Guide · Agent skill
How to use the DMCA Takedown Drafter agent skill (takedown)
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The takedown skill is an agent skill for Claude that helps with three US copyright takedown tasks: drafting a DMCA §512(c)(3) takedown notice, triaging a takedown notice you received, or drafting a §512(g)(3) counter-notice. It is built for creators, rights holders, and legal or compliance staff who need the statutory elements checked before anything is sent. After this guide you will know what the skill does, how to install it, how to trigger each mode with a plain request, and where its limits are.
DMCA Takedown Drafteranthropics/claude-for-legal · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download and unzip the skill. Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or your project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
- 2Run the practice profile setup. Run /ip-legal:cold-start-interview so the ip-legal practice profile exists at the path the skill reads.
- 3Choose your mode. Pick send, respond or counter, either with a flag or a plain request. If you give no flag, the skill asks which one you need.
- 4Provide the work and infringing material details. Answer the skill's questions about the copyrighted work, ownership, the platform and the URLs of the infringing material.
- 5Pass any incoming notice as a file. For triage or counter-notice work, give the path to the notice, for example /ip-legal:takedown --respond ~/Downloads/notice.pdf.
- 6Review the gates and output. Work through the fair-use and perjury gates. If fair use is debatable or the matter is borderline, take it to attorney review before sending.
What is an agent skill, and what does this one do?
An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file that tells an agent runtime such as Claude Code how to handle a specific kind of task. This one is named takedown and comes from the ip-legal skills in the anthropics/claude-for-legal project, under the Apache-2.0 licence.
Once installed, the agent works through one of three modes. In send mode it walks through identifying the copyrighted work, identifying the infringing material, a fair-use check, a good-faith belief statement and an accuracy and authority check, then drafts the notice. In respond mode it reads an incoming notice and produces a triage memo with four options: comply, counter, engage, or ignore. In counter mode it drafts a counter-notice after confirming the predicate facts.
- Send: drafts a DMCA §512(c)(3) takedown notice to a hosting provider.
- Respond: triages a takedown notice you received and presents comply / counter / engage / ignore options.
- Counter: drafts a §512(g)(3) counter-notice, with a gate for the federal-jurisdiction admission and perjury statement.
Install the takedown skill
Download the ZIP file from the skill's page in this directory, then choose one of two routes. For a personal install, unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, unzip it into the project's .claude/skills/ folder.
If you use the Claude apps instead of Claude Code, you can upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: unzip into .claude/skills/ inside your project
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload
Set up the practice profile first
The skill depends on a legal practice profile configured by the claude-for-legal ip-legal plugin, stored at ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/ip-legal/CLAUDE.md. If that file is missing or still contains [PLACEHOLDER] markers, the skill stops and asks you to run the setup interview before it gives output.
Run the setup command shown below from your agent session.
/ip-legal:cold-start-interviewHow to trigger the skill with natural requests
You can invoke the skill with a flag, or describe what you need and let the agent pick the mode. If you give no flag, the skill asks once whether you are sending a takedown, triaging one you received, or drafting a counter-notice.
The skill's documented flags are shown below. For a received notice, pass the file path so the agent can read it.
- Ask in plain words, for example: "Draft a DMCA takedown for my article copied to a hosting site".
- For a notice you received, attach or point to the file, for example a PDF you saved.
- For a counter-notice, say you were taken down after a §512 notice and want to dispute it.
/ip-legal:takedown --send
/ip-legal:takedown --respond ~/Downloads/youtube-takedown-notice.pdf
/ip-legal:takedown --counter
/ip-legal:takedownWhat information to have ready
For a takedown, the skill asks about the work (type, registration status if any, and whether you own it or hold an exclusive licence), and about the infringing material (the platform, specific URLs, and how it infringes). For a received notice, have the notice file and any licence or permission records you hold. The skill also checks that the notice contains every statutory element, since §512 notices are element-by-element.
- Description of the copyrighted work and your ownership or authority
- Platform name and specific URLs of the infringing material
- The incoming notice as a file, when triaging or countering
- Any licence or prior permission you have granted
Safety, gates and limits
A takedown and a counter-notice are sworn statements under penalty of perjury, and they can lead to litigation. The skill runs a fair-use gate before drafting a takedown, and a loud gate before any final output in send and counter modes. If fair use is debatable or likely, it stops and routes the matter to attorney review.
The skill is US-focused. DMCA §512 is US federal law, and if the provider, content or infringer is outside US jurisdiction, the skill flags that a different regime, such as the EU Digital Services Act, may be the right instrument. The source says the skill is designed to be used alongside an attorney.
Runtime notes from the listing: the skill runs no scripts and makes no network calls. Its only file is SKILL.md.
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- Outgoing notices omit the work-product header; internal drafts and triage memos keep it.
Tips for better results
Get ownership and authority clear before you start. The source notes these are the first things challenged in §512(f) cases.
Collect all URLs for one platform in a single session, since one notice can cover several URLs from the same service.
Treat the triage memo as a discussion aid. The skill recommends counter-notices only after you make that decision deliberately, and the source describes a counter-notice as the step before litigation.
- Gather ownership evidence and exact permalinks first.
- Keep the incoming notice as a file so the skill can read it in full.
- Do not counter without an attorney conversation.
What people use it for
- A creator sending a takedown for a copied article or video to the hosting platform's designated agent.
- A small business triaging a takedown notice it received about a product image, to decide whether to comply, counter, engage or ignore.
- A compliance team at a company drafting a consistent takedown process to share with its attorney.
- Preparing a one-page brief for a non-lawyer user before a counter-notice conversation with counsel.
Frequently asked questions
Is the DMCA takedown drafter skill free?
The source gives the licence as Apache-2.0 and does not list a price. Check the skill's page in this directory for any terms beyond the licence.
What do I need to use the takedown skill?
You need Claude Code or a compatible SKILL.md agent runtime, the claude-for-legal ip-legal practice profile set up via /ip-legal:cold-start-interview, information about the copyrighted work and infringing material, and any incoming notice as a file.
Can I use this skill without a lawyer?
The skill is designed to be used with attorney review. It routes uncertain cases, including debatable fair use, to attorney review, and counter-notices are sworn statements with litigation consequences.
Does the skill work for non-US copyright takedowns?
It is built around US DMCA §512. For services or content outside the US, the skill flags that another regime, such as the EU Digital Services Act or UK Online Safety Act, may be the correct instrument instead.
Why does the skill say it needs setup first?
It reads your practice profile at ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/ip-legal/CLAUDE.md. If that file is missing or has placeholders, it stops and asks you to run /ip-legal:cold-start-interview.
Does the takedown skill run scripts or access the internet?
No. The listing says it runs no scripts and uses no network, and the package contains only SKILL.md.
How is this different from sending a takedown by hand?
The skill walks through the required §512(c)(3) elements and the fair-use and perjury gates before producing output. It does not send anything itself, and you remain responsible for delivering the notice.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you are a rights holder preparing a DMCA notice, someone who received a takedown and needs a structured set of options, or a legal or compliance team that wants the statutory elements checked before an attorney reviews. Pick something else if you want a quick, unreviewed takedown, or if your matter falls outside US law, since the skill itself says those cases need a different instrument.
Download the skill