Your photos end up on blogs, in ads, on repost accounts, and in other people's portfolios, almost never with a license and rarely with credit. A reverse image search catches some of it once. Then it keeps happening.
Proprias keeps looking for you. Daily visual matching finds your photos on publicly searchable pages, evidence is saved automatically, and each confirmed match becomes a ready-to-file DMCA notice.
How photo theft protection works
Add your photos
Upload the shots you want watched: portfolio work, client sessions you hold the rights to, stock you sell, and the images you post most. Add your name and handles too.
Find who's using them
Daily scans use visual matching to find your photos across Google, image results, X, Reddit, Instagram, TikTok, and the open web, on any publicly searchable page, from blogs to ads to repost accounts.
Document the use
Each confirmed match is saved with its URL, screenshots, timestamps, and a hash of your original in your evidence vault, so you have a record even after the page changes.
Get it removed
Proprias turns a confirmed match into a ready-to-file DMCA notice. On Detect you send it yourself; on Defend and VIP we send it as your authorized agent and follow up for 30 days.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out who is using my photos?
Run a reverse image search on Google Images, Bing, or TinEye for each photo. That shows copies that exist today, but photos keep spreading, and checking a whole portfolio by hand doesn't scale. Proprias runs visual matching on your photos every day across Google, image results, X, Reddit, Instagram, TikTok, and the open web, and sends new matches to your review queue.
Someone used my photo without permission. What can I do?
Save the evidence first: a screenshot and the URL. Then decide what you want. If you want it gone, send a DMCA notice to the site, platform, or host; Google will also drop infringing pages from search results. If you'd rather be paid, you can ask for a license fee instead, but Proprias doesn't negotiate licenses or collect fees. It finds the use, keeps the evidence, and prepares the takedown.
Do I own the copyright to photos I take?
Generally yes. In the US the photographer owns the copyright from the moment the photo is taken, unless it was work for hire or the rights were transferred in writing. That's also why a photo someone else took of you usually belongs to them, not you.
Do I need to register my photos to send a DMCA notice?
No. You can send a DMCA notice for any photo you own the copyright to. Registering with the US Copyright Office matters if you plan to sue, and registering before the infringement, or within three months of publication, makes statutory damages available. Proprias does not register copyrights for you.
Does Proprias watermark my photos?
Proprias adds an invisible forensic watermark to supported uploads. It doesn't change how the photo looks, and it helps prove a copy came from your original. A visible watermark is a separate choice you make before posting.
Go deeper
Legal disclaimer
Proprias provides monitoring, evidence, and takedown-notice tools, not legal advice. A DMCA notice includes a statement, under penalty of perjury, that you own the work or are authorized to act for the owner. Removal outcomes depend on each platform's policies. Consult an attorney about licensing claims, registration, or lawsuits.
Find out who's using your photos
Daily visual matching, an evidence vault, and ready-to-file DMCA notices from $69/mo. We send takedowns for you on Defend and VIP. 7-day free trial.
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