How Bad-Faith Copyright Notices Weaponize Search Rankings

DMCA abuse has emerged as a low-cost attack vector for search manipulation, allowing bad actors to remove competitors from Google results with minimal verification required. A single false copyright claim can delist a URL for days, while repeated notices trigger site-wide ranking penalties. Though legal remedies exist under §512(f), successful enforcement remains rare, leaving the system vulnerable to coordinated takedown campaigns and takedown-for-hire schemes.