A DMCA takedown is when a website, app, host, or search engine removes content after the person who owns it sends a takedown notice. The notice is based on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), a US law from 1998. Sites that remove the content quickly keep their legal protection (called "safe harbor"), which is why most sites act on a valid notice.
The takedown notice is the formal request. The takedown is the result: your content comes down. Getting the notice to the right people, with every detail right, is where most people get stuck. Our team finds the right contacts, sends it, and follows up for you, from $199 per site.
Reviewed by the DMCA.com Takedown Team · Last reviewed November 2026
How a DMCA takedown works
- You find your content on a site that did not ask your permission.
- You send a takedown notice to the site, its hosting company, or the platform's copyright form. To remove it from Google results, you send a notice to Google too.
- The site or host removes it, usually after checking that the notice is complete.
- The uploader can push back with a counter notice. If they do, the content can go back up after 10 to 14 business days unless the owner takes them to court.
Step-by-step instructions are in How to file a DMCA takedown notice.
What a DMCA takedown notice must include
The law (17 U.S.C. 512(c)(3)) lists six things. Leave one out and the site can ignore the notice.
- Your signature (typed or electronic is fine), or the signature of someone allowed to act for you.
- What was copied: your original photo, video, text, or other work, with a link if it is online.
- Where the copy is: the exact page or file links, so the site can find it.
- How to contact you: name, address, phone number, and email.
- A statement that you believe in good faith the use is not allowed by you, your agent, or the law.
- A statement that the notice is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that you own the content or are allowed to act for the owner.
Who can send a takedown notice?
The owner of the content, or someone the owner has authorized to act for them, like DMCA.com. You do not need to register your copyright first: you own the work you create as soon as you make it. More in Who is authorized to send a DMCA takedown notice?
Good to know: the DMCA is part of US copyright law, but a takedown does not always require the content to be copyrighted for a website or host to remove it. If the content is yours, or you are the person in the photo or video, that can be reason enough to send a takedown notice and have it removed.
People who send takedowns include:
- YouTubers, content creators, photographers, influencers, and artists
- Business owners, product makers, and brands
- Musicians, DJs, promoters, and record labels
- Authors, publishers, writers, and bloggers
- Game and mod developers
- Software and app developers
- Adult content creators, models, and live streamers
- Everyday social media users
What you need before you start
The infringing link
The exact page, post, or image link where your content was copied. If it shows up in Google, include that link too.
Your original
The link where you first posted it, like your website, social media, or dating profile. If it was never online, say where it came from (your phone, camera, or computer), or upload it to cloud storage and share that link.
A short description
Say what was copied and what you want removed. For example: "This site copied my original photo and posted it without my permission. Please remove it."
DMCA.com Fast Tip
Act fast. Stolen content often spreads to other sites. Search for every copy you can find (a reverse image search helps) and include them all.
Where takedowns happen
- Social platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook remove content through their own copyright forms.
- Website owners remove content when they get a notice from you or from their hosting company.
- Hosting companies remove the content, or take the whole site offline, when the owner ignores a valid notice.
- Search engines like Google remove the page from their results, even when the site itself does not respond.
Does a DMCA takedown work outside the US?
Often, yes. The DMCA is a US law, but many hosts and platforms around the world accept DMCA notices. Some countries have their own removal rules, so the notice sometimes needs to be adapted. Our team handles that for you on managed takedowns. More in Will a DMCA takedown work in other countries?
What happens after a takedown?
Most takedowns end when the content comes down. If the uploader believes the notice was a mistake, they can send a counter notice. The site can then restore the content after 10 to 14 business days, unless you file a lawsuit to keep it down.
DMCA.com Testimonial
"DMCA.com have successfully removed a website from appearing in the search results which was causing a client of ours a lot of distress. DMCA.com were great to deal with, very easy communication and they dealt with the matter very swiftly."Justin Aldridge, Technical Director, Artemis Marketing
Send it yourself or let us do it
Do it yourself
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The DIY Takedown Toolkit gives you templates and host lookup tools, and you send and track the notices.
See the DIY Toolkit
Related DMCA takedown FAQs