Removing what infringes your rights
Finding an infringing site is only useful if it can be stopped. Most content online depends on several intermediaries: the person who published it, the company that hosts it, the platform or marketplace that displays it, and the registrar and the registry of its domain. Each of them has its own rules for removing content that infringes a trademark or a copyright, and our legal department knows which one to address and how.
The cease-and-desist letter
When the owner of the site or the account can be identified, a formal letter is often the fastest path. It sets out your rights, describes the infringement and asks for it to stop by a set date. Many infringers act in good faith or do not want a dispute, and comply.
Notices to intermediaries
- Hosts usually have a procedure to remove pages that infringe a trademark or a copyright once they receive a documented notice.
- Platforms and marketplaces have their own procedures for impersonating accounts, counterfeit listings and copied content.
- Registrars and registries can suspend a domain used for phishing or fraud, under their terms and the policies of the extension.
How Domgate handles it
We assess each case with you: your rights, the infringement, and who can act on it. We then prepare the evidence, send the letter or the notices, follow up with each intermediary and keep you informed until the content is removed. When removing the content is not enough, because the domain itself reproduces your trademark, we recover the domain through our domain recovery service.
What you provide
- Proof of your rights: trademark registrations, or evidence of the copyright in the copied content.
- The addresses of the infringing pages, sites or accounts, and anything you already know about them.
- Your authorisation for us to act on your behalf.
Who it is for
Brand owners facing counterfeit shops, phishing pages or impersonation, and registrars and law firms who need a partner for the takedowns of their clients. Cease-and-desist letters are part of the corporate services our reseller partners can offer.
Takedowns: frequent questions
What is the difference between a takedown and a domain recovery?
A takedown removes the content: the page, the site or the account. A domain recovery transfers the domain itself to you, through an amicable agreement or a dispute procedure such as the UDRP. When the domain reproduces your trademark, the two are often combined.
Do I need a registered trademark?
It makes every request stronger, and most platforms ask for it. A copyright in the copied content, such as the texts or pictures of your site, can also support a request.
Can you act against content hosted in another country?
Yes. Most hosts and platforms accept notices from rights holders in any country. The procedure and the evidence required depend on each of them, and we prepare them accordingly.
