Competitor copied my product photos on Amazon — DMCA?

I sell handmade jewelry on Amazon and I invested about $3,000 in professional product photography last year. High-quality studio shots with custom styling — they're a huge part of my brand identity.

Yesterday I found a competing listing that is using my exact photos. Not similar photos — literally my images. Same styling, same background, you can even see my signature jewelry tray in the shots. They appear to be selling cheap knock-offs and using my professional images to make their product look better.

I'm furious. What can I do? I've heard about DMCA takedowns but I've never filed one. Do I need to have my photos copyrighted first?

First, the good news: your photos are automatically protected by copyright the moment they were created. Under the Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 102), copyright attaches to original works of authorship upon creation. You do not need to register to own the copyright or to file a DMCA takedown.

However, registration with the U.S. Copyright Office matters if you want to pursue a lawsuit. Under 17 U.S.C. § 412, you can only recover statutory damages (up to $150,000 per work for willful infringement) and attorney's fees if the work was registered before the infringement began, or within three months of first publication. Otherwise, you're limited to actual damages and profits.

For your immediate situation, here are your options on Amazon:

• Amazon Brand Registry — if you're enrolled, you can file an IP complaint directly through the Brand Registry portal. This is the fastest path to removal.
• Amazon's Report a Violation tool — even without Brand Registry, you can report copyright infringement through Amazon's standard reporting process.
• DMCA takedown notice — you can send a formal DMCA notice under 17 U.S.C. § 512(c) to Amazon's designated DMCA agent. Amazon must "expeditiously" remove the infringing content upon receiving a valid notice.

I'd recommend all three simultaneously, and also registering your photos with the Copyright Office now (— it costs about $65 for a group of photos and takes 3-6 months). For more background on IP enforcement, see /Demand-Letters/IP-Content/.

I am enrolled in Brand Registry. I'll file through there right away. Should I also reach out directly to the seller first, or just go straight to Amazon?

Also, is there any risk to me in filing a DMCA takedown? I've heard about counter-notices and that the other party could come after me.

Go straight to Amazon through Brand Registry. There's no legal requirement to contact the infringer first, and doing so often just tips them off to save copies and reupload under a different listing.

Regarding counter-notices: under the DMCA (17 U.S.C. § 512(g)), the accused party can file a counter-notice claiming the takedown was improper. If they do, Amazon must restore the content within 10-14 business days unless you file a lawsuit. However, filing a false counter-notice carries penalties, and in a case like yours where the photos are clearly yours, a counter-notice would be frivolous.

The risk of filing a DMCA takedown is minimal as long as your claim is legitimate. Under § 512(f), knowingly filing a false DMCA notice can result in liability, but that's designed to prevent abuse, not to deter legitimate copyright holders. Your situation is exactly what the DMCA was designed for.

I've dealt with this multiple times. Here's some practical advice from the trenches:

Amazon's Brand Registry complaint process is fast — I've had infringing listings taken down within 24-48 hours. Document everything first: take screenshots of both listings with timestamps, save the image URLs, and if possible, check the EXIF data on your original photos to prove you took them first.

One thing to watch out for: these sellers often operate multiple storefronts. If you get one listing taken down, check for others using the same photos. I found the same infringer had five different listings with my images across different Amazon storefronts.

Also, watermark your images going forward. It won't stop sophisticated thieves, but it deters casual copycats and makes your ownership immediately obvious if you need to file another complaint.

Update: I filed through Brand Registry yesterday afternoon with screenshots and links. The infringing listing was taken down within about 18 hours. That was way faster than I expected.

I'm also going to register my photos with the Copyright Office and start watermarking my main images. Tony, good tip about checking for multiple storefronts — I found one more listing and reported that too.

Thanks everyone. This was a really upsetting experience but the resolution was actually pretty smooth once I knew what to do.