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Took it yourself? You own the copyright.
If you took the photo or filmed the video, including a selfie or content you made for OnlyFans, the copyright is yours, even if you sent it to someone or sold access to it. The exception is a contract that gave it to someone else. Owning it means you can demand removal with a DMCA notice.
- Who can use it
- The copyright owner
- Deadline
- "Expeditiously"
- Works overseas
- Sometimes
- Main tradeoff
- Your details may be shared
What a notice needs
For example, "a photo I took of myself in March."
Enough for the site to find them.
Address, phone, and email.
That the use isn't authorized by you or the law.
Under penalty of perjury, that you're the owner or authorized to act for them.
Who owns the copyright
Usually the person who took the photo. That means you typically own a selfie you took, but you don't own a photo just because you're in it. Work arrangements and agreements can change ownership, and videos can be more complicated.
Copyright doesn't help with AI fakes made from your face. Your likeness alone isn't copyrighted. Use the TAKE IT DOWN Act for those.
Why use it too
- Many sites, hosts, and search engines have long-established copyright processes.
- Some sites outside the U.S. respond to copyright notices voluntarily.
- It can help when a site ignores privacy reports.
You can send a copyright notice and a TAKE IT DOWN request for the same content. Send each through its own channel.
When a site has no form
Look the site up in the U.S. Copyright Office's DMCA Designated Agent Directory, using its business name or domain. If the site won't respond, you can escalate to its hosting company. How to find the host
If you get a counter-notice
Get legal help quickly. A counter-notice doesn't mean the content is consensual. Also tell the platform about any separate privacy or safety violation, which it can review under its own rules. Finding legal help
Do you need to register the copyright?
Not to send a notice. To sue for infringement in the U.S., you generally need to register first.