Quick answer. Copyright protects original expression, such as the product photos you shoot, the listing copy you write, your packaging art and your A+ images, from the moment the work is fixed in a tangible form. The U.S. Copyright Office says registration is optional, but you need it (or a refusal) before you can sue over a U.S. work, and registering within three months of first publication preserves statutory damages and attorney’s fees. On Amazon, you report copied content through Brand Registry or the Report Infringement form, naming the exact image or text. If you are accused, Amazon’s Intellectual Property Policy lets you file a counter-notice under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, ask a licensor for a retraction, or appeal from Account Health. Remove anything you cannot prove you own or license.

Copyright is the IP right sellers run into most often without realising it. A competitor lifts your hero photo. A freelancer hands you stock images you never licensed. A manufacturer’s catalog photo goes into your new listing, and a notice removes the ASIN and puts a High severity violation on your Account Health page.

Below we cover both sides. Making your own content provably yours, registering it, reporting copies precisely, and responding when the complaint is aimed at you. This is educational information, not legal advice. For the wider picture of IP notices, read our explainer on what an intellectual property complaint is.

What copyright covers in an Amazon listing, and what it does not

Amazon’s Intellectual Property Policy describes three main types of IP. Copyrights protect original works of authorship, trademarks protect words, symbols and designs that identify the source of goods, and patents protect inventions. Its rights owner page adds that the author of an original work typically owns its copyright.

In a listing, copyright attaches to the creative expression on the page, not to the product or the brand name. The Copyright Office says protection exists automatically once an original work is fixed in a tangible form. The right exists without any notice, symbol or filing.

What is usually protectable

Product photography, including main images, lifestyle shots, infographics and comparison images you created.
Original listing copy, meaning descriptions, bullet points with real creative expression, and A+ content text.
Packaging artwork, illustrations, label designs and inserts.
Product videos and the scripts behind them.

What copyright will not protect

The Copyright Office’s Circular 33 says words and short phrases, names, titles and slogans are uncopyrightable because they contain an insufficient amount of authorship, and it lists the name of a product or service among them. A mere listing of ingredients or contents, or a simple set of directions, is also uncopyrightable. Protection extends only to the original expression, never to the underlying idea, method or system.

A competitor reusing your three-word title or your ingredient list is not infringing your copyright, and a brand name or logo is a trademark question. If your concern is the look of your product or package rather than your photos, our guide on trade dress infringement covers that ground.

The master file, the contractor agreement and the stock license laid out as one ownership record. Open each tab to check it before you report or answer a complaint.

Who owns your listing images, and how to prove it

Under Section 201 of the Copyright Act, copyright vests initially in the author of the work. For a work made for hire, the employer or other person for whom the work was prepared is considered the author. Section 204 says a transfer of copyright ownership is not valid unless it is in writing and signed by the owner of the rights being transferred.

If you hire a freelance photographer, a design agency or a listing service, the creator may own the copyright unless a signed written agreement transfers or licenses it to you. Paying an invoice is not a written transfer. Many sellers learn this only when a former contractor files a complaint.

The ownership file every brand should keep

For every image and block of copy, keep these records.

The untouched master file with its original metadata, stored where it cannot be edited.
Dated creation records. Shoot date, photographer, and drafts with version history.
The rights document. A signed assignment or license for anything a contractor created, or the license terms for any stock image.
First publication evidence. The date the asset first went live, which matters for registration timing.
Registration details if you registered, meaning the registration number and effective date.

Amazon’s rights owner page asks a reporter to identify the work with a registration number, a written description of or link to the copyrighted work, and the first date of use. A file built as you go lets you answer from records.

What happens when you upload images to a detail page

Amazon’s rights owner page notes that when you add your copyrighted image or text to a product detail page, you grant Amazon and its affiliates a license to use the material, as set out in the Business Solutions Agreement. Other sellers can list their identical products on pages where you added your images or text, even if you no longer sell that product.

A reseller of the same genuine product on your ASIN is not infringing your copyright. You can act on your content reproduced on a different detail page or on packaging you did not authorize. Our guide to listing hijacking covers the separate problem of other sellers on your own ASIN.

A self check on whether you could prove ownership of your listing images and copy tomorrow. Toggle the records you hold to see how exposed you are.

When the stakes are high, have our rights owner complaint team review your Amazon case before you respond.

When using someone else’s images gets you an IP complaint

Amazon’s rights owner page is direct. You can generally use your own copyrighted images on product detail pages, but do not take images from other sources and add them to product detail pages without the rights owner’s permission. The product detail page rules add that you cannot add details that infringe the IP rights of others.

Even if a seller infringes without knowledge, Amazon will still take action, and the account might receive a warning or be suspended.

The situations that cause most copyright complaints

Manufacturer or brand catalog images copied onto a new listing, a bundle, or a variation the brand never created.
Images pulled from a search engine, a supplier’s website or another marketplace, on the assumption that visible means free.
Stock images used beyond the license, or from a free site whose terms you never read.
Contractor work with no written transfer, where the photographer or agency later objects.
Copied description text from a brand’s website or a competitor’s listing.

A worked example

A hypothetical bottle seller launches three ASINs using the factory’s catalog photos. The photographer who shot them for another brand files a copyright notice covering all three. Under Amazon’s Account Health Rating FAQ, a valid rights owner notice is a High severity example, and the maximum number of repeat violations for infringement-related policies is five within a 180-day period. One launch decision has used up three of them.

Deleting the listings does not help. The AHR FAQ says changing listing status, such as closing or deleting a listing, does not remove it from the Account Health page.

Each part of a detail page, where its content usually comes from and what protects it. Open a section to see what triggers a complaint and what you can prove.

For a closely related case, read How to Get an Amazon IP Complaint Retracted by the Rights Owner.

Why registering with the Copyright Office is worth doing

The Copyright Office says registering a work is not mandatory, but for U.S. works registration (or a refusal) is necessary to enforce the exclusive rights through litigation. Section 411(a) of the Copyright Act sets that rule.

Section 412 says statutory damages and attorney’s fees are not available for infringement of a published work that began after first publication and before registration, unless the registration is made within three months after first publication. Section 504(c) sets statutory damages per work at not less than $750 or more than $30,000 as the court considers just. A court can raise the award to $150,000 for willful infringement or lower it to $200 for innocent infringement. Under Section 410(c), a certificate made within five years after first publication is prima facie evidence of validity.

On Amazon, a registration number gives the reviewer a fixed reference when you report, though you can also describe or link the work.

What it costs and which application to use

The Copyright Office fee page listed the amounts below at the time of writing. Confirm current figures before filing.

Application	Fee listed	Typical seller use
Single Application (single author, same claimant, one work, not for hire)	$45	One piece of copy or one image you created yourself
Standard Application	$65	Works made for hire, works by a business, or multiple authors
Group of published photographs or group of unpublished photographs	$55	A photo shoot for a product line
Group of short online literary works	$65	Groups of short online text, where eligible

The Office’s photographs page names two group options, Group Registration of Unpublished Photographs and Group Registration of Published Photographs. Each has its own eligibility rules, so read them before you assemble the deposit.

A photo set moving from your files to a registration number. Tap each stage to see what to gather, which application fits and what the certificate gives you.

How to check whether content is protected and who owns it

Before you report someone, or use content you did not create, verify the right. Copyright exists without registration, so a missing registration does not mean an image is free to use.

Question	Where to check	What to look for
Is this work registered, and to whom?	U.S. Copyright Office, Copyright Public Records System	Title, claimant, registration number and date. Match them to the work in question
Do I own the images on my listing?	Your asset file. Master files, contracts, licenses	Original metadata, signed assignment or license for contractor and stock work
Is the notice against me valid and specific?	Account Health page in Seller Central, and the notice email	Complaint ID, rights owner name, the ASIN, whether the notice names images, text or the product
How much is this costing my account?	Account Health Rating on the Account Health page	The violation’s severity, whether it is marked as a repeat, and your current score band
Is the claim copyright, or trademark or patent?	The notice wording, plus the USPTO for marks and patents	The IP type named. Each type has a different response path on Amazon

The Copyright Office’s public records page lists the Copyright Public Records System, covering 1898 to 1945 and 1978 to the present, and asks users to note the timeframe each database covers. Compare what a record describes with the actual image or text. A registration for website copy does not cover a photograph.

For trademark and patent checks, our guide to intellectual property rights and the USPTO walks through those databases.

How to report stolen photos or copy to Amazon

Amazon’s rights owner page says that to report IP infringement you must be a Brand Registry user with either the Rights Owner role or the Registered Agent role. Registered Agents report for a Rights Owner who authorized them. If your brand is enrolled, you report through the Report Infringement form within Brand Registry. If it is not, you can submit a notice through the public form, which is available for all selling partners. Either way, you must be logged into an Amazon account.

Pick the right level of report

Amazon describes three levels for copyright. Picking the right one keeps innocent sellers out of the report.

The four parts of a copyright report that holds, screen by screen. Step through to see what each part proves and where reports go wrong.

What your report must contain

Amazon asks rights owners to include the following.

Specific identification of the copyrighted work, meaning the registration number, a written description of or a link to the work, and the first date of use.
The nature of the infringement, whether on the product, on the physical packaging, in an image on the detail page, or in text on the detail page.
The infringing products, with ASINs and detail page URLs.
The infringing sellers, if only some sellers are infringing.
Supporting documentation, such as order IDs for test buys.
Your contact details, including secondary contact details Amazon can share with affected sellers.

Build the evidence before you file

Capture a full-page screenshot and a close-up of the exact copied element, each showing the URL and the date and time.
Place your original beside the copy, keep captures untouched, and number each exhibit in a capture log.
For repeat copiers, keep a log linking listings and storefronts with dates and prior complaint IDs.

Precision beats volume

Name the specific images or text, never “the listing”. Amazon only processes the complaint type you chose. If you select trademark and discuss copyright, it is processed as trademark only, so file a separate notice for each IP type. Multiple submissions of inaccurate or inauthentic notices could lead to removal of your submission privileges. Section 512(f) makes anyone who knowingly and materially misrepresents infringement liable for resulting damages, including attorney’s fees. Report only what you can prove you own.

If the notice is valid, Amazon informs the responsible sellers, shares your secondary contact information, and removes the reported content. If it is rejected, you receive the reason. Track notices in Submission History. For the wider toolset, see our guide to brand protection on Amazon.

A copyright notice can be answered three ways. The counter-notice route carries legal commitments, so it fits only when the removal was a genuine mistake.

What to do when you are accused of copyright infringement

Start with diagnosis, not a reply. Open the violation on your Account Health page and read the notice email. Write down the complaint ID, the rights owner’s name and contact, the ASINs, and exactly what the notice says was copied, whether an image, text, or the product or packaging itself. Then answer three questions honestly.

Did you ever list this product? Amazon’s IP policy says that for a product you never listed, reply to the notification and say so, and Amazon will investigate whether an error occurred.
Can you prove you created or licensed the reported content? Pull the asset file. For your own photo you need the master file and creation records. For contractor work you need the signed assignment or license. For stock you need the license covering this use.
Is the claim copyright? If the notice names a brand name or logo, it is trademark. If it names a design, it is patent. Each runs on a different response path.

If the content is not yours or you cannot prove it is

Remove it now. Replace the image or text with content you created and documented. The AHR FAQ lists taking the required corrective actions, such as removing infringing content, among the ways violations are removed. Then appeal through Account Health with a plan of action. Never fabricate an authorship record, backdate a license or edit metadata to support a claim. A false counter-notice is made under penalty of perjury and exposes you to Section 512(f) liability.

If you hold a license or agreement with the rights owner

Amazon’s IP policy says to contact the rights owner who submitted the complaint and request a retraction, and your content may be reinstated if Amazon receives one. The AHR FAQ lists a rights owner retracting an IP complaint among the ways a violation is removed. Send the agreement, a clear statement of which content it covers, and one specific request.

If the removal was a mistake or misidentification

Amazon’s IP policy says you may file a counter-notice under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, sent to the email provided in your copyright warning. It must include the following.

Your physical or electronic signature. Amazon says you can sign electronically by typing your name with an indication it is intended as a signature, such as “/s/ Seller Name”.
Identification of the removed material and where it appeared. Amazon says an ASIN is generally sufficient.
A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed as a result of error or misidentification.
Your name, address and telephone number, a statement consenting to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court for the district where your seller address is located (or, outside the United States, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington), and that you will accept service of process from the complainant or its agent.

Section 512(g) sets out what follows a valid counter-notice. The service provider tells the complainant it will replace the material in 10 business days, and restores it not less than 10, nor more than 14, business days after receiving the counter-notice, unless the complainant has filed a court action to restrain the activity. A counter-notice is a legal document that consents to court jurisdiction and invites a lawsuit if the rights owner disagrees. Use it only when you are certain, and have a lawyer review it first.

Five copyright notices as they land in Account Health, with what each one means and the route Amazon’s IP policy gives you. Open a notice to see the answer.

Writing the appeal with root cause, fixes and prevention

When you appeal from Account Health after removing infringing content, the plan of action carries the case. Amazon’s IP policy says each violation has a unique appeal experience on the Account Health page, so follow the guidance shown there for your violation. A strong plan has three parts, written in plain language.

Root cause

Name the specific failure. “We made a mistake” is not a root cause. “Our listing contractor used manufacturer catalog images for three new ASINs, and we had no check requiring proof of rights before images were uploaded” is. Do not blame the rights owner, a competitor or Amazon’s tools. Reviewers read blame as a sign the problem will repeat.

Corrective actions already taken

List what you have already done, with specifics. Which images and text you removed from which ASINs, what you replaced them with, how many other listings you audited, and what you found. If the audit turned up more borrowed content, say you removed it too.

Preventive controls now in place

Describe permanent controls tied to the failure, with an owner and a start date. For example, every image and copy block now requires a recorded source and a signed license or assignment before upload, checked by a named catalog manager. Contractor agreements now include a written copyright assignment. A monthly audit compares live listing assets against the asset file. Generic promises to be more careful do not persuade reviewers.

Keep it factual and do not concede intent. Attach only documents you can produce, and reference each one where it does its work. Our guide to writing a plan of action that will not be ignored covers the structure in more depth.

When the account itself is suspended

Amazon’s IP policy says that if your account is suspended because of IP notices, you can appeal via your account dashboard or by replying to the suspension notification, and that Amazon terminates the accounts of repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances. If you have received multiple warnings and believe your products are non-infringing, Amazon asks for a list of the ASINs and supporting proof, which for copyright usually means evidence of authorship or a license. The AHR FAQ adds that when the repeat violation maximum is reached, a critical violation surfaces, your AHR turns red at zero, and you have a three-day period to address it before deactivation.

Copied photos or a copyright notice on your listings?

Send us the notice and we will tell you plainly which route fits.

Submit Case →Book a call

For a closely related case, read Amazon Product Safety Complaint Root Cause Analysis.

How copyright complaints affect your Account Health Rating

Amazon’s AHR program policy describes a score from 0 to 1,000. Green (“Healthy”) is 200 to 1,000, yellow (“At Risk”) is 100 to 199, and red (“Unhealthy”) is 99 or lower. All new sellers start at 200. Points are lost when a new violation is detected and regained when it is successfully addressed, and the score reflects the last 180 days.

The AHR FAQ lists “Rights owner submits valid notice of infringement” as a High severity example and says point values typically range from two to eight, with repeat violations of the same policy sometimes doubling. Violations removed after a successful appeal, where you did not dispute that the activity occurred, may still count toward the repeat violation maximum within 180 days. Solve a copyright problem across the whole catalog at once, not one ASIN at a time.

Common mistakes that turn a fixable notice into a suspension

Deleting the listing instead of addressing the violation. Amazon says changing listing status does not remove it from the Account Health page.
Filing a counter-notice to buy time. It is made under penalty of perjury, consents to court jurisdiction, and invites a lawsuit.
Arguing with the rights owner. An angry message can end any chance of a retraction.
Fixing one ASIN and leaving the same images elsewhere. The next notice counts as a repeat.
Reporting a competitor without proof of ownership. Inaccurate notices can cost you your submission privileges.
Watermarking listing images. Amazon’s detail page rules do not allow watermarks on images, so protection has to come from records and registration.

For a closely related case, read Amazon “Not as Described” Complaints.

A repeatable copyright routine for your catalog

Before a listing goes live. Record the source of every image and copy block, and confirm a signed assignment or license for anything made outside the business.
After each shoot. Store untouched masters, record the first publication date, and register the set within three months where the work justifies it.
Every month. Check Account Health for IP violations, search Amazon for your key images on other pages, and review Submission History.
When you find a copy. Capture dated evidence, confirm the use is not covered by the license Amazon receives on upload, then report the specific image or text.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to register a copyright before I can report it on Amazon?

No. Amazon asks for a registration number or a written description of or link to the work, plus the first date of use. Registration strengthens the report and is required before you can sue over a U.S. work.

Can another seller use my photos on my ASIN?

Amazon says adding your images or text to a detail page grants Amazon a license, and other sellers of the identical product can list on that page. Copies on other detail pages are what you can report.

How much does it cost to register a copyright?

At the time of writing, the Copyright Office listed $45 for a Single Application, $65 for a Standard Application and $55 for a group of published or unpublished photographs. Confirm current fees on the Office’s fee page.

What is a DMCA counter-notice on Amazon?

It is a statement, sent to the email in your copyright warning, that the content was removed by mistake or misidentification, signed under penalty of perjury and consenting to federal court jurisdiction. Under Section 512(g), material is restored 10 to 14 business days later unless the rights owner files a court action.

Can a copyright complaint suspend my Amazon account?

Yes. A valid rights owner notice is a High severity Account Health violation, and Amazon’s AHR FAQ sets the repeat maximum for infringement-related policies at five within 180 days.

Can I copyright my product title or slogan?

No. The Copyright Office says titles, names, short phrases and slogans are not copyrightable. A brand name or slogan may be a trademark instead.

Does deleting the listing remove the copyright violation?

No. Amazon says closing or deleting a listing does not remove the violation from the Account Health page. Remove the infringing content and appeal, request a retraction, or file a valid counter-notice.

Get Help With Copyright Complaints on Amazon

Whether someone has copied your product photos or a rights owner has filed against your listings, we review the notice, verify ownership and build the response from genuine records. See our rights owner complaint service, submit your case for review, or book a consultation.

This article is educational information about Amazon’s published policies and U.S. copyright law as published by the U.S. Copyright Office. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Amazon’s policies and Copyright Office fees change. Check the current pages and consult a qualified attorney before sending a takedown notice or counter-notice. No outcome, timeline or reinstatement is guaranteed.

If the account itself is restricted, start with our Amazon suspension service. You can also see all our marketplace suspension services.

Copyright for Amazon Sellers and How to Protect Your Photos and Listing Copy