RIGHTS-DEFEND / Copytrack Claim? Here’s What I Did

A while back I received an unexpected email from a company called RIGHTS-DEFEND. They claimed I was using a copyrighted image on my affiliate website without permission, on behalf of a well-known brand. My options: pay around €350 as compensation, or roughly €400 for a retroactive licence. Deadline: about ten days.

My first reaction? Is this a scam?

This post shares how it played out — not as legal advice, but as a personal account that might help you think through your own situation. If you’re facing something similar, please consult a qualified lawyer.

My Setup: An Affiliate Site

I run an affiliate website. Products are listed using images that come with the product feed from the affiliate network — images that, as far as I understood, were approved for promotional use on affiliate sites. Standard stuff.

One of those products turned out to be a replica of a product from a well-known brand. The image I was using apparently resembled — or was — the brand’s original product photo. I had no idea at the time.

What is RIGHTS-DEFEND?

RIGHTS-DEFEND is a German company that scans the web for images that may be used without authorisation and sends demand letters on behalf of rights holders. They operate at scale — often automated — and also go by names such as Copytrack and RD Legal GmbH. Their Trustpilot reviews are not encouraging.

That said, not every claim they send is automatically without merit. The question is whether this specific claim holds up.

How It Unfolded

First email: a notice asking me to fill in details

The first message was framed as an “authorisation request” — they asked me to confirm whether I held a valid licence for the image. No hard claim yet, just a request to respond.

Before filling in anything, I decided to ask them some questions first. Based on guidance from a useful article by a German lawyer — COPYTRACK: Scam or Legitimate? — I understood that before complying with their request, they should first meet their own obligations. I asked them to provide:

• Proof of their formal mandate from the brand claiming rights
• Evidence of the licence agreement between the original rights holder and their client
• Confirmation that their client is indeed the original copyright owner of the image

I also made clear I would not submit proof of my own licence situation until they had answered these questions.

Their reply: “we’ll come back to those questions”

They acknowledged my questions and said they would follow up. They never did.

Second email: a formal claim with a price tag

A little while later, a second email arrived — this time a formal demand for around €350 for past usage, plus roughly €400 for a future licence. No answers to my questions. Just a bill.

The Affiliate Network Did Not Help

I contacted the affiliate network whose product feed the image came from. I explained the situation and asked for clarity on whether the image was properly licensed for use by affiliates. They did not reply in any meaningful way. I was left to deal with it on my own.

If you’re running an affiliate site, this is worth bearing in mind: the network providing your product feed may not have your back if a claim comes in.

The Unexpected Resolution

I decided to contact the brand directly — the company whose rights were allegedly being infringed. When I explained the situation, they looked into it and discovered the product being sold was in fact a replica of their own product, not an authorised item at all. They were not happy about the replica — but they were satisfied that I had acted in good faith, and they confirmed the case was closed on their end.

RIGHTS-DEFEND has not followed up so far, since.

Will They Come After You With a Lawyer?

Some people online say RIGHTS-DEFEND never escalates. But based on at least one account on Reddit, that’s not always the case:

“One month later, I received a written letter from a law firm that works with them. They showed me the POA and the owner of the photo. I paid the €350 + lawyer fee yesterday.”

— Reddit, r/COPYRIGHT

So escalation does happen, but I’m not sure if this post was authentic. Whether it happens in your specific case depends on the strength of the underlying claim — and that’s exactly why it makes sense to push back and ask for proof before assuming the worst.

What You Can Do If You Receive This Email

Again — this is not legal advice. For your specific situation, speak to a lawyer. What follows is simply what I did and what others have found useful.

1. Do your research

Find out where the image came from and whether you actually had permission to use it. If it came through an affiliate feed or a stock platform, check what the terms say about website use.

2. Ask them to prove their claim

According to the article at kanzlei-franz.com, before responding to their request you can reasonably ask for proof of their mandate, the chain of rights from the original photographer to their client, and confirmation that their client actually owns the copyright. If they can’t or won’t provide this, that tells you something.

A discussion with a lawyer on JustAnswer makes a related point worth noting: to properly substantiate a claim, RIGHTS-DEFEND should be able to demonstrate both that their client owns the rights and that RIGHTS-DEFEND is authorised to act on their behalf. Ideally this means producing the original image file, its metadata, or earlier publication records — not just a signed authorisation form, which on its own may not be enough to make the case persuasive. (Source — JustAnswer, note: behind a paywall sometimes)

3. Remove the image if you’re unsure

Taking the image down quickly shows good faith and reduces potential exposure. It doesn’t mean admitting wrongdoing.

4. Consider contacting the brand directly

This can go in both directions. In my case, this turned out to be the most useful step. RIGHTS-DEFEND acts as an intermediary — the actual rights holder may have more context, and in my case they were willing to close the matter once they understood the full picture.

5. If a lawyer’s letter arrives, get professional advice as well

At that point, the stakes are higher and it’s worth speaking to a lawyer who knows copyright law in the relevant jurisdiction.

I Fully Understand Copyright Exists for a Reason

It’s worth saying clearly: copyright law exists to protect creators, and using images without permission is genuinely wrong. I’m not suggesting anyone ignore legitimate claims. What I am saying is that not every automated demand letter is well-founded, and you’re entitled to ask for evidence before paying.

Useful Resources

• COPYTRACK: Scam or Legitimate? — Kanzlei Franz (German lawyer’s breakdown)
• RIGHTS-DEFEND on Trustpilot
• Reddit thread: Received email from RIGHTS-DEFEND — seeking advice
• JustAnswer, note: behind a paywall sometimes

Have you received an email from RIGHTS-DEFEND or Copytrack? Share your experience in the comments — the more people document what happened, the more useful this becomes for others in the same situation.