Copyright notice-and-takedown
US hosts and platforms keep their safe harbour only if they expeditiously remove material identified in a valid notice from the copyright owner or an authorised agent.
17 U.S.C. §512(c) ↗Copyright · DMCA §512
DMCA takedown service that keeps going when the host ignores you
Our DMCA takedown service removes copies of your photos, videos, writing, courses and other work from websites, platforms and Google. We send valid notices under 17 U.S.C. §512 as your authorised agent and, if a host ignores them, escalate to its CDN, its registrar and the search engines. Priced by scope, timing depends on the host, and you pay only when it's removed.
No link to hand? Start this removal How it works
Quoted by scope
Pay on success ETA · Depends on host and platform
Scope
What we can — and can’t — remove
We remove
- Copies of your photos, artwork, videos, music or writing posted without permission
- Pirated courses, e-books, software and paid creator content on file hosts and forums
- Pages and whole sites built from your copied content, removed at the host
- Google and Bing search results that link to infringing copies
- Re-uploads on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit and other platforms
- Infringing material on EU-hosted services, through a DSA notice where the DMCA doesn't reach
We won’t remove
- Fair use: commentary, criticism, parody or news reporting that uses your work lawfully
- Work you don't own or aren't licensed to enforce. Only the rights-holder or their agent can file.
- Trademark, impersonation or defamation complaints dressed up as copyright. We use the right route instead.
- False or retaliatory notices. Knowingly misrepresenting infringement is unlawful under §512(f).
- Cases that need a lawsuit, such as answering a counter-notice in court. If yours does, we tell you up front.
How it works
How we get it removed
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Check the claim before anything is sent
As your DMCA takedown service, we first confirm that you own the work or hold the rights to enforce it, that the copy isn't fair use, and who actually hosts it. A notice only works when it is valid, so we fix the weak points before it goes out.
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Send a complete §512 notice
We identify your original work and every infringing URL, and send a notice with each element the law requires, including a good-faith statement and a statement under penalty of perjury. Platforms receive it through their own copyright channels; websites at their designated agent or host.
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Escalate when the host ignores it
No response? We move up the chain: the CDN in front of the site, the host behind it, the domain registrar, then Google and Bing so the copies stop appearing in search. Providers in the EU also get a DSA notice, which obliges them to decide and explain.
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Handle counter-notices
If the uploader files a counter-notice, we check whether it is valid and explain your options. The host can put the material back after 10 to 14 business days unless you file a court action, so if your case needs a lawyer, we tell you up front.
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Pay when it's down
We confirm each URL is removed or delisted and keep the record. You pay only when it's removed. If we can't remove it, you don't pay — any deposit is refunded in full.
Legal grounds
The routes we file under
Infrastructure abuse policies
Hosting providers, CDNs and domain registrars enforce abuse policies covering phishing, fraud, malware and illegal content; ICANN-accredited registrars must investigate abuse reports they receive.
ICANN Registrar Accreditation Agreement §3.18 ↗Search removal requests
Google removes certain results from Search on request: doxxing content and personal contact details, non-consensual intimate imagery, results from sites with exploitative removal practices, and content subject to valid legal requests.
Google Search Help — removal policies ↗EU notice-and-action
Hosting services operating in the EU must offer a way to report illegal content, process each notice diligently and explain their decision — including when they refuse.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, Art. 16 ↗Already reported it?
The host ignored your DMCA notice?
Silence is common, especially from offshore hosts that advertise themselves as 'DMCA-ignored'. A host that ignores a valid notice loses its US safe harbour, but that alone doesn't take the copy down. The escalation ladder does: the CDN, which can identify the real host; the network the host rents capacity from; the domain registrar; Google and Bing search removal; and the payment and ad partners the site relies on. EU-based providers must give a reasoned decision on a DSA notice, which we can challenge. Where the only remaining step is a court subpoena or lawsuit, we tell you up front.
The DMCA escalation ladder, rung by rung
A flat-fee notice service sends a notice and waits. A notice is only the first rung. When it doesn't work, the next step depends on who actually controls the infringing copy, and each of them has its own rules.
Search removal is the rung that still works against hosts that ignore everyone. A copy that doesn't appear in Google or Bing is far harder for anyone to find, and Google publishes the copyright removals it processes in its Transparency Report.
- 1. Platform: YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and similar sites run their own copyright forms and repeat-infringer rules
- 2. Host: the company storing the files must act expeditiously on a valid notice to keep its safe harbour
- 3. CDN: services such as Cloudflare usually don't store the files, but forward complaints and can reveal the real host
- 4. Registrar: rarely acts on copyright alone, but is more likely to act where piracy comes with fraud, malware or a court order
- 5. Search engines: Google and Bing remove infringing URLs from their results, wherever the site is hosted
- 6. Money: payment processors and ad networks can cut off sites that profit from infringement
Counter-notices: what happens if they push back
Anyone whose material is removed can file a counter-notice saying it was taken down by mistake or misidentified. A valid counter-notice needs their name, address and signature, a statement under penalty of perjury, and consent to the jurisdiction of a US federal court. That is a real deterrent for anyone hiding behind a fake identity.
Once a valid counter-notice arrives, the host can put the material back after 10 to 14 business days unless the copyright owner tells it they have filed a court action. That is the point where a DMCA case becomes litigation. Nullify is not a law firm: if your case reaches that stage, we tell you, and you decide with a lawyer whether to sue. Counter-notices that are incomplete or plainly false are a different matter, and we challenge them with the host.
Do DMCA takedown services work? Flat fee vs pay-on-success
The honest answer: notices work well against reputable hosts and platforms, and fail against hosts built to ignore them. That is why flat-fee notice services, which charge per site or per month whether or not anything comes down, have a mixed reputation. An IP attorney brings legal judgment, billed by the hour.
We quote by scope after looking at the hosts involved, and you pay only when it's removed. That model only works for us if we escalate past the first notice, which is the point.
Proof, not promises
What you receive
- Notices that meet every element of 17 U.S.C. §512(c)(3)
- Escalation through the CDN, registrar and search engines, not one notice and a wait
- Fair use checked before filing, so notices hold up
- No removal, no fee: any deposit is refunded in full
You pay only when it’s removed. If we can’t remove it, you don’t pay — any deposit is refunded in full.
Case files
Related operations
Operation
Calcio
Unlicensed IPTV services retransmitting Serie A matches were reported to the hosts and platforms supporting them across two matchdays.
OperationLive Fire
Unauthorised re-streams of a live combat-sports pay-per-view were reported to the hosts carrying them while the event was still on air.
OperationSimpCity
A forum redistributing creators’ paid content without permission was reported to its hosting and CDN providers with copyright notices on the creators’ behalf.
Questions
Frequently asked
How do I file a DMCA takedown notice?
Find the site's designated DMCA agent or the host's abuse contact, then send a notice that identifies your original work, lists every infringing URL, gives your contact details, and includes a good-faith statement and a statement under penalty of perjury that you are authorised to act. Platforms such as YouTube have their own copyright forms. An incomplete notice gives the recipient a reason to ignore it.
How much does a DMCA takedown service cost?
Sending notices yourself is free. Flat-fee services charge per site or per month whether or not the content comes down, and IP attorneys bill by the hour. Nullify quotes by scope, based on the number of URLs and the hosts involved, and you pay only when it's removed.
How long does a DMCA takedown take?
The law says hosts must act 'expeditiously' but sets no fixed deadline. Large platforms with dedicated copyright teams tend to move fastest; hosts that ignore notices can take weeks of escalation through the CDN, registrar and search engines. We give you a realistic estimate once we know who hosts the copies.
What if the website is hosted outside the US?
The DMCA is US law, but it still helps: Google and Bing process copyright removals for their results wherever the site is hosted, and many non-US hosts and CDNs run similar notice-and-takedown processes. Hosts in the EU must also handle notices under the Digital Services Act and explain their decisions.
Can someone else file a DMCA takedown for me?
Only someone authorised by the copyright owner, which is why Nullify files as your authorised agent. A person with no rights in the work cannot file at all. That also means a DMCA notice can't be used against a video or post about you unless you own the copyright in it.
Do I need to register my copyright to send a DMCA notice?
No. Copyright exists from the moment you create the work, and you can send a DMCA notice without registering it. Registration matters later: for US works, you generally need it before you can sue for infringement.
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Prefer email?info@getnullify.com · You pay only when it’s removed. If we can’t remove it, you don’t pay — any deposit is refunded in full.