Guide

How to remove a pirated course from Google search results

Updated October 14, 2026 · 7 minute read

To remove a pirated copy of your course from Google, file a copyright removal request (a DMCA notice) through Google's legal removal form, listing the exact URLs of the pirate pages and a link to your real course. Google reviews each URL and, if it agrees, drops that page from its search results. That stops buyers finding the copy through Google, but the file itself stays online until the site, its host or the file host removes it, so do both.

Why Google is the first place to act

Most people who end up with a pirated course did not go looking on a torrent tracker. They typed your course name plus "free download" into Google and clicked the first result that promised a copy. Remove those results and you cut off the casual traffic, which is the traffic most likely to have bought instead.

That matches the best research we have. A study of ebooks protected by a monitoring and takedown service found legal sales rose by more than 14 percent, and that most of the gain came from stopping casual infringement rather than professional piracy (Reimers, 2016). No one has studied courses specifically, so treat that as a guide, not a promise.

Google also says that when a site receives a large number of valid copyright removal requests, it can demote that site's other pages in search. Every valid notice you file adds to that signal.

What to prepare before you file

Gather this first. The form goes much faster when you have it in one document.

Your contact details. Name, company if you have one, email and mailing address. Use a business email and address if you can, because notices are published (see below).
A short description of the work. For example: "Cinematic Color Grading Masterclass, a video course of 42 lessons created and sold by Jane Doe Films."
A link to the original. Your sales page or course page, so the reviewer can see the authorized version.
The infringing URLs. The exact address of each pirate page, one per line. Not the site's home page: Google needs the specific page that offers your course.
A quick check of each URL. Open every page and confirm it really offers your course. Skip pages that only review or mention it, and leave out your affiliates, resellers and partners.

Do not download the pirated files to check them. The page text, title, screenshots and listed file names are enough evidence, and pirate downloads often carry malware.

Step by step: filing the Google removal request

Go to Google's Report content for legal reasons page, or start from the legal removal troubleshooter. You may be asked to sign in to a Google account.
Choose Google Search as the product. If the copy is on another Google product, such as a Google Drive link or a Blogger page, file a separate notice for that product.
Follow the prompts for a copyright issue and confirm you are the copyright owner or authorized to act for the owner. This leads to the copyright removal form for web search. The exact wording of the menus changes from time to time.
Fill in your contact details.
Describe the copyrighted work and add the link to your original course page.
Paste the infringing URLs, one per line. Group them by product: one notice per course keeps each request clear.
Read the sworn statements, check the boxes and sign by typing your name. You are stating, under penalty of perjury, that you are authorized to act and that the information is accurate.
Submit. Google emails a confirmation, and later an outcome for each URL.

Repeat this for Bing using Microsoft's Report to Bing form. It asks for much the same information and gives you a reference number and a status page.

What happens after you submit

Google reviews each URL on its own. Some may be removed and others declined, for example if the page could not be found, the information was incomplete or the use looked like fair use. Its transparency report FAQ says the average processing time for web form requests in Search is about six hours, though it varies with how complete the request is.

Three things to expect:

Your notice becomes public. Google sends copies of requests to Lumen, a Harvard Berkman Klein Center project, and links to them from the search results in place of removed pages. Your name and the URLs you reported can appear there, which is why a business identity is worth using.
The site owner can push back. They can file a counter-notice if they believe the removal was a mistake. Pirate sites rarely do, because a counter-notice requires a real name, address and consent to a US court.
New URLs need new notices. The removal covers only the URLs you listed. If the site reposts your course at a new address, you need to report the new one.

Remove it at the source too

Delisting hides the page from Google. To take the copy itself down, work back through the chain.

The file host. Most pirate pages are just a landing page with links to Mega, Rapidgator, Google Drive or similar. Send a notice to that file host with the exact file link. One file removal breaks every page that links to it, so this is often the most useful step.
The website's host. Look up the domain with ICANN Lookup to find its registrar, then look up the site's IP address to find who hosts it. US hosts usually list a DMCA agent in the Copyright Office directory.
Cloudflare, if the site sits behind it. Cloudflare does not host most of the sites it protects, so it will not remove the page, but its abuse form forwards copyright complaints to the real host and gives you the host's contact details.

Be realistic about this last part. Many pirate sites use offshore hosts that ignore notices, and some repost within days. For those sites, keep the Google and Bing delistings and the file host notices going and do not bother writing to the site operator. Never threaten anyone or demand payment. Our DMCA takedown notice guide has a template you can adapt for hosts and file hosts.

Keep it from coming back

Search for your course name with words like "free download", "torrent", "mega" and "course free" every week, and every day for the first month after a launch or sale, when piracy peaks. File each new URL as you find it. If that is more searching than you have time for, get a free piracy report and we will show you what is out there for your course right now.

Want us to find them for you?

Tell us your course and we'll send a free piracy report with every pirated copy we find, within 2 business days.

Get your free piracy report

Questions

Does removing a page from Google delete the pirated course?

No. It removes the page from Google's search results only. The page and the file stay online until the website, its hosting company or the file host removes them, so send notices to those as well.

How long does Google take to remove a pirated page?

Google says its average processing time for copyright requests submitted through the web form for Search is about six hours. Individual requests can take longer, and some URLs may be declined.

Can I report the whole pirate website?

No. Google's form needs the exact URLs of the pages that infringe your work. List each page that offers your course rather than the home page.

Will the pirate site see my name?

Possibly. Google sends copies of notices to the Lumen database, and your name and the reported URLs can appear there. Use a business name, a role email address and a business mailing address.

What if the course is reposted at a new URL?

Report the new URL with a new request. Each removal covers only the URLs listed, so ongoing searching matters, especially right after a launch.

Do I need a lawyer to file a Google copyright request?

No. Copyright owners and their authorized agents can file it themselves. If you are unsure whether something infringes, for example a review that quotes your course, ask a lawyer before filing, because knowingly false notices can create legal liability.