Book piracy and DMCA for authors

02

What must a notice include, and what should you gather first?

The Office says an effective notice must substantially include the location of the material, the work being infringed, a good-faith statement that the use was not authorized by the owner, the owner's agent, or the law, contact information, a statement under penalty of perjury that the notice is accurate and that you are the owner or authorized, and a physical or digital signature. It publishes a sample notice PDF. A site webform may be processed faster than email to the DMCA agent. Before you send, keep the URL or other locator, a description of your work, and contact details you will put in the notice. A representative list of works is allowed, but you still need enough information to find each copy. A screenshot is not stated as required. A knowing material misrepresentation can make you liable for damages, costs, and attorneys' fees. The designated-agent directory is at dmca.copyright.gov/osp/.[334]

• Work, location, contact details, good-faith statement, perjury statement, and a signature.
• Keep the URL or other locator. A representative list of works does not replace a way to find each copy.
• A false notice can create liability. The Office's sample PDF is the form it publishes.

• ISBN and publishing rights

03

What do Amazon, Google, Apple Books, and Kobo publish about reporting a book?

KDP's page on reporting guideline violations, checked 14 October 2026, says that if an item on Amazon infringes your intellectual property, you should submit an infringement report. The link is amazon.com/report/infringement. The page says Amazon will investigate and take the appropriate action. It does not state how long that takes, and it does not say your contact details stay confidential. The report form did not display its fields in this check, so this answer does not list Amazon-specific blanks. Google's Copyright Help Center says the easiest way to file a removal request is its legal troubleshooter, at support.google.com/legal/troubleshooter/1114905. It also lists a DMCA agent: Copyright Manager, Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheater Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, phone 650-499-1293, email dmca-agent@google.com. That page does not state a removal time. Apple's Books dispute form says that if a book or audiobook on Apple Books violates your intellectual property rights, you can submit a claim. In most cases a third party provides the content, and Apple will contact that provider and ask them to work with you directly. It does not state a duration. Kobo's content policy, last updated 5 October 2023 and checked 14 October 2026, says copyright owners may file through the Kobo Help Portal or by email at kobo-IP@mail.rakuten.com. The policy does not paste the procedures and does not state a response time. A separate address, kobo-reportcontent@rakuten.com, is for prohibited content, not the copyright notice path.[335][336][337][338]

• Amazon: the KDP page links to amazon.com/report/infringement and says Amazon will investigate. No duration is stated.
• Google: the legal troubleshooter, or the DMCA agent address on the Copyright Help Center.
• Apple Books: the Books dispute form. Kobo: the Help Portal or kobo-IP@mail.rakuten.com.

04

What do the official pages not state?

The Copyright Office says a service must act expeditiously to remove or disable access. What that means depends on the type and size of the service. No number of days is stated for that first removal. After a counter-notice, the service must repost within ten to fourteen business days unless you first say you have filed a court action. It also sends you a copy of the counter-notice. Amazon, Google, Apple, and Kobo state no removal time. None of them states that a notice returns lost sales or a sum of money. A later copy is a new instance and needs its own notice.[334][335][336][337][338]

• First removal: expeditious, with no fixed day count on the Office's page.
• After a counter-notice: ten to fourteen business days to repost, unless you have filed suit and told the service.
• Lost sales, a payout, and a guaranteed removal date are not stated.

05

Where should the notice go, and when should you get advice?

Start with the store's own form. The Office says a site-specific webform may be processed faster, and Amazon, Google, Apple, and Kobo each name one. For another site, use its designated agent in the Copyright Office directory, or the contact in its terms. You can send a notice when the site is not hosted in the United States. Copyright law is territorial, a site targeting US users could face US law, and some other countries have their own notice systems. Compliance is still voluntary. A lawsuit, a registration question, or a contract is a point for counsel in your jurisdiction. The copyright answer covers what US registration adds. It is not a substitute for that advice. These pages do not say how many copies will come down, or what a pirated listing did to sales.[334][217][335]

• Use the store's form when the listing is on that store. Use the designated-agent directory for other sites.
• A notice is something you may send yourself. A lawsuit, a silent foreign site, or a contract question is a point for counsel.
• Registration is not required to send the notice. The copyright answer covers what US registration adds.

• Do you need to register copyright before publishing?
• ISBN and publishing rights

Use the guided answer

Apply this to your book

The guide preserves your exact choice in the URL, so you can return to it or send it to someone else.