Glossary · Marketing and platform
Piracy
The unauthorized copying and distribution of paid content on third-party sites, in forums or groups, without the consent of the rights holders.
The reproduction and distribution of content that is normally accessible only in exchange for payment, without the permission of the rights holders. For performers, this specifically means that images and videos from subscriptions, individual purchases or commissioned productions end up for free on third-party sites, in forums or in messenger groups.
Where the copies come from
Most copies do not come from hacking attacks, but from paying customers. Someone takes out a subscription, downloads everything and uploads it elsewhere, sometimes for free, sometimes in exchange for money. Shared login details, screen recordings of livestreams and the forwarding of individual commissioned videos are also factors.
Piracy must be distinguished from a leak in the narrower sense, in which private recordings that were never intended for publication are distributed. The steps are similar, but the emotional strain and the legal options are different.
What it costs you
Financially, you lose income because content that is circulating for free is harder to sell. The loss of control is often more serious: material that you intended for a paying, verified audience is suddenly visible to everyone, including people in your personal circle. Anyone working anonymously loses the most protection here. The strain that can result is real; the article Taking psychological strain seriously names places to turn to.
Who enforces the rights
For content that you produced yourself, you are generally the rights holder and can take action yourself. For material from commissioned shoots, the usage rights usually belong to the production company. It is then the party that takes action against the distribution; inform it as soon as you notice a find. Your right to your own image and your personal rights remain unaffected alongside this.
Proceed step by step
- Document. Record the page address, screenshot, date and time before reporting anything.
- Report. Send a removal request to the site operator or host. The entry on Takedown explains how this works; for providers based in the USA, the DMCA complaint is the usual route.
- Search engines. You can also request the removal of results that refer to infringing content.
- Close the source. If a watermark makes it possible to identify which customer account the copy came from, block the account and report it to the platform.
There are service providers that handle searching and reporting commercially. Check the costs and contract term carefully, and do not pay large sums upfront to providers that promise complete deletion; no one can guarantee that.
Preventing it without fooling yourself
A watermark, originals dated in your own archive and a conscious decision about what you publish at all are the most effective measures. Piracy cannot be prevented entirely. Assume with every publication that it may eventually also be visible outside the platform, and decide on that basis which content you offer and whether your face is recognizable in it. If blackmail is also involved, the article Leaks and blackmail can help. This classification does not replace legal advice.
An open question about this?
Terms explain the what, but not always how it applies to your own situation. If you want to know what this specifically means for you, ask us — it does not have to become an application. Many answers can already be found in the frequently asked questions.