Somebody used your work without asking. Maybe it’s a photo lifted straight off your site, a paragraph copied word for word from your blog, or a song sample tucked into someone else’s track without a single credit. The moment you spot it, the questions pile up fast. What do you say? How firm should the tone be? Who even reads these things on the other end?
Writing that first notice is the hard part. Once you’ve got the wording down, the rest is just sending it and waiting.
Below are fifteen ready-to-use notices for the situations that come up most often, from a quick email to a freelance client all the way to a formal DMCA takedown. Swap in your own names, dates, and details, and you’re set.
Copyright Infringement Notice Samples
Each one below covers a different scenario and a different tone, so pick the one that fits your situation and adjust it from there. A few run short and blunt, others lay out more background, depending on how serious the case is.
1. DMCA Takedown Notice to a Website Host
Subject: DMCA Takedown Notice – Unauthorized Use of Copyrighted Material
To Whom It May Concern,
This letter serves as a formal notification under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 512(c).
The copyrighted material in question is a set of five product photographs originally published on mariahendersonphoto.com on March 3, 2024. These images now appear without permission on the page located at examplesite.com/shop/spring-collection.
The undersigned has a good faith belief that the use described above is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
The information in this notice is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, the undersigned is the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner’s behalf.
Please remove or disable access to the infringing material within five business days of receiving this notice.
Sincerely,
Mariah Henderson
mariahendersonphoto.com
hello@mariahendersonphoto.com
2. Cease and Desist Letter to an Individual Infringer
Dear Mr. Callahan,
It has come to my attention that the article titled “Ten Budget Travel Hacks for Under $500” appearing on your website, wanderwisetips.com, contains large sections copied nearly word for word from my article “Travel on a Shoestring: Ten Money Tricks That Work,” published on my site on January 14, 2023.
This copying, without my permission or credit, is a violation of copyright law.
This letter is a formal demand that you remove the infringing content within ten days of the date of this letter. Failure to do so may result in further legal action, including a claim for damages.
Please confirm in writing once the content has been taken down.
Regards,
Sofia Marchetti
sofia.marchetti@shoestringtravels.com
3. Notice to an Online Marketplace Seller
Hi there,
Reaching out because your shop, LunaThreadsCo, is currently selling a tote bag design that’s identical to a print I released back in October 2023 under the listing “Wildflower Line Art Tote.” Mine’s been up on my shop, PineAndPetalDesigns, since then, and yours went live last month with the same layout, same flowers, same placement.
Happy to assume this was an honest mix-up, maybe grabbed from a mood board somewhere without knowing where it came from originally. Either way, asking that the listing get pulled within the next few days.
Here’s a link to the original for reference: pineandpetaldesigns.etsy.com/listing/9284*.**
Thanks for taking care of this quickly.
Best,
Renata Cho
4. YouTube Copyright Strike Notice
Subject: Copyright Complaint – Unauthorized Use of Video Content
To the YouTube Copyright Team,
This notice concerns the video titled “Kitchen Renovation Time-Lapse 2024” uploaded to the channel HomeFlipDaily on June 2, 2026.
This video contains, in its entirety, footage originally filmed and published by the undersigned on the channel RenovateWithRuss under the title “60-Day Kitchen Flip, Start to Finish,” uploaded on April 18, 2026.
No permission was granted for this footage to be reused, edited, or reuploaded on another channel.
Requesting removal of the infringing video under YouTube’s copyright policy and DMCA guidelines.
Russell Okafor
Channel: RenovateWithRuss
Contact: russ@renovatewithruss.com
5. Instagram Infringement Report Message
Hey,
Noticed the illustration you posted yesterday, the one with the fox sitting under the string lights, is a piece I drew and posted back in September 2025. Same colors, same composition, cropped a little differently but otherwise it’s the same artwork.
Not sure if you drew it yourself and it just happens to look this close, or if it was pulled from somewhere without knowing it was mine. Either way, asking that it come down, or if you’d rather keep it up, a credit and link back would go a long way.
Here’s my original post for comparison: instagram.com/p/foxlanternoriginal.
Appreciate you handling this.
6. Blog Plagiarism Notice to a Site Owner
Dear Editor,
A reader flagged that the post “Five Signs Your Sourdough Starter Needs Help,” published on your site breadandbutterblog.com on May 9, 2026, closely mirrors an article originally posted on my site, thecrumbcollective.com, back in February 2025.
Several paragraphs, including the section on hooch formation and the troubleshooting list near the bottom, match my original wording almost exactly.
Requesting that the post be either removed or properly credited with a link back to the original source within seven days. Open to discussing this further if there’s context that would change things.
Thank you for your attention to this.
Warm regards,
Priya Nair
thecrumbcollective.com
7. Notice to a Photographer’s Client Misusing a Licensed Image
Hi Daniel,
Hope things are going well over at Coastal Realty. Wanted to flag something about the listing photos taken back in March.
Those images were licensed for use on the specific property listing at 214 Harbor View Lane only, as outlined in the agreement signed on March 20, 2026. Noticed a few of them showing up now on the agency’s Instagram page and on a printed flyer for a different property.
Would need either a new license covering that broader use, or for those images to come down from the additional spots. Happy to work out pricing for expanded use if that’s the direction that makes sense.
Let me know how you’d like to proceed.
Best,
Owen Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald Property Photography
8. Notice to a Print Publisher Using an Unlicensed Photo
Subject: Unauthorized Use of Photograph in June Issue
Dear Ms. Alvarado,
A photograph credited to “stock image” on page 34 of the June 2026 issue of Modern Harvest Magazine is actually an original image shot by the undersigned, first published on farmtabletphoto.com in August 2024.
No license was ever issued for this image’s use in print.
Requesting a licensing fee for the usage already printed, along with written confirmation that the image will not be used again without a signed agreement. A standard print usage rate for a quarter-page placement runs between $200 and $400, so open to settling somewhere in that range.
Looking forward to resolving this smoothly.
Sincerely,
Grace Whitfield
farmtabletphoto.com
9. Notice to a Developer Using Copied Code
Hi Marcus,
Went through the source of your app, TaskFlowLite, out of curiosity after seeing it on Product Hunt, and noticed the drag-and-drop scheduling module is close to line for line the same as the one published under my MIT-adjacent license on GitHub, in the repo smart-scheduler-core, with one key difference. That license requires attribution, and none is included anywhere in your app or its listing.
Not asking for the code to be pulled, since the license does allow reuse. Just need proper credit added to your README and in-app credits section within the next couple of weeks.
Here’s the original repo for reference: github.com/devkim/smart-scheduler-core.
Thanks for sorting this out.
Dae-Hyun Kim
10. Notice for Unauthorized Music Sampling
Subject: Unauthorized Sample Use – “Late Night Drive”
Dear Mr. Ferris,
The track “Neon Streets,” released under your artist name Ferris Beats on March 15, 2026, contains a sample of the bassline from “Late Night Drive,” a track produced and copyrighted by the undersigned in 2022.
No clearance was requested or granted for this sample.
This letter requests one of the following within fourteen days: a signed sample clearance agreement with an agreed royalty split, or removal of the track from all streaming platforms.
Open to a phone call this week if that’s easier than working through email.
Regards,
Terrence Boyd
Producer, under the name T-Bass Productions
11. Notice to an Amazon Seller for a Copied Product Listing
Hello,
Your listing “Ergonomic Bamboo Phone Stand, Adjustable” uses product photography that was shot for my listing under the brand GrovePlanks, first published on Amazon in November 2025.
The images, including the angled shot with the wooden desk background, appear to have been taken directly from my listing without permission.
Requesting that these specific photos be removed from your listing within five business days. This notice will be escalated to Amazon’s Brand Registry reporting tool if the images remain up past that window.
Thank you for handling this promptly.
Kendra Ross
GrovePlanks
12. Email to a Freelance Client Using a Stock Image Beyond License
Subject: Quick Note on the Homepage Banner Image
Hi Priya,
Hope the site launch went smoothly last week. Wanted to flag one small thing before it becomes a bigger issue.
The banner image on the homepage, the one with the woman working at a laptop by a window, was licensed through a single-use web license tied to the original project scope back in January. Since then it looks like the same image has also gone up on two of the company’s social media pages and in a recent email newsletter.
Each of those additional uses needs its own license under the terms from the stock provider. Can send over the extended license options if that’s helpful, usually runs somewhere around $40 to $80 depending on the platform mix needed.
Let me know how you’d like to move forward.
Thanks,
Alina Voss
13. Notice to a Company Using a Copyrighted Image in Advertising
Dear Legal Department,
A photograph appearing in a paid Facebook advertisement for BrightLeaf Skincare, running since April 2026, is a photograph shot and copyrighted by the undersigned in 2021, originally licensed exclusively to a different, unrelated brand.
BrightLeaf Skincare was never granted a license to use this image.
This notice requests immediate removal of the advertisement and all related creative using this image, along with compensation for unauthorized commercial use. A reasonable licensing fee for a paid ad campaign of this scale typically falls between $500 and $1,500, and a response is requested within ten business days before further steps are considered.
Sincerely,
Julian Ferreira
Ferreira Visual Studio
14. Notice to a Web Host for Distribution of a Pirated Ebook
Subject: DMCA Takedown Request – Pirated Ebook Distribution
To the Abuse Department,
This notice concerns the file “midnight-orchard-full-book.pdf” hosted at freebookvaultsite.com/downloads, currently accessible to the public without restriction.
This file is an unauthorized copy of the ebook “Midnight Orchard,” written and copyrighted by the undersigned, originally published through Hearthstone Press in September 2024 and sold exclusively through licensed retailers.
No permission has been given for free or paid redistribution of this file through any third-party site.
Requesting that the file be removed and access disabled within five business days, in accordance with the DMCA.
The undersigned affirms, under penalty of perjury, ownership of the rights described above.
Naomi Aldrich
Author, “Midnight Orchard”
naomi.aldrich.author@gmail.com
15. Follow-Up Notice After No Response to an Earlier Warning
Subject: Second Notice – Unresolved Copyright Infringement
Dear Mr. Castellanos,
A first notice was sent on May 2, 2026, regarding unauthorized use of copyrighted photographs on your site, urbanplateeats.com. As of this writing, the images remain live and no response has been received.
This serves as a final notice before the matter is escalated to your hosting provider through a formal DMCA complaint, and potentially referred for legal review.
A response is requested within five business days. Would rather resolve this directly if there’s still room to do so.
Regards,
Camille Dupree
camilledupreephoto.com
Wrapping Up
Every one of these situations comes down to the same starting point. Someone used something that wasn’t theirs to use, and a clear, specific notice is usually enough to fix it without lawyers or drawn-out disputes.
Pick the sample closest to your situation, swap in the real names and dates, and send it today rather than sitting on it. The sooner it goes out, the sooner the problem gets sorted.