How much does copyright infringement cost on your website? Learn about the legal risks and fines for using protected images without permission.

Can you be charged for using an image improperly? Yes—more than you’d expect.
Using copyrighted images on your website or blog without a valid license can lead to anything from warnings to expensive claims and legal action. Here’s how much you might have to pay—and how to protect yourself.

1. How Much Can You Be Charged for a Copyrighted Image?

The final amount depends on several factors, including:

• The standard commercial rate for the image (Getty, Shutterstock, etc.)

• A surcharge for unauthorized use, often 2 to 5 times the original value

• Duration of the unauthorized use (especially if the image has been online for years)

• Jurisdiction (countries like Germany or France are especially strict)

• Commercial intent (e.g., if your website sells products or services)

💡 In many real cases, claims can range from €150 to over €1,500 per image, especially when companies like Copytrack or Pixsy are involved.

Example with detailed letter received, amount asked to pay and final solution for the demand

2. Are These Claims Legally Valid?

Yes—most of the time they are. Copyright infringement is regulated both by EU law and international agreements.

Even if you downloaded the image “for free” from another website without checking the license, you’re still responsible as the website owner or editor.

📩 The email you receive typically includes a subject like: “Authorization request / Unauthorized image use”.
This pattern has already been covered in other articles such as:

• “Alerta Copytrack! Did You Receive a Copyright Claim Email? Here’s How We Resolved It”

• “Using Internet Images Without Permission? 🚫 Watch Out for Claims and Learn How to Stay Safe”

3. How to Avoid Paying Copyright Fines

Take these steps before publishing any image:

1. Use free image banks and double-check the licenses (e.g. Pixabay, Pexels, Unsplash).

2. Keep proof of purchase or downloads (license file, invoice, URL).

3. Avoid editing protected images, thinking that makes them “safe.”

4. Use reverse image searches to check whether the image appears on paid platforms.

5. Remove or replace suspicious images if you can’t prove legal use.

🔍 You can also read our guide on how to check image copyright with tools like “image copyright checker,” perfect for bloggers and ecommerce sites with frequent visual content.

Want to stay protected from legal image claims? At TaxtoSell.EU, we help you keep your website compliant with EU intellectual property laws and avoid costly mistakes.