Next Step After Receiving Notice of DMCA removal from Google Search

[pkKumar]

4 days back received a message in GWT about notice of dmca removal from google search. It says that "some of your materials allegedly infringe upon the copyrights of others".
The affected URL is only one. Now i guess google has removed the concerned page from google search and then send the notification. Now what should be the right step, Do i remove the URL from site, change the content of the page in question or just leave things, since its already been deindexed.

[Chrispcritters]

Remove the copyrighted material from your site. Just because Google may no longer index the page does not mean that you are no longer infringing on someone else's copyright(s).

[graeme_p]

It depends on whether you are actually infringing copyright or not.

If you are not, you can send a counter notice.

If you are, you may find your web host also gets a DMCA notice if you do not remove the material.

The really tricky situation is when you are not sure (e.g. borderline fair use, dispute over copyright etc.)

[JS_Harris]

As Graeme says, if you're not infringing then send a counter notice but if you are I'd go as far as deleting the page entirely and allow a 404 to return. Removing just the content but leaving the page intact is essentially an admission of guilt whereas there are many potential reasons why a page returns a 404. I'm not a copyright lawyer.

[pkKumar]

if you're not infringing then send a counter notice but if you are I'd go as far as deleting the page entirely and allow a 404 to return.

Yes i did just the same. But there is one general question, what is the significance of this DMCA act when there is same content openly available on multiple sites.

[chrisv1963]

what is the significance of this DMCA act when there is same content openly available on multiple sites.

The owner might have sent DMCAs to several sites. Also, your are not allowed to steal content simply because someone else is already doing it.

When people steal my content, then the first thing I do is send a DMCA to Google. I've seen cases were the thief placed stolen content on his home page. The result was that Google removed the entire site from its index (Since the violating URL was www.widgetsdomainname.com)

The second thing I do, after Google removed it from the index is send a DMCA to the company hosting the website. Some of the better hosting companies suspend the violator's account if no action is taken within 48 hours.

Create your own content instead of copying from others and you will not run into this kind of problems!

[pkKumar]

One more thing once the page has been removed, Is it required to fill Content Removed Notification form, its for restoration of the same url. What if i don't need the url.

[sbook]

We also get one DMCA complaint daily. But the the reported link is fake (for example some /search/ link with general search word and no results). And we are not removing any content. I assume these are fake reports, made by some blackhat'ers to get our website banned.
I recently read and article that google is going to ban domains which get lots of DMCA complaints, because removing only 1 page is not effective.
Any ideas on my situation, how to stay alive after such reports?

[graeme_p]

A lot of big media companies have automated sending DMCA notices. How that can be justified when the notices are supposedly under penalty of perjury is one of the mysteries of the US legal system.

I imagine a good many of the fakes sbook is getting are sine of the many false positives generated by those systems.

[graeme_p]

I started another thread, but Microsoft sent Google a DMCA notice asking for their own site to be removed from SERPS. HBO asked for Google to remove a link to a VLC (open source video player) download.

[carminejg3]

Create your own content instead of copying from others and you will not run into this kind of problems!

Remove everything that has been copied from others Here's why.

I have an old site, and as I search I'm finding more and more clone sites or scrapper site.

1) DMCA notice means that other site got hit hard for dup-content

2) So They are mad

3) Yesterday I reported 3 adsene accounts to google adsense due to copyright infringements. I felt bad at first, but then realized these sites have cost me more then $40,000 in 2 years in free traffic and earnings. And had more then 50 pages of my stuff.

4) If I found you with a page or two I'd contact you directly, but this site had hundreds of articles I have created on their site, and according my Alexa bar his adsense account was used on 13 sites. I don't feel bad one bit.

5) So take that as a lucky warning, and clean up house.

6) DMCA can also go directly to the hosting company which im doing to these larger scrapper sites.

So yes create your own stuff it takes an hour or two tops, made a little longer for good stuff that will rank.

[pkKumar]

Is it required to fill Content Removed Notification form

Still not sure about this. There is a single url in question only.