All content removed from Scribd via a DMCA copyright infringement takedown notice are added to our text-matching copyright protection system. This system makes a "fingerprint" of the copyrighted work and stores it in a database that's inaccessible to the public. After a new document is uploaded, it is checked against the "fingerprints" in our copyright database. If there's a significant match, the content is removed from Scribd.

The text-matching system is still in development, and the sheer number of uploads each day means there is a lag time between upload and detection. But so far it's been highly effective at detecting and blocking hundreds of unauthorized uploads every day.