Official DMCA Notice Requirements
Under Section 512(c)(3) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a valid takedown notice must contain specific elements. Missing any required element can result in your notice being rejected.
Legal Requirements (17 U.S.C. § 512)
- A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or authorized agent
- Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed
- Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing, with information reasonably sufficient to permit the service provider to locate the material
- Information reasonably sufficient to permit the service provider to contact the complaining party
- A statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material is not authorized
- A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner
Complete DMCA Notice Template
This template includes all required elements. Replace bracketed sections with your information.
Official DMCA Notice Format
DMCA TAKEDOWN NOTICE
Pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)
Date: [Current Date]
To: [Name of Service Provider/DMCA Agent]
[Address]
[Email]
Re: Notice of Copyright Infringement
Dear Sir/Madam,
I, the undersigned, state UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY that:
1. CONTACT INFORMATION
Name: [Your Full Legal Name]
Address: [Your Full Address]
Email: [Your Email Address]
Phone: [Your Phone Number]
2. IDENTIFICATION OF COPYRIGHTED WORK
The copyrighted work at issue is:
[Detailed description of your original work]
Original location (if applicable):
[URL where your original content can be found]
3. IDENTIFICATION OF INFRINGING MATERIAL
The following material infringes my copyright and must be removed:
URL 1: [Full URL of infringing content]
URL 2: [Full URL of infringing content]
[Add additional URLs as needed]
4. GOOD FAITH STATEMENT
I have a good faith belief that the use of the material in the manner
complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or
the law.
5. ACCURACY STATEMENT
The information in this notification is accurate, and under penalty of
perjury, I am the owner, or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner,
of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
6. SIGNATURE
___________________________________
[Your Full Legal Name]
[Your Title, if acting as agent]
Date: [Current Date]Important Notes
Perjury Warning
Filing a false DMCA notice is perjury under federal law. You can face legal consequences including monetary damages if you knowingly misrepresent that material is infringing. Only file notices for content you legitimately own the copyright to.
Counter-Notice Rights
The alleged infringer has the right to file a counter-notice disputing your claim. If they do, you have 10-14 business days to file a lawsuit or the content may be restored. Be prepared to defend your claim.
