YNOT – The principals of anti-piracy operation Takedown Piracy believe the best way to combat content misappropriation is by educating and working with consumers. Therefore, the Marina del Rey, Calif.-based company has launched an online “tip page” through which internet users may report suspected copyright infringement.

The tip page allows fans of movies, books and music to support their favorite artists by helping them to protect their intellectual property rights. The online form collects information about the owner of the copyright as well as where the alleged infringement resides on the web. Reports need not be limited to adult content, and tips may not be submitted anonymously: The form mandates the user enter an email address.

“I am extremely excited to launch the tip page,” said owner Nate Glass. “It allows everyone to join in the fight against piracy. While Takedown Piracy has developed tools like the Aikido Program capable of removing hundreds of thousands of infringements in a day, it is important to combat illegal downloads from all angles. The tip page gives fans the opportunity to be a hero and protect their favorite artist’s material.”

The company also plans to use the tip page as a marketing tool, according to a “what happens next” page on its website.
“If the content you are reporting is owned by a copyright holder that uses Takedown Piracy, we immediately begin the process to have the offending content removed,” the page notes. “If the content you are reporting is owned by a company that is NOT using the Takedown Piracy program, we will do our best to make contact with the company (or their designated copyright agent) to inform them of the infringements. At that point it is up to that copyright owner to choose to utilize our service, or to ignore the copyright infringement…. By you reporting to us, it gives us a chance to open up a dialogue with copyright owners that we may not currently be in negotiations with. We can then inform them of their anti-piracy options and get the ball rolling with them.”

Glass founded the company two years ago, turning it into his full-time job in November 2010. Since then, TDP has increased by 400 percent the volume of Digital Millennium Copyright Act notices it sends monthly, Glass said.

He also said “To date, TDP has removed over 3 million copyright infringements for its clients.”

A statistical breakdown of infringements removed by TDP is here.