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) ↗Video removal · YouTube
Remove YouTube videos posted about you
We remove YouTube videos that violate your privacy, harass you, copy your work or make provably false claims about you — for $3,700 per video, typically in 42–72 hours — by filing through YouTube's privacy complaint, copyright and legal removal channels, plus GDPR and EU DSA notices where they apply. You pay only when it's removed. If we can't remove it, you don't pay — any deposit is refunded in full.
No link to hand? Start this removal How it works
$3,700per video
Pay on success ETA · 42–72 hours
Scope
What we can — and can’t — remove
We remove
- Videos that show your face, voice or full name without consent, filed under YouTube's privacy guidelines
- Videos that publish your home address, phone number, ID documents or other private details
- Harassment: videos made to insult, threaten or target you, or to send viewers after you
- Re-uploads of your own footage, photos or music, removed by copyright notice as owner or authorised agent
- Realistic AI-altered or deepfake videos that depict you
- Videos or clips that impersonate you or your business
- False statements of fact about you, where a legal notice or court order supports removal
We won’t remove
- Accurate news reporting and journalism on matters of genuine public interest
- Criticism, reviews, commentary, reaction videos, parody and opinion — even harsh or unfair — that break no law or policy
- Public figures filmed in their public role, where YouTube's public-interest test favours keeping the video up
- Videos where you can't be identified or no legal ground applies — we tell you that at the start
How it works
How we get it removed
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Send the link and the context
Share the video URL and tell us what it shows: your face, your address, your footage, a false claim. We check whether we can remove the YouTube video and which legal ground fits. If none does, or it would need a court order, we say so before you commit.
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We pick the route your facts satisfy
Privacy complaints, copyright notices, harassment reports and legal removal requests each have their own test and reviewer. We file under the one your facts meet, with the evidence that test asks for — timestamps, ownership proof, screenshots — not a generic flag.
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We file, follow up and escalate
We prepare and file the notice, or prepare it for you to submit in minutes where YouTube wants the complaint to come from you personally. We track the response and escalate through GDPR, DSA or legal channels if the first answer is no.
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You pay when it's gone
Once the video is no longer available on YouTube, we confirm it with you. If we can't remove it, you don't pay — any deposit is refunded in full.
Legal grounds
The routes we file under
Right to erasure
People in the EU/EEA (and the UK, under UK GDPR) can require organisations — search engines included — to erase personal data that is inaccurate, outdated, unlawfully processed or no longer necessary, balanced against freedom of expression.
Regulation (EU) 2016/679, Art. 17 ↗Community Guidelines & Terms
Every major platform prohibits harassment, impersonation, privacy violations, non-consensual imagery and fake engagement — and runs formal legal and privacy request channels beyond the public report button.
In the glossary →False statements of fact
False statements of fact that damage a reputation can be removed on legal notice, and in some cases by court order. If a case needs a court order, we tell you up front.
In the glossary →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?
YouTube said the video doesn't break its rules. Now what?
A rejected flag is not the end. Flags are mostly reviewed against the Community Guidelines, so a video can pass that check and still breach YouTube's privacy guidelines, someone's copyright or the law. We re-file under the ground that actually fits, with evidence. In the EU, a DSA notice obliges YouTube to give a reasoned decision, and a refusal can be challenged through its internal complaint system or a certified out-of-court dispute body. EU, EEA and UK residents can add a data-protection erasure request. And if the video stays on YouTube, a Google delisting request may still remove it from searches for your name.
Which route can remove a YouTube video — and who is allowed to file it
Every attempt to remove YouTube videos starts with matching what the video does to you with the right process. YouTube runs several separate ones, each with its own test, and a valid request filed under the wrong one gets rejected.
Who files matters as much as what is filed. A copyright notice sent by someone who doesn't own the work is a misrepresentation, and under DMCA §512(f) the sender can be liable for damages — so the common online advice to 'just tell YouTube you own it' is a bad idea. We file copyright notices only for rights owners who authorise us. Where YouTube wants a privacy complaint to come from the person in the video, we prepare the complaint and evidence so you can submit it yourself in minutes.
- Privacy complaint: you must be uniquely identifiable (face, voice, full name, contact details). YouTube usually gives the uploader about 48 hours to edit or remove the video before it decides.
- Copyright notice: only the copyright owner or an authorised agent can file. A successful notice removes the video and gives the uploader a strike; the uploader can counter-notify.
- Harassment report: for videos that threaten you, insult you repeatedly, or expose private information to target you.
- Impersonation report: for videos or channels that copy your identity or your brand to mislead viewers.
- Legal removal request: for content unlawful under local law, including defamation. In the US, YouTube generally won't remove a video over a defamation allegation without a court order.
- GDPR / UK GDPR erasure and EU DSA notices: extra legal weight for people in Europe.
Does the number of reports matter? What actually gets a video removed
No. YouTube reviews a reported video against its policies; it doesn't take a video down because many people flagged it. What moves a decision is a report filed under the right policy with the evidence that policy asks for: timestamps where you are identifiable, proof you own the footage, screenshots of threats, or a court order.
Before you contact anyone, do three things yourself. Save the URL and a screen recording of the video with the date visible, in case it is edited, deleted or re-posted. Note the timestamps that identify you or contain the false claim. And don't argue in the comments or message the uploader in anger — it draws attention to the video, and what you write can end up in the next upload.
Removed from YouTube is not the same as gone from Google
When a video comes down, its YouTube page stops playing it, but Google can keep showing the old title and thumbnail for a while, and copies may live on other channels or platforms. Each re-upload is a separate video with its own URL and needs its own notice. Once the source is gone, Google's tool for outdated content can speed up clearing the search result.
If the video was also clipped onto TikTok, embedded on websites or quoted in articles, those copies follow their own platform's rules. Tell us about every copy you have seen at the start, so the plan covers the whole footprint rather than one URL.
Proof, not promises
What you receive
- One published price: $3,700 per video — no retainer, no monthly fee, no 'suppression' package
- You pay only when it's removed. If we can't remove it, you don't pay — any deposit is refunded in full.
- Every filing names its legal ground: privacy, copyright, harassment, GDPR, DSA or defamation
- We never file false copyright claims or mass reports, which can expose you to liability
- If a case needs a court order, we tell you up front, before you commit
You pay only when it’s removed. If we can’t remove it, you don’t pay — any deposit is refunded in full.
Questions
Frequently asked
How do I get a YouTube video of me taken down?
Start with what the video does to you. If you are identifiable and didn't consent, use YouTube's privacy complaint process; if it uses your footage or music, a copyright notice; if it threatens or targets you, a harassment report. If those fail, legal routes still apply: GDPR erasure in Europe, an EU DSA notice, a defamation notice or a court order.
Can someone else file a YouTube takedown on my behalf?
For copyright, yes — but only an agent the copyright owner has authorised, which is how we file. Privacy complaints are generally expected from the person in the video, or a parent, guardian or legal representative, so we prepare the complaint and evidence and you submit it. Anyone who files a copyright claim for work they don't own or represent risks liability under DMCA §512(f).
How many reports does it take to remove a YouTube video?
There is no number. YouTube reviews a reported video against its policies, so one well-evidenced report under the right policy can succeed where hundreds of flags fail. Coordinated mass-reporting is not how decisions are made.
Will YouTube remove a video if I have a court order?
A court order is one of the strongest grounds there is, and YouTube's legal removal process accepts them. In the US it is often the only way to remove a video over defamation, because YouTube generally won't decide what is true itself. If your case needs one, we tell you up front; Nullify is not a law firm, so that step runs through your lawyer.
How much does YouTube video removal cost?
Our price is $3,700 per video, published and fixed. You pay only when it's removed. If we can't remove it, you don't pay — any deposit is refunded in full. Filing YouTube's own forms yourself is free and may be enough for a simple privacy case; our fee covers the cases that need the right legal route, evidence and escalation.
The video is about me, but I'm not shown or named. Can it still be removed?
YouTube's privacy process requires you to be uniquely identifiable — by your image, voice, full name or details that point clearly to you. If you can't be identified, a privacy complaint will usually fail, but harassment, impersonation, copyright or defamation grounds may still apply. We assess this first and tell you honestly if nothing fits.
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Free, confidential assessment
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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.