How do I protect my artwork from being copied or stolen?

Register your work with copyright certificates for every piece. While there’s a cost involved (it used to be around $50 per certificate), this legal protection is essential. People will copy your work outright or create pieces so similar they’re deemed non-transformative, which takes money directly out of your pocket by competing against your own work. Having proper copyright registration in place allows you to pursue legal action against infringement. If you work with publishers, they’ll typically help with enforcement since they’re protecting their interests too.

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Asked by an artist concerned about artwork theft · Answered by Scott Westmoreland · art-marketing-podcast · 2025-07-22