Copyright and Content Complaints

1. Ownership and source material

Music recordings, compositions, lyrics, artwork, photographs, articles, software, and database content may carry separate rights held by different owners. A public URL, API response, purchase of personal listening access, or credit to a creator does not automatically authorise all copying, caching, redistribution, or commercial use.

Zene accepts complaints concerning material it hosts, displays, links to, or caches. Identify the particular Zene item and the basis of the complaint so the relevant use can be assessed. Removal by an upstream provider can also make an item unavailable on Zene. These reporting procedures do not establish that every integration is licensed or that any statutory safe harbour automatically applies.

2. APIs, content sources, and licence references

Zene’s media and discovery features include YouTube-related services, Audius and Audio.com recording searches, Radio Browser station discovery, Podcast Index catalogue requests, LRCLIB lyric searches, and Pinterest image retrieval, alongside other web sources used for entertainment information. Depending on the source, material may be obtained through an API, an embedded service, a direct link, or automated retrieval and caching. Rights in recordings, compositions, lyrics, images, and other source material remain with their respective owners.

The Third-Party Services and Licence Notices page identifies the sources and provides the central directory of documentation, developer terms, and privacy notices, including references for Spotify, YouTube, Last.fm, Pinterest, SoundCloud, Musixmatch, and Radio.co. It distinguishes sources visible in Zene from historical provider references. Inclusion in that directory does not by itself establish an active API integration, endorsement, or permission to reproduce or distribute content.

When reporting a rights concern, identify the relevant provider or original source if known, together with the location of the material on Zene. You do not need to determine which API or retrieval method was used before submitting a complaint. The provider references supplement this reporting procedure; they do not require a rights holder to contact the upstream provider before raising a concern with Zene.

• Third-Party Services and Licence Notices
• Provider API documentation, terms, and privacy notices

3. Offline listening and recording sources

When you choose Download Offline for a song, Zene searches Audius and Audio.com for recordings with a similar title and duration. These results can include covers, remixes, live performances, alternative uploads, or unrelated recordings. They are not necessarily the recording used for ordinary online playback. Preview the recording and check its creator and source before saving it.

Zene uses Audius and Audio.com as source services for offline music variants. Both providers publish official APIs and developer documentation, linked below. Access to a provider interface and use of a recording remain subject to that provider’s terms, access requirements, and the rights holder’s permissions. Identifying a source or linking to official documentation does not imply provider endorsement, an approved partnership, or a blanket licence for its catalogue.

Podcast downloads use the episode audio address supplied by the publisher rather than searching for a song variant. Public availability of an episode does not transfer ownership or grant a general right to redistribute it. Offline features may differ by app version, device, provider availability, and applicable restrictions.

• Audius official API documentation
• Audio.com
• Audio.com official public API documentation

4. Download permissions and creator restrictions

Under this policy, offline saving is permitted only for recordings that the relevant provider and rights holder make available for download and that you are entitled to save. For song variants carrying an is_downloadable indicator, an affirmative value is a required eligibility condition. A false, missing, or unknown indicator is not treated as download permission. Separate access conditions, content licences, authentication, payment, and territorial restrictions must also be satisfied; a positive flag alone does not settle every applicable right.

Streaming permission and download permission are separate. The presence of a playable stream address does not authorise retaining that stream as an offline file. A Best match label is a similarity aid, not a statement that a recording is the original, is the most downloaded, or has been cleared for offline use. Similarity, ranking, and file quality do not override a creator’s download restriction or supply rights that the provider has not granted.

Only save a recording where the rights holder and applicable service terms permit that use. A working button or file address, encryption, attribution, personal use, or a Zene subscription does not supply missing permission. Zene’s terms do not authorise bypassing creator restrictions or access controls. Provider API terms and applicable content licences, including the Audius Open Music License where relevant, remain separate from these Zene provisions.

• Audius Terms of Use
• Audius explanation of API terms and creator controls
• Audio.com Terms of Use

5. Encrypted audio and information kept on your device

Choosing a permitted download creates a local copy of the selected audio for playback inside Zene. Saved audio files are encrypted at rest using authenticated encryption and kept in the application’s storage area. They are stored as encrypted data, rather than as openly readable audio files that a listener can directly open in another player. Zene decrypts the portions needed for in-app playback and does not offer an export or sharing feature for these saved audio files.

These safeguards protect stored audio but are not an absolute security guarantee. Device compromise or access to decryption keys may defeat that protection. Encryption does not authorise copying or use that the applicable licence prohibits.

The local download database associates the recording with your Zene account and the original song or episode identifier. It keeps the source address and provider identifier, selected recording details, title, artist or publisher information, duration, transfer state, and progress so the app can display, play, remove, or resume the download. Song downloads also retain available lyrics and the original Zene artwork. The selected variant can differ from those original credits, artwork, or lyrics.

Audio encryption does not mean that all associated information is encrypted. Download metadata and lyrics are held in the local database, and saved artwork is held separately. Android and iOS download directories are configured to be excluded from their normal app backups; desktop files are stored in the user’s application-data directory. Device administrators, manual copies, desktop backups, and operating-system behavior can fall outside those safeguards.

6. Network requests, local playback, and privacy

Finding variants sends the selected song identifier to Zene’s backend, which resolves its title and duration and searches the recording providers by title. Previewing or downloading uses provider-hosted audio addresses, and obtaining artwork or lyrics can make additional requests to their sources. Providers and their delivery services receive the network information necessary for those connections, such as the requesting IP address and technical request data; their own terms and privacy notices apply.

Once a download is ready, Zene prefers its saved audio for playback, including when an internet connection is available, so that the same recording need not be fetched again. This does not make the entire app disconnected: account functions, discovery, listening history, diagnostics, or other enabled features may still communicate online. The Privacy Policy explains Zene’s wider information practices.

The download-search feature does not persistently cache its provider search responses or store a server-side library of the selected audio files. The selected audio is downloaded to your device. This is not a claim that Zene uses no storage or caching anywhere: offline downloads are intentionally retained local copies, and playback buffers, image caches, other discovery caches, and service records are distinct.

• Zene Privacy Policy
• Cookies and Device Storage
• Audio.com Privacy Notice

7. Interrupted downloads and availability

While a download remains in your library, its saved source information allows Zene to retry an interrupted transfer when the app starts or resumes and network access is available. An incomplete or invalid audio file is discarded and the transfer starts again instead of being treated as a completed recording. A provider address may expire or require a fresh lookup, and recovery can fail if the provider removes the recording or changes its access conditions.

A recording is shown as ready after the audio and required supporting information have been saved. Downloading is not a promise of permanent availability, transfer to another device, or continued permission. Changes at a provider do not necessarily erase an already saved copy from a device immediately; the current feature does not perform continuous remote permission checks or guarantee remote deletion while a device is offline.

8. Removing a download and its local data

Use the delete button on a Downloads thumbnail, or the download action in the media menu, and confirm Remove. The same removal operation applies to saved songs, podcast episodes, and downloads in progress. It stops playback of the selected local audio, cancels its active transfer, and deletes its encrypted audio, unfinished transfer files, supporting audio manifest, saved artwork, and download database record, including that record’s source information and lyrics.

After removal completes, the item leaves Downloads and that download record is no longer used to restart a transfer. Saving the recording again requires a new download action. If removal fails, the app keeps a retryable error; if the app closes after recording the removal request, it attempts to finish that deletion when it next starts or resumes. Deletion cannot finish while the app is not running or the device is inaccessible.

Removing a download does not delete the original upload from Audius, Audio.com, or a podcast publisher; another device’s downloads; playlist membership; listening history; or independently cached discovery, artwork, or lyric information used by other features. It does not delete your account or promise forensic erasure of filesystem blocks, backups, or copies outside Zene’s control. Account deletion and applicable service-record retention are addressed separately.

• Account and Data Deletion

9. Submitting a rights complaint

Write to [email protected] with the subject “Copyright complaint”. Identify yourself and whether you are the rights holder or an authorised representative. Describe the protected work, provide an original or authoritative source when available, and identify the specific Zene URLs or item identifiers concerned. Explain which rights are affected and why the use is unauthorised.

Provide a reply email and suitable contact information, a statement that you believe in good faith that the disputed use is not authorised by the rights holder, its agent, or law, and your physical or electronic signature. For a notice intended to meet US DMCA requirements, include the required statement of accuracy and, under penalty of perjury, authority to act for the owner of the exclusive right alleged to be infringed.

Consider licences and applicable exceptions before submitting a claim. Knowingly material misrepresentations can carry legal consequences. Do not include passwords or sensitive documents that are unnecessary to identify the right or material. Information from a complaint may need to be shared with the affected contributor or advisers for fair handling and legal compliance.

For an offline recording, also include the provider name, provider track or episode identifier, original source page, the affected Zene song or episode identifier, and any download restriction or licence that supports your concern. Identify lyrics or artwork separately when those rights differ from the audio. Do not send a complete disputed recording unless it is necessary and lawful to do so. Zene can review its search results and access to future downloads, but cannot promise immediate erasure of every previously saved copy on an unreachable device.

10. Review and removal

A complaint may lead to a request for clarification, restriction of access, removal, source correction, or another appropriate response. Action should be proportionate to the facts and applicable obligations. Any removal may need to include cached copies under Zene’s control and prevent the same item being automatically reintroduced from its source.

Where legally permitted and appropriate, the affected contributor may receive notice and a means of requesting reconsideration. Zene can restrict or terminate repeat infringement in appropriate circumstances, taking account of reliable complaints and successful challenges. A numerical complaint count alone is not a substitute for considering errors or abuse.

11. Mistaken removal and US counter-notification

If your own material was removed by mistake, reply with the item, the prior location, and the licence, authorship, or other reason you believe supports restoration. A general appeal and a formal DMCA counter-notification are different procedures. Consider obtaining advice before submitting a formal counter-notification because it contains statements with legal consequences and can disclose contact information to the claimant.

Where the US section 512 counter-notification procedure applies, a valid submission includes a physical or electronic signature; identification of the removed material and its former location; a statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief the removal resulted from mistake or misidentification; and your name, address, and telephone number. It must also contain the prescribed consent to the appropriate US federal district court’s jurisdiction and acceptance of service from the notifying party or its agent.

For an address outside the United States, the jurisdiction statement concerns a judicial district in which the service provider may be found. Under the applicable statutory process, restoration follows the required ten-to-fourteen-business-day period unless the prescribed notice of court proceedings is received. This is not a promise to restore material where that procedure does not apply or another lawful restriction remains.

12. Contact and statutory process

Email: [email protected].

This is a general rights-contact address. It is not a claim that a DMCA designated agent has been registered with the US Copyright Office. Where reliance on a US safe harbour is intended, the operator must complete the required registration and publish the matching agent information, as well as satisfy the other statutory conditions. Rights under Indian or other applicable law remain available.

• US Copyright Office: section 512
• US designated-agent directory