It’s every model’s worst nightmare. (Or, at least top five) Your content has been pirated and it’s… everywhere.
Maybe you find it when browsing a tube site. Maybe a peer lets you know. Regardless, it’s awful. Someone has screengrabbed or recored one of your broadcasts — obviously without permission — and uploaded to a website. In a worst-case scenario, that stolen content could also have personal information attached to it.
This is, unfortunately, an extremely common issue in the cam community. It’s just too easy for pirates to steal content, even when using ultra-exclusive paysites or personal websites with strict paywalls. And what’s worse, many cam thieves will use this content to ruin a model’s personal life or make money off of content that doesn’t belong to them.
And though many say piracy simply “comes with the territory,” there are certainly ways to fight it. One method of getting your stolen content removed and holding the uploaders accountable involves DMCA takedown services.
Using a Mainstream DMCA Takedown Service
It may seem relatively easy to directly file a case with the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) website. In fact, the site itself claims: “DMCA .com and Digital Millennium Copyright Act Services can provide Takedown Notices for adult content. If you own the rights to the content we can get it taken down. We also provide special discounted Takedown pricing for content owners and publishers that are experiencing multiple copyright infractions.” This is a significantly risky choice, however, as a sex worker.
If you choose to file DMCA takedown notices yourself, you have to state who owns the content. This could get dicey depending on how you have your business set up. Do you, as in “Legal Name You” own your content, or does your business entity own it? This information legally needs to be included in the takedown notice if you’re filing a case yourself, which may open the door to access to your legal name and contact information.
So, what’s the solution for a content creator who wants their property removed from free-for-all piracy outlets but doesn’t want to risk all the potential privacy issues that come from submitting DMCA’s yourself? The answer may be to utilize an industry-specific DMCA takedown service. There are quite a few in the industry, including ones that specializing in working with cam models specifically.
Is using a takedown service worth it?
You still might be wondering, “If I can do this myself — and you just said I could — why would I pay someone to do it for me?” The main factors here are privacy and expertise, making the short answer “yes.”
When you work with a takedown service, you grant them permission to act in your stead, which helps protect your personal information. And realistically, this is kind of like a “stay in your lane” kind of thing when it comes to expertise. We all have areas of work expertise, and for piracy takedown services, well, their’s is getting this stuff removed. Just like changing the oil in your car, you could certainly learn how to do it. Heck, you could even get perfect at it. But it also might be more streamlined to hire a professional, leaving you open to doing what it is that you do best.
Sometimes, a paysite will have its own DMCA takedown service available. If you believe your content has been stolen from a paysite, get in touch with the company ASAP. They may be able to handle the situation for you.
It is important to remember though that, in this type of situation, the paysite may actually have ownership over the content you created on their platform, not you. In a case like this, they will actually have to move forward with the takedown. Even though it’s your image, you don’t necessarily own what you are featured in.
Industry-Based, Cam Specific Takedown Service Providers to Check Out
There are several great platforms out there for DMCA takedowns, but these two have made waves in the cam model community recently.
Rulta: Rulta is an adult-friendly DMCA takedown service with a host of automated tools designed to take down illegal copies of content, send takedown notices and alert Google of stolen content that is showing up in search results.
Rulta is a popular option among online sex workers because the platform is very easy to use and relatively inexpensive when compared to other top-tier DMCA takedown services. Just as well, Rulta is speedy in their takedown process. With over 18,000 websites crawled on a daily basis and a whopping 2 billion infringements in their database, Rulta may be worth looking into.
See the potential of your live show after Rulta removes your pirated content! 💪
#cammodel #cammodels #onlyfans #camgirl #webcamgirl #chaturbate #myfreecams #manyvids #myfreecamsgirl pic.twitter.com/H1C3M22B7a— Rulta – Copyright protection for Cam Models (@Rultacom) May 17, 2020
This platform was designed specifically for cam models who want their stolen content located and removed as quickly as possible. As with Rulta, Cam Model Protection will remove illegal downloads, any stolen videos that are uploaded to tubesites and even search engine results.
This service is also boasted as “the only DMCA takedown service that has been able to successfully remove Upstore links, which are next to impossible to take offline.” Cam Model Protection takes care of virtually everything involved and you don’t have to worry about a thing.
The services offered are quite pricey, with the most popular plan running about $269 per month. However, when you consider how much content is stolen from cam models regularly, it really doesn’t seem like a hefty investment.
In the last week @cammodelprotect has removed 392 of my stolen links, videos and photos from the internet!!
I will never run my business without them again!https://t.co/9bkWvqHq5G
— JessieMinxxx.com (@JessieMinx) June 18, 2020
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Em Casalena is a queer sex positive writer and professional protective mom friend. Email them at em@ynotcam.com.
Background header image via Unsplash here.
