DMCA Takedown Notice Template

What a DMCA takedown notice is for

When someone copies your photograph, article, video, music, artwork or software and posts it online, the fastest remedy is usually not a lawsuit but a takedown notice to the company hosting it. Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, websites, hosts, social platforms and search engines keep their protection from liability only if they remove infringing material expeditiously once they receive a proper notice. A notice that leaves out a required element can be ignored, so getting it right matters.

This template contains each of the six elements in 17 U.S.C. section 512(c)(3)(A): the copyrighted work, the infringing material and its exact location, your contact information, the good faith statement, the accuracy and authority statement under penalty of perjury, and a signature. A pre-send checklist covers ownership and authority, protected expression, fair use, licensing, exact URLs and the designated agent. A log tracks the provider's response and any counter notification, and a short guide explains what happens next, including the 10 to 14 business day restoration window.

When to use it

Use it when your copyrighted work appears online without permission: photos reused on websites or marketplaces, articles or product descriptions copied word for word, videos re-uploaded, music used without a license, designs printed on products, or software distributed without authorization. It can be sent by the owner or by someone authorized to act for them, such as an employee, agent or lawyer.

Do not use it for trademark complaints, defamation, privacy issues or content that only uses an idea or fact from your work; those need other processes. If the use may be fair use, such as commentary, criticism, news reporting or parody, consider it carefully before sending.

What's inside

The full list of sections and fields in this template, in the order they appear.

1. Notice

   • Designated agent
   • Service provider
   • Date
   • Request to remove or disable

2. The six required elements

   • Copyrighted work and representative list
   • Infringing material and URLs
   • Contact information
   • Good faith statement
   • Accuracy and authority under penalty of perjury
   • Physical or electronic signature

3. Checklist and log

   • Ownership or authority
   • Protected expression
   • Fair use considered
   • No license
   • Exact locations
   • Designated agent
   • Evidence kept
   • Response and counter notice dates

4. What happens next

   • Expeditious removal
   • Counter notification
   • 10 to 14 business day restoration
   • Registration and lawsuits
   • Repeat infringers

Preview pages

How to complete the notice

1. Find the designated agent. Check the site's copyright page or the Copyright Office directory.
2. Identify your work. Describe it, give its type and owner, and link to the original if published.
3. List each infringing copy. Give the exact URL and a description of each item.
4. Add your contact details. Include a name, address, phone and email.
5. State your authority. Say whether you are the owner or are acting for the owner.
6. Keep both statements. Do not change the good faith and penalty of perjury statements.
7. Sign it. A typed electronic signature is acceptable.
8. Run the checklist. Confirm ownership, fair use and the exact locations.
9. Send it and log the response. Keep copies of the infringing material and the provider's reply.

Example: a completed notice excerpt

A fictional landscape photographer in Monterey, California finds one of their photographs used without permission on a travel agency's blog:

Work: photograph "Fog over Bixby Bridge", taken in 2024, original on the photographer's portfolio site; registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Infringing material: the same photograph, cropped, used as the header image at the agency's blog post URL, and on the agency's Pinterest board. Sent to: the hosting company's designated agent, by email, and to Pinterest through its copyright form. Result: the host removes the image within two days; no counter notification is received.

The photographer saves screenshots of both pages with the date before sending, and records each step in the log.

Federal rules to know

These are the federal rules this notice is built around.

• Notice elements (17 U.S.C. section 512(c)(3)(A)). Six elements, substantially included, sent to the designated agent.
• Expeditious removal (section 512(c)(1)(C)). The provider keeps its safe harbor by removing or disabling access promptly.
• Counter notification (section 512(g)(3)). The poster's signature, the material, a good faith statement under penalty of perjury, and consent to federal court jurisdiction.
• Restoration (section 512(g)(2)). Material is restored 10 to 14 business days after a counter notice unless a lawsuit is filed.
• Misrepresentation (section 512(f)). Knowing material misrepresentation creates liability for damages and legal fees.
• Fair use (section 107 and Lenz v. Universal Music Corp.). Copyright owners must consider fair use before sending a takedown notice.
• Registration (sections 411 and 412). Generally needed to sue for a United States work; timely registration allows statutory damages and fees.

Mistakes that get notices rejected

The common problems are sending the notice to a general inbox instead of the designated agent, linking to a whole website instead of the exact page, leaving out the penalty of perjury statement or signature, claiming material you do not own or only licensed, using a takedown to remove criticism or a fair use, and keeping no record of the infringing page before it is removed. Completing every element and the checklist avoids each of them.