What evidence do I need beforea DMCA takedown for a reposted video?
You need the URL of every copy, the URL of your original (or the file, if it was never posted), and a clear description of which video is yours — plus your contact details and two statements: that you believe in good faith the use is not authorised, and that your notice is accurate. Collect every copy before filing, so one report does not leave five others online. This is practical guidance, not legal advice. Free scan. You only pay if we find something worth opening — you see the price first.
- A list of every copy's URL, which is the part people usually skip.
- The moment of your video each copy took, for the description field.
- Practical guidance only. For legal advice, talk to a lawyer.
A link checks the first ~5 seconds. To check the whole video, upload the file.
upload the file to cover the full video
Not a real result — try your own video above ↑ unlock the URLs to paste into each form
Four things to have open before the first form.
The copies
Every URL carrying your footage, with a dated screenshot of each. Forms ask for exact URLs, not account names.
Your original
The URL and date of your post, and the original file. Some forms let you attach or link it.
Your statements
Name, address, email, the good-faith and accuracy statements, and your signature. The forms prompt for each.
Pay for the evidence you need today.
A takedown is a task with an end. Monitoring plans at $7.00 a month keep billing long after the copies are gone.
The list of copies costs $2.90 per video when you unlock it. Wallet credit starts at $2.90 and does not expire.
- Retrace
- $5.80
- Competitor (1 month)
- $7.00
- Competitor (1 year,
never cancelled) - $84.00
Assembling the evidence for free.
Most of the pack is work, not money. Work through it in this order:
1.Make a spreadsheet
Columns: platform, URL, account, date shown, views, screenshot file name. Each row becomes one line in a form later.
2.Start with the copies you already know
Add the reposts followers sent you, then tap your sound page on TikTok or audio page on Instagram: reposts that kept your audio are listed there.
3.Screenshot each copy with the URL visible
Use a desktop browser so the address bar is in the image. If a reposter deletes the copy after a report, the screenshot is what you have left.
4.Write one sentence describing your work
Something like: “My video of X, posted on [date] at [URL]; the copy reposts it in full.” If only part was taken, say which part.
Our guide on reporting a stolen video walks through each platform's form step by step once the pack is ready.
Filling the “infringing URLs” column.
The column that takes longest is the list of copies. Retrace fills it from one upload: it searches up to 24 frames across the whole video and returns each public page carrying them, with its platform and URL.
Each row shows the moment of your video that matched, which is the detail a description field asks for when a copy took only part of it. Rows marked Verified have a thumbnail that our own check found to be a frame of your video, so they are the ones to put in a report first.
The scan is free; the URLs unlock for $2.90. Retrace does not file reports, send notices or act on your behalf.
Exactly what you get, row by row.
After you unlock a search, every copy Retrace found is a row on the results page. This is everything a row carries — nothing more:
- URL
- The address of the page carrying your footage, with Open page and Copy link buttons. This is the field every copyright form asks for.
- Platform
- The site's domain next to each row: tiktok.com, instagram.com, youtube.com, facebook.com, x.com, or whatever other site carries the copy. Sort your rows by it: each platform needs its own report.
- Verdict
- Verified means our own check found the page's thumbnail to be a frame of your video, frame against frame — also when the copy is mirrored, zoomed, reframed or has bars added (a flipped copy shows Verified · mirrored). Probably the same means it very likely is; open the page before you report it. No badge means the page matched your frames but its thumbnail was not found to be a frame of your video — which also happens when the reposter set a custom thumbnail.
- Frames that agree
- How many of the up to 24 frames we sampled from your video found that page. A page found by several frames is your video; a page found by a single frame may only look like it.
- Moment
- The point of your video the match came from, such as 0:08. When a copy took only part of your video, this is what goes in the description field.
- Title and thumbnail
- The page's own title and preview image, so you can recognise the copy before you open it.
There is no PDF, CSV or downloadable report, and no account names or upload dates in the row: you read those off the page itself when you open it. The search stays in Your searches in your account, so you can come back to the list while you file.
After you unlock a result you can create a public link to the pages found, and attach that link to a copyright claim. Anyone with the link sees the pages found, not your file or its name, and you can turn the link off at any time.
A table to copy into your report
Copyright forms ask for one URL per line. Keep one row per copy, in a spreadsheet or a note. Retrace fills four of the six columns; the account and the date come from the copy's own page.
| COPY URL | PLATFORM | ACCOUNT | DATE SHOWN ON THE PLATFORM | MATCHING MOMENT | VERDICT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.tiktok.com/@…/video/… | TikTok | @the_reposter | 2 Nov 2026 | 0:08 | Verified |
Add two lines above the table for your original: its URL and the date you posted it, or the file name if it was never public. Take a screenshot of each copy with the address bar visible, in case it is deleted after your report.
Where each row goes
Sort the table by platform and file one report per platform, on the platform's own copyright form — not the in-app report button. Each form also asks for your contact details, a good-faith statement, an accuracy statement and your signature.
1.TikTok
Open TikTok's copyright infringement form. Describe your original and link it, then paste the TikTok URLs from your table.
2.Instagram and Facebook
Both lead to Meta's Intellectual Property reporting form: from Instagram or from Facebook. Choose copyright, link your original, then paste the Instagram or Facebook URLs.
3.YouTube
Submit a copyright removal request from YouTube Studio and add each YouTube URL.
4.Everywhere else
For X and other sites, look for the copyright or intellectual-property form in the site's help center and use the same rows. Copies on sites with no form are a question for a lawyer.
What this page and the search are not.
Be clear-eyed about both:
Not legal advice
This is practical guidance from people who build a search tool. Copyright law varies by country; a lawyer can tell you what applies to you.
Not a takedown service
We do not contact platforms or uploaders. You file every report yourself.
Not every copy
Copies on private accounts, in closed groups, or deleted before indexing will not show up in any search.
Not a judgement on fair use
Commentary, criticism and parody may be allowed uses. The search shows that footage matches, not whether its use is lawful.
Where to go next.
- TikTok: report copyright infringement — TikTok's copyright form.
- Instagram: copyright report form — Meta's form for Instagram posts.
- Facebook: copyright report — Opens Meta's Intellectual Property reporting form.
- YouTube: submit a copyright removal request — YouTube's webform, also reachable from YouTube Studio.
- X: copyright report — In the X Help Center, go to the legal or intellectual-property section and open the copyright complaint form.
- U.S. Copyright Office: the DMCA — The law behind takedown notices on U.S.-based platforms.
Straight answers.
Practical answers, not legal advice. The free scan tells you how many copies you are dealing with.
Collect copy URLs free →What does a DMCA takedown notice need to include?
Under U.S. law, a notice identifies the copyrighted work, identifies the infringing material with enough detail to find it (the URL), gives your contact information, states that you believe in good faith the use is not authorised, states that the notice is accurate and that you are the owner or authorised to act for them, and is signed. Platform forms ask for each of these. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do I need to register my copyright first?
Not to send a platform takedown. In the U.S., registration matters if you later go to court, and rules differ in other countries. Ask a lawyer if you are heading that way.
Should I use the copyright form or the regular report button?
The copyright form. The in-app report button goes to general moderation; copyright reports go to a dedicated team and are what lead to removal for reposted content.
Will the person I report see my details?
Often, yes. Platforms commonly pass the notice, including your name and contact details, to the uploader so they can respond or file a counter-notice. Check each platform's form before submitting.
Can I file one report for many copies?
On most platforms you can list several URLs in one copyright report, as long as they are on that platform. Copies on other platforms each need their own report there.
What happens if I file a takedown that is wrong?
Knowingly false claims can have legal consequences, and the uploader can file a counter-notice. Only report copies of material you own or are authorised to act for.