DMCA takedown

When does it apply to a photo?

When you hold the copyright: you took the photo, or the photographer assigned the rights to you. The person in a photo usually has no copyright in it, so a selfie is yours and a photo a friend took of you is theirs. For images of you taken by others, the routes are the platform's impersonation or privacy report, an opt-out from search engines, or, for intimate images, the NCII laws that do not depend on ownership.

What must a notice contain?

1. 01 Identification of the copyrighted work (a link to the original or a description).
2. 02 Identification of the infringing material and where it is (the exact URL).
3. 03 Your contact details.
4. 04 A statement of good-faith belief that the use is not authorised.
5. 05 A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information is accurate and you are the owner or authorised to act.
6. 06 A physical or electronic signature.

What happens after it is sent?

1. Step 1

   Notice sent

   To the service's designated agent, listed in the US Copyright Office directory, or via its form.

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2. Step 2

   Material removed

   The provider takes it down promptly to keep its safe-harbour protection.

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3. Step 3

   Counter-notice

   The uploader may dispute; the provider restores the material after 10 to 14 business days unless you file a court action.

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4. Step 4

   Repeat infringers

   Providers must have a policy to terminate repeat infringers.

Does it work outside the United States?

The statute is American, but most global platforms accept DMCA-style notices from anywhere, and the EU's Digital Services Act and the UK's Online Safety Act impose their own notice-and-action duties. Search engines also offer copyright removal forms for results that point at infringing pages.

Where does it go wrong?

• Sending it for a photo you do not own: the notice is invalid and a false statement can carry liability.
• Expecting it to remove a photo from the whole web: it removes one copy at one address.
• Using it against search engine results alone: the copy stays on the source page until that host acts.