How to file DMCA takedown notice

What is a DMCA takedown notice?

A DMCA takedown notice is an official notification under Section 512(c) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to request third parties to remove contents that infringe copyright.

Who can file DMCA takedown notices?

In order to file DMCA takedown notices, you have to be either a copyright owner or a personnel who is officially authorized by a copyright owner.

For example, when you try to send DMCA takedown notices to Google, it asks you whether you are a copyright owner or a personnel who is officially authorized. If you select that you are neither of them, it will not allow you to file DMCA notices. You have to be a copyright owner or authorized to file DMCA notices, even if you are kindly trying to report infringing contents.

Do DMCA takedown notices work?

You might be wondering if cyberlockers might ignore your DMCA takedown notices however, they will not. From out experience cyberlockers will remove infringing contents in less than 2 days after receiving our notices. After the takedown of Megaupload, they must be smart enough to know they cannot ignore DMCA takedown notices.

Can I file DMCA takedown notices to all suspicious links?

No, you should not. Here is one thing you should be really careful about filing DMCA takedown notices.

Let's say you are a online shop owner and there is a competitor who are always ranked #1 on Google's search results. So you viciously file DMCA notices to remove their pages from Google... DMCA takedown notices can be abused. In an old article submitted in 2009, it mentioned that 57% of DMCA takedown notices were sent by business targeting competitors.

Since Google is receiving a quite number of notices each day, their review process is not perfect. However, abuse of DMCA takedown notices is discouraged and has even led to lawsuits in some cases. When sending DMCA takedown notices, you have to make sure that you are not abusing them.

DMCA takedown notice template

I am [your name] and am a copyright owner of products listed below. I am getting in touch with you to report infringing files on your server.

Name of copyrighted work:
[your product's name]

URL of copyrighted work:
[your product's URL]

The unauthorized and infringing URLs:
[list of URLs]

I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials described above as allegedly infringing are not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law. The information in this notification will be accurate, and I swear, under penalty of perjury, that with respect to those notifications, I am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

Contact information:
[your address]
[your mail address]
[your phone number or skype]

Signed on this date of:
[your name]
[date]
    

How to file DMCA takedown notices?

Contact each search engines and cyberlockers. Below is a list of DMCA contacts of popular sites.