How to get your stolen content removed from another website

Step 1: Save proof

Before you contact anyone, capture what's there now. Sites sometimes change or hide content once they know you've noticed.

• Exact URLs of every page that uses your work.
• Screenshots with the URL and date visible.
• Proof it's yours, like the original file, earlier drafts or the date you first posted it.

Dated evidence that your page existed first, like older snapshots in the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, helps when the copier claims the work is theirs.

Step 2: What kind of problem is it?

"Stolen content" covers a few different situations, and each one has its own removal route. Picking the right one first saves time.

• They copied your photos, videos, writing, art, designs or code. That's copyright. Keep reading. A DMCA takedown notice is usually the fastest fix.
• They're using your brand name or logo, for example to sell knock-offs or pretend to be you. That's trademark, which platforms handle separately from copyright. Our trademark vs copyright explainer covers the difference.
• They posted private photos or videos of you. Follow our guide to removing intimate images, or see personal takedowns.
• They posted your address, phone number or other personal details. See removing personal info from Google.
• They made a fake account pretending to be you. That's impersonation, which platforms also handle separately from copyright.
• They posted false claims about you. That's defamation. It usually needs a lawyer or a court order, not a takedown notice.

Step 3: Should you contact the site owner first?

You don't have to. A formal takedown works without warning anyone. A short, polite message can be the quickest fix when:

• It's a small business, blogger or creator who may not know they did anything wrong.
• You'd be happy with credit or a license fee instead of removal.
• The site has clear, real contact details.

Skip it when the site is anonymous, built on copied content, selling pirated material or has already ignored you. Contacting them can just give them time to move the content.

Step 4: Send a formal takedown

A DMCA takedown notice is a formal request that a site, platform or host remove content that copies your work. It includes a few specific statements, and most sites are set up to act on it.

This is where most people get stuck:

• Finding the right contact. Big platforms each run their own copyright process, and ordinary websites often bury or leave out their copyright contact.
• Getting every detail right. A notice that misses a required statement or the exact URLs can be rejected or ignored.
• Following up. Many sites don't reply the first time.

Our FAQ on how to file a DMCA takedown notice explains what a notice is and who receives it.

Step 5: Go to the hosting company

Every website lives on a server run by a hosting company. When the site itself ignores you, the host is the company that can still remove the content, and most hosts don't want legal trouble over a customer's content.

The hard part is working out who the real host is. Many sites hide it behind services like Cloudflare, and some hosts are overseas or slow to answer. See sites that use Cloudflare.

Step 6: Clean up search results

Copied content can show up in Google next to yours, and sometimes ranks above it. Even after the page comes down, an old result can linger for a while.

• If the page is still up and copies your work, Google can remove it from search results after a copyright request.
• If the page is gone but still shows in results, Google can refresh the outdated result.

Each has its own process and requirements. What Google can and can't do is covered in our guide on how to remove a webpage from Google search results.

Step 7: If it keeps happening

Popular content gets copied again and again. A few things help:

• Check regularly. Run a reverse image search on your best photos, and search a unique sentence from your writing in quotes. Our guide on using reverse image search shows how.
• Make protection visible. A DMCA.com protection badge shows visitors and would-be copiers that your content is protected and monitored.
• Use monitoring if checking by hand is too much. DMCA.com monitoring scans for copies of your content for you.
• Whole site copied? See what to do if your entire website has been copied.

How long does removal take?

It depends on the site, its host, where it's based and how complex the case is. In the cases our team handles, most come down within 24 to 48 hours, and the average is 5 to 10 business days. Rare cases can take a month or longer, especially with sites overseas or built to dodge requests. No one can honestly guarantee a time frame.

Common questions