Garden blogging

What to do when someone copies your garden blog

Finding your own photos or posts on someone else's site is upsetting. In the US, copyright law gives you a clear process to get copied material removed, usually without a lawyer.

Updated 26 Oct 2026 · Facts checked against the sources at the end.

Illustration of a garden table with an open notebook, a pencil and a potted herb
AI illustration (decorative).

Step by step

  1. Document it. Save the page address, the date and a screenshot, plus a link to your original post.
  2. Contact the site owner politely if there is a contact address. Sometimes that is enough.
  3. Find the host's designated agent. The U.S. Copyright Office keeps a DMCA Designated Agent Directory. Many sites and platforms also have their own copyright forms.
  4. Send a takedown notice. The Copyright Office's section 512 resources explain what a notice must include and offer a sample notice.
  5. Keep records of what you sent and any reply.

What a notice includes

According to the Copyright Office, a notice includes your signature, identification of your work and of the copied material with enough detail to find it, your contact details, a statement of good-faith belief that the use is not authorized, and a statement that the information is accurate and that you are the owner or authorized to act for the owner. Only send a notice if you are sure: knowingly false claims can make you liable.

Prevent and reduce copying

  • Add a short copyright line and a clear reuse policy to your blog.
  • Use a small, tasteful watermark on photos you care most about.
  • Publish a full-text feed only if you are comfortable with that; a summary feed is harder to scrape.
  • Search for distinctive sentences from your posts now and then.

Frequently asked questions

What is a DMCA takedown notice?

A written notice to a website's host or service provider asking it to remove material that copies your work, under section 512 of US copyright law.

Do I need to register copyright to send a takedown notice?

No. The Copyright Office says registration is not required before sending a takedown notice.

Where do I send a takedown notice?

To the service provider's designated agent, listed in the U.S. Copyright Office's DMCA directory, or through the platform's own copyright form.

Sources

Written in our own words from the sources above. See our editorial policy. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.