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Have you ever been on YouTube and seen a video from your favorite artist, only to have it pulled from the site? It’s likely because of a copyright complaint filed by the artist’s management company. In this article, we’ll break down what a DMCA take-down notice is and why they’re important.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was passed in 1998 in response to an increase in piracy of movies, music and other content on the Internet. The law prohibits online service providers from unknowingly hosting copyrighted material. That means that if a song or a video is uploaded without the permission of the copyright owner, it may be flagged for removal by the site’s publishers at any time. If this happens, there are some steps you can take to get your content reinstated–though this may not always work. Let’s explore these options in more detail!
How to find out if your site has been taken down by Google due to a DMCA notice?
Google takes down websites for a variety of reasons. But the most common reason for the takedown notices is copyright infringement, though not all cases are that clear-cut.
In this piece, we’ll help you understand how to assess whether your site has been taken down due to a DMCA notice. We’ll also share some essential tools that allow you to make an informed decision about whether or not your site has been taken down by Google.
Who should you contact if your site has been taken down by Google due to a DMCA notice?
Google is known for taking down content on its platform, so it’s important to know if your site has been taken down by Google. According to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), there are two ways a takedown notice can be taken down:
A “notice-and-takedown” process allows you to notify Google that your content has been removed from Google’s search results and web pages. You’ll need to provide certain information about the source of the material, such as the URL for where your content was posted.
A “counter notification” process gives you the ability to notify Google that you’ve received a takedown notice and claim an appeal through an online page at https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/.
What are the consequences of having your site taken down by Google because of a DMCA notice?
It’s simple: If you don’t remove the content from your website within 10 days of receiving a DMCA notice (or within 24 hours if you’re an ISP), Google will take it down.
This is because Google takes its role very seriously in protecting the intellectual property of others. They want to ensure that other people are allowed to legally use their copyrighted material as well.
So if your site is taken down due to a DMCA notice, it can be hard for you to figure out what happened. You might even wonder why your site was taken down, and whether this has anything to do with you or not.
Thankfully, the situation can often be avoided by following some simple steps outlined in our post on How To Find Out If Your Site Was Taken Down By Google Due to a DMCA Notice .
How can you avoid getting your site taken down by Google because of a DMCA notice?
While Google has made a concerted effort to remove inappropriate or infringing content, not all content is removed by Google. In fact, oftentimes the takedown notices from copyright holders don’t turn out to be valid.
This can especially happen if the content was uploaded on your business’s website and then shared on social media. Not only does it make for an obvious problem for you as a business owner, but it makes it difficult for potential customers to find relevant information about your brand in the first place!
If someone is attempting to take down your site because of copyright infringement, there are several ways to deal with the issue. You can call or email Google Support and request that they remove your site from their search results. This is particularly true if you’re sharing links via social media, such as Facebook and Twitter. You can also make sure that any linked URLs are working properly by checking them against copyright infringement reports at www.copyrightinfringementcenter.com .
Last Updated on January 5, 2022
Aires Loutsaris is a content marketing specialist working with some of the world’s biggest VC funded startups and eCommerce companies. He has 15 years of experience in organic search optimisation and content writing with over 2500 students enrolled in his Udemy SEO course. An ex-head of two award-winning agencies, he has lectured at the University of the Arts, London College of Fashion on content marketing and has consulted for all three of the Universities he studied at: The Open University, The University of Hull and Kings College University of London. Feel free to connect with Aires on LinkedIn or Facebook.