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Google and Bing remove different things
A DMCA takedown notice (a copyright complaint) removes a page from both Google and Bing. A trademark complaint does almost nothing in their organic results. Here is what each channel removes, who can file and how to check the result.
Article · Channels · October 17, 2026 · 4 min read
By Vlad Pivnev, Founder & CEO
Copyright: both remove the page
If a site copies your text, logo or images, you file a DMCA takedown notice. DMCA is a US copyright law. Google and Bing both accept such notices and remove the page from search results.
median time from complaint to removal from search results
of what we file with Google and Bing is taken down
complaints cover Google, Bing and Yahoo. Yahoo takes its results from Bing
Bing handles copyright at a large scale. From January to June 2026, Bing received 5.9 million copyright requests. It removed 99.71% of the links in them. Microsoft report ↗
Removal from search does not stop the site. Google and Bing hide the page, and the site keeps working. So on the same day, we also file with the hosting provider and the registrar.
Trademark: almost nothing in organic results
Organic results are the results that are not ads. Here, a trademark complaint doesn't work the way most brands expect.
On trademark grounds, Google removes almost nothing from organic results. Its trademark rules are about ads.
Bing
Bing removes nothing from organic results on trademark grounds. It accepts trademark complaints only for ads.
So for search results, copyright is the ground that works. We use your logo, text and images that the page copied. If a page copied nothing but your name, we push it lower in search results with your own sites.
Phishing and fraud: no LOA needed
There are two kinds of complaints. A complaint about what a site does, such as phishing or fraud, can come from anyone. A claim about rights, such as copyright or trademark, can come only from the owner or an agent. The agent needs the owner's letter of authorization (LOA). The DMCA form asks the sender to confirm this right under penalty of perjury.
GroundGoogleBingHosting, registrar
Copyrightremoves the pageremoves the pagehosting stops the site
Trademarkalmost nothingads onlyregistrar, with LOA
Phishing, fraudSafe Browsing warningcase by caseno LOA needed
Public receiptLumen, 0–1 daynoneticket number
For phishing, we file with Cloudflare, the hosting provider, the registrar and Google Safe Browsing. Cloudflare passes the complaint to the hosting provider and tells us who it is. The hosting provider stops the site, which takes 24 hours or more. The registrar suspends the domain within 2 weeks. Safe Browsing makes the browser show a red “Deceptive site ahead” screen.
How to check that your complaint worked
| Channel | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Google: a copy of your complaint appears in Lumen, a public database of takedown notices. It confirms filing, not removal | Lumen, 0–1 day |
| Bing gives no public receipt. Search again with the same query from the same country | search again |
| The hosting provider and the registrar reply with a ticket number. The site stops opening | ticket number |
| Check the site through two public DNS resolvers, such as 1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8 | two resolvers |
Lumen shows only the domain, not the full page address. Your internet provider's DNS resolver can change answers, so a live site may look offline. That's why we check through public resolvers.
No answer is not the end. If a platform says no or doesn't reply, we file again and also use another channel.
FAQ
Is a trademark complaint useless, then?
No. It works for ads in Google and Bing, and with registrars. It needs the trademark owner's LOA. For organic results, we use copyright.
Can you file anything without our LOA?
Yes. Phishing and fraud complaints need no LOA: Cloudflare, the hosting provider, the registrar and Safe Browsing. Search engines and trademark complaints need it.
Related pages
We file with every channel at once: search engines, the hosting provider and the registrar. The page leaves search results first, then the site goes down.
All channels and timelines → · Guides → · Fake websites & clones → · Get a free brand audit →
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