What to do with out-of-date DMCA message in Webmaster Tools?

[dataguy]

I operate a pretty large user generated content site. Occasionally we'll get emails from people notifying us that one of our members has reposted something without permission, and we quickly remove it, rectifying the situation.

In Google's Webmaster Tools, however, we've been getting the same messages ever since Google started sending messages through Webmaster Tools. We now have 80 messages, but there are 3 or 4 URL's that we've been getting the same message for 2 years now. The message is that someone has filed a DMCA complaint against our site. We've never received one of these messages regarding a page that actually existed on our site, they were all remove and 404'ed long before we got the message from Google. Some of them are for URL's that have never existed. For example, they contain a page file name from one site, and a third level domain of another site, which can't possibly exist.

I don't want to appear like a jerk and just delete the messages if there is some action I can take, but I'm not protesting the DMCA's and there aren't any other options.

Is Google just falling down on the job here and provided a feature that doesn't really work right and no one is monitoring it? Or is there something else I can do?

I guess what really troubles me is that I keep getting the same messages for the same URL's, as if I'm supposed to do something which I am not doing.

[1script]

I'm in the same boat. 2.5 years ago someone filed a DMCA against one of my sites because of a piece of a user-submitted content. I have removed it immediately. Every month since I am receiving exactly 2 identical messages saying that the content has been removed from Google and I should remove it, too or file a counter complaint.

A couple of weeks ago, after another batch of those messages arrived, I got fed up and looked at the issue a tad closer. It turned out that the pages they were complaining about were returning a 301 redirect to a custom 404 pages instead of simply 404. A silly Apache config mistake. I have fixed that and felt compelled to file a reconsideration request, explaining what's going on. I've yet to receive a note about it having been processed, so I don't know if there will be any end to this. In about two weeks another batch of those DMCA messages should arrive. If it will not, I'll say it was a technical error that kept me irritated for 2.5 years. If they arrive again, now I would be completely out of ideas about what to do.

I guess it goes without saying that throughout those 2.5 years the site did not do well with Google. There is a small trickle of traffic from G but AdSense, for example, completely refused to work on this site. So, having these outstanding DMCA must be really hurting the site with Google.

Good luck on clearing yours!

[LifeinAsia]

Same situation here- UGC (spam for some type of software) that was removed within 2 days after posting. Several months later a DMCA was filed with Google (despite the fact that the content was already removed), continue to get nastygrams from Google every month, despite the fact that it is easy to verify that the page no longer exists.

If you click on the link for more information, all you get is a message saying that more information is not available. I've contacted Google numerous times about it. Finally got a copy of the complaint (same complaint sent about a dozen sites the spammer posted at), all dated months after the content was removed.

[dataguy]

I've read a couple of posts on other forums regarding people who filed a 'counter-complaint' on their DMCA notices in Google Webmaster Tools. This is a misnomer for sure, but I think I'm going to try it.

I am not, of course, disputing the copyright material appear on my site as a result of a user post, but it's been over 2 years since it has been removed.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

[tedster]

This information just stymies me. Why do the DMCA messages from Google just continue and continue even years after the situation is addressed and the content removed? It sounds like something is broken somewhere along the line, doesn't it?

[Lapizuli]

I don't know, but that counterclaim idea seems reasonable. It's kinda as if Google thinks it has a stronger legal position if it continues to send the notices until there's closure.

In my recent DMCA filing, the other party filed a counterclaim after we settled it, and then Google responded back that I had a certain number of days to file a court order, and if I didn't, the case, so to speak, would be closed. It sounded like closure had to be officially recognized somewhere.