Copyright Letter for Product Photos: What to Check Before You Pay

Got a copyright letter for product photos? Don't pay it yet. Don't delete anything yet, either. Breathe. First you'll want 3 facts: the exact image URL on your store, who says they own the photo, and whether you've already got a license receipt for it. Often the answer's sitting in your own inbox or your stock site's download history.

Here's the case that made us write this. On 30 Aug 2026, a store owner posted on the Sellers Ask Sellers forum about an email from Copytrack, sent on behalf of a stock image agency. It said an image on their store had been online without a license since 9 July 2026, cited Germany's copyright act (the UrhG), and asked for proof of a license by 9 Sep 2026. It claimed to come "without any accusation of a legal infringement." There was a 6-character case number. The box that should've named the image was empty. Their store ran on Shopify free stock photos, manufacturer images and their own shots. So which one was it? Nobody could say.

If you've had one of these, you know the feeling. Your stomach drops. You've got a deadline about 10 days out and no idea which photo they mean. You open your Shopify or WooCommerce product pages one by one, scroll through your Downloads folder, dig through old Dropbox links, and every picture starts to look guilty. That seller did what a lot of us would do. A second email arrived, so they pulled every stock image off the store and rebuilt it with their own photos and some AI images. Other sellers in the thread thought the letter was part of a mass mailing, mostly because it didn't name an image at all.

This is general information, not legal advice; for a specific letter, speak to a lawyer in your country.

What is a copyright letter for product photos, and why did you get one?

It's a demand from a photographer, an image agency or a company acting for them. It says a picture on your site was used without permission, and it asks you to prove a license or pay. Plenty of these now come from rights clearance firms that scan the web for copies of their clients' images. Copytrack describes itself as a platform that monitors media rights for brands, creatives and agencies. Its FAQ says that when it takes a case, it collects evidence such as dated screenshots, web server records and the image URL.

Why you? Usually a picture on your store matches one in a catalogue the sender represents. You didn't have to steal anything for that to happen. Maybe your supplier sent product shots over WeChat or WhatsApp that a photographer actually owns. Maybe you copied a photo from an Alibaba or AliExpress listing. Maybe a free site like Unsplash, Pexels or Freepik hosted a photo someone uploaded without the rights. Maybe a VA saved a picture from Pinterest or Instagram. Maybe a demo image from your Shopify theme is still sitting on an About page you forgot. Your shoppers won't notice. Software will. If you buy from a factory, the risks of reusing private label supplier photos go well beyond looking identical to every other reseller.

How do you check if the claim is real before paying anything?

Ask for specifics, then check them against your own records. A real rights holder can tell you which image, where it sits and why it's theirs. Keep your replies short and polite. Save every message.

1. Step 1: ask for the exact image. You want the full URL of the page on your store, a copy of their original file, and the date they say your use began. Quote the case number if there's one.
2. Step 2: ask for proof of ownership. Who took the photo, and what lets the sender act for them? For a US work, ask whether it's registered with the US Copyright Office.
3. Step 3: verify the sender. Type the company's web address into Chrome or Safari yourself instead of clicking the link in the email. Then compare the portal address and contact details in your letter with what the official site lists.
4. Step 4: find your license receipt. Search Gmail or Outlook for the stock site's name. Check your Shutterstock, Adobe Stock or Canva account for download history, and screenshot the license page. Copytrack's FAQ says proof should include the purchase or download date, and it lists an invoice, a download history screenshot, a subscription screenshot or written permission as examples.
5. Step 5: check with your supplier. If the photo came from your manufacturer, find the email, WeChat or WhatsApp message where they sent it. Then ask them in writing who shot it and whether you're allowed to use it.
6. Step 6: run a reverse image search. Put the named image through Google Lens or TinEye. You'll often see where it first appeared and whether a stock site sells it, which tells you whether your supplier, a free site or someone else was the real source.

Selling in the US? Here's the short version from the US Copyright Office FAQ. Copyright protection starts the moment a work is created and fixed in a tangible form. Registration is generally voluntary. Registration is required before a rights holder can sue for infringement of a US work, a rule set out in Section 411 of Title 17 of the US Code. Registered works may be eligible for statutory damages and attorney's fees in successful litigation. Those are US rules, though. The letter in the thread cited German law, and rules differ by country.

Found your license in Step 4? Good. Send it, and ask for written confirmation that the case is closed. Copytrack's FAQ says it'll close a case once it verifies the license. Can't find any record? That doesn't automatically mean the claim's right. It means this copyright letter for product photos needs a closer look, ideally with someone qualified, before any money moves.

What should you avoid doing while you check?

Don't swing to either extreme. Fair warning: both feel good for a moment. Ignoring the letter is one. Paying it in the first hour is the other. A bit of scepticism is healthy, but a claim doesn't vanish because the email looked automated. And paying fast has its own catch: Copytrack's FAQ says it can't process refunds once you've paid, and it suggests asking for a deadline extension first if your license status isn't clear.

• Don't ignore it unread. Put the deadline in Google Calendar, then reply and ask for the details in Steps 1 and 2.
• Don't pay through a link you haven't checked, and don't pay before you know which image it's about.
• Don't admit infringement in writing. Ask questions instead.
• Don't delete images before you know which one they mean. Screenshot your product pages with the date visible, and export your Shopify product CSV or WooCommerce product export first.

That last one hurts most in hindsight. Wiping every stock photo feels like putting the fire out. But if the claim's wrong, the page as it stood was your evidence. Removing an image also stops future use, not past use. Copytrack's FAQ notes that buying a license now wouldn't retroactively cover past unauthorised use. Once you know which image they mean, replace that 1 image in Photoshop, Lightroom or your phone's editor. Keep your screenshots.

When should you talk to a lawyer?

Call a lawyer as soon as it's more than a polite request to show a license. Someone who handles copyright in your country can tell you whether to settle, negotiate or push back. A forum can't. Neither can we.

• The letter comes from a law firm, or you get court papers of any kind.
• The amount is big for your business, or the sender rejects a license you think is valid.
• The claim relies on another country's law, the way the letter in the thread leaned on German law.
• Amazon, Etsy or Shopify took your listings down and you're thinking about a counter notice, which is a formal legal statement.
• You've had 2 or more letters for different images and suspect a wider problem with a supplier's photos.

Bring 3 things: the letter, your license receipts and your dated screenshots. Short and organised.

What do Shopify, Etsy and Amazon do when a rights owner complains?

They act on formal copyright notices filed with them, which is a separate track from an agency email. Shopify's copyright policy page says that when it gets what it reasonably believes is a complete and valid notice, it generally removes the reported content and tells you in your Shopify admin. Think it was a mistake? You can file a counter notice. If that's valid, the content's generally reposted in 10 to 14 business days, unless the claimant takes legal action. Shopify also says it terminates stores for repeat infringement in appropriate cases.

Etsy's intellectual property policy works along similar lines. It removes reported listings, tries to contact you, and accepts counter notices for US-based copyright reports. Amazon sets out its own process in the Intellectual Property Policy inside Seller Central. Read the version for your marketplace. Don't assume it matches Shopify's.

How do you stop it happening again?

Use only photos you own or are clearly licensed to use, and keep proof for every one. The seller in the thread used free stock photos and manufacturer images, like most small stores do. Free can still mean licensed. Shopify's free stock photo license, for example, allows commercial use. What's usually missing is the record of where and when you got each file. A Google Sheets or Excel file is enough, saved in Google Drive. Give it 5 columns:

• Column 1: the file name and every Shopify, Etsy or Amazon page where it appears.
• Column 2: where it came from. Your phone, a supplier's WeChat message, Shutterstock, Canva or a freelancer on Fiverr.
• Column 3: the license type, plus a screenshot of the license page on the day you downloaded it.
• Column 4: the download or purchase date, the invoice or order number, and which account you used.
• Column 5: for supplier photos, the email or chat message that says you can use them.

The cleanest long-term fix is to build your listing images from a photo you took yourself. A phone shot of the real item on your kitchen table, taken on an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy, is a source file you own. Simple. You can cut it out with a free product background remover, make a white main image, and build styled scenes around it with AI product photography tools such as ListingRVA AI. That's how we've built ours: our image studios start from the product photo you upload, so the whole set traces back to your own original. For which shot goes where, see lifestyle versus white background images, and for marketplace specifics, Amazon product photography with AI. Built your A+ modules from stock photos too? Rebuild them from your own shots; here's how A+ pages built with AI work.

One caution. Don't assume an AI image is automatically safe from copyright problems. Start from a photo you own, keep the original in your log, and check each platform's AI rules. Etsy, for one, expects disclosure for some AI edits under Etsy's AI image disclosure rules. Log every new image the day you publish it, whether it goes to Etsy on a Monday or Amazon on a Friday. Then if another copyright letter for product photos turns up, you'll answer it with a receipt, not a knot in your stomach.

From our own data

Every image job in our AI Studio starts from a product photo you upload or import from your own store. No photo, no job: the request is refused before a single credit is spent. We built it that way on purpose, so every image in your set traces back to one original you can point to.

It doesn't replace your paperwork, though. If you mix in a stock or supplier photo, keep its receipt and license page in your log like any other.

Source: ListingRVA AI Studio request checks, October 2026. Product behaviour only, no customer data.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Copytrack letter real?

Copytrack is a real company that works for photographers and image agencies, and its own site describes a settlement portal for these cases. Whether a particular claim is valid is a separate question. Confirm the message really comes from the company, ask for the exact image and proof of ownership, and compare that with your own records. Sellers in one forum thread suspected a mass mailing because the letter named no image, which is a reason to ask questions, not a reason to ignore it.

Should I pay the amount in the letter straight away?

Not before you know which image is involved and whether you already hold a license for it. Copytrack's FAQ says it cannot refund a payment once it is made and suggests asking for a deadline extension first if your license status is unclear. If the amount is significant or the claim is disputed, speak to a lawyer before paying.

What if I cannot reply before the deadline?

Write to the sender before the deadline passes and ask for more time, explaining that you are checking your license records. Copytrack's FAQ says it will extend the deadline for a case if more time is needed. Keep a copy of your request and of any reply.

Does deleting the image end the claim?

Removing an image stops future use, but the claim is usually about use that already happened. Copytrack's FAQ notes that buying a license now would not retroactively cover past unauthorised use. Before removing anything, take dated screenshots of the page so you keep a record of what was there.

Are AI-generated product images safe from copyright claims?

Do not assume they are automatically safe. Start from a product photo you took yourself rather than someone else's image, keep the original file with your license records, and check each marketplace's rules on AI images, since some platforms expect disclosure for certain AI edits.

Is this article legal advice?

No. This is general information, not legal advice; for a specific letter, speak to a lawyer in your country. Copyright rules differ between countries, and the US points in this article are examples only.

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Published by Aashirvad Kumar, founder of ListingRVA AI. Drafted with AI assistance; the rules, figures and claims are checked against the sources linked in this article before publishing.