To ensure protection all the community, photos submitted to Unsplash go through both technological and manual checks to ensure photos can be released under the Unsplash License.
Occasionally a submission automatically triggers a request for DMCA verification. This email is sent to the email address linked to the Unsplash account submitting the image.
Things that may trigger this request include:
Uploading an image that appears elsewhere online
New users uploading a set of images that contain no EXIF information
Images containing people
Images containing celebrities, performers, politicians and sports persons. In this case you may also be asked to provide us with a separate copy of proof of permission; a model release for example, as typically they have additional privacy rights or corporate sponsorships that prohibit any person or company to profit from their image.
Once this request for information has been triggered, your latest submissions will be temporarily hidden from your profile and on the platform.
Your recently submitted images will be covered by an overlay explaining that 'you must fill out your DMCA form to make this photo public' and a black banner will appear at the top of the website explaining the same. You will be unable to submit new images until the form has been completed.
Completing DMCA verification
The form can be completed either by clicking the link that's sent in the DMCA verification email or directly via your profile by clicking the 'Fill in the form' button on any one of the images where it appears. The image and overlay that you see is only visible for you, the contributor, neither are publicly visible on your profile or discoverable on the platform.
We ask for this information to help protect you as a photographer.
Please note, you will only be asked to complete this form once and all information given is private and secure. Please see our Privacy Policy for further details.
Once the form is complete
There will be a short review period, of up to 24 hours, following the forms completion.
During this time you will see this overlay on your image(s):
Once reviewed all images will be returned to your profile and you will be able to upload new images.
Filling in the DMCA form
Please fill in the form fully. If the form is not been fully completed we'll drop you an email to explain what information is missing. Once again, the form can be completed either by clicking the link that's sent in the DMCA verification email or directly via your profile by clicking the 'Fill in the form' button on any one of the images where it appears.
Only once the form is fully completed and reviewed will the images return to your profile and the option to submit images be returned.