Frequently Asked Questions

Go to ownmywork.com/takedown/, enter your name, email, and the URL of the stolen content. We identify the platform, draft a legally compliant DMCA notice on your behalf, and send it to their designated copyright agent — all in under two minutes. No account required, no credit card, no signup.

Your first case is completely free. If the platform doesn't respond, we automatically follow up at 7, 14, and 28 days. After that we escalate to the hosting provider, domain registrar, and CDN. That's included.

We support hundreds of platforms — adult sites (XVideos, Pornhub, xHamster, OnlyFans, and many more), social media (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter/X, Reddit), file hosts, and general websites. If a platform has a DMCA contact or a web submission form, we handle it.

For platforms that require a web form submission rather than email (like Twitter/X), we generate the complete notice and provide step-by-step instructions so you can submit it in under five minutes.

We track the case and follow up automatically if the platform doesn't respond:

Day 7: Follow-up notice to the platform.
Day 14: Escalation to the hosting provider.
Day 28: Contact the domain registrar.
Day 42+: Escalate to parent company, CDN, and every upstream we can find.
Final step: Pre-filled Google and Bing de-indexing requests so the content disappears from search results too.

You can track the status of every case in your dashboard.

We work through the full escalation chain. If we exhaust every avenue and the content is still live, we'll tell you honestly. At that point, your options are legal action (we can't file in court on your behalf — for that you need an IP attorney) or continued escalation to CDN and payment processors, which we help with on the Pro plan.

If we can't get the content down and have sent multiple follow-ups, we'll restore your free case so you can use it on a different piece of content.

Yes. You must be the copyright owner or authorized to act on their behalf. Filing a takedown for content you don't own is a federal offense under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f) and can result in damages and legal fees. OwnMyWork does not verify copyright ownership — by submitting a case, you are declaring under penalty of perjury that the information is accurate.

Free: One complete DMCA takedown with full follow-up sequence. No subscription needed.

Own It ($24/mo or $199/yr): Unlimited DMCA takedowns, full follow-up sequences, case dashboard, tax tracking tools, and LLC formation at a discount.

Own It Pro ($39/mo or $349/yr — early adopter rate): Everything in Own It, plus batch takedowns, screenshot evidence capture, monthly enforcement reports, and priority processing. Price locks in for as long as your subscription stays active.

See the full comparison at ownmywork.com/pricing/.

Yes. Cancel from your account dashboard at any time. Your access continues until the end of your current billing period. No cancellation fees, no hoops.

If you're on the early adopter rate and cancel, you'll be billed at the standard rate if you resubscribe later. The locked rate only stays locked while your subscription is active.

Monthly subscriptions are not refunded mid-period. Annual subscriptions are not refunded after the first 7 days. If we terminate your account for reasons other than a policy violation on your part, we'll refund any prepaid unused portion of your subscription. Full details in our Terms of Service.

Cases that were sent before you cancelled continue their follow-up sequences through the end of the current period. After your subscription ends, active monitoring stops but your case history stays in your dashboard. You can resubscribe at any time to resume monitoring.

Wyoming LLCs offer three things that matter for creators: anonymity (member names are not on public record), no state income tax, and low annual fees. A Wyoming LLC lets you sign contracts, open a business bank account, and accept payments without your personal name attached to the public record. Most adult content creators, streamers, and independent talent use Wyoming or New Mexico for exactly this reason.

State filing fees, registered agent service for year one, and document preparation. Active Own It or Own It Pro subscribers pay $269. The registered agent keeps your personal address off public filings — that's the privacy layer.

After year one, registered agent renewal is a separate annual charge (typically $50–$100/yr depending on the provider). We'll remind you before it comes due.

Wyoming typically processes filings in 3–5 business days. We file the same business day you submit. You'll receive your Articles of Organization by email once the state approves the filing.

No. Your first takedown works without an account — just your name and email. We create a case and send the notice without requiring signup. If you want to track cases over time, cancel or manage a subscription, or use the full dashboard, you'll need to log in. Login is passwordless — we send a magic link to your email.

We collect what's necessary to file DMCA notices: your legal name, email, and the URL of stolen content. Your name and the notice content are sent to the infringing platform — that's required by law for a valid DMCA notice. We do not sell your data. Full details in our Privacy Policy.

Email [email protected] with the subject "Delete my account" and we'll remove your account and associated data within 30 days, except for records we're required to retain by law. Note that DMCA notices already sent to platforms cannot be recalled.

Content creators are classified as self-employed by the IRS. That means two tax obligations on top of regular income tax:

Self-employment tax: 15.3% of net income (12.4% Social Security + 2.9% Medicare). This is the employer + employee share combined, because you're both.

Federal income tax: Applied to net income after deductions, at your marginal bracket (10%–37%).

Combined, most creators pay 25–40% effective total tax depending on income level and deductions. Use the OwnMyWork tax calculator to estimate your quarterly payments before they're due.

Yes. If you earn money as a content creator, the IRS treats you as a self-employed individual — regardless of which platform pays you. Self-employment tax is 15.3% of your net earnings (gross income minus allowable business deductions). It covers Social Security and Medicare. W-2 employees only pay half of this because their employer pays the other half. As a creator, you pay both halves.

You can deduct half of self-employment tax from your gross income when calculating income tax, which softens the hit slightly.

Yes, if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in federal taxes this year. The IRS requires self-employed individuals to pay estimated taxes four times per year:

Q1: April 15   Q2: June 15   Q3: September 15   Q4: January 15

Missing a payment doesn't mean you lose — it means you pay an underpayment penalty on top of the taxes owed at filing. Use the tax calculator to estimate what to send each quarter.

Any ordinary and necessary business expense is deductible. For creators, that includes:

Equipment: Camera, microphone, lighting, ring lights, tripods, streaming gear, second monitor, phone (business portion).

Software: Editing software, design tools, streaming software, scheduling apps, password managers, VPN, cloud storage.

Space: Home office deduction (dedicated space only), studio rent.

Presentation: Costumes, props, hair/makeup used for content production.

Business costs: Platform fees, LLC fees, registered agent fees, accounting, legal.

The OwnMyWork tax calculator walks through deductions specific to your content type and platform.

Not required, but strongly recommended once you're earning consistently. A creator-focused CPA can save you significantly more than their fee through proper deduction strategy, S-corp election timing, and quarterly planning. DIY tools work when income is simple; a CPA pays for itself when you have multiple income streams, business expenses, and an LLC.

OwnMyWork partners with Monaco CPA, a practice that specializes in content creators. If you need a referral, email [email protected].

It depends on what you're doing. If you run a content business from home, have equipment, and earn meaningful income, the answer is almost certainly yes — but the type of coverage matters.

A standard homeowners or renters policy does not cover business property or business liability. If your camera is stolen or a client sues you over content, you're on your own without dedicated business coverage.

OwnMyWork partners with Hiscox for business insurance designed for independent professionals. You can get a quote through the partners page.

No. Homeowners and renters insurance policies explicitly exclude business activities and business property. If you're running a content business from your home — even part-time — your home policy does not cover business equipment losses or liability claims related to your work. You need a separate business policy or a rider specifically for home-based businesses.

General liability: Covers third-party bodily injury and property damage claims. If a collaborator gets hurt during a shoot, this covers you.

Business personal property: Covers your equipment — cameras, lighting, computers, audio gear — against theft and damage.

Professional liability (E&O): Covers claims that your work caused a client financial harm.

Most independent creators start with a general liability + property bundle. It's typically $30–70/month for a home-based creator business.

Three layers protect your real identity:

Wyoming LLC: Creates a legal business entity under a trade name. Your real name is not on public Wyoming state records. Contracts, payment accounts, and business correspondence go to the LLC — not to you personally.

Registered agent: Keeps your personal address off the LLC's public filings. The registered agent's address appears in the public record instead of yours.

Business mailing address: A virtual mailbox or PO box keeps your home address off invoices, subscriptions, and any form that asks for a business address. Services like iPostal1 provide this for a few dollars per month.

A registered agent is a person or service that accepts official legal and government documents on behalf of your LLC. Every LLC in every state is legally required to have one. The registered agent's address is what appears on your public state filings — not your home address.

For content creators, using a professional registered agent service is the core of the privacy stack. Your name and address stay off public record entirely. Registered agent service is included in OwnMyWork's LLC formation package for the first year.

A VPN is useful for two reasons as a creator: preventing IP address exposure when accessing your accounts on public or shared networks, and maintaining privacy when researching piracy or competitors. It is not a substitute for the LLC + registered agent layer — a VPN protects your connection, not your legal identity.

OwnMyWork partners with NordVPN. If you do use a VPN, choose one with a verified no-logs policy and jurisdiction outside the US. See the partners page for details.

There's a right order. Before you post a single piece of content:

1. Form an LLC. Wyoming, under a trade name. Your real name never appears on payment records or public filings.

2. Open a business bank account. Use a bank that accepts adult content businesses. Mercury or Relay both work. This is where OnlyFans sends your earnings.

3. Get a business mailing address. Keep your home address off every subscription, form, and supplier.

4. Set up 2257 recordkeeping. Required by federal law for any sexually explicit content. OwnMyWork's adult creator checklist walks through what you need.

5. File your first takedown before you need it. Stolen content usually starts appearing within weeks of a successful launch. The free takedown is there — use it early.

OnlyFans takes 20% of all earnings. Creators keep 80%. This applies to subscriptions, tips, pay-per-view messages, and live streams. There is no tiered rate — it's a flat 20% regardless of earnings volume.

Payouts are processed weekly or monthly depending on your settings. The minimum payout threshold is $20. Payments arrive via bank transfer or direct deposit, typically 3–5 business days after processing.

The same foundational setup applies: LLC for privacy, business bank account, business mailing address, and content protection in place before you launch. Fansly's key difference from OnlyFans is a tiered subscription model (multiple subscription levels with different access) and a built-in referral program.

Fansly takes 20% of earnings, same as OnlyFans. Both platforms require ID verification, which is why the LLC + trade name setup matters — your legal name appears on the platform's backend verification only, not on your public profile.

See the adult content creator checklist for the full setup sequence.

You don't have to — but it's significantly easier to set it up before your first payment arrives than after. Once income starts flowing to your personal name and SSN, unwinding that for tax purposes is a headache. The LLC takes 3–5 business days to form in Wyoming. Set it up first, then link your new business bank account to the platform.

If you've already started without an LLC, you can still form one — just expect a slightly messier tax situation for the year you transition. A creator-focused CPA can help structure that cleanly.