Got a copyright notice from your internet provider?

How a notice reaches you

When you download a torrent, your client also uploads to other peers, and they can all see your IP address. Rights holders hire monitoring firms that join swarms for their films, music or software and record the IP addresses sharing them, with the time. The Electronic Frontier Foundation describes the process: the rights holder reports the address to the internet provider that owns it, and the provider passes a notice to the account holder using that address. At that stage, the rights holder doesn't receive your name or street address.

The notice goes to the account holder, which may not be the person who downloaded the file. Anyone on your Wi-Fi uses the same public IP address.

In the US: DMCA notices forwarded by your ISP

Most US notices relate to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. To keep the law's safe harbor, internet providers must adopt, apply and tell subscribers about a policy for terminating the accounts of repeat infringers "in appropriate circumstances" (17 U.S.C. § 512(i)). Forwarding notices and warning customers is part of how providers show they have such a policy. A forwarded notice is usually a warning. It isn't a lawsuit and it isn't a fine.

For nearly four years until January 2017, major providers ran the Copyright Alert System, or "six strikes", with the movie and music industries. It sent escalating alerts, and the last stages could include slowing the connection. The Center for Copyright Information ended it in January 2017, PCWorld reported. Providers still handle repeat infringers under their own policies, which can include ending your account.

In March 2026, the Supreme Court ruled in Cox Communications v. Sony Music Entertainment that an internet provider isn't contributorily liable just because it knew some subscribers infringed and kept serving them. That changes the pressure on providers. It doesn't change the law for subscribers who share files.

In the US: settlement letters and lawsuits

Some rights holders go further. They file a lawsuit against unnamed "John Doe" defendants identified only by IP address, then ask the court to order the provider to reveal the account holders. In 2015, film companies did this against alleged Popcorn Time users in Oregon. Statutory damages can reach $30,000 per work, or $150,000 if willful, so these cases often lead to settlement offers for much less. If your provider tells you it has received a subpoena for your details, that's a serious step. Speak to a lawyer quickly, and note any date the provider gives you.

In the United Kingdom

Copyright infringement can be both a civil and a criminal matter under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Since the Digital Economy Act 2017, the maximum sentence for infringing online by communicating a work to the public is ten years, where the person knows or has reason to believe they're infringing and either intends to make money or knows it will cause the owner a loss or risk of loss. UK courts have also ordered major providers to block piracy sites since 2012. If you receive a letter demanding payment, from a rights holder or a law firm, don't ignore it and don't pay until a solicitor or advice service has looked at it.

In Germany: the Abmahnung

In Germany, file sharing usually leads to an Abmahnung: a formal warning letter from the rights holder's lawyer to the internet account holder. It typically asks you to sign a cease-and-desist declaration (Unterlassungserklärung) backed by a contractual penalty, and to pay damages and the lawyer's fees, by a deadline.

• The law sets rules for the letter. Section 97a of the Copyright Act (UrhG) says a warning must clearly name the sender, identify the infringement precisely, and itemize the money claimed. A warning that doesn't meet these rules is void.
• Fees are capped for private individuals. For a first warning to a private person not using the works commercially, the value used to calculate the lawyer's fees is capped at €1,000, unless that would be unfair in the specific case. The cap doesn't cover damages.
• You can recover costs if the warning was wrong. If a warning is unjustified or void, the recipient can claim back the costs of defending against it.
• Don't sign the enclosed declaration unchanged. Stiftung Warentest's consumer guide (2014) quotes a lawyer advising people not to sign in a panic. The pre-written declaration usually favors the sender, and a lawyer can narrow it, especially the fee and penalty terms.
• Don't ignore it. The same guide warns that ignoring a warning can lead to court proceedings with much higher costs. It also reported that demands were often negotiable.

What to do if you get a notice

1. Check that it's genuine Contact your provider using the details on its own website or your bill, not those in the email or letter. Be suspicious of any message that asks for card details or pushes you to click a payment link.
2. Read it carefully and note the deadline Note the work named, the date and time, the IP address, who sent it and what it asks you to do. Keep copies.
3. Stop the sharing Find the torrent named and remove it from your client, and ask others on your network. Check that nothing on your network is still seeding it.
4. Don't pay or sign straight away A forwarded US warning usually needs no reply. A demand for money, a settlement offer or a cease-and-desist declaration needs legal advice first, so you know what you'd be agreeing to.
5. Never ignore court papers or legal deadlines If you receive a court document, or your provider says it has received a subpoena, act before the deadline. Missing it can mean the case goes ahead without you.
6. Get advice In the US, a lawyer who handles copyright cases. In Germany, a lawyer for copyright (Urheberrecht) or a Verbraucherzentrale consumer advice center. In the UK, a solicitor or an advice service such as Citizens Advice.
7. Switch to legal sources See legal torrent sources and legal free streaming sites.

Will a VPN prevent this?

A VPN hides your traffic from your internet provider and shows peers the VPN's address. It doesn't make copyright infringement legal, and it doesn't resolve a notice you've already received. Tunnelcheck doesn't give advice on avoiding copyright enforcement. For the law by country, see is torrenting illegal?