Someone reposted your video.Here is how to report it.
To report a stolen video, use the platform's copyright form, not the generic "report" button. Copyright reports go to a dedicated team and only the owner (or someone authorised by them) can file one. Before you do, find every copy and collect proof that the footage is yours, so each report is quick and hard to dispute.
This guide walks through that order: find the copies, gather proof, report on each platform, send a takedown to websites, and make the next theft harder. It is practical guidance, not legal advice.
1. Find every copy before you report
If you report one repost and miss five others, the video keeps circulating. Spend ten minutes mapping where it is first.
- 1.Search each platform for your caption, distinctive phrases you say in the video, and the hashtags you used. Thieves often copy the caption word for word.
- 2.Search for your own username. Some reposts credit you in the text while still uploading the file themselves.
- 3.Run a reverse search on the footage itself. Upload the original file to Retrace and it samples frames across the whole video, then shows how many pages carry the same footage and on which platforms. Unlocking the search lists each link and which moment of your clip matched.
- 4.Check a few key frames in Google Lens too, especially frames without text overlays, since reposts often crop or add captions.
No visual search sees private accounts, deleted posts, or pages search engines have not indexed. Treat any tool's results as a starting list, and keep checking the platforms where your audience is.
Write every link in a spreadsheet with the account name, the date shown on the post, and a screenshot. You will paste these links into the forms later. For more on spotting reposts, see the stolen video check.
2. Gather proof that the video is yours
Platforms rarely ask for evidence up front, but disputed reports and counter-notifications do happen. Having proof ready means you can answer in minutes.
- —The original file straight from your phone or camera. Its metadata (creation date, device model) is hard to fake convincingly.
- —Raw footage and unused takes from the same shoot. A thief has only the final cut; you have the material around it.
- —Your earlier post. The link to your original upload, with its visible date. Compare it with the dates on the reposts; if you are unsure who was first, read how to tell who posted a video first.
- —Project files from your editor (Premiere, CapCut, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut) showing the timeline.
Keep copies of all of this somewhere safe. Do not delete your original upload during the dispute, even if the repost got more views.
3. File a copyright report on each platform
Every major platform has a copyright form separate from the in-app report menu. The in-app "report" option is for things like spam or harassment and usually does not cover reposted content. Look for the words "copyright" or "intellectual property" in the platform's help center. The forms ask broadly the same things: your contact details, a link to your original work, the link to each infringing post, and a statement that you own the rights and the information is accurate.
- —TikTok: has a copyright report form in its help center under intellectual property. You can list several infringing videos in one report.
- —YouTube: use the copyright removal request from YouTube Studio or the help center. Repeat infringers get strikes, and channels with three are removed.
- —Instagram and Facebook: Meta uses one system for both. Use the Instagram copyright form; Facebook has its own equivalent in its help center.
- —X (Twitter): has a copyright complaint form in its help center. Include the post URL, not just the account.
Copyright reports are formal legal notices. Filing one for content you do not own, or with false information, can get your own account penalised and may expose you to legal liability. Only report footage you actually made or hold the rights to.
Once the report is processed, the platform usually tells the uploader who filed it, including your name or email. If that worries you, some platforms let an authorised agent file on your behalf.
4. Websites outside the big platforms: send a DMCA notice
If your video turns up on a blog, an aggregator or a video site without a report form, send a takedown notice to whoever hosts the site.
- 1.Look for a "DMCA", "copyright" or "abuse" link in the site's footer and use that contact first.
- 2.If there is none, look up the hosting provider with a WHOIS or hosting lookup tool and use the host's abuse contact.
- 3.Include the infringing URL, a link to your original, your contact details, and a statement that you own the work and the notice is accurate.
- 4.If the site still copies your video directly, you can also ask Google to remove the page from search results through its legal removal process.
5. If the uploader fights back, and how to prevent the next one
The uploader can file a counter-notification claiming they have the right to use the video. Platforms then typically restore the content after a waiting period unless you show you have taken legal action. If that happens, it is the point to talk to a lawyer rather than file more reports. Do not file repeat reports on content that has been restored after a counter-notice; that can count against you.
To make the next theft harder and easier to prove:
- —Add a visible watermark with your handle in a spot that is hard to crop, such as near the middle of the frame for part of the clip.
- —Keep every original file and project, organised by date. Proof is only useful if you can find it.
- —Post on your main account first, so your upload has the earliest date.
- —Check every few weeks for new copies of your best-performing videos. A free scan on Retrace is enough to see if new pages have appeared.