What is a DMCA Takedown Notice?

A DMCA Takedown Notice is a type of legal document which lays out how two parties can handle the theft and subsequent online publication of copyrighted content or copyright infringement. A DMCA Takedown Notice gets its name from a section of the US Copyright Act called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The DMCA specifically addresses copyright violation and enforcement over the internet.

This legal document is generally delivered to website owners, ISP’s/ OSP’s, Hosting Companies, UCG platforms or individuals illegally (re)publishing content without the permission of the (copyrighted) content owner. The document stipulates the content that has been stolen and republished without permission with a request for removal.

It must be created and submitted in a specific manner so as to comply with the law. Failure to do so means the “notice” to remove the content will not be followed by any party involved in the infringement.  In exchange for the immediate removal of the content the publisher receives safe harbor from litigation regarding the illegal publication of copyrighted content.