Before we dive in a quick disclaimer: I’m not an IP or copyright lawyer, and this isn’t legal advice. What I’m sharing comes from 15+ years of working with creatives as a business coach and Outsourced COO and experiencing these challenges firsthand.

The hard truth about sharing your creative work? Plagiarism, scraping, and imitation are everywhere these days, especially online. Sometimes it’s malicious—people trying to make a quick buck off your hard work and creativity. Other times, it’s admirers taking “inspiration” a bit too far. With AI in the mix, these issues are spreading faster than ever.

And, sure, while we can protect against some of this, other aspects are frustratingly out of our control. But don’t let that stop you from sharing your work! Putting your work out there is one of the best ways to open doors and tap into new opportunities, or even sales! 

Instead of hiding your work out of fear, let’s focus on how we put our creations into the world as creators and entrepreneurs.

5 Practical Ways to Protect Your Work

Protecting your creative work as a business owner often comes down to being mindful, intentional, and using common sense. With that in mind, knowing what options are available to you can be helpful—after all, knowledge is power!

1. Watermark Your Visual Assets

Watermarking your visual assets is your first line of defense as a creative entrepreneur—simple but effective. Yes, determined people can remove watermarks, but it deters the casual copycats. Find the sweet spot between protecting your work without compromising its visual impact.

COO Tip: There are several free and paid watermarking tools online or you can simply set up a layer in Photoshop!

2. Be Strategic About Where You Share

Before you post anything online, take a moment to think about the platform (i.e. social media) and your goals. Here’s what you need to consider:

• Read the fine print on platforms before posting (yes, really!)
• Consider sharing teasers or clips instead of complete works
• Use lower-resolution versions for general viewing
• Break up complex designs across multiple images
• Share snippets or previews rather than full pieces (this is ideal for writers and musicians!)

Remember, each platform has different terms of service and varying levels of protection for creators. Choose wisely based on your comfort level and business needs.

3. Password Protect Your Premium Content

Think of this as your VIP room. Instead of putting your high-res work out there for everyone, create a protected space. 

Here’s how to do it right:

• Use password-protected portfolios
• Set up individual login accounts when possible
• Change passwords regularly if using a shared access system
• Keep track of who has access and for how long
• Share samples and watermarked previews publicly, save the full-resolution files for serious inquiries only

This approach lets you maintain control while still showing potential clients what you can do.

4. Copyright Your Most Valuable Work

This is your strongest legal protection, though it requires investment in both time and money. 

A few key points:

• Focus on your most substantial or valuable pieces (chances are you won’t be copyrighting everything you make)
• Remember: a copyright is only as strong as your willingness to enforce it
• Be prepared to send cease-and-desist letters if needed
• For minor cases, sometimes a friendly message works wonders—many people genuinely don’t realize they’re crossing a line

The key is being intentional about what you copyright and having a plan for enforcement. 

COO Tip: LegalZoom offers copyright registration services for songs, visual art, films, photos and books (not an affiliate link, just a helpful resource)!

5. Back Up Everything

Don’t just protect against theft—protect against loss too. 

Here’s your backup checklist:

• Keep multiple copies of original files
• Use both physical drives and cloud storage
• Save high-resolution versions of everything
• Document your creative process—it can help prove ownership

Having these backups isn’t just about security—it’s about peace of mind.

Art Theft & Copyright Protection

When it comes to theft and copyright challenges, I’ve seen it all with my clients—from their work being sold on random websites to pattern designs showing up on products they never authorized. Sometimes, sending a cease-and-desist letter will do the trick. Other times, especially with overseas websites, there’s frustratingly little we can do without mounting an expensive legal battle.

Look at Disney – they’re infamous for their aggressive copyright protection and cease and desist letters. But hop onto Etsy right now and you’ll see tons of people skirting (or flat-out infringing on) their copyrights. If even Disney, with entire teams of lawyers, can’t catch everyone… well, it puts things in perspective for the rest of us.

The key takeaway? Focus your energy on the battles you can win, and be strategic about how you share and protect your work in the first place.

COO Tip: Did you know there’s software that can hunt down copies of your work online? If manual searching feels overwhelming, software tools like ScoreDetect can do the heavy lifting for you – like having a 24/7 protection assistant. While it’s an investment, it might be worth exploring if you’re dealing with frequent copying.

Making Peace with the Risk-Reward Balance

Only you can decide what risks are worth taking. 

Ask yourself:

• Will the exposure lead to valuable opportunities?
• Could the potential sales outweigh the risk of copycats?
• What’s the worst that could happen, and can you live with that?
• Is keeping your work hidden serving your goals?

The answer to these questions will help you create a protection strategy that works for your business.

Want to dive deeper? Here are some resources I trust:

• LegalZoom’s Copyright Registration
• Protecting Creative Work Online

Tired of lying awake at night wondering if someone’s stealing your work?

Let’s spend 90 focused minutes creating systems to support your custom protection plan. You’ll walk away knowing exactly how to share your work and reinforce any copyrights confidently (without getting ripped off) – plus get a week of follow-up support to make sure you implement everything effectively.