Platform takedown
Get stolen content removed in hours, without a lawyer, without cost — provided you can prove the work is yours.
When to use this remedy
A platform takedown is the first reflex when your work appears on an online service without your consent. Social networks, marketplaces, stock sites, content hosts — most platforms offer a specific reporting mechanism for copyright violations.
- One of your photos used as a profile picture or in a post on Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok
- One of your designs appearing on a product sold on Etsy, Amazon, Redbubble, Shein
- One of your texts republished in full on a blog or media site
- One of your music tracks used without credit in a YouTube video or TikTok
- One of your illustrations resold on a stickers, posters, or apparel site
Takedowns work as long as the work appears on a platform subject to a legal framework (DMCA in the US, e-commerce and copyright directives in the EU). In practice, all major Western platforms fall within this framework.
How to proceed
The procedure is very similar from one platform to another, with variations in naming and forms.
Identify the infringing content precisely. Note the exact URL, the name of the account that publishes it, the observed publication date. Take dated screenshots.
Locate the reporting mechanism. Each major platform has a dedicated form for intellectual property violations, distinct from general reporting. Look for the terms “copyright”, “DMCA”, “intellectual property” in the help center.
Complete the form. You will need to provide your contact details, the exact URL of the infringing content, the identification of the original work, proof that you are the author, and a good-faith sworn statement.
Attach your proof of prior authorship. Upload or link your ETcH proof ZIP (or provide the hash and the Etherscan link), with a short explanation of what it attests.
Follow the procedure. The platform sends you an acknowledgment. Review delays range from a few hours to a few days depending on the platform.
In case of counter-notification. The infringer may contest. In that case, the platform generally restores the content (unless you initiate judicial proceedings). This is rare but possible — your evidence file must be solid from the start.
Cost and expected delay
Cost
Free
Average delay
A few hours to 3 days
Success rate
Very high when proof is solid
Lawyer needed
No
Takedowns are the fastest and most accessible remedy. When proof of prior authorship is clear and the content is manifestly infringing, platforms execute promptly — it is in their legal interest.
What proof to provide
This is the core of the mechanism and the main reason a takedown succeeds or fails.
Platforms require credible proof that you authored the original content. Traditional proof (“I have the source file”) is weak, because anyone could have it. The proof that makes the difference is dated and independent — something that demonstrates your version existed before the other one.
ETcH provides exactly that: a cryptographic fingerprint of your file anchored on Ethereum at a certain date, accompanied by a self-contained proof kit.
What you attach to the takedown form:
- The ETcH proof ZIP (or its session hash and corresponding Etherscan link)
- The original file or the manifest that references it
- An explanatory sentence: “This work was anchored on the Ethereum blockchain on [date], hash: [hash]. Autonomous verification possible on etchproof.eu/verify or directly on Etherscan.”
Elements to include in the request
Most takedown forms ask for the following. Prepare them before you start:
- Your complete contact details: name, mailing address, email, phone (depending on platform)
- Precise identification of the original work: title or description, creation date, link to an earlier publication if available
- Precise identification of the infringing content: full URL, account or seller name, observed publication date
- Proof of authorship: ETcH proof ZIP, hash, Etherscan link
- A sworn statement: that you are the rights holder or authorized to act, and that your request is made in good faith
- A signature: electronic or scanned, depending on the platform
Be factual and precise. Avoid emotional language or personal attacks against the infringer — the platform evaluates a file, not a complaint.
Going further
Limits of this remedy
Takedowns are effective, but not universal.
- They don’t penalize the infringer — they only remove the content from the platform concerned
- They don’t prevent republication elsewhere — the infringer can resume on another account or platform
- They don’t provide access to damages — for that, a complementary action is needed
- They depend on platform cooperation — if the platform is hosted in a less cooperative jurisdiction or refuses your report, you are blocked
Cases where they work poorly:
- Work published on a personal site or forum not tied to an identifiable commercial platform
- Lower-quality platform with no formal procedure
- Cases where the line between inspiration and plagiarism is legally ambiguous
In these cases, escalate to a cease and desist letter or a more formal remedy.