Google Drive copyright infringement: removing course leaks
Cloud lockers are where Telegram posts point. How to report Google Drive and Mega files, what each asks for, and why course videos shouldn't be shared as Drive links.
On this page 8 sections
To report Google Drive copyright infringement, use Google's legal removal form, choose Google Drive and the copyright option, and list the exact file or folder links with a description of your course; Google can then remove the file, restrict its sharing or act against the account. For Mega, send a notice through mega.io/copyright or to copyright@mega.io. Mega lets you ask it to disable only the reported link, every link to the same file, or every copy of that exact file across all accounts.
Why leaks end up on Drive and Mega
Telegram channels get reported and removed; file-locker links travel with every repost. A pirate uploads a batch once, posts the folder link in several channels, and when one channel goes, the link keeps working in the others and in every blog that copied it. Lockers also hold very large files and whole folders, so one link can carry an entire batch. When you find a locker link, report the channel that posted it as well; see reporting the Telegram channel that shared the link.
Some of those folders were never uploaded by a pirate at all. When an institute shares lectures with its own students as Drive links, one forwarded link is the whole course. More on that below.
Reporting a Google Drive file for copyright
- Copy the exact link to each file (drive.google.com/file/d/...) or folder. If a folder mixes your lectures with other material, list the files that are yours.
- Open Google's legal removal form, Report Content for legal reasons, choose Google Drive, then the intellectual property and copyright options.
- Describe your work (course, batch, lecture titles and where it is sold) and paste each link.
- Agree to the good faith and accuracy statements and sign with your full legal name.
- Keep the confirmation email and reference number in your leak log.
Drive's own Send feedback and Report menus are for policy violations such as spam or harassment. Google's Drive programme policies send copyright complaints to the legal removal tool, so use that.
What can follow: Google's reporting guidance lists removing the file, restricting its sharing, limiting who can view it, disabling access to Google products and deleting the account, and the policies say repeated infringement leads to account termination. The same policies say Drive restricts usage when it appears to be used for large-scale public streaming, which is worth pointing out when a leaked folder is being streamed widely.
Reporting Mega links
A Mega notice needs the usual elements of a copyright notice: a signature, the work, the infringing links, your contact details, a good faith statement and a statement that the information is accurate and you are authorised. Send it through the form at mega.io/copyright or by email to copyright@mega.io. For file links, Mega's takedown guidance policy offers three levels:
| Option | What Mega does | When to choose it |
|---|---|---|
| Disable the reported link | That link stops working; the file stays in the uploader's account | You aren't sure the whole file is yours |
| Disable all links to the same file | Every link to that exact file stops working; the file stays | The same upload is being shared through several links |
| Disable all links and remove all copies | Mega removes every file with exactly the same content from all accounts | The file is your unaltered lecture or notes, and no one else has rights in it |
Folder links need care. If you report a folder link without identifying the files inside, Mega disables only that folder link. To act on the files themselves, open the folder, select the files that are yours, use Get link to copy each file's own link, and report those.
Mega applies Hungarian or New Zealand law, depending on the service, so requests for information about a user go through those legal systems. For removing files, the copyright notice is the practical route.
Other file lockers and link shorteners
- Look for a Copyright, DMCA, Legal or Abuse page on the site, or an address such as copyright@ or abuse@ in its terms.
- If the site lists none, find the company that hosts it and report to the host's abuse contact.
- For short links and redirect pages, report the short link to the shortener's abuse team and the file to the site that stores it.
- Reuse the same core notice each time, and log every confirmation.
Be wary of anyone who asks for money to process a removal. Google, YouTube, Telegram and Mega don't charge copyright owners to file a notice.
Does Google Drive detect copyrighted files?
Not in the way YouTube's Content ID checks uploads, as far as Google has said. Its Drive policies say Google may review content for policy violations and act on them, and it responds to copyright notices. Its Drive privacy page says content is processed for things such as spam filtering, virus detection and search within your own account. Google has not described a system that scans private Drive files for copyrighted courses. In "How Google Fights Piracy" (2018), Google reported removing nearly 4 million Drive URLs in 2017 in response to copyright notices. The safe assumption is that a leaked file stays up until someone reports its exact link.
Stop distributing course videos as Drive links
Drive is a good place to store files and a poor way to deliver a paid course. Its sharing settings let the owner stop viewers and commenters from downloading, printing and copying a file, which helps. But a Drive link leaves gaps a paid course needs closed:
| What you need | Drive link | Protected course player |
|---|---|---|
| No downloads | The owner can turn off downloading for viewers | No downloadable file for students to pass on |
| No forwarding | Anyone the link reaches may be able to open it, depending on settings | Only enrolled students' accounts can play the lecture |
| Find the account involved | Nothing links a copy to a student | Watermarks and account records can help find the account |
| No account sharing | Nothing stops one login being shared | Account sharing is prevented |
| Deter screen recording | No detection | Recording attempts are detected |
Our guide to stopping video downloads from your website covers what works and what doesn't.
Key takeaways
- Report Drive files through Google's legal removal form, not the in-app feedback menu.
- Give exact file links; for mixed folders, list the files that are yours.
- On Mega, ask for every copy to be removed when the file is your unaltered lecture.
- Google hasn't said Drive scans for copyrighted courses, so report each copy you find.
- Don't deliver lectures as Drive links; one forwarded link can carry a whole batch.
Locker takedowns work best alongside removing pirated links from Google search and the rest of a course leak response plan.
Rather than sharing Drive links, deliver lectures through your own branded apps: Upclass gives institutes a course website and apps on Android, iOS, Windows and macOS. VidSafe adds visible and invisible watermarks that are extremely hard to remove, even after heavy re-encoding, so a leaked copy can be traced back to the account it came from, alongside VidSafe proprietary encryption, screen- and camera-recording detection, account-sharing prevention and PDF watermarking. See the LMS for coaching institutes.
This is general information, not legal advice. For your situation, speak to a lawyer.
Frequently asked questions
Can Google Drive detect copyright?
Google hasn't described any system that scans private Drive files for copyrighted material the way YouTube's Content ID scans uploads. Drive acts when owners send copyright notices through Google's legal removal form, and its policies say it restricts files that appear to be used for large-scale public streaming. So a leaked course on Drive usually stays up until someone reports the exact link.
Does Google Drive check for copyright?
It checks when told. Google's policies prohibit sharing copyrighted content without authorisation, and Google responds to clear copyright notices by removing files, restricting sharing or acting against accounts, with repeated infringement leading to termination. What Google doesn't describe is a proactive copyright check on every file. For institutes, that means watching Telegram and search results for Drive links and reporting each one.
How to prevent video download from Google Drive?
Open the file's Share settings and untick the option that lets viewers and commenters download, print and copy. That removes the download option for those roles, but anyone who can play the video can still record the screen, and a shared link can reach people you never intended. For paid lectures, use a protected course player instead of sharing Drive links.