Morgan Stanley Issues DMCA Takedowns Against X Users Sharing Research

Morgan Stanley has initiated a series of copyright enforcement actions against users on X who shared screenshots of its internal research reports and charts. The firm issued DMCA takedown notices targeting at least 16 posts, leading to the removal or editing of the flagged content.

The enforcement effort resulted in the temporary locking of the X account belonging to Ryan Detrick, the chief market strategist at Carson Group Holdings, on September 3, 2026. The complaint against Detrick was initiated by Denise McCool, Morgan Stanley’s global chief data, AI, and risk officer for research, and concerned a chart from a report authored by Mike Wilson, the firm's chief US equity strategist and chief investment officer.

Detrick, who noted that he had previously shared bank research without incident, stated he would have complied had the firm contacted him directly. His account access was restored after he reviewed X’s copyright regulations. The actions became public between September 3 and September 4, 2026.

While investment banks have historically protected their research, which is produced for institutional clients paying significant annual fees, the recent volume of DMCA filings represents an escalation in enforcement. The shift suggests increased friction for financial professionals who curate and share bank research on social media, as the risk of account restrictions now accompanies the practice of posting proprietary charts.