How to File a DMCA Takedown on AWS (2026 Guide)

What Is a DMCA Takedown on AWS?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world's largest cloud infrastructure provider. When someone hosts a website, application, or file storage system on AWS and uses it to distribute your copyrighted content without permission, you can file a DMCA takedown notice directly with AWS.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), passed in 1998, created a notice-and-takedown system that allows copyright owners to request the removal of infringing content from online service providers. AWS participates in this system under Section 512 of Title 17 of the U.S. Code.

Unlike filing a DMCA notice with a social media platform, filing with AWS requires understanding that AWS is an infrastructure layer — not the content owner or publisher. This distinction matters for how you write and send your notice.

How AWS Differs From Social Media Platforms for DMCA Purposes

When you file a DMCA notice with YouTube, Facebook, or TikTok, you are targeting the platform that directly hosts and serves your content to end users. Those platforms use the Section 512(c) safe harbor, which covers user-generated content stored on the service provider's systems.

AWS operates differently. It provides raw infrastructure — compute, storage, and networking — that website owners use to build and run their own services. Depending on how AWS is used, it may qualify under different safe harbor provisions:

• Section 512(a) covers transitory digital network communications. This applies when AWS acts as a passive conduit, simply routing data from one point to another without storing or selecting it.
• Section 512(c) covers storage of information at the direction of users. This applies when AWS (through services like S3 or EC2) stores the infringing content at a user's direction.

In practice, most DMCA takedown requests against AWS-hosted content fall under Section 512(c), because the infringing content is stored on AWS infrastructure (such as an EC2 instance or S3 bucket) even though AWS did not create or select it.

This matters because it affects what action AWS can actually take. AWS cannot edit or delete content on a customer's server — it can only contact the customer or, in serious cases, suspend the account.

How to Identify If Content Is Hosted on AWS

Before filing a DMCA notice with AWS, confirm that the infringing content is actually hosted on AWS infrastructure. Filing with the wrong provider wastes time.

Step 1: Run a DNS lookup. Use a tool like nslookup or an online WHOIS tool to find the IP address associated with the domain hosting the infringing content.

Step 2: Check the IP against AWS's published ranges. AWS publicly maintains a full list of its IP address ranges at ip-ranges.amazonaws.com/ip-ranges.json, as documented in AWS VPC documentation. If the server's IP falls within an AWS range, the site is AWS-hosted.

Step 3: Look for AWS-specific domain patterns. Domains ending in .amazonaws.com, .cloudfront.net, or .awsapps.com are operated directly on AWS infrastructure.

Step 4: Check WHOIS registration. A WHOIS lookup on the IP address will often return Amazon Technologies Inc. or Amazon Data Services as the registrant, confirming AWS hosting.

If the website uses Cloudflare as a proxy in front of AWS, the IP you find may belong to Cloudflare, not AWS. In that case, you may need to file a DMCA takedown with Cloudflare as well.

AWS's DMCA Safe Harbor and Obligations

AWS qualifies for DMCA safe harbor protection under Section 512 of the Copyright Act, which limits its liability for copyright infringement committed by its customers. To maintain this protection, AWS must:

• Respond expeditiously to valid DMCA notices by removing or disabling access to infringing content
• Have a policy for terminating accounts of repeat infringers
• Accommodate standard technological measures used to protect copyrighted works
• Not receive a financial benefit directly attributable to the infringing activity when it has the ability to control it

AWS meets these requirements through its Acceptable Use Policy and its designated DMCA agent. As noted in the U.S. Copyright Office's Section 512 resources, service providers that comply with these conditions are shielded from monetary damages, though courts can still issue injunctions.

AWS's Acceptable Use Policy and Copyright

The AWS Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) prohibits illegal, harmful, or offensive use of AWS services. It explicitly states that AWS respects the intellectual property of others and that AWS customers may not use AWS services to infringe copyrights.

Violations of the AUP can result in immediate account suspension or termination, which gives AWS a separate enforcement mechanism beyond the DMCA notice-and-takedown process. In cases involving clearly illegal content or systematic infringement, citing the AUP violation alongside the DMCA notice can strengthen your request.

Under the AWS Site Terms, AWS has designated an agent to receive notifications of copyright infringement, satisfying one of the key requirements for DMCA safe harbor eligibility.

Step-by-Step: How to File a DMCA Takedown Notice with AWS

Follow these steps carefully. Missing required elements will cause AWS to reject or delay your notice.

Step 1: Gather Evidence of Infringement

Before writing your notice, collect:

• The exact URL(s) where the infringing content appears
• Screenshots or screen recordings of the content
• A description of your original copyrighted work and proof of ownership (registration certificate, publication records, or other documentation)
• The date you first discovered the infringement

Keep copies of all evidence. If the content is later taken down or moved, you will need this documentation for any follow-up action.

Step 2: Draft Your DMCA Notice

Your notice must comply with the statutory requirements under 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3). It must include:

1. Identification of the copyrighted work — Describe what you own. If multiple works are affected, you may provide a representative list.
2. Identification of the infringing material — Provide the specific URLs where the infringing content is located. Be precise.
3. Your contact information — Full name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address.
4. A good-faith belief statement — "I have a good-faith belief that the use of the material described above is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law."
5. An accuracy statement under penalty of perjury — "I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in this notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner or authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner."
6. Your signature — A physical or electronic signature. Your full typed name is generally accepted as an electronic signature.

You can use the free DMCA takedown notice builder to generate a properly formatted notice.

Step 3: Send the Notice to AWS

Send your completed notice by email to:

trustandsafety@support.aws.com

Critical submission rules per AWS re:Post guidance:

• Write everything in the body of the email — plain text only
• Do not attach documents, PDFs, or screenshots — AWS's team will not open attachments under any circumstances
• Include all required DMCA elements directly in the email body
• You do not need to provide a physical (wet ink) signature — a typed full name is sufficient

Step 4: Receive Acknowledgment

After submitting your notice, AWS will send an automated acknowledgment email confirming receipt. If AWS needs more information to process your notice, their team will follow up by email.

What Happens After AWS Receives Your DMCA Notice?

If your notice is complete and valid and the reported content is confirmed to be on AWS infrastructure, AWS will act expeditiously. According to AWS's DMCA submission guidance, this process involves:

1. AWS contacts its customer. AWS forwards notice of the complaint to the account holder running the infringing content. AWS provides the customer with a copy of the original complaint and your contact information.
2. The customer is directed to remove or disable the content. The AWS customer is responsible for taking down the infringing material from their own servers.
3. AWS does not delete content directly. Because the content lives on the customer's allocated infrastructure, AWS typically requires the customer to act rather than deleting files on the customer's behalf. In serious cases or repeat infringement, AWS may suspend or terminate the account.

AWS does not publicly specify an exact number of days for resolution, but is legally required to act "expeditiously" under Section 512. For complex cases, expect the process to take several business days to a few weeks.

Counter-Notification Process for AWS-Hosted Content

If you are the AWS customer whose content was removed following a DMCA notice, you have the right to file a counter-notice under 17 U.S.C. § 512(g).

Send your counter-notice to AWS at the same address: trustandsafety@support.aws.com

Your counter-notice must include, per AWS's counter-notice guidance:

• Your full name, address, and telephone number
• A description of the removed content and its location before removal
• A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief the content was removed due to mistake or misidentification
• A statement consenting to the jurisdiction of the federal district court for your address
• Your signature

After AWS receives a valid counter-notice, it will forward the counter-notice to the original complainant. The complainant then has 10–14 business days to notify AWS that they have filed a lawsuit. If no lawsuit notification is received within that window, AWS may take steps to restore the content.

Important: Filing a false counter-notice exposes you to civil liability under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f). Only file a counter-notice if you genuinely believe the original takedown was mistaken.

When to Contact AWS vs. the Website Owner Directly

Filing a DMCA notice with AWS is not always the most efficient first step. Consider these factors:

Contact the website owner first if:

• The website owner's contact information is readily available (e.g., a WHOIS-listed email or a contact page)
• The infringement appears to be an honest mistake
• A direct takedown request is faster than waiting for AWS's process

File with AWS directly if:

• The website owner is unresponsive or cannot be identified
• The website owner has refused to take down the content
• The infringement is commercial or systematic in nature
• The content is hosted on an S3 bucket or other AWS-controlled service where there is no identifiable website owner

In many cases, filing simultaneously with both the website owner and AWS is the most effective strategy.

Tips for a Successful DMCA Takedown on AWS

These practical steps increase the likelihood of a fast, successful outcome:

• Be precise with URLs. Vague descriptions ("my content is on their website") will delay processing. Provide exact URLs to the specific infringing files or pages.
• Write in plain text. Rich formatting, HTML, or attachments will not be read by AWS's trust and safety team.
• One notice per infringement campaign. If the same infringer has multiple URLs, you can list all URLs in a single notice rather than sending multiple emails.
• Keep records. Save copies of your sent notice and all correspondence with AWS. You will need these if the matter escalates to litigation.
• Include your real contact information. False or incomplete contact details invalidate your notice and may expose you to legal liability.
• Reference the AUP if applicable. If the infringement also clearly violates AWS's Acceptable Use Policy (e.g., the site is running a piracy operation), mentioning this alongside your DMCA notice may prompt faster action.

Can You Go to Jail for Copyright Infringement on AWS?

Yes. Criminal copyright infringement under 17 U.S.C. § 506 can result in imprisonment of up to five years and fines up to $250,000 for a first offense involving willful infringement for commercial advantage or private financial gain.

Additionally, willfully altering or removing Copyright Management Information (CMI) under 17 U.S.C. § 1202 carries its own criminal penalties.

Civil penalties for copyright infringement can reach $150,000 per work for willful infringement under 17 U.S.C. § 504.

Other DMCA Takedown Processes

AWS | Cloudflare | Discord | Etsy | Facebook | Google | YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Wikipedia | XVideos

Need to generate a compliant DMCA notice? Use the free DMCA Takedown Notice Builder.

Sources and References

• 17 U.S.C. § 512 — Limitations on Liability Relating to Material Online — Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute
• The Digital Millennium Copyright Act — U.S. Copyright Office
• Section 512 of Title 17: Resources on Online Service Provider Safe Harbors — U.S. Copyright Office
• Submit a DMCA Notice to AWS — AWS re:Post
• Provide a Counter-Notice to a DMCA Notice — AWS re:Post
• AWS Acceptable Use Policy — Amazon Web Services
• AWS Site Terms — Amazon Web Services
• AWS IP Address Ranges — AWS Documentation