How to report abuse to WordPress.com
Report a WordPress.com site for counterfeits, trademark, or copyright infringement.
Where to report
Report a WordPress.com site at wordpress.com/abuse/ (choose the legal report type for copyright or trademark). DMCA notices use Automattic's form at automattic.com/dmca/ or dmca@automattic.com. No published SLA; valid DMCA notices lead to removal, and trademark infringers get one week to change.
- Abuse report form
- wordpress.com/abuse
- Abuse email
- dmca@automattic.com
Include in your report
- The full and exact permalink of each infringing post, page, or media file, one site per notice
- The name of the copyright holder, a description of the work, and where the original is located
- Your name, company, address, phone, and email
- Good-faith and accuracy statements under penalty of perjury, plus your signature
- For trademark: official registration details, an explanation of the infringement, and consent to forward your complaint to the site owner
WordPress.com hosts or serves the content, so it can remove the infringing page or store. If the domain itself is the abuse (a typosquat or lookalike), report it to the registrar as well.
WordPress.com is Automattic's hosted publishing and commerce platform, distinct from self-hosted WordPress sites on other providers. Automattic runs a central abuse page with report types for legal issues (copyright, trademark, DMCA), technology abuse (malware, phishing, spam), regulated goods, and more, and publishes a detailed DMCA process, a trademark policy, and a transparency report of notices received.
A WordPress.com abuse report can remove the infringing page or store. If the domain itself is the abuse (a typosquat or lookalike), report it to the domain registrar as well. For a cloned storefront, see how to remove a fake website. Payment processors are often faster than hosts — payment takedown guides cover that layer. Free takedown templates cover the wording.
Why brand-abuse sites show up on WordPress.com
WordPress.com hosts the content itself, so a valid DMCA notice results in removal and a strike against the site owner. Trademark complaints are reviewed on the merits: clear infringements give the owner one week to change or face suspension, while borderline cases are referred to the site owner for direct resolution. Automattic requires exact permalinks and one site per notice, so bulk complaints must be split.
What a WordPress.com abuse report can cover
- Counterfeit storefronts on WordPress.com commerce plans
- Copied brand articles, product photography, and media files
- Trademark misuse in site names, logos, and wordpress.com subdomains
- Phishing and malware pages impersonating brands
- Sale of regulated or prohibited goods under a brand name
How to file a WordPress.com abuse report
- 1
Collect exact permalinks
Automattic requires the full permalink of each infringing post, page, or media file rather than the site's root URL, and asks that each notice cover only one site.
- 2
Choose the report type at wordpress.com/abuse/
Copyright, trademark, and DMCA issues use the legal report type; malware, phishing, and spam use the technology type. Copyright notices route to Automattic's DMCA form; trademark complaints to the trademark policy form.
- 3
Complete the sworn statements
The DMCA form requires declarations of good faith and accuracy under penalty of perjury, and typing your full name acts as a legally binding signature. Trademark complaints must include consent to forward your complaint and contact details to the site owner.
- 4
Track the strike and counter-notice window
After removal, WordPress.com emails the site owner a copy of the complaint. If the owner counters and you do not initiate legal proceedings within 10 business days, the content is restored; if they do not counter, a strike is added to their account.
When a WordPress.com abuse report is not enough
Hosting complaints remove the page, not the domain. A suspended site can reappear on a new host under the same URL within hours. If the domain itself is the abuse, file with the registrar as well. Stolen photos and copy are usually faster as a DMCA notice than as a trademark complaint — see the DMCA takedown guide.
How IPzest speeds up WordPress.com enforcement
- Continuous monitoring for brand-abuse sites on wordpress.com subdomains and custom domains hosted by Automattic
- Hosting identification that separates WordPress.com from self-hosted WordPress on other providers
- Permalink-level evidence packaging that meets Automattic's one-site, exact-URL requirement
- Coordinated filing across WordPress.com, the custom domain's registrar, and any CDN
Frequently asked questions
How do I report abuse to WordPress.com?
Start at https://wordpress.com/abuse/ and select the report type. Copyright notices go through Automattic's DMCA form at automattic.com/dmca/ or to the designated agent at dmca@automattic.com; trademark complaints go through the form at automattic.com/trademark-policy/.
What is WordPress.com's DMCA agent?
Designated Copyright Agent, Automattic Inc., 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, phone (877) 273-8550, fax (415) 840-0710, email dmca@automattic.com. Automattic says the online form is preferred.
Does WordPress.com remove content or only forward the complaint?
It removes it. WordPress.com's DMCA process states that on a complete and valid notice it removes the content, replaces it with a removal message, emails the site owner a copy of the complaint, and notifies the copyright holder. Trademark cases are reviewed on the merits before action.
How does WordPress.com handle trademark complaints?
Automattic evaluates likelihood of confusion, mark strength, and intent. Clear infringements give the site owner one week to make changes or face suspension; borderline cases are referred to the site owner for direct resolution; unfounded complaints are dismissed with notice to the owner.
Other hosting providers
All hosting providers we cover
- Akamai Cloud (Linode) abuse report
- Amazon Web Services abuse report
- Bluehost abuse report
- Cloudflare (CDN) abuse report
- DigitalOcean abuse report
- Google Cloud abuse report
- Hetzner abuse report
- Hostinger abuse report
- Microsoft Azure abuse report
- Netlify abuse report
- OVHcloud abuse report
- Shopify abuse report
- Vercel abuse report
- Vultr abuse report
- Wix abuse report
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