HTTP 451 Unavailable For Legal Reasons
The resource is unavailable due to legal demands (censorship, court order).
4xx Client Error
451
Unavailable For Legal Reasons
Description
The 451 Unavailable For Legal Reasons status code indicates that the server is denying access to the resource as a consequence of a legal demand. The server in question might not be an origin server. This type of legal demand typically most directly affects the operations of ISPs and search engines. Responses using this status code should include an explanation in the response body of the details of the legal demand: the party making it, the applicable legislation or regulation, and what classes of person and resource it applies to. The status code number is a reference to Ray Bradbury's dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451, in which books are banned and burned.
When Is It Used?
Used when access to a resource is restricted due to legal requirements such as government censorship, court orders, DMCA takedowns, or GDPR right-to-be-forgotten requests. The response should explain the legal basis for the restriction.
Example Response
HTTP/1.1 451 Unavailable For Legal Reasons
Link: <https://example.com/legal>; rel="blocked-by"
Content-Type: text/html
<h1>Unavailable For Legal Reasons</h1>
<p>This content has been blocked pursuant to a court order.</p>