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Helping Creators Protect Their Content

Last updated October 2026

Creators own the content they make, and copying or sharing it without permission is prohibited on PlayHouse. This page explains who owns content on PlayHouse, what to do if your content appears on PlayHouse without your permission, and the steps you can take yourself if it appears on another website.

  1. Who owns content on PlayHouse?
  2. Can Fans download or share content they paid for?
  3. My content is on PlayHouse without my permission
  4. I think my content was wrongly removed
  5. My content is on another website
  6. How do I send a DMCA notice myself?
  7. What other legal options do I have?
  8. How can I make my content harder to steal?

Who owns content on PlayHouse?

Creators own the content they post on PlayHouse, or hold the rights to it. By posting, a Creator grants PlayHouse a license to host, display and make the content available to the Fans who are entitled to see it, as set out in our Terms of Service. PlayHouse does not claim ownership of Creators' content.

Can Fans download or share content they paid for?

No. When a Fan pays for a subscription, a post or a message, they are paying for access to view that content on PlayHouse. They do not own it. Downloading, recording, copying, sharing or redistributing content from PlayHouse without the Creator's permission is a breach of our Acceptable Use Policy, and may lead to the account being banned. It may also infringe the Creator's copyright.

My content is on PlayHouse without my permission

If someone has posted your copyrighted content on PlayHouse, send us a copyright takedown notice using our copyright takedown form. You do not need a PlayHouse account. You can also send a notice to our designated Copyright Agent; the contact details are in our DMCA and Copyright Policy. When we receive a valid notice, we act promptly to remove or disable access to the content and tell the account holder about the claim. We keep a record of the valid notices against each account, and we terminate the accounts of repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances.

If the content is intimate content of you, whether or not you own the copyright, you do not need to rely on copyright law. Use our intimate image removal form (no account needed), or sign in and use Report leaked content or impersonation. We remove intimate images shared without consent within 48 hours of a valid request. See Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery and Consent.

If someone is pretending to be you, sign in and use Report leaked content or impersonation and choose Someone is impersonating me.

I think my content was wrongly removed

If your content was removed because of a copyright notice and you believe that was a mistake, or that you have the right to use the material, you can send a counter-notice using our counter-notice form. As the DMCA provides, we will send your counter-notice to the person who made the original complaint, and we will restore the content within the period the DMCA sets unless they tell us they have started a court action against you (or the content breaks our other rules). See our DMCA and Copyright Policy for what a counter-notice must include.

A notice or counter-notice is a legal document. Under US law (17 U.S.C. §512(f)), a person who knowingly makes a false claim in one can be liable for damages.

My content is on another website

PlayHouse can only remove content from PlayHouse, and we do not send takedown notices to other websites on Creators' behalf. If your content has been copied to another website, you can take action yourself, and many sites remove infringing content quickly when they receive a valid notice.

  1. Record the evidence. Note the address (URL) of each page showing your content, and the date. Keep a copy of your original file and anything that shows you created it, such as the original post on PlayHouse.
  2. Report it to the website. Most websites have a copyright or DMCA reporting form or a designated agent. US-based services usually list their agent in the US Copyright Office's DMCA Designated Agent Directory.
  3. Report it to the host. If the website does not respond, you can send a notice to the company that hosts it. You can often find the host and the domain registrar with a lookup tool such as ICANN Lookup.
  4. Ask search engines to remove the link. Search engines such as Google and Bing accept copyright removal requests, so infringing pages stop appearing in search results. Google also accepts requests to remove non-consensual intimate images of you from its search results.

Some websites ignore takedown notices. If that happens, you may want to consider the legal options below or speak to a lawyer.

How do I send a DMCA notice myself?

Under US law (17 U.S.C. §512(c)(3)), a takedown notice must be in writing and include:

  1. your physical or electronic signature (or that of someone authorized to act for you);
  2. identification of your copyrighted work (for example, a link to your original post);
  3. identification of the infringing material and enough information for the service to find it, ideally its URL;
  4. your contact information: name, address, telephone number and email address;
  5. a statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorized by you, your agent or the law; and
  6. a statement that the information in the notice is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act for the owner.

Websites outside the United States may not be bound by the DMCA, but many still act on these notices, and most countries protect copyright under international treaties. In the European Union, online platforms must provide a way to report illegal content, including copyright infringement, under the Digital Services Act (Article 16), and you can use that route to notify them.

  • United States: the Copyright Claims Board, set up by the CASE Act, is a voluntary, lower-cost alternative to federal court for copyright claims worth up to US$30,000 in total. You do not need a lawyer and do not have to appear in person. You must have registered your work, or applied to register it, with the US Copyright Office, and the other side can choose to opt out. Registration is also generally required before you can sue for infringement of a US work in federal court.
  • United Kingdom: the small claims track of the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) hears copyright claims worth up to £10,000.
  • European Union: the European Small Claims Procedure can be used for cross-border claims within the EU worth up to €5,000, through your local court.
  • Elsewhere: most countries have courts or procedures for copyright claims. A local lawyer or legal aid service can advise you.

This information is general guidance, not legal advice.

How can I make my content harder to steal?

  • Turn on a watermark for your content in your PlayHouse settings, so that your username appears on your photos and videos. It makes copies easier to trace and to prove are yours.
  • Keep your original, full-quality files and the dates you created them.
  • Consider registering important works with the copyright office in your country, where one exists.