Bloggers Beware The Copyright Trolls – Even If You Use Royalty-Free Images

Posted byJacqueline Lambert @WorldWideWalkiesPosted inThe Knowledge - Travel Advice & TipsTags:, ,

If you create content online, you already know the value of using images legally. The internet is awash with copyright theft, and professional photographers and agencies understandably want to protect their work. But what happens when you think you’re playing by the rules — and still get hit with a copyright claim?

I recently received a very aggressive email from a company called Copytrack. They claimed an image I’d downloaded from the royalty-free site, Pixabay and used on my blog was a copyright infringement for the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany. Copytrack demanded over £1400 in compensation and retrospective rights, threatening legal action within a short timeframe if I failed either to pay up or prove I had the right to use the image.

I immediately thought it was a scam, but when I looked into it, I found Copytrack is a legitimate company based in Germany.

Copytrack acts on behalf of clients to scour the web using image recognition software, hunting for unlicensed uses of photographs. If they detect a match, they send the alleged infringer an email — often aggressive in tone — demanding payment. Copytrack is not the only such company.

The problem arises because the company simply acts on behalf of clients. Copytrack does not verify the validity of their clients’ claims.

So, even if you sourced an image from a royalty-free platform like Pixabay (owned by Canva), you could still be targeted like I was.

I’ve also seen reports of them pursuing people for using their own personal photographs, and images that are in the public domain.

Pixabay’s licence terms are clear, but in practice, there’s nothing stopping a photographer who once uploaded an image for free from later registering it with a rights-management company like Copytrack. This creates a legal grey zone that is especially dangerous for writers, bloggers, and small business owners who rely on free image libraries.

What Should I Do If A Company Like Copytrack Contacts Me?

  1. Don’t panic! I must admit, this is easier said than done. The emails were so aggressive they caused me shortness of breath, depression, and left me dreading opening my inbox for weeks.
  2. Don’t Pay – without verifying that the claim is valid.
  3. Do not share any personal information, such as your address, ID, or payment details, especially if you’re unsure of the claim or the company’s legitimacy.
  4. Do not ignore a demand, because this could lead to escalated legal action. However, this is an expensive route for them, and in most cases they will simply apply aggressive pressure to try to force you into paying up quickly.
  5. Gather Proof of your licence and rights to use the image.
  6. Always communicate in writing and keep records of all correspondence.
  7. If you need legal assistance, this law firm can help you https://heitnerlegal.com/2022/11/07/why-this-is-what-you-do-if-you-get-a-copytrack-copyright-demand-letter/

Responding to Copyright Trolls:

  1. Ask them for solid proof that they actually hold the copyright for the image in question. They should be able to supply documentation showing that they are the original creator and rights holder. One German Lawyer they pursued wrote to Copytrack and said he would not respond to them until they had proved all the legal facts that would justify their contacting him.
  2. Refer them to the image licence if you have it. I contacted Pixabay, who emailed me a confirmation that I’d downloaded the image from their website on a specific date, that it was covered under the terms of Pixabay’s licence, and therefore legal to use. I forwarded this proof to Copytrack, then blocked them. I have heard nothing further from them.
  3. Take Down The Image – although I had every right to use the image, to avoid any further issues, I removed the image from my blog immediately.
  4. Report Them – the more people who do this, the sooner these shady practices will stop.
    • I reported them to Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime. I suggest you report them to the police in your country.
    • I reported them to the authorities in Germany, since they are a German company: Berlin District Attorney, Staatsanwaltschaft Berlin, Turmstraße 91, Germany.
    • I marked their emails as Phishing which automatically blocked them, although before I did this, I forwarded all correspondence to myself to ensure I had a copy.
  5. Leave A Review – Like many other victims, I also left an honest review about their distressing tactics and shady practices on Trustpilot and other review sites to warn others.

Protect Yourself From Copyright Scams:

When I contacted them, the image had been removed from Pixabay. Fortunately, I had the original download of the image in my Downloads folder, so when I contacted Pixabay, they could confirm that I’d downloaded the image from their website under the terms of their licence. However, copyright trolls rely on the fact that people don’t keep a record of where they downloaded the images or details of the licence.

  • Obviously, use only images that you have the rights to. If you’re not sure, Hugh Roberts published a post on his excellent blog Where To Legally Source Amazing Images For Your Blog Posts.
  • Keep a record (screenshot or download) of the licence terms, source URL and original file name at the time you download the image.
  • Consider using paid stock image services with strong indemnity policies.
  • Where possible, create your own images – although a web search revealed one victim who was still pursued by Copytrack despite using one of his own photographs!
  • Beware of Reblogging – if you reblog someone else’s post and it contains copyright images, you are liable for that content and could be fined.

Pixabay told me I wasn’t the first to be targeted – and undoubtedly, I won’t be the last.

In an era where the burden of proof often falls on the content creator, free isn’t always risk-free. The safest policy for bloggers, writers, and businesses is to treat image sourcing as seriously as you treat your own intellectual property.

The Fab Four, four fluffy cavapoo dogs, sitting in front of a chalk downland landscape on top of Adam's Grave Long Barrow in Wiltshire on a beautiful sunny day

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Published by Jacqueline Lambert @WorldWideWalkies

AD (After Dogs) - We retired early to tour Europe in a caravan with four dogs. "To boldly go where no van has gone before". Since 2021, we've been at large in a 24.5-tonne self-converted ex-army truck called The Beast. BC (Before Canines) - we had adventures on every continent other than Antarctica!

38 thoughts on “Bloggers Beware The Copyright Trolls – Even If You Use Royalty-Free Images”

  1. Holy crap Jackie! I had enough of this crap in my early days of blogging and Getty’s wrath. Thanks for letting us know to beware, EVEN IF IT’S LEGAL. What a sham world we live in! I’ll be sharing this in my next Writer’s Tips issue. Hugs xx

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  2. This is crazy Jackie, we have only ever used a couple of images off the web, but now I’l see if we even have a record of how we obtained them. How scary it must have been for you. Thanks for alerting us to it. Maggie

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    1. It was truly scary. I mostly use my own photos but have frequently used Pixabay, Wikimedia, and other Royalty Free sites for illustrative pictures when I don’t have quite the right image of my own.

      I often change the file name when I save the image, and haven’t always kept the original download – it was so lucky that I had in this case, because when I received the infringement notice, the image creator had removed it from Pixabay.

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    1. You’re welcome, Nancy. It’s good to be aware – I played everything by the book and was still targeted. It was horrible not knowing what to do, so I hope my advice will help anyone else who is caught in the same situation. Unfortunately, with the advent of AI, I scams are going to become more prevelant and less easy to spot.

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  6. That is very useful information. I’ve been accused of violating copyright for using my own dog photos taken with my phone. It was one of those dumb scam companies though. When you look them up it does say it is a scam. However, CopyTrack does not look as legitimate either. This is what Google told me about CopyTrack. Does not sound very legit to me.

    “While its services are for copyright holders like photographers and agencies, Copytrack has a reputation for sending out automated, often unfounded, claims and demand letters to businesses. Some have received claims for images they legally licensed or for content that is not copyrightable, leading many to consider them a scam or a company that uses aggressive, predatory tactics to extort money.”

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    1. Hi Thomas, I’m glad you found this post useful. I am so sorry you’ve been subject to an attempted scam too – it’s all too common.

      Copytrack does seem to inhabit that grey area between legit and scam. They have a legitimate business, but because they don’t check the veracity of their clients’ claims, they pursue people wrongly and provide a channel for scammers. They are very persistent and it was an exceedingly unpleasant experience.

      I am careful what I say because I have also heard of them pursuing people for libel and defamation for leaving poor reviews!

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  8. What an absolute horror story this is, Jacqueline. What a terrible time they put you through.

    Thank you so much for writing a post about this awful scam. I feel very sorry for anyone who has legally downloaded an image and then had to pay up or delete their blog for good because of being scammed. Yours is a terrifying account of what is happening out there for anyone who has a website.

    Thank you for mentioning my recent post. I’m going to add a link in my post to your post.

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    2. Thank you, Hugh, for sharing and raising awareness of these awful scams. On my author website, I published a guest post from fellow author, Peter Barber, about a publishing scam. I don’t know whether it is relevant to your post, but you’re very welcome to share if it is. And I assure you I have permission to use all the images 🙂 https://jacquelinelambert.co.uk/2025/03/19/publish-and-be-damned-how-i-got-scammed-learned-my-lesson-and-came-out-fighting-a-guest-post-by-author-peter-barber/

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    1. Thank you, Debbie, I’m pleased you found my post useful. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say.

      I’m the same as you – I mostly use my own images, but if I don’t have the right one, I use royalty free. I thought that meant I was safe, but clearly, if you don’t keep records, you are open to these scams, which is shocking.

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  17. They is scary! Especially since the site sending the email is legitimate.

    I would have trouble proving that I own my own images. I have no idea how to go about it.

    I always check that images I use are not copyrighted, and use Pixabay if I need something not my own. However, the thought that reblogged posts could land one in trouble is concerning.

    Thank you for this warning, and I’m sorry you had to go through what you did.

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    1. No pronlem – I’m glad you found the post useful. The site sending the email is a sort of legitimate dodgy!

      Most digital photos have information stored with the file, so I don’t think it would be too difficult to prove you owned an image. I think it’s in the ‘Preoperties’. Images are date and time stamped, and may have a location stamp if that is enabled on your device, and I think it logs the device used to take the photo.

      I have always used Pixabay for that very reason and thought I was safe! I have now removed all external images from my site which I cannot verify. I figured having blank attributes in some posts until I can sort it out is better than going through another copyright debacle. I have re-downloaded some of the same images and made sure they are correctly attributed, and saved the downlad in a folder. It’s not too onerous, it’s just a matter of implementing a system to make sure you’re covered.

      Regarding reblogging, I never reblog for that reason. However, if you simply link to a post from your website, obviously you’re not publishing or displaying the material on your site, so I don’t think you could be pursued for copyright infringement in that case. Let’s hope not, anyhow!

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