How to remove stolen product images

Where stolen images come from

Most stolen product images come from two places: your own website and your ads. Copycats take your photography and video because it makes their listings, stores, and ads look legitimate instantly, without the cost of creating anything themselves.

We see stolen images across nearly every channel: lookalike listings on Temu, copycat Shopify stores, resellers on eBay using your listing photos, and AI-altered versions of brand images on Amazon.

Your images are protected by copyright

Copyright protects your original photos and videos from the moment they're created, so you don't need a registration for most platforms to act on a claim. That makes copyright one of the most useful tools available, especially for growing brands that haven't registered trademarks everywhere they sell. Registering copyrights on key assets can still strengthen your position, particularly if a dispute escalates.

How to get stolen images removed

• 1. Find every copy. Stolen images rarely appear just once. Reverse image search and ongoing monitoring help reveal where your content is being used.
• 2. Link to your originals. When filing a takedown, include direct links to the original image or video on your authorized sources, such as your website or official ads. This is the strongest evidence you can provide of authorship and ownership.
• 3. File a copyright report with the platform. Most marketplaces, social platforms, and hosts accept copyright takedowns, often under the DMCA notice-and-takedown process. Include the specific URLs where your content appears.
• 4. Follow up and escalate. If a report is rejected or the content stays up, resubmit with stronger evidence or escalate through the platform's other channels.

A bonus for spotting counterfeits

Removing stolen images does more than protect your content. When resellers can no longer hide behind your official photos, they have to take pictures of what they're actually selling, which often reveals counterfeit products.

Keep good records

Because websites and campaigns change constantly, the original version of an image may not be live when you need to prove ownership. Keep dated archives of your product photography, videos, and ad creative so you can always point to the source.

How Bustem helps

Bustem monitors marketplaces, websites, social platforms, and ads for your product images, files copyright takedowns with direct links to your authorized sources, and escalates AI-altered and hard-to-remove cases.