Terms of Use, Intellectual Property & Publishing Policy, Privacy Notice, and the Content Dispute & Claims procedure for Decibels Island, its catalog, and its publishing operations.
Effective Date: 10 June 2026 — Version 1.0
Section 1
1.1 — Operator. This website (the "Site") is owned and operated by Decibels Island, a sole proprietorship of Sylvain Hernandez ("DJ Mogo"), with principal operations in Tacloban City, Leyte, Republic of the Philippines ("Decibels Island", "we", "us", "our").
1.2 — Acceptance. By accessing or using the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use and all policies published on this page. If you do not agree, do not use the Site.
1.3 — Permitted use of the Site. The Site is provided for personal, non-commercial information about Decibels Island, its artists, catalog, and services. You may not: (a) scrape, harvest, or bulk-download Site content; (b) use the Site to transmit malicious code or unsolicited communications; (c) misrepresent your identity or affiliation when contacting us or submitting any form; (d) frame, mirror, or republish the Site or any part of it without our prior written consent.
1.4 — No professional advice. Content on the Site, including this Legal Center, is provided for general information and does not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice to any visitor.
1.5 — Disclaimer of warranties. The Site and its content are provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including warranties of accuracy, availability, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.
1.6 — Limitation of liability. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Decibels Island shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, revenue, data, or goodwill, arising out of or related to your use of (or inability to use) the Site.
1.7 — External links and embeds. The Site may contain links to, or embedded players from, third-party platforms (e.g., Spotify, YouTube, social media). We do not control and are not responsible for third-party content, terms, or privacy practices.
1.8 — Governing law and venue. These Terms and all policies on this page are governed by the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, including Republic Act No. 8293 (the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines), without prejudice to protections available under international copyright treaties and conventions, including the Berne Convention, the WIPO Copyright Treaty, and applicable national laws of other territories (including the United States Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 512, where relevant to platform enforcement). Exclusive venue for any dispute lies with the competent courts of Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines, unless mandatory law provides otherwise.
1.9 — Changes. We may update these Terms and any policy on this page at any time by posting a revised version with a new effective date. Continued use of the Site after changes constitutes acceptance.
1.10 — Severability. If any provision of these Terms or policies is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect.
Section 2
2.1 — Protected works. All content owned or controlled by Decibels Island is protected by Philippine and international copyright and related-rights law. This includes, without limitation:
2.2 — Registration and administration. The Decibels Island catalog is registered with FILSCAP (Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) for the administration of performing rights, and benefits from automatic protection in all Berne Convention member states from the moment of creation.
2.3 — Reservation of rights. All rights not expressly granted in a signed, written license are reserved. No right or license is granted by implication, estoppel, platform feature, social-media custom, or otherwise. Unauthorized duplication, reproduction, adaptation, translation, public performance, communication to the public, broadcasting, renting, or transmission of our works is strictly prohibited and may result in civil and criminal liability under R.A. 8293 and equivalent foreign laws.
Section 3 — Publishing Policy, Part I
Core rule: Any use of a Decibels Island composition or lyric in a new recording, video, remix, cover, edit, mashup, sample, translation, or synchronization requires a prior written license signed by Decibels Island. No exceptions. Decibels Island is the sole entity authorized to license, register, and approve the distribution of works embodying its compositions and lyrics.
3.1 — Uses that require a license. Without limitation:
3.2 — How to request a license. Send a request to legal@db-island.com before creating or releasing your version, including: your full legal name and artist name, the Decibels Island work(s) concerned, the intended use, territories, platforms, and whether the use is commercial. We aim to respond within fifteen (15) business days. Terms, fees, royalty splits, and crediting requirements are set out in the individual license agreement.
3.3 — Platform features are not licenses. The availability of a track on a streaming or social platform, the existence of a platform "cover" or "remix" feature, or the inclusion of a sound in a platform's audio library does not constitute a license from Decibels Island for distribution of derivative works outside that platform feature's express scope.
3.4 — Statutory and compulsory licenses. Where the law of a territory provides a compulsory or statutory mechanism (for example, mechanical licenses for audio-only covers in certain jurisdictions), that mechanism applies only within its strict legal limits, covers only what the statute covers, and does not extend to remixes, derivative arrangements that change the fundamental character of the work, lyric changes, translations, or synchronization. Users relying on a statutory mechanism bear the full burden of proving compliance.
Section 4 — Publishing Policy, Part II
4.1 — Monitoring. Decibels Island actively monitors streaming services, video platforms, social media, and digital stores worldwide for unauthorized uses of its compositions, lyrics, and masters, including through automated content-recognition and fingerprinting systems (e.g., YouTube Content ID and equivalent technologies).
4.2 — Unauthorized derivative works. A remix, cover, edit, mashup, translation, lyric video, or any other version of a Decibels Island composition or lyric created or distributed without a signed license is an infringing work. To the extent such a work unlawfully incorporates our protected material, the infringing party acquires no right, title, or claim against Decibels Island in respect of that material, and the unauthorized use confers no right to continued distribution, monetization, or registration of the work on any platform or with any society.
4.3 — Enforcement measures. Upon identifying an unauthorized use, Decibels Island reserves the right to take any or all of the following measures, in any order, in any territory, without prior notice to the infringing party:
4.4 — Retroactive Distribution Agreement (RDA). Where an unauthorized version has gained significant audience traction, Decibels Island may — at its sole discretion and as an alternative to immediate takedown — offer the creator a Retroactive Distribution Agreement. Under an RDA:
In plain words for remixers and cover artists: if you release a version of our music without a license, it will be claimed and taken down — or, if we consider it worth saving, you will be offered one path to keep it online: a signed distribution agreement with Decibels Island, on Decibels Island's terms. Ask for the license first. It is faster, cheaper, and you keep more control.
4.5 — No waiver. Any delay or decision by Decibels Island not to act against a particular use does not constitute a waiver, an implied license, or an estoppel with respect to that use or any other use.
4.6 — Counter-procedure. Anyone who believes a claim or takedown by Decibels Island was made in error, or who wishes to dispute, license, or request review of any enforcement action, must use the Content Dispute & Claims procedure in Section 5. This procedure does not replace, and does not limit, any statutory counter-notification right you may have under the law of your territory.
Section 5
Use this form if you wish to: dispute a copyright claim or takedown made by Decibels Island; request the review or removal of content connected to our catalog; report an unauthorized use of Decibels Island works; request a license; or raise any other rights-related matter. Submissions are sent directly to our legal desk at legal@db-island.com and are reviewed in the order received. We aim to acknowledge submissions within fifteen (15) business days.
Required for claim disputes: identify the exact content (URLs), your relationship to it, and the factual and legal basis of your dispute. Incomplete submissions may be rejected without review. Knowingly submitting false statements may expose you to liability.
Section 6
6.1 — Unsolicited submissions. By sending a demo, track, or any material to Decibels Island (by email or otherwise), you accept the following terms. If you do not accept them, do not submit material.
Section 7
7.1 — Who we are. The personal information controller for this Site is Decibels Island (sole proprietorship of Sylvain Hernandez), Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines. Contact: legal@db-island.com.
7.2 — What we collect. This Site does not use first-party analytics, tracking cookies, advertising, or newsletter systems. We collect personal data only when you voluntarily provide it:
7.3 — Why and on what basis. We process this data to review and respond to your request, to manage licenses, claims, and disputes, to comply with legal obligations, and to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims. Processing is based on your consent (you submit the data voluntarily), the necessity of handling your request, and our legitimate interests in protecting our intellectual property, consistent with Republic Act No. 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012).
7.4 — Sharing. We do not sell personal data. We may share it with our professional advisers (e.g., lawyers), with platforms or authorities where necessary to process a claim or comply with law, and with our email hosting provider, which processes messages on our behalf.
7.5 — Retention. Correspondence and form submissions are kept for as long as needed to handle the matter and, where the matter relates to rights claims or disputes, for the duration of applicable limitation periods, after which they are deleted.
7.6 — Your rights. Subject to law, you may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal data, object to processing, and withdraw consent, by writing to legal@db-island.com. If you are in the Philippines you may lodge a complaint with the National Privacy Commission (NPC); if you are elsewhere, with your local supervisory authority.
7.7 — International transfers. As we operate from the Philippines and our email may be hosted on international infrastructure, your data may be processed outside your country. We take reasonable steps to ensure it is handled securely and in line with this Notice.
7.8 — Minors. The Site is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe a minor has submitted data, contact us and we will delete it.