What to do if My Website Content has Been Stolen?

Website copyright infringement is when content from one website is published on another website without permission. The website publishing the stolen content is called the the infringing website as it is infringing on the copyright of the content on the original website (or other source). Usually the url of infringing website is different than the origin or infringed site. Most often the site is hosted by a separate provider, OSP or ISP.

DMCA.com has two Takedown services. Each of them can provide a service to takedown a website containing illegally published content. Both Takedown actions occur using stipulations laid out in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The DMCA Takedown is delivered because the infringing website is publishing content which is in violation of copyright protection act or being used without permission, according to the sworn statement of the content owner.

1. DMCA.com's Professional Takedown services. We do all the work for you, all you need to do is fill out our simple Takedown form. Takes less than 3 minutes. In order to get the best pricing please make certain to provide a complete list of all infringing websites. Be as specific as possible, when you sign up. Click here to get started: Takedown Form
2. DMCA.com's Do it yourself Takedown Service. We provide all the tools the professionals use and you spend the time researching and processing the Takedown Application. Toolkit Signup

DMCA Fast Tip

The fact the content is yours, or if the subject in the photo or video is you, can be reason enough to process a takedown notice AND for the content to be taken down. Any owner of content has the right to process a takedown notice against a website owner and/or an Online Service Provider (e.g. ISP, hosting company etc.) if the content owner's property is found online without their permission.

Who can file for website copyright infringement?

1. social media users and participants
2. content creators/owners
3. copyright owners
4. content publishers or distributors (with permission of the content or copyright owners)
5. NFT owners
6. code writers and publishers
7. subject contained within the content and published without permission (special considerations may be required)

If the list above does not appear to describe your situation ask us! Click here to Ask us about your situation

What do I need to file a DMCA Takedown Notice?

Three main pieces of information are needed to get started filing a DMCA Takedown Notice:

1. Infringing URL

Where on the internet (or platform like Facebook or TikTok) is your stolen content located? What is the link that you want the content removed from? Be sure to provide the URL or website/webpage link of the content you want removed. If the stolen content is an image or video located on a website provide the direct link of the content contained in the site. Copy and paste the infringing text, or provide the URL of the infringing image if required.

An example link would look like: https://www.badguy_site.com/webpage/image_2

2. Source URL

Where was your content located when it was stolen? Was it on you social media profile like Facebook or Reddit? Was it from your own website? Provide the exact URL where it was stolen from, even if the content has already been removed from it's original location. The original URL is still valuable to the notice. If it was not online you can reference cell phone, computer, or camera etc. If it was online such as a website or cloud storage provide the link to the exact page it was stolen from. You can upload the original content to a cloud storage service and provide that URL with an expalanation of where it was originally stolen from.

An example link would look like: https://share.icloud.com/photos/my_original_content

3. Description of Ownership

What is the content owner's name and how was the content stolen? How is this content yours? How do you own it? Did you create it, buy it, copyright it? Who is claiming ownership of the content? Who is authorized to file the DMCA Takedown? When did you create the content and when was the content stolen?

An example description would sound like: "My photo I took of myself on my camera was stolen from my Google Drive and was posted on this website without my knowledge and I would like it removed."

If you are unsure how to collect the information for these three categories the Professional Takedown Team at DMCA.com can help with the answers. Click here to ask us about your situation.

DMCA Takedown Testimonial

Thanks to the great folks at DMCA.com I was able to start today with the news that my blog post has been removed from the site that plagiarized both the text and the photos. Great job from DMCA.com and now that my blogs are getting circulated more, I will be subscribing to their Protection Pro.

Which countries use DMCA for website copyright infringement?

While the DMCA is part of USA Copyright Law. The DMCA Takedown process described within the law is widely used throughout the world. Most countries accept the standard DMCA Takedown Notice form and process. Although the DMCA Takedown is part of US Copyright law, a DMCA Takedown Notice is often used and accepted throughout the world and not exclusive to the United States. However, many countries have their own copyright laws specifically related to the removal of content from internet service providers and site owners within their borders. Which service providers do and do not accept the standard DMCA takedown notice form and process is dynamic and constantly changing. DMCA.com professionals are aware of these constant changes and are able to convert the information submitted through the standard DMCA Takedown signup form to suit specific countries and/or service providers within the legal process they require.

Can I add DMCA Protection to help with website copyright infringement?

DMCA.com's first recommendation is to contact a lawyer or law firm in the legal jurisdiction of your company or website to determine what is the appropriate legal communication. DMCA.com does not offer any legal advice or specific recommendation regarding any copyright practice.

DMCA.com has two programs to help content creators, publishers and UGC platforms:

1. Content Publishers or Platforms of User Generated Content (UGC) should use the DMCA Compliance program - Get Compliant - adding a compliance badge to your site instantly takes the guess work and time out of processing DMCA Takedown notices on your site.
2. Content Creators and Publishers (without UGC) should use DMCA.com Protection Pro - Content Protection - it is essential to add an ownership statement to all your content. Registering and adding your content and website to this program is click through easy. There is even a Free program so getting started is easy.

Related DMCA Takedown FAQ's

1. What is the DMCA Protected Badge
2. What is DMCA Protection
3. What is DMCA Takedowns
4. What is DMCA.com
5. What is DMCA Protected Certificate
6. What is DMCA Website Certificate
7. What is DMCA Website Status Page and Protection Certificate