification
• Your name, address, phone number, and consent to jurisdiction of federal court
• Your physical or electronic signature

Upon receiving a valid counter-notice, we will forward it to the original complainant and may restore the content after 10 business days unless the complainant seeks a court order.