Copyright or Rule 3? Pick the right lane first
Reddit has two different processes that sound similar, and choosing the right one saves you a rejected report.
- Rule 3 prohibits sharing intimate or sexually explicit media of a person without their permission, including leaked, stolen or privately shared images and fakes. Reddit also says the rule "does not apply to media distributed commercially with the consent of those depicted".
- Copyright. On its Take It Down Act page, Reddit tells commercial adult content creators who want to report the unauthorized sharing of their commercial content to fill out a copyright complaint.
So, in practice: content you sell goes through the copyright form. Images you never sold, such as private photos or fakes, go through the report button under Rule 3, or through Reddit's Take It Down Act form if you are in the US (more on that below).
Before you start: collect the exact links
Reddit's form asks for the exact location of each post or comment. To get it, use the Share button under the post or comment and choose "Copy link". The link should begin with https://www.reddit.com, and Reddit says incorrectly formatted links will not be processed.
- Collect one link per post or comment, not the subreddit or the user profile.
- If the content is in a community or profile icon, avatar or banner, note exactly which element it is. There is a field for that.
- Note the username and subreddit in your own sheet so you can spot repeat posters later.
Filing Reddit's copyright form, field by field
Open Reddit's copyright infringement form (Intellectual property requests, then Copyright Infringement / DMCA). The fields, in order:
- Your email address, a subject and a short description of the issue.
- Copyright owner's full name. Reddit asks for a first and last name or a business name. If you sell through a company, the business name is an option.
- Your full name, if you are filing for someone else. Reddit says it does not accept initials, nicknames, aliases or stage names here.
- Postal address: street, city, state or province, postal code, country.
- What your copyrighted work is, and its title. A plain description works, such as the name of the set and when you published it.
- The Reddit URL where the content appears, copied as described above.
- Additional information. Optional, and worth using: a link to your original (your profile page) and one sentence on what was copied.
- Two required statements: your good-faith belief that the use is not authorized, and a statement under penalty of perjury that the notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act for the copyright owner.
- An acknowledgment about sharing. Reddit says it may share basic information about your notice, such as the copyright owner's name, a description of the alleged violation and an email address, with the reported user on request. It suggests a business email address, or having an authorized representative file for you, if that is a concern.
- Your electronic signature: your typed full name, which must exactly match the names you entered at the top of the form.
What happens next
According to Reddit's copyright overview, when it receives a valid notice it removes the content, notifies the user who posted it, and confirms the removal with you.
- Repeat posters. Reddit says that, in appropriate circumstances, it bans accounts that repeatedly violate its copyright policy.
- Whole communities. Reddit says it may ban subreddits after multiple removals, or where a subreddit is clearly dedicated to sharing violating content. Its advice for reporting a community is to report specific posts that are good examples of the problem, rather than the community as a whole.
- Appeals. The poster can appeal within six months of the removal message, so keep your proof of ownership.
Where moderators fit
Each community has its own moderators, and you can reach them through mod mail with the "Message the mods" link in the community sidebar (or "Message moderators" in the app menu). Reddit asks for a clear, concise and respectful message, and notes that replies can take a while in large communities.
A short note to the mods with the post links can get content removed under the community's own rules. It does not replace the copyright notice, which is filed with Reddit itself through the form above. Use mod mail as an extra step, not instead.
Why naming leak sites in the comments backfires
It is tempting to reply under the post: "this is stolen from my page, it is also on noodleek.to, report it". That comment tells readers where to find more, keeps the thread active, and becomes one more public, searchable page connecting your name to the leak. Arguing with the poster adds to it. Report quietly, let the form do the work, and keep the details for the notice.
If it is not content you sold
- Use the report button on the post or comment and report it under Reddit's rule on non-consensual intimate media. Reddit's guide on reporting a post or comment shows where it is on the website and in the app.
- In the US, Reddit has a separate Take It Down Act form. Reddit says a valid request needs a contact email, your full legal signature and a direct link to the content.
- StopNCII. Reddit says it uses StopNCII.org, the hashing tool for adults whose intimate images were shared without consent. See our guide to StopNCII and the Take It Down Act.
- Threats to share images, or requests for them, are reported with the report button next to the message or post.