Hitaru
Repeat Infringer Policy
Last updated: 2026-05-26
Hitaru maintains a strict three-strikes policy in compliance with DMCA §512(i), the EU Digital Services Act, Japan's Information Distribution Platform Act, and applicable UAE law. This page is publicly accessible and indexed so that rightsholders and users can verify our enforcement practices (per Cox Communications jurisprudence).
The three-strikes rule
If a user account accumulates three (3) confirmed takedown determinations from any combination of DMCA, DSA, Japan IPP-Act, or UAE notices, the account will be terminated. Strike counting is performed on the hashed user identifier (user_id_hashed) recorded in our repeat_infringer_log table.
What counts as a strike
A strike is recorded when (a) a takedown notice is submitted via /legal/takedown or by email to copyright@hitaru.dev, (b) we complete triage and determine the notice is valid, and (c) the affected content is removed. Notices that are rejected for insufficient information do not count as strikes.
How termination is communicated
We record the account termination and an audit log entry immediately. Email notification to the address on file, an in-app banner, and immediate invalidation of authentication tokens are planned for a future phase and are not yet in effect — existing sessions remain valid until that phase ships. In every case, the user is given 30 days to export their personal study data before account deletion. A Slack alert is also sent to our internal #legal-alerts channel.
Counter-notification and appeals
If you believe a strike was recorded in error, you may file a counter-notification.
File a counter-notification
Retention of records
Strike records are retained for seven (7) years in accordance with tax law, copyright law, and DSA Art. 24 transparency reporting requirements. The mapping from user_id_hashed to personal identity is destroyed after six (6) months (re-identification becomes infeasible).
Terms of Service reference
This policy is incorporated by reference into our Terms of Service §12 (Account Termination).