Etsy photo theft DMCA template

When another shop lifts your product photos, the fastest fix is a clean, complete takedown notice. Below are three templates you can copy: a short description for the Etsy Reporting Portal, a full DMCA notice for email, and a polite first message to the seller.

Before you use a template

A takedown notice is a legal statement. You sign it under penalty of perjury that you’re authorized to act for the copyright owner, and you state a good-faith belief that the use isn’t authorized. Under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), knowingly misrepresenting that material is infringing can make you liable for damages, including attorneys’ fees. Use these templates only for work you own, like your own photos, artwork or text, and only when the copy is clear.

Have your evidence ready: your original listing URL, the infringing listing URLs and, ideally, the original camera files. Not sure you’ve found every copy? Run the free copycat check on your listing first so one notice covers them all.

What a valid notice must include

Etsy’s DMCA notice requirements, which track section 512(c)(3), list six elements. Every template below includes all of them:

1. A statement that the information is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that you’re authorized to act for the copyright owner.
2. A statement of your good-faith belief that the use isn’t authorized by the owner, its agent or the law.
3. The owner’s name and your contact details: name, address, phone and email.
4. The exact location of each infringing item. For Etsy, that means each listing URL.
5. Identification of your original work in enough detail.
6. Your signature. Typing your full name counts as an electronic signature.

Template 1: description for the Etsy Reporting Portal

The Reporting Portal is Etsy’s preferred route, and it collects most of the legal statements for you. Use this wording when it asks you to describe your property and the infringement:

I am the photographer and owner of the product photographs used in the listings below. The original photos were created by me and first published on [DATE] in my Etsy listing: [YOUR LISTING URL].

The reported listing(s) display my photograph(s) without permission:
- [INFRINGING LISTING URL 1]: uses my main product photo (cropped).
- [INFRINGING LISTING URL 2]: uses photos 2 and 3 from my listing.

I have not licensed these photos to this shop or anyone else. I can provide the original, full-resolution camera files with metadata on request.

Template 2: full DMCA takedown notice (email)

If you can’t use the portal, Etsy accepts notices by email at legal@etsy.com (Etsy DMCA requirements). The same format also works for many other websites and hosts. Send it to their designated agent.

Subject: DMCA Notice of Copyright Infringement: Etsy listing(s) using my photographs

To Etsy’s Designated Agent,

I am writing to notify you of copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 512).

1. Copyrighted work: Product photographs taken by me, [FULL NAME], and published in my Etsy listing [YOUR LISTING URL] on or about [DATE]. [Optional: Copies of the original files are available on request.]

2. Infringing material: The following Etsy listings display my photographs without authorization:
   - [INFRINGING LISTING URL 1]
   - [INFRINGING LISTING URL 2]

3. Contact information:
   Name: [FULL NAME]
   Copyright owner: [FULL NAME or BUSINESS NAME]
   Address: [STREET, CITY, STATE, ZIP, COUNTRY]
   Phone: [PHONE]
   Email: [EMAIL]

4. I have a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.

5. I state that the information in this notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that I am the owner, or authorized to act on behalf of the owner, of the copyright that is allegedly infringed.

Signature: /[FULL NAME]/
Date: [DATE]

Fill in every bracket. Missing contact details are one of the most common reasons Etsy rejects a notice (Etsy Help). If you’re acting for someone else, say so and be ready to provide a letter of authorization.

Template 3: polite message to the seller (optional)

Etsy suggests trying to resolve things with the seller first. It isn’t required. This message is firm, short and safe to have quoted back later:

Hi [SHOP NAME],

Your listing [INFRINGING LISTING URL] uses my product photo from [YOUR LISTING URL]. I took this photo and haven’t licensed it.

Please remove or replace the photo within 3 days. If it’s still up after that, I’ll report the listing through Etsy’s Reporting Portal.

Thanks,
[YOUR NAME]

Photos stolen outside Etsy?

Template 2 works for most US-based sites. Look for a “Copyright”, “DMCA” or “Intellectual property” link in the site’s footer or terms to find its designated agent. For copies that appear in Google search results, Google has its own process for legal removal requests: see Google’s legal help page. Removing a result from Google doesn’t remove the page itself, so contact the hosting site too.

Make your photos easier to defend

• Keep the camera originals. Full-size files with intact EXIF data, plus nearby frames from the same shoot, are hard for a copier to produce.
• Use consistent props and backgrounds. A recognisable setup makes your photos easy to identify and match.
• Consider a subtle watermark on lifestyle shots. It won’t stop a determined thief, but cropped-out watermarks are easy to point to in a report.

Tips that make notices succeed

• One URL per line. Report listing URLs, not shop names.
• Point to the match. “Main photo, mirrored” helps a reviewer confirm in seconds.
• Keep the originals. RAW or full-size JPEG files with intact metadata are your best evidence if the seller counters.
• Don’t overclaim. Report only the elements you actually own. A notice that mixes your photo with a generic idea is weaker.

After you send it

Most sellers stop at the takedown. Some file a counter notice. If that happens, read what to do when you get a DMCA counter notice. If Etsy rejects your notice, our guide on rejected Etsy reports covers the usual fixes. For the full portal walkthrough, see how to report a copycat on Etsy.

Copied photos tend to resurface. CopyCatch watches your listings for look-alike photos on Etsy and keeps dated evidence ready, so the next notice takes minutes. Start free with 7 listings.