Copyright Infringement Notice

A Copyright Infringement Notice is a document that is sent by the owner of a copyright (or the agent of the owner) to a website informing the website operator that they are hosting unauthorized copyrighted material.

The purpose of these types of notices is to get the website owner to take down the infringing material. Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, website operators that allow users to post content can insulate themselves from liability by having a DMCA Policy, or Copyright Infringement Policy, where they takedown infringing works after receiving a notice.

Even without taking advantage of the DMCA, however, website operators can utilize a general copyright infringement policy. No matter what the situation, this Copyright Infringement Notice will allow a copyright holder or their agent to send a communication alerting the website operator of the infringement taking place.

This document is similar to a Content Removal Request and an Intellectual Property Cease and Desist Letter, but with a few important differences. In a Content Removal Request, the sender is asking for removal of the content but it does not necessarily have to be copyright-infringing material. Content can be requested to be removed in that letter for any reason. In an Intellectual Property Cease and Desist Letter, the content also doesn't have to be copyrighted-infringing, it could be trademark-infringing as well. Additionally, that letter can be sent to anyone and it does not have to be based on content posted online. This Copyright Infringement Notice is used for very specific situations where copyright-infringing material is being posted online and requires a takedown notice.

How to use this document

This document is quite short and simple. It will only request the information required by the DMCA or otherwise needed to identify the infringing copyrighted material. That information includes a description of the material and the URL or URLs where it can be found. It also includes contact information for the website operator or copyright agent. No additional information will need to be attached.

The rest of the information is already complete, as most Copyright Infringement Notices only need to contain the basic facts.

When this document is filled out, it should be signed or e-signed and sent to the copyright agent listed in the website's DMCA Policy (or perhaps, in their general Terms and Conditions).

Applicable law

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act generally governs which websites can be protected from copyright infringement claims, and the steps they must take to do so. It also governs what must be contained in a copyright infringement notice, as here.

How to modify the template

You fill out a form. The document is created before your eyes as you respond to the questions.

At the end, you receive it in Word and PDF formats. You can modify it and reuse it.