Hi Reader!

This week, I met with a client who’s dealing with someone taking images from her e-commerce shop and using them to sell knockoff products on another site.

As part of our conversation, I downloaded one of the images from her shop and noticed that she didn’t have the copyright information embedded in the metadata. And I suggested she change this ASAP.

I suggested this because the removal or alteration of metadata copyright information is another available avenue for a lawsuit.

And for bonus points, you don’t have to have a registered copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office to do so. (This is especially helpful for e-commerce website photography that you might only register once a year.)

Plus, the legal penalty is stiff. You can recover $2,500 to $25,000 per violation, and the copycat must pay your attorney fees and costs.

In fact, I broke this down in one of the very first blog posts I wrote for the artist’s J.D. And while this post could use a refresh, since it’s more than a decade old, it’s still an important tool in protecting your work.

Quick caveat: Most platform terms permit them to strip metadata for all uploaded content.

So if you are uploading images to another platform, you might not want to use standalone product photos or include a watermark.

👉 Your action item: Make sure you are exporting any images you’ll use on your website with your copyright ownership information included in the metadata.

For bonus points, if you currently have any images on your website without it, correct that ASAP.

Did you complete this task? Come let us know if you already did this (or even knew about this) on LinkedIn or Facebook.

That's all for this week Reader! When you signed up, my promise was to add ease to the legalese of running your creative business. I'd love to know your thoughts or challenges with this week's task. Reply to this email and let me know.

Chat soon,

P.S. I’m taking inspiration from Abby’s closing question in the Craft Industry Alliance newsletter this week as I start to think about what workshops and resources I’ll focus on next year. And I’d love to know what one business-related class you would totally pay for right now? Hit reply and let me know.

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Refunds and reschedules without the drama

Refunds and reschedules are common, but they don’t need to derail your business (or ruin your monthly revenue). In this video, you will learn how to write clear, fair refund and reschedule terms so you can enforce policies with confidence and preserve client relationships.

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