How to report plagiarism on instagram

How to Report an Instagram Copyright Violation in Under Two Minutes

Every day sees tens of thousands of copyright infringements on Instagram, and despite this vast number, reporting violations is very confusing — perhaps deliberately so. While my first attempt took almost 20 minutes, I can now complete a report in under 90 seconds. This quick guide walks you through the process and helps to make it as painless as possible.

Instagram's platform effectively encourages freebooting, adding to the number of images viewed every day and conveniently increasing advertising revenue. The last thing that Instagram needs is to be overwhelmed by reports of copyright infringements and, consequently, the process is tricky to navigate. Just getting started can require a little bit of guesswork.

Getting Started: Use a Computer

When you find that one of your photos is being used without permission, my first recommendation is to submit your report from a computer. It's possible to do it from a tablet or a phone, but you will need to copy and paste links, dig out images from your online portfolio, input your mailing address, and potentially upload files. And, because it's made to be as difficult as possible, the process of reporting via the app allows you to get three quarters of the way through the process before asking you to submit the URL linking to the offending content — a URL that is now inaccessible without canceling the whole process, copying the URL, and starting again. And, be warned: if you switch apps and go back to Instagram, you will find that the reporting process has been canceled. Thanks, Instagram!

In addition, all of this is much more efficient when you have a keyboard and can flick between multiple browser tabs, especially if there are numerous infringements. I regularly take screenshots on my phone with the intention of coming back to them later.

With the offending image in your browser, you're now ready to start navigating the labyrinth of menus. The first step is to click on the three dots in the bottom right-hand corner of the image.

As confusing as it seems, click on "Report inappropriate. " Then choose "Other," then "Intellectual property violation," and then "Learn more."

You are then presented with two pages of dense text. On the first page, click on "Learn more about reporting copyright violations." On the second page, click on "this form," nicely tucked away at the end of the first paragraph.

From here, things get a little more straightforward. Choose "Copyright" and "Continue with your copyright report." Instagram then wants to double check you're in the right place by giving you a long list of options, despite you having clicked on "copyright" four times by this stage (it's as though they hope that you might be finding this too time-consuming). Of course, from the list options, the one that you want is right at the bottom: "I found content which I believe infringes my copyright."

Enter Your Details

From here you can start filling out the details: your name and contact address, the URL of the infringing Instagram post, and a link to where you have legitimately published your content. This can be your own Instagram account, your portfolio website, Flickr, Tumblr, etc. — as long as it strongly suggests that this is your photograph, it should be acceptable. You also have the option to upload a file.

For "job responsibility," I typically choose "Other/Not applicable" and write "Photographer" in the box that then appears underneath. When asked "Why are you reporting this content?" choose "This content copies my work."

The remainder of the form offers no further complications. You type out your name by way of a signature and then you wait for a confirmation by email. In keeping with everything else, the submission process doesn't acknowledge that your report has been sent, nor does it say what the next stage will be.

You should receive an automated email confirming that your report has been sent. It's worth keeping an eye out for other emails from Instagram relating to your report as you might be asked to provide additional details or clarify something that the Instagram team has not understood. If all goes well, you will receive an email in a day or two confirming that the offending content has been "removed or disabled." Unfortunately, in my experience, the account you just reported will continue to post illegal content.

Of course, instead of filing a report, you may prefer to contact the account that is posting your work, but I've found that this is usually a waste of time, and commenting on the image only adds to its visibility by boosting its position in Instagram's algorithm. Also, if a profile gets a number of complaints against it, there's a greater chance that Instagram will disable or delete the account completely.

Good luck with your reports, and if you have any suggestions for improvements, please leave them in the comments.

Lead image is a composite using a photo by Gabriel Mutala via Unsplash.

How do I report stolen content on Instagram?

How to report stolen content on Instagram

Did someone post your photo or video without your permission and without giving credit to your account? Are they ignoring your questions to please give you credit? Or do you just want it gone? You can have Instagram remove this content for you, very easily.

You own the copyright to any photo or video you take and post on Instagram. No one is allowed to repost this content without your permission. Using a specific #hashtag to get your photo featured, is often considered as an equivalent to giving consent. Most people don’t mind if their content is being reposted without permission, as long as proper credit is given.
But if no credit is given, or if you simply do mind, you can easily have the photo or video taken down by Instagram by filing a DMCA report.

This is the link to file a DMCA report on Instagram.

Don’t let the fact that Instagram asks for your personal information scare you off – you don’t have to complete all the fields they are asking for. The minimum amount of information required for the report to be valid, is your name and an email address. You do not have to provide more information than this. You do not have to give them your home address or phone number. If you do provide this, Instagram will not share your home address or phone number with the person you’re reporting.

Also note that you can only report content that violates your own copyright.

Step by step guide to report stolen content

Click the DMCA link.
Click the option saying you found content that violates your copyright.
Click the next pop up to confirm you want to continue with your copyright report.
Click to add your contact information. As noted above, you only have to provide your name and any email address. Use your real name – not your Instagram account name. You can use your cat account’s email address.
Confirm your email address.
Select your country of residence.
Click on the content you want to report and specify what kind of content it is.
Add the direct link to the content you are reporting. If the account has blocked you, try to get the link via another Instagram account they have not blocked or ask someone else to get you the link.
Select why you are reporting this content.
Click to supply your original work and select the type of content this is.
Add the direct link to the post on your own instagram account.
Optional: you can add attachments that prove you own the copyrights to this content.
Confirm you have the copyright to this content.
Confirm that you agree.
Add your electronic signature (just type your name).
Submit. And you’re done!
Instagram will send you an email confirming your report.
Instagram will send you an email once they have removed or disabled access to the content. This is usually within 48 hours.

This is what a filled out DMCA form would look like.

What if…

…I want to report a profile picture?

Follow the steps above, except at step 8 you link to the general profile of the person who is using your picture as profile picture. Then in the same field where you put the link, state very clearly that you are NOT reporting the whole account and that you are only reporting the PROFILE PICTURE.

…Instagram does not believe I have the copyright to this content?

It has happened to me several times before that for various reasons, Instagram could not instantly verify I had the copyright to the content I was reporting. For example when I had deleted the content from my own profile, or because the thief had an early unwatermarked version that I deleted from my profile and that I had replaced for a watermarked version on my account.
Do not despair. I have never not been able to get stolen content taken down. If Instagram does not take down your stolen content right away, simply reply to their email with additional proof that it is your copyright.
For example, provide the full resolution photo that is larger in size/crop than what can be found anywhere on the internet, take a photo of your cat in the exact same spot and include a physical note saying your cat belongs to [your name/ig account name], if there are interviews by reputable sources that confirm you are the owner of this cat (account) then link to that, etc. Be creative – if you have the copyright then there are multiple ways to prove it besides providing a link to an instagram post.

General Tips

This does not only apply to Instagram. If you find your content on any other (social media) platform such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, Imgur, you name it: find their DMCA form and fill it out. They all basically work the same way.

It really helps if you watermark your photos. You can do so in a manner that is not visually distracting. The benefits of this are that people can easily identify you as the owner of the photo which means that:
1) Even if credit is not given, they can still find you if they like what they see.
2) People can notify you if they see your content being stolen.
For me, 100% of copyright reports I file are based on someone notifying me of the theft. Often these come from people I do not know, and I am very grateful to them.
3) Instagram can very easily determine that it is your content and if you file a report, the stolen content will be taken down very fast.

If you have a lot of copyright reports to deal with, you can make this more manageable by creating a collection called ‘report’ in your Instagram collections. Simply save all the stolen content to this collection when you see it, and report them when you have time.

Once you’ve found stolen content of yours, it’s very likely that this account does not credit any other content they post either. It would really help if you scan through the feed to see if you can identify the content of others, and if so, notify them. If the person you notified doesn’t know how to report, send them the link to this page (it works in Instagram DMs). This is the only way to put a stop to accounts that repeatedly violate copyright. If they get reported for copyright violations by many individuals, eventually their account will be taken down.

ᐈ Copyright infringement on Instagram

With the spread of the internet, copyright enforcement is getting worse. A frequent violation is the posting of texts, photos, videos and music recordings on social networks that the user does not have the rights to, which causes copyright infringement on Instagram. Using someone else's content without permission happens on all networks, but now let's talk about how to protect copyright on Instagram.

Social networks strive to ensure that users can post their content without fear, and stop theft. You can complain about violators on Instagram, it really works: stolen materials are deleted, accounts of thieves are blocked.

A few words of theory. Copyright arises at the moment of completion of work on an object (photo, article, music). And you can defend it after the public disclosure of the work. When you post a photo to your account, you have copyright on the photo on Instagram. If you post someone else's previously published picture, it will be a direct violation. Quoted from the Instagram Terms of Service (hereinafter referred to as the Terms):

“As always, you own what you post on Instagram. Do not forget that only authentic materials can be published. Do not post anything that you have copied or found on the Internet unless you have the rights to do so. Violation of these policies may result in material removal, account suspension, or other restrictions."

Important information is contained in paragraph 14 of the section "Basic conditions". It states that you can only post photos or videos that the user created himself, or that he has permission to share.

Social networks and copyrights: common problems

Online communication, sharing of information is very common, so copyrights and social networks are very closely related. It is important not to violate on your own and respond in a timely manner if your own interests are violated.

A is violated in this way:

Photos from a blogger are borrowed by another blogger, magazine, website or travel agency, used for illustrations or advertising.
The article is reprinted by the aggregator site, does not indicate authorship, does not provide an active link to the creator.
The watermark from the photo is removed when reprinted (this is a violation of the inviolability of the work).
A clone shop is being created.

Any of these problems Instagram profile complaint would be justified. The most common problem is the accounts of clone stores. The creators of fake and fraudulent pages parasitize on the audience gathered by well-known brands (manufacturers, distributors, retailers). Fake people need to be dealt with. On the one hand, they cause damage to copyright holders who invest in promoting their Instagram pages, promoting goods and attracting an audience. On the other hand, they simply deceive buyers.

If you complain about an Instagram account, the administration of the service will control the removal of infringing materials. In case of repeated violations, the pages of violators are blocked. It happens that they can block an account for one carelessly posted photo.

How not to violate copyright on Instagram

In a nutshell, to use the content you need to have either authorship or permission from the owner. That is, you need:

Publish your author's written, photo, video, music content.
Purchase photo and video content for use from creators or on special stock sites.
Use content that is published under licenses such as Creative Commons or labeled Public Domain.
If the photo or video was created by order, it is obligatory to conclude a written contract for the transfer of rights with the photographer or videographer. Otherwise, the author has the right to dispose of the material at his own discretion.

Permission is granted to quote works. Sure music copyright on Instagram does not imply "citation" of musical works. Unless you can sing a song or play a tune yourself, record it on video. You can post movie frames or clips, publish quotes from other people's texts with a link to the author. But it is necessary to quote accurately, without distortion. On the other hand, even this is not always liked by the authors, sometimes they complain about quoting.

What can be posted on Instagram according to the official rules

The conditions of the social network repeat the theses stated above, in other words. They give simple but effective rules for maintaining your own author account. Clause 4 of the "Rights" section says: "You represent and warrant that:

you own the materials published by you on or through the service, or otherwise have the right to assign the rights and licenses set forth in these terms of use;
The posting and use of your materials on or through the Service does not infringe or misappropriate the rights of any third party, including, but not limited to, the right to privacy, the right of publicity, copyrights, trademarks and/or other rights in intellectual property (…)”

Report copyright infringement on Instagram

For more information on how to report intellectual property infringement, please follow this link. To protect authorship, the Terms provide for the corresponding complaint form on Instagram. If you think you are experiencing infringement (use of music, logo, trademark without permission), you can fill out this form.

Alternatively, email us at [email protected] and we will promptly prepare a copyright infringement request. Be sure to include a detailed description of the claim regarding the situation. An important point: to file a complaint, you do not need to have your own Instagram account.

If you notice plagiarism in social networks , you can contact the violator who posted it yourself. You need to write in Direct (private messages), here you will need an account. This can be done before sending a complaint to the administration of the social network. If after the request the content is not deleted, then the next step is to contact the Insta admins.

Sometimes it takes some time, up to several days, to process a complaint. Do not worry if the administration does not respond immediately - it will definitely respond.

But how many complaints do you need to delete a photo on Instagram ? As a rule, one is enough to have a reaction. However, we often encounter situations when, after blocking, a new account is created, which also continues to use pirated content. In this case, you need to complain again.

How else can you complain

The consequences of complaints from the administration can be different. At first, it may be a warning asking you to delete, for example, a photo posted with copyright infringement. Further, if the content is not removed, the violator's account is blocked.

In addition to complaints on Instagram, you can use legal methods of influence in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine. For example, if goods of your production are displayed in someone else's insta-shop, you can send a document called “Pre-trial claim” to the real address of the violator. This may be followed by a lawsuit.

Complaint sets out evidence of infringement and requests removal of material. Documentation must be legally correct so that it can be considered evidence in court, if necessary. Therefore, it is better to entrust the preparation of a claim to lawyers.

They resort to writing it and going to court if the violation entails serious material and reputational consequences. Instagram often blocks scammers without an official pre-trial claim, only upon complaint. But if the damage is great, then it makes sense to compete in court. Lawyers and advocates of our company will select the most effective legal mechanism to protect your rights on Instagram. Send us an email and we will discuss your situation: [email protected]

Trademark infringement on Instagram

In addition to copyright, frequent violations on Instagram are the use of other people's trademarks. This is especially popular when it comes to creating a clone account for the sale of clearly non-original goods (counterfeit) or services under the guise of a promoted expert.

Instagram's trademark policy complies with the laws of most countries. However, in order to protect your rights, in this case, the fact of the first placement of your logo on your account will not be enough. To do this, you will need to go through the state procedure for registering a trademark and obtain a certificate.

Registration of a trademark is carried out according to the territorial principle, that is, in each country separately or in several countries simultaneously on the basis of International Agreements. In order not to become a victim of fraudsters, it is necessary to register a trademark (trademark), at least in the country of origin of the brand, and as a maximum in all countries where goods are bought or services are provided. Our attorneys carry out registration of trademarks in any country of the world.

Protection of trademarks and copyrights on Instagram is one of the highest priorities in our company. Describe the essence of your problem and send us an email: [email protected] our attorneys will promptly propose a solution strategy.

How to file a copyright complaint on Instagram

01/30/2019 No comments

In continuation of the previous article, I want to tell you what to do if your materials are used without your permission and how to protect yourself.

Instagram copyright complaint

If your content is used without your permission and consent, you have the right to file a complaint. This is done to resolve this issue by removing the material from the violator's page and further (possible) blocking his (violator's) account.

To file a complaint, you need to contact an Instagram agent by completing the form. It is in the link.

Next, a window will open:

The form is as simple as possible to fill out, most likely you will not have any difficulties, just go from one step to the next.

By the way, before submitting a complaint, you can also contact the violator and demand an explanation. Perhaps the problem will be resolved through negotiations, and the matter will be managed without contacting an Instagram agent.

I would like to note that only the author or owner of the materials, or his official representative, can file a complaint about copyright infringement on Instagram. In the event that you have identified copyright infringements, simply report this to the copyright holder, and let him personally draw up a complaint about the violation.

Please note that when you send a complaint, the violator will receive your email address and the text of the complaint itself. If you are an official representative of the author, then you need to indicate the name of the company or organization in the complaint. The violator will also be provided with this data.

How to protect yourself?

So, as you can see, Instagram takes copyright and property licenses very seriously and respectfully. Violation of these rights has consequences.

If you are a general user and want to protect yourself from the serious consequences of infringement, please do not infringe. Before posting on Instagram, carefully make sure that you are doing everything right and do not violate the rights.

To be sure that the materials are unique - just create them yourself.