My upload was taken down for copyright. What now?

When a copyright owner sends us a valid notice about something you uploaded, we make it private so only you can see it, and we email and notify you. If you believe it was a mistake, you can send a counter-notice from the Copyright & DMCA page.

What a takedown does

• The song, beat, mixtape, video or short is set to Private. It stays in your library, but only you can see it.
• You can't make it public (or followers-only) again while the notice is in effect.
• You get an email and a notification with the notice's reference number, who sent it, and how many strikes your account has.
• The notice counts as one strike on your account, however many items it lists.

Strikes and the repeat-infringer policy

• When an account gets 3 strikes in 12 months, we close it.
• A strike goes away if we restore your upload after a counter-notice, if the notice is withdrawn, or if we made a mistake.
• Uploading the same material again while a notice is in effect counts as new infringement.
• We may close an account sooner in serious cases, such as uploading many works you clearly don't own.

If the takedown was a mistake: send a counter-notice

Only send one if you're sure, for example because you made it, you have a license, or the use is fair use. It's made under penalty of perjury, and the person who filed the notice gets your contact details and may take you to court.

1. Sign in to the account that uploaded the material, then open Copyright & DMCA → If your upload was taken down. The link in your takedown email opens the right notice.
2. If you have more than one, choose the notice under Which notice?. You'll see what it took down.
3. Enter your full legal name, email, phone and mailing address.
4. Optionally explain Why was this a mistake? (for example, "I made this beat myself" or "I have a license from the owner").
5. Check both statements and type your full legal name as your signature.
6. Select Send counter-notice. You'll get a reference number.

What happens after a counter-notice

1. We review it and email you.
2. If it's complete, we forward it to the claimant, including your name, email, phone and address.
3. If the claimant doesn't tell us within 10 business days that they've filed a court action, we restore your upload. We email and notify you when we do.
4. A restored upload gets its old privacy setting back, and the notice no longer counts as a strike.

You can check where things stand on the same page. It shows whether your counter-notice is being reviewed or has been forwarded.

Troubleshooting

• "Nothing of yours is taken down by a copyright notice right now." You're signed in to a different account than the one that uploaded it, or the notice was already lifted.
• "We couldn't act on your last counter-notice." Check the email we sent about what was missing, then send it again.
• The claim is right. Leave the item private or delete it, and don't upload it again.
• Questions about a specific notice? Email dmca@offtheave.com with the reference number.

Related

• How do I file a DMCA copyright notice?
• Why was my account suspended or banned?