How it works
How a matter moves
Eight stages, the published standard governing each one, and the vocabulary we use for what actually happened. Nothing on this page is a capability we have not already committed to in writing.
The eight stages
Five of the eight are review. That ratio is the point: enforcement is the short part, and it is the last part.
- You
- assemble the record
- Bureau
- reviews, decides, files and tracks
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Stage 01. Document Done by: You
You assemble the record before anything is submitted: the original work and where it was first published, evidence that it is yours, the exact address of the material you are reporting, and — where the copying is partial — the timestamps that locate it.
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Stage 02. Verify authority Done by: Bureau
We establish who holds the exclusive right at issue and what your written authorization actually covers — which works, which rights, which actions. A matter cannot advance on an authorization that does not reach the work being reported.
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Stage 03. Review evidence Done by: Bureau
A person at Takedown Bureau reads the record and decides whether it identifies the work, the material and the correspondence between them clearly enough for someone else to check. Incomplete evidence is returned, not filed on.
If something is missing
Incomplete evidence is returned, not filed on. A gap is not a reason to wait indefinitely — it is a reason to tell us what is missing when you write.
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Stage 04. Screen for exceptions Done by: Bureau
We weigh whether a copyright exception plausibly applies. The statutory good-faith statement covers uses authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law — so a use permitted by law is a use we have to consider before filing, not after.
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Stage 05. Decide Done by: Bureau
A named person decides whether to proceed. Deciding not to proceed is a real outcome: materially uncertain matters are declined or referred back to the owner rather than passed to a platform to sort out.
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Stage 06. File Done by: Bureau
The request is submitted as your authorized representative, from our published filing mailbox, under the signatory published on our identity record. Anyone receiving it can check that identity against this site before acting on it.
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Stage 07. Track Done by: Bureau
The matter is tracked under its case number through whatever the platform does next — including a request for more information, and including a counter notification. The platform decides the outcome; we record it in the language below.
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Stage 08. Correct or retract Done by: Bureau
If we confirm an error in one of our own filings, we correct or retract it through the same filing identity that sent the original, and the correction is recorded in the case file. Where a retraction is appropriate and we are authorized to act on the matter, we do not charge the uploader for it.
Five things people take to mean each other
These five are easy to blur. Being precise about them early avoids misunderstandings later.
- Contact is not an accepted matter
- Writing to us starts a review. Our Terms say so in as many words: contacting Takedown Bureau does not mean that we have accepted a matter.
- An accepted matter is not a filing
- Acceptance means the evidence and authority cleared review. A filing is a separate act that happens after a person decides to make it.
- A similarity match is not infringement
- Automated matching can tell you two things resemble each other. It cannot see a licence, read the commentary around a clip, or recognise your own re-upload.
- Filed is not removed
- Submitting a request does not remove anything. The platform decides, on its own process and its own timing.
- Unavailable is not confirmed removal
- Material can disappear for reasons that have nothing to do with us. Unless the platform confirms it acted on our request, we do not count it as our result.
What each status word means
Seven statuses. Every matter is reported under exactly one, and these are the same definitions our reporting methodology uses — not a friendlier summary of them.
- Filed
- A copyright removal request has been submitted to the platform.
- Pending
- The platform has the request and has not yet issued an outcome.
- More information requested
- The platform asked for additional information and the request is on hold until we respond.
- Platform removal confirmed
- the platform confirmed removal or disabling following our request.
- Content unavailable
- the material is no longer accessible and the cause is not confirmed; not counted as a Bureau removal.
- Retracted
- The Bureau withdrew the request, and the withdrawal is recorded in the case file.
- Restored
- The platform restored the material through its own process, and the case record reflects the restoration.
| Case | Platform | Matter | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| TB-DEMO-001 | YouTube | Full re-upload | Filed |
| TB-DEMO-002 | YouTube | Full re-upload | Platform removal confirmed |
| TB-DEMO-003 | YouTube | Full re-upload | Retracted |
Where to go next
Have a copyright concern to discuss?
Start with the original work, the URLs involved and what shows the rights are yours. A short first message describing the matter is more useful than an attachment folder.