You take down one infringing website—and five more pop up in its place.
Counterfeiters, scammers, and copyright violators don’t stop, and the longer their sites stay online, the more damage they do.
And reporting illegal content isn’t always straightforward. Without the right approach, your takedown requests could be ignored or delayed, letting bad actors stay in business at your expense.
So how do you make sure your reports lead to real action?
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- The key evidence you need to strengthen your takedown requests.
- How to report infringing websites to search engines, hosting providers, and ad platforms.
- How automation can remove illegal content faster and stop repeat offenders.
Let’s dive in!
What evidence do I need to report a website for illegal content?
Providing evidence when reporting illegal content strengthens your case, accelerates the DMCA takedown process, and protects your brand from retaliation through counter-notices.
Here’s all the evidence you’ll need:
- Save URLs, screenshots, and timestamps: Capture clear images, provide direct links to pages hosting illegal content, and document the exact date and time you found them to prove that the content did exist at a certain point, even if it’s later updated or removed.
- Document any communication or interactions related to the illegal content: If you have already contacted the website or content owner and asked them to take down the illegal content, include those messages or emails in your content request removal forms. The documentation can prove that you did take action to address the issue on your own but had to move to formal reporting due to a lack of response.
- Save your copyright/ trademark certificates: In case the illegal content involves copyright or trademark infringement, include proof that you own the intellectual property by providing licenses, registration certificates, or other official documentation.
Where and how to report a website for illegal content?
You can report fake and infringing websites to search engines, hosting providers, and even ad publishers if bad actors are using paid ads to drive traffic to their illegal sites.
Report to search engines
To report content on Google, open Google’s content removal form using an existing Google email address (it’s better to use your official work). There are separate forms for different Google products, so here you’ll have to choose Google Search.
Select the legal reason for reporting content → Intellectual property → Then choose the specific reason for your report based on the type of infringement: Copyright, Circumvention, Trademark, or Counterfeit.
(Note: Counter notices are sent when you have received DMCA takedown notice and want to respond to it)
You can track the status of all your DMCA requests through this dedicated dashboard.
Bing
Access Bing’s DMCA request form by logging into your Microsoft, Google, or Facebook account.
Select the type of infringement you’re facing: Web, Image, or Video. If you’re facing multiple types of infringement, you’ll have to fill out the form separately for each search type.
Now, provide your personal information and intellectual property details (including examples and descriptions). Add URLs of the infringing content and, if required, use the bulk submission feature, then add your signature, and submit the form.
You can track the status of all your Bing DMCA requests through the submitter dashboard, which is accessible through the same email address you used to complete the form.
→ Why is it effective?
Reporting illegal content to search engines like Google and Bing helps get it de-indexed from search results. This reduces the visibility of harmful sites, making it harder for unsuspecting users to find and fall victim to scams.
Report ads
Ads can also redirect visitors to illegal websites, regardless of whether they are indexed on search engines or not. Bad actors could easily publish ads through major providers like Google, Meta, and Bing.
Take a look at how to report these ads across different platforms:
Google Ads
Open the Report content on Google form and select Google Ads. Then, select where these ads are published to proceed.
Complete the report content form, which is similar to reporting a website on Google search results. After adding all the required details, submit the form. Updates on your removal request will be sent to the Google or Gmail account used to submit the form.
Meta ads
There are separate forms available for reporting ads on Facebook and Instagram. Both forms follow the same structure. The only difference is that you’ll need to sign into your Facebook account to report a Facebook ad and your Instagram account to report an Instagram ad.
You can file a report for copyright infringement, trademark infringement, and counterfeits. When filing the form, make sure to checkmark ‘ads’ in the ‘What type of content are you reporting?’ section. You can view the status of submitted reports through the same link.
You can also report ads through the Meta Ad Library. Go to the ‘Search ads’ box and enter the keywords related to the ad or the advertiser. You can conduct keyword research using your brand name and variations to check if there are any ads using your trademark. Once you find the ad(s) you want to report, click on the three dots next to it and select ‘Report ad.’ You’ll then be prompted to add more details about the infringement and make your case.
Bing ads
Microsoft Bing has a separate form to report ads on their platform. You can file trademark or copyright infringements and report bad actors selling counterfeits. If you want to report multiple infringements, you can upload them together in an Excel file.
→ Why is it effective?
Bad actors only put their money into ads to drive traffic and generate revenue from illegal content. They don’t have to wait for their websites to get indexed and rank higher. They can instantly create ads and get new users onto their websites. Removing these ads disrupts their business model and significantly reduces their profits
Report to hosting providers
You’ve reported the illegal website to search engines, and it’s been de-indexed. Problem solved?
Not quite.
De-indexing only removes a website from search results; it doesn’t take it down. Bad actors can still use social media, ads, Reddit, and emails to drive traffic to the infringing site.
To get the websites completely taken down, you’ll have to contact the hosting providers directly and ask them to remove these websites from their servers.
Take a look at how to file DMCA takedowns with GoDaddy and AWS
GoDaddy
Open GoDaddy’s IP claims complaint form and specify whether you’re the copyright owner or an authorized representative. You don’t need to log in to access or fill out this form.
If you don’t want to fill out the form, you can also email your DMCA notice directly to GoDaddy at copyrightclaims@godaddy.com or trademarkclaims@godaddy.com. The fastest way to get a response is by filling up the form with all required details, including:
- Your contact information (name, email, company, etc.).
- A clear description of the copyrighted or trademarked content being infringed.
- URLs of the infringing content.
- Proof of ownership, such as copyright registrations, trademark certificates, or other supporting documentation.
- A statement affirming that you are acting in good faith and that the information provided is accurate.
Once submitted, GoDaddy will review your request and, if valid, take action within 10–14 business days. You may receive follow-up questions or a confirmation once the infringing content has been removed.
To track the progress of your request, monitor your email for responses from GoDaddy’s legal team or follow up if you don’t receive an update within the expected timeframe.
AWS
If the illegal website is hosted on AWS or using AWS resources, you can submit your DMCA takedown request by sending an email directly to trustandsafety@support.aws.com. Make sure you have all the documentation mentioned here to claim copyright infringement before you send the email.
→ Why is it effective?
Sending DMCA takedown requests directly to hosting providers takes the infringing websites offline for good. Once these websites are offline, bad actors cannot use search engines or ads to scam unsuspecting customers.
What happens after I report a website for illegal content?
Most platforms do not share a timeline of when you can expect a response. Some may take days; others may take weeks. If you don’t get a response at all or don’t see the status of your request changing in 2 weeks, it’s best to follow up.
There are three possible outcomes that you can expect after reporting a website:
- The illegal content gets removed
- You receive a counter-notice
- Your complaint is rejected
In case you receive a counter notice, make sure to go through its content and send back a response to back up your infringement claim.
If the DMCA request is rejected, you can consider filing it again, but make sure to include more evidence and information about the infringement.
Tired of manual takedowns?
Manually identifying illegal content, gathering evidence for each infringement, filing takedown requests across multiple platforms, and tracking each request can take a lot of time and effort. The entire process can get even more frustrating if you’re dealing with repeat offenders.
Red Points offers a comprehensive digital protection platform with Brand Protection, Anti-Piracy, and Impersonation services. It uses advanced machine learning and automated enforced capabilities to help businesses protect their intellectual property across multiple channels.
Here’s how Red Points can help you:
- Automated detection: Red Points uses AI to scan for counterfeit products, IP infringements, and piracy across platforms like ecommerce marketplaces, social media, and standalone websites.
- Effortless reporting: The platform automates DMCA takedown requests and directly contacts hosting providers, search engines, and marketplaces.
- Comprehensive enforcement: Red Points prioritizes incidents, tracks enforcement results, and ensures persistent violators are addressed efficiently.
→ Why is it effective?
Red Points monitors the web 24/7 to look for infringements and sends DMCA takedown notices as soon as a new infringement is detected. Here are some of the many reasons why it is more effective than manual takedowns.
- Saves time by automating manual processes like evidence collection and reporting.
- Reduces costs associated with hiring legal teams or IP experts for enforcement.
- Increases success rates by leveraging advanced AI tools trained on millions of cases.
- Provides peace of mind with real-time monitoring and actionable insights.
What’s next?
You now have the steps to report websites for illegal content—but let’s be honest, manual takedowns are time-consuming and never-ending.
Every new infringement means starting from scratch: gathering evidence, submitting reports, and waiting for platforms to take action. And when bad actors return, the cycle repeats.
That’s where automation changes the game.
With Red Points, you don’t have to chase down infringers one by one. Our AI-driven platform monitors, detects, and removes illegal content automatically—so you can focus on growing your brand instead of fighting counterfeiters.
Want to protect your brand without the headache? Get in touch today and see how Red Points can take enforcement off your plate—for good.
