# Copycat protection for makers who sell on their own website

> Selling on WooCommerce, Squarespace, Wix or Big Cartel? How your product photos get copied, how to get copies removed from marketplaces and websites, and how to monitor them.

Updated 2026-11-01 · https://makersentry.com/for/own-website-sellers

Your own website gives you control over your brand, but not over your photos: anyone can save them. Without a marketplace's report button between you and the copier, you also need to know how to reach the copier's host.

## How copying happens for makers with their own website

- Your photos are reused on marketplaces by sellers of factory copies.
- Copycat websites clone your product pages, sometimes your whole site.
- Image-sharing sites spread your photos without credit, where resellers pick them up.

## Where copies usually show up

- Marketplaces (Amazon, Temu, AliExpress, Etsy)
- Clone websites
- Pinterest and social media
- Print-on-demand sites

## How to protect your work

1. Keep originals and archive your product pages with the Internet Archive.
2. For copies on other websites, send a cease-and-desist first, then a notice to their web host.
3. Use watermarks on secondary photos and social posts.

## How MakerSentry helps

Add your products by URL and MakerSentry records proof, archives each page and searches for copies weekly. Website copies come with cease-and-desist and web host notices; marketplace copies with notices for each platform.

## Related

- [DMCA notice to a web host](/templates/dmca-notice-to-web-host)
- [Cease-and-desist letter template](/templates/cease-and-desist-copied-product)
- [Photo watermark tool](/tools/photo-watermark-tool)

## Questions

**How do I find who hosts a copycat website?**

Look the domain up with ICANN's lookup tool or an IP-to-host service, then use the host's abuse or copyright contact. Sites behind Cloudflare can be reported through Cloudflare's abuse form, which forwards to the host.

**Do I need to register my copyright?**

You own copyright in your photos automatically. Registration mainly matters if you plan to sue in the US.