Website owners · US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, EU
Got a demand letter for a photo on your website?
PicRights, Higbee & Associates, Getty Images, Copytrack and Pixsy send letters asking for hundreds or thousands per image, usually with a 14-day deadline. Don't ignore it, and don't pay the first number. Check your real risk, then reply in writing.
Your position
Your reply
Send it by email or post and keep a copy. Reply in writing, not by phone.
What to do when you get the letter
- Take the image down. Remove it from the page and from the media library or server, then clear your caches. The file's own address often stays live after you edit the page.
- Don't ignore it. Unanswered claims get passed on, for example from PicRights to Higbee & Associates, and the tone gets tougher.
- Reply in writing, not by phone. Phone calls are where people agree to pay before they've seen any proof.
- Ask for proof. Who owns the copyright, how the sender got the right to claim for them, the exact URL and dates of use, and how they worked out the fee.
- In the US, check registration. Search the Copyright Office public catalog. If the photo wasn't registered before your use began (or within 3 months of first publication), statutory damages and attorney's fees aren't available (17 U.S.C. §412).
- Then decide. If you licensed or created it, send your proof. If you didn't, a fair offer for a full release usually ends it for far less than the demand.
How much could you really owe?
| Where | What a court usually looks at |
|---|---|
| United States | A normal licence fee, unless the photo was registered in time. Then statutory damages ($750 to $30,000 per work, up to $150,000 if wilful) and attorney's fees are possible. Claims usually have to be filed within 3 years (17 U.S.C. §507(b)). |
| United Kingdom | No statutory damages. Usually what a licence would have cost. Small claims go to the IPEC small claims track (up to £10,000). |
| Australia and New Zealand | Generally the licence fee lost. Extra damages are possible for flagrant copying. |
The fair licence fee shown above is a rough estimate for small sites. Look up what the agency or a stock library charges for the same image and use, and put your own figure in.
Guides to each sender
PicRights · Higbee & Associates · Getty Images / LCS · Copytrack
I got it from Google Images. Isn't that allowed?
No. Most images online are owned by someone, and "found it on Google" or "I credited the photographer" isn't a licence. It can still help you negotiate, because it shows you didn't mean to copy.
A designer put the image on my site. Am I responsible?
Usually the site owner gets the claim. Ask the designer or agency for the licence they used, and check your contract: they may have to cover the cost.
Should I pay to make it go away?
Don't pay anything until you've seen proof of ownership and authority. If you do settle, pay only after you have a signed release covering the owner as well as the sender.
Is this legal advice?
No. It's legal information and letter templates. If the photo was registered before your use in the US, or you've been sued, talk to a copyright lawyer.
Checked 14 October 2026. Sources: Heitner Legal on PicRights, Heitner Legal on Higbee & Associates, Sprintlaw UK, Sprintlaw Australia, 17 U.S.C. §§412, 504, 507.