When you find a website that appears to be infringing on your brand - for example, hosting counterfeit products, misusing your trademarks, or violating copyright - you can choose to enforce that finding. Enforcing initiates actions aimed at removing or restricting the offending content.
Before You Enforce
Before you enforce, make sure you’ve reviewed the finding and confirmed that:
- It’s unauthorized or potentially infringing
- It’s not a legitimate partner or approved use
- Sufficient evidence supports enforcement
If you’re unsure, mark the finding On Hold and review further.
What “Enforce” Does
Clicking Enforce begins a workflow that may include:
- Sending a Takedown Request:
RightHub prepares and sends a takedown request to the website host or registrar, where applicable.
- Notifying the Hosting Provider:
Many enforcement actions send notices to the domain’s hosting provider to request content removal.
- Tracking the Enforcement Status:
Once initiated, the enforcement action is tracked in the site’s activity and status fields. You can see whether the content is removed, disputed, or unchanged.
Possible Enforcement Outcomes
After you submit an enforcement action, the result may fall into one of several outcomes:
- Content Removed: Host or site administrator removes the infringing page or site.
- Partial Action: Some elements are removed, or action is incomplete.
- No Action Taken: The host or administrator declines to remove or respond.
- Dispute Raised: The site owner files a dispute challenging the enforcement.
You can check the finding’s status in the Website Status Definitions article to understand what each outcome means.
After Enforcement
- Review the enforcement result in the activity feed.
- Add internal notes to document your assessment and next steps.
- If enforcement was unsuccessful and the site remains active, you may choose to follow up manually or escalate through additional RightHub workflows.
Why Status Updates Matter
Status updates help you track progress and understand whether further action may be required. Monitoring these updates makes it easier to follow up on unresolved cases or close completed ones.
What to Do Next
Enforcing a website finding moves it through a defined review and response process, helping you manage web-based infringements in a structured way.
For more guidance, see How to Review Website Findings