Does a DMCA counter-notice expose my address?
Short answer: yes. A DMCA counter-notification under section 512(g) requires your name and a physical address, and the platform passes that to the person who filed the original complaint. This is not a quirk of any one platform — it is written into the statute, and no platform can waive it.
What you have to provide
- Your name, and a physical address — a PO box is often not accepted.
- A telephone number and email address.
- Identification of the removed material and where it appeared.
- A statement under penalty of perjury that you believe in good faith the removal was a mistake.
- Consent to the jurisdiction of a federal district court, and to accept service of process from the complainant.
Who sees it
The platform forwards the counter-notice to the original claimant. That is the point of it — the process is designed to let them sue you if they choose to. Many platforms also publish notices to the Lumen Database, where they are publicly searchable, usually with personal details redacted but not always.
Worth weighing carefully if you operate under a handle, live somewhere the claimant is hostile, or the complainant is an individual rather than a company. Once the address is sent, it cannot be recalled.
The alternatives
Retraction
If the claimant withdraws the complaint, the removal is undone and nothing about you is disclosed. It is usually the better route where the claim was filed in error or as leverage rather than a genuine dispute.
Or skip all of it. We handle this end to end — often the same day, with nothing for you to file and no personal details disclosed to anyone. Ask first if you want an honest read on whether your case is worth pursuing; that costs nothing. Send the case over →
Filing through a representative
An authorised agent can file on your behalf, with the agent's business address on the filing rather than your home address. This does not make you anonymous — you remain the party behind it — but it keeps a residential address out of the hands of the complainant.
Doing nothing
Sometimes correct. A YouTube strike expires in 90 days. If you can absorb the loss of one video, waiting costs you nothing and discloses nothing.
Before you file
Be sure you're right. A counter-notice is sworn under penalty of perjury, and filing one over material you don't have rights to converts a platform problem into a legal one. If there's genuine doubt about ownership, get that resolved first.
Want this handled for you?
Send the case over and you'll get an honest read on whether it can be won, before any money changes hands.
Start a case