Find the right recipient
Send to the host's designated DMCA agent or abuse address — not the infringing user. Check the site's footer/Terms for a DMCA contact, look up the registered agent in the U.S. Copyright Office DMCA directory, or query the domain's WHOIS/RDAP abuse email. If the site hides behind Cloudflare, also file at abuse.cloudflare.com/dmca to reach the origin host.
The five required elements
- Your physical or electronic signature.
- Identification of the copyrighted work (your original content).
- Identification of the infringing material, with exact URLs.
- Your contact information (email is sufficient).
- A good-faith statement and a statement, under penalty of perjury, that you're authorized to act.
Copy-paste template
DMCA TAKEDOWN NOTICE (17 U.S.C. § 512) To Whom It May Concern, I am the owner (or authorized agent) of the copyrighted works described below, owned by [LEGAL NAME]. The following URLs host my copyrighted material without authorization: 1. [INFRINGING URL] I have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law. I swear, under penalty of perjury, that this notice is accurate and that I am authorized to act on behalf of the owner. Please remove or disable access to the material under 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(1)(C). /s/ [SIGNATURE] [LEGAL NAME] — [DATE]
If you want to stay anonymous
A takedown notice names a complainant, and some hosts and search engines publish the notices they receive. An authorized agent can file on your behalf under their own identity, so your legal name does not appear on the notice. openDMCA's anonymous-filing mode does exactly this.