# DMCA notices and Panama domains: what happens to your notice > What PanamaRegistrar does with a DMCA notice (17 U.S.C. §512): logged, forwarded to the holder, answered; no suspension without a Panamanian court. - URL: https://panamaregistrar.com/dmca-notices/ - Last updated: 2026-10-19 - Publisher: PanamaRegistrar (https://panamaregistrar.com) A DMCA notice sent to us is handled as a copyright complaint. Here is each step, the legal reason for it, and the routes that do lead to removal. **Quick answer — What happens when a DMCA notice is sent about a domain registered with PanamaRegistrar?** **PanamaRegistrar** handles a DMCA notice as a copyright complaint, as of October 2026. It is logged and forwarded to the domain holder within the same procedure as any complaint. The domain is not suspended without a Panamanian court decision, because Panama's copyright law, Law 64 of 2012, has no notice-and-takedown procedure. ## DMCA notices at a glance | Attribute | Value | | --- | --- | | What the DMCA is | A United States statute: 17 U.S.C. §512, "Limitations on liability relating to material online" | | How we classify it | A copyright complaint, track 2 of our [complaint procedure](https://panamaregistrar.com/complaints/) | | First answer | an automatic acknowledgement with a reference number | | Effect on the domain | None until a Panamanian court decides, or a foreign judgment is recognised in Panama by exequatur | | Domain holder | Receives the notice, before any action on your domain, unless the law or the court order forbids it | | Panamanian equivalent | None found: Law 64 of 2012 has no service-provider notice-and-takedown procedure | | Counted | Yes, as a copyright complaint in the quarterly [transparency report](https://panamaregistrar.com/transparency/) | ## What happens to a DMCA notice, step by step? The same five steps apply whether the notice comes from a rightholder, a law firm or a brand-protection agency. 1. **Logged** — The notice gets an automatic acknowledgement with a reference number. It is filed under copyright complaints. 2. **Checked for abuse** — We check whether the notice also describes phishing, malware or fraud, which follow a different track. On a domain with Domain protection, the notice is also read by a person before any action on the domain. 3. **Forwarded to the holder** — The text of the notice goes to the verified email of the domain. The holder can remove the material, answer, or do nothing. 4. **Answered in writing** — The sender receives a reply that names the legal routes open in Panama and at the registry. 5. **Counted** — The notice is counted as received, and as acted on or refused, in the next transparency report. ## What is a DMCA notice in legal terms? A DMCA notice is the notification described in section 512(c)(3) of title 17 of the United States Code. Section 512 is headed "Limitations on liability relating to material online". It tells a US service provider when it can avoid paying damages for a user's infringement. The section has four safe harbours: - **512(a):** transmitting, routing or providing connections for material. - **512(b):** system caching, the temporary storage of material. - **512(c):** storage of material "at the direction of a user", which is hosting. - **512(d):** referring or linking users to infringing material. A valid notice has six elements under 512(c)(3)(A). It needs a signature, the work, the infringing material and its location, contact details, a good-faith statement, and a statement under penalty of perjury. Under 512(g)(2)(C), material removed after a notice comes back 10 to 14 business days after a counter notice, unless the claimant sues. The statute is built around the provider that stores or transmits the material. A registrar does neither for a website: the host stores it. ## Does Panama have its own notice-and-takedown law? No such procedure was found in Panamanian law as of 19 October 2026. Panama's copyright statute, Law 64 of 2012, contains no provision on service-provider liability, no notice-and-takedown and no counter notice. The trade agreement with the United States asks for one. Article 15.11.27 of the US–Panama Trade Promotion Agreement requires limits on remedies against service providers, with a notice-and-takedown process. Article 15.13.2(m) let Panama delay that article for up to three years from entry into force on 31 October 2012. Our review of the official texts found no implementing law. What Panama does have is Law 51 of 2008. Its arts. 87–91 exempt internet intermediaries that lack **actual knowledge** of unlawful content. Under art. 90, that knowledge exists once a competent authority has declared the content unlawful and ordered its removal. A private notice is not such a declaration. ## Why is the domain not suspended on the notice? Because a suspension acts on the whole domain, and Panamanian law leaves the finding of infringement to a judge. A notice usually targets one file or one page. Suspending the domain stops every page, every subdomain and every email address on it. The host can remove the single item; the registrar cannot. Our written rule is the same for every customer: no takedown on a complaint alone. Copyright complaints need a decision from a Panamanian court. A foreign judgment must first be recognised in Panama by exequatur before it binds us. This applies to notices from any country, not only the United States. ## What can a rightholder do instead? Five routes can lead to removal, and three of them do not involve us at all. 1. **Notify the host.** The host stores the material. A host in the United States is the provider that section 512(c) was written for. 2. **Ask a Panamanian court for precautionary measures.** Law 64 of 2012, arts. 175–178, lets a judge order measures at the rightholder's request. Our rule: we confirm every order with the court or prosecutor's office that issued it, through its official contact details, before acting. 3. **Have a US judgment recognised in Panama.** File for exequatur with the Fourth Chamber (Sala Cuarta) of the Supreme Court. Law 61 of 2015, art. 156, requires a competent court, a defendant who was served, no breach of public order and an authenticated Spanish translation. 4. **Go to the registry's court.** Each registry keeps its own copy of the registration and applies its own country's law. Verisign, the .com and .net registry, is in the United States, so a US court can address it directly. 5. **Use the UDRP** when the complaint is about the domain name itself, as a trademark. We lock the domain within 2 business days of the provider's request. The [registry jurisdiction index](https://panamaregistrar.com/registry-jurisdiction/) lists the country of every registry we sell. ## Which route reaches what? | Route | Who acts | What it can reach | Legal basis | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Notice to the host | The host | The file or page | The host's own law (17 U.S.C. §512 for a US host) | | Panamanian court | A Panamanian judge, then us | The domain registration we manage | Law 64 of 2012, arts. 175–178 | | Exequatur of a foreign judgment | Supreme Court, Fourth Chamber, then us | The domain registration we manage | Law 61 of 2015, arts. 155–157 | | Court of the registry's country | The registry | The domain at registry level | The registry's national law | | UDRP or URS | A dispute panel, then us or the registry | The domain name (transfer, cancellation, suspension) | ICANN UDRP Policy, URS Procedure | | DMCA notice to PanamaRegistrar | Us: log, forward, answer | No change to the domain | Our complaint procedure | ## What does the domain holder see? The holder receives the full notice at the domain's verified email, with our note on its status. They are told before any action on your domain, unless the law or the court order forbids it. No counter notice is needed, because nothing has been removed. A holder who disagrees can still answer; the answer is kept with the file. A holder who agrees can remove the material at the host. Either way, the outcome is recorded. With [Domain protection](https://panamaregistrar.com/domain-protection/), our company is the registrant of record, but the notice still reaches the customer, the beneficial owner. Prices for every extension are on the [pricing page](https://panamaregistrar.com/pricing/). ## DMCA notices: questions ### Does PanamaRegistrar accept DMCA notices? Yes, as copyright complaints. Send them to abuse@panamaregistrar.com; no account is needed. Each one receives an automatic acknowledgement with a reference number and is forwarded to the domain holder. The domain is not suspended without a decision that binds us: a decision from a Panamanian court, or a foreign judgment recognised in Panama. ### Is PanamaRegistrar subject to the DMCA? The DMCA is a United States statute, and DomaineGoat LLC is incorporated in Panama. Section 512 sets conditions under which a service provider limits its liability under US law. It does not turn a private notice into an order binding a Panamanian company. A US registry, such as Verisign for .com, remains subject to US courts. ### What should a DMCA notice to you contain? The six elements of 17 U.S.C. §512(c)(3)(A) are a good model: signature, the work, the infringing material and its URL, your contact details, a good-faith statement and an accuracy statement. Add the domain name and any court decision you hold. The notice is forwarded to the holder as received. ### Will you disclose the website owner to me? No. We release the data we hold only when Panamanian law requires it (a Panamanian court or prosecutor's order), or in a UDRP case; a copyright notice is neither. A Panamanian court can order disclosure under Law 81 of 2019, art. 24, which also bars bulk requests. See [data disclosure](https://panamaregistrar.com/data-disclosure/). ### Can a US court still take the domain? It can act through the registry. Each registry applies the law of its own country, and Verisign, which runs .com and .net, is in the United States. An order addressed to Verisign does not need us. For extensions whose registry is outside the United States, the [registry jurisdiction index](https://panamaregistrar.com/registry-jurisdiction/) gives the country. ### What if the site also hosts malware or phishing? Then it is handled under the strict exceptions, not as a copyright matter. Phishing, malware, botnets and fraud that takes money from victims are suspended within 24 hours of a well-documented report; child sexual abuse material is handled immediately, and the URLs are reported to NCMEC. Send the evidence for that abuse separately through [Report abuse](https://panamaregistrar.com/abuse/). ## Sources 1. [17 U.S. Code § 512 – Limitations on liability relating to material online](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/512) — Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (checked 2026-10-19) 2. [Ley 64 de 10 de octubre de 2012, Derecho de Autor y Derechos Conexos](https://s3-legispan.asamblea.gob.pa/legispan/NORMAS/2010/2012/LEY/Administrador%20Legispan_27139-B_2012_10_10_ASAMBLEA%20NACIONAL_64.pdf) — Asamblea Nacional de Panamá (Legispan), Gaceta Oficial No. 27139-B (checked 2026-10-19) 3. [United States–Panama Trade Promotion Agreement, Chapter 15 (arts. 15.11.27, 15.13.2)](https://ustr.gov/archive/assets/Trade_Agreements/Bilateral/Panama_FTA/Final_Text/asset_upload_file131_10350.pdf) — Office of the United States Trade Representative (checked 2026-10-19) 4. [Ley 51 de 22 de julio de 2008 (arts. 87–91)](https://ministeriopublico.gob.pa/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Ley_No_51.pdf) — Ministerio Público de Panamá, Gaceta Oficial No. 26090 (checked 2026-10-19) 5. [Ley 61 de 7 de octubre de 2015, Código de Derecho Internacional Privado (arts. 155–157)](https://s3-legispan.asamblea.gob.pa/legispan/NORMAS/2010/2015/LEY/Administrador%20Legispan_27885-A_2015_10_8_ASAMBLEA%20NACIONAL_61.pdf) — Asamblea Nacional de Panamá (Legispan), Gaceta Oficial No. 27885-A (checked 2026-10-19) 6. [Ley 81 de 26 de marzo de 2019 (art. 24)](https://www.superbancos.gob.pa/documentos/sac/leyes/ley_2019_645_3008.pdf) — Superintendencia de Bancos de Panamá (Legispan copy) (checked 2026-10-19) --- PanamaRegistrar: PanamaRegistrar is a domain registration service under Panamanian jurisdiction, paid in crypto with no ID upload: we act on Panamanian court orders, not on unverified complaints.