Copyright Policy

1. Overview

Strengthening the Saints LLC (“STS,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects intellectual property rights and expects all users to do the same. This Copyright Policy sets forth our practices regarding copyrighted content on the STS platform, the rights of copyright owners, the limitations of STS's liability as a service provider, and the process for reporting infringement.

2. DMCA Safe Harbor — Service Provider Status

STS qualifies as a service provider under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”), 17 U.S.C. § 512. We have implemented, and enforce in appropriate circumstances, a policy for terminating the accounts of users who are repeat copyright infringers. We are registered with the U.S. Copyright Office as having a designated copyright agent. This registration is required for, and preserves, our safe harbor protection under § 512.

Nothing in this policy creates any liability for STS beyond what is otherwise imposed by applicable law. STS is not liable for infringing content uploaded by users, provided we act expeditiously upon receiving a valid DMCA notice and otherwise comply with § 512.

3. STS Intellectual Property

All content created or owned by Strengthening the Saints LLC, including but not limited to: the application's source code, interface design, branding, logos, original devotional content, plan templates, documentation, and marketing materials, is protected by U.S. and international copyright law. Copyright © 2026 Strengthening the Saints LLC. All rights reserved.

You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, publicly display, modify, or create derivative works based on STS's proprietary content without our prior written consent.

Trademark Notice

“Strengthening the Saints,” “STS,” and associated logos and marks are proprietary identifiers of Strengthening the Saints LLC. Nothing in these documents grants any license to use our trademarks, trade names, service marks, or logos. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

Ministry Content Distinction & Plan Sharing

Certain plans, devotionals, or teaching materials made available through the Service may be created by individual users, churches, or third-party contributors. Such content remains the intellectual property of its respective creator unless otherwise stated.

Plans hosted on the Service, including those designated as “Unlisted” or “Private,” are stored and delivered through STS infrastructure. When a plan is shared (for example, via a direct link), the creator grants recipients a limited, non-exclusive right to access, view, and interact with that plan within the Service for personal, non-commercial use. This does not transfer ownership or grant any rights to reproduce, distribute, or use the content outside the Service. Recipients of shared plans may not further distribute, publish, or make such content available outside the Service without permission from the original creator.

4. Bible Translations

STS may provide access to multiple Bible translations. Many translations are protected by copyright held by their respective publishers. STS accesses translations under license or through public-domain versions as applicable.

Users are permitted to:

• Quote short passages of scripture for personal study, devotional sharing, or non-commercial discipleship use within or outside the platform, consistent with the specific license terms of each translation
• Copy and annotate Bible text within STS's note and highlight features for personal use

Users are not permitted to:

• Reproduce entire books or substantial portions of copyrighted translations in any form outside the platform without a separate license from the rights holder
• Use Bible text commercially in any form without obtaining the required license from the translation publisher

Translation-specific licensing requirements vary. ESV is licensed by Crossway; NIV by Biblica; NASB by the Lockman Foundation; CSB by Holman Bible Publishers. STS does not represent or warrant that any particular use of translation text constitutes fair use. Users are responsible for compliance with translation-specific terms.

Scripture quotations marked “NASB” are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org

Attribution & License Clarification

When quoting or sharing Bible translations outside of the Service, users must comply with the attribution and usage requirements of the applicable translation publisher, including any required copyright notices or acknowledgments.

Access to Bible translations within the Service does not grant users any ownership or independent license rights to those translations beyond what is expressly permitted by the applicable publisher.

5. User-Generated Content

You retain full ownership of content you create within STS (including notes, plan contributions, sermon notes, and cohort reflections).

By submitting content to the Service, you grant STS a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to host, store, reproduce, display, and process your content solely for the purpose of operating, maintaining, and improving the Service.

This includes the right to retain and maintain historical records of your activity and content (such as prior participation in plans or previous “runs”) in order to support continuity of your personal discipleship experience.

This license terminates when you delete your content or your account, subject to reasonable retention periods described in our Privacy Policy.

You represent and warrant that: (a) you own or have the necessary rights to the content you submit; (b) your content does not infringe any copyright, trademark, trade secret, or other intellectual property right of any third party; and (c) your content does not violate any law or regulation.

Shared & Visible Content

Content you submit to shared environments (such as public plans, church plans, or cohorts) may be visible to other users in accordance with the visibility settings of that content. You are responsible for ensuring that any content you share complies with applicable copyright laws.

Moderation Rights

STS reserves the right, but not the obligation, to review, remove, or restrict access to any content that we reasonably believe, in our sole discretion, infringes copyright or violates this policy, even in the absence of a formal DMCA notice.

STS has no obligation to monitor user-submitted content but reserves the right to do so at its discretion.

STS may remove content that violates this policy or is inconsistent with the purpose of the Service.

6. Reporting Copyright Infringement — DMCA Takedown Notice

If you believe in good faith that content on the STS platform infringes your copyright, you may submit a written notification to our Designated Copyright Agent. To be valid under 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3), your notice must include all of the following:

• Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed (or, if multiple works on one site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works)
• Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing, with sufficient information to permit STS to locate it (e.g., the URL or specific location within the platform)
• Your contact information: name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address
• A statement that you have 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 made under penalty of perjury that the information in the notification is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner
• Your physical or electronic signature

Designated Copyright Agent

7. Counter-Notification

If content you posted was removed in response to a DMCA notice and you believe the removal was made in error or based on misidentification, you may submit a counter-notification to our Designated Agent. To be effective under 17 U.S.C. § 512(g)(3), your counter-notification must include all of the following:

• Identification of the material that was removed or disabled, and the location where it appeared before removal
• A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification
• Your name, mailing address, and telephone number
• A statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal district court for the judicial district in which your mailing address is located (or, if outside the U.S., the jurisdiction of any judicial district in which STS may be found), and that you will accept service of process from the person who submitted the original DMCA notice or their agent
• Your physical or electronic signature

Upon receipt of a valid counter-notification, we will provide a copy to the original complainant and, barring a court order within 10-14 business days, will restore or cease disabling access to the removed material, as required by 17 U.S.C. § 512(g)(2).

8. Repeat Infringer Policy

In accordance with 17 U.S.C. § 512(i), STS has adopted and reasonably implements a policy of terminating, in appropriate circumstances, the accounts of users who are determined to be repeat infringers. A user may be designated a repeat infringer upon receipt of two or more valid, uncontested DMCA notices relating to content that user submitted. STS reserves the right to terminate any account without prior notice if the circumstances warrant.

STS reserves the right to determine, in its sole discretion, what constitutes a repeat infringement and when termination of an account is appropriate. This determination may take into account factors including the nature of the infringement, the volume of notices, and the user's response to prior notices.

9. Third-Party and Linked Content

External resources linked within STS plans or devotionals are governed by the copyright terms of their respective owners. STS does not claim ownership of, and is not responsible for, third-party content. Links to external resources do not constitute endorsement.

Embedded Content Responsibility

Content embedded or linked within plans (including videos, articles, or external resources) is the responsibility of the original content provider. Users must ensure they have the right to share, embed, or reference such content within the Service. STS is not liable for embedded content that infringes third-party rights, but will act on valid DMCA notices in accordance with this policy.

10. License to STS Content for Personal Use

Subject to your compliance with our Terms and Conditions, STS grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Service and its content for your personal, non-commercial discipleship purposes. This license does not include the right to sublicense, distribute, modify, or create derivative works of STS content.

Churches and ministry leaders may use STS content within their organization for non-commercial discipleship purposes, subject to this policy and applicable third-party licensing terms.

11. Sermon, Teaching, and Media Content

Sermons, teachings, audio recordings, video content, transcripts, and related materials uploaded to the Service remain the intellectual property of their respective creators or rights holders.

STS does not verify ownership of such materials and relies on users to ensure they have the necessary rights to upload, share, or distribute such content through the Service.

By uploading such materials, you represent and warrant that you have obtained all necessary permissions from the speaker, church, or other rights holder to make the content available through the Service.

Uploading content to STS does not transfer ownership to STS, but grants STS the limited rights necessary to host, display, and process the content in accordance with this policy and our Terms and Conditions.

12. Copyright Questions and Licensing

For licensing inquiries, questions about permissible use, or matters not covered by this policy, contact us at: