Your TV Show Is Spreading on TikTok Without Your Permission: What Can You Do?

One day, you wake up, open TikTok, and discover that episodes of your show are freely circulating on this social network. People are sharing your scenes, creating edits, and uploading entire episodes. While thousands of viewers watch your content for free, you don’t earn a single penny from it. No licensing fees, no control over distribution, and no consent regarding where or how your content is being shared. Instead of feeling joy from your success, frustration sets in. How is it possible that someone can just take your work and upload it to the internet without permission? And most importantly—what can you do about it? Before you take steps to protect your intellectual property, it’s helpful to understand why this is happening in the first place. Why do people steal content and upload it to TikTok?

What Are the Main Reasons for “Piracy” on TikTok?

Illegal uploading and sharing of copyrighted content is, unfortunately, common in today’s digital age. Why do pirates do it? There are several possible reasons: Ad revenue – Many users upload others’ content to gain views and subsequently earn money from ads.

1. Desire for popularity – Sharing popular content can quickly boost their follower count.
2. Ignorance of copyright laws – Some people simply don’t realize they’re breaking the law.
3. Efforts to make content freely accessible – There’s a group of internet users who believe all content should be public property and oppose paid services.

The good news is that you can fight back—and we’ll show you how.

How to Get Your Content Removed from TikTok

0. Download a declaration form from this address - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XmlqexQ7MwwOTGspSEta7tSDyKchEL-A/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100019056855895768706&rtpof=true&sd=true. Fill it out, print it, sign it, and scan it or take a photo of it with your phone.
1. Log in to your TikTok account if you have one. If not, create one.
2. Visit the copyright infringement reporting form – Go to the Copyright report page: https://www.tiktok.com/legal/report/Copyright
3. Verify your email. We strongly recommend using only your business email to avoid delays from TikTok. Enter your email in the form, and you’ll receive a link. Click on it.
4. In the question “What issue are you having?” select “I’d like to report a possible copyright infringement in user-generated content.”
5. In the question “Please verify who is being affected by this?” select “I am a copyright owner.”
6. In the “Contact information” section, fill in your contact details.
7. In the question “Type of copyrighted work,” select “Video.”
8. In the question “Source of copyrighted work,” select “Outside of TikTok.”
9. In the field “If available, provide the URL to the original copyrighted material,” enter the link to your company’s website.
10. In the field “Description of copyrighted work,” write the name of your show.
11. In the field “Evidence of rights and authorization,” upload the declaration you prepared in step 0.
12. In the field “Content to report,” enter the URL of the video you want removed.
13. Check the box “Prevent future copies of these videos from appearing on TikTok.”
14. In the “Statement” section, check all the boxes.
15. In the “Signature” field, type your name and submit the request.

Now, wait for a response. TikTok typically replies within 2 business days of receiving your request.