How to protect your designs from copying

You keep ownership of everything you list on Esano. To protect it, choose your licenses carefully, keep records of your original work and report copies to Esano's copyright agent.

What you keep and what Esano gets

Under the Retailer Terms, you own all right, title and interest in your products, product images, descriptions and marks. In return, you give Esano a limited, nonexclusive, royalty free, nontransferable license, for as long as you sell on Esano, to use your images, descriptions and marks to distribute or promote your products.

What buyers can and can't do with your files

Every purchase comes with a license that you choose when you set up the listing. Esano's license tiers are:

• Personal: the buyer can use the files in their own non-commercial projects, such as home prints, gifts, personal social posts and school work. Anything made with them can't be sold.
• Commercial: the buyer can use the files in client work and in products they sell, up to 5,000 units across all products.
• Extended: everything in Commercial with no unit cap, including print-on-demand stores.

Personal is always offered. Commercial and Extended are optional, and you set their prices. Buyers see the license terms before they pay. See Esano license types explained for the buyer's view and Choose which licenses to offer on a listing for setting up yours.

Every license also carries this rule: no license allows reselling, sharing or redistributing the original files as they are, including in free packs or AI training sets. See Can I share or resell files I bought?

Steps to protect your work

1. Keep your source files. Save the original, unflattened files and export dates. They are the best proof that you made the work.
2. Choose the right tiers. Only offer Commercial or Extended if you're comfortable with that use. Leave a tier off if you're not.
3. List files only on shops you control. Don't give your files to resellers or bundle sellers unless your agreement says what they can do.
4. Watch for copies. Search Esano for your design names and key phrases from time to time.
5. Report copying quickly. Use the steps in How to report copyright infringement. Include the exact link to your work and the copy.

If someone copies your work

Esano's copyright policy lets copyright owners send a written notice to its designated copyright agent. The notice has to include your signature, your work, the copied listing, your contact details and three statements. The agent's details and the full checklist are in How to report copyright infringement.

If the copy is not a copyright issue, such as a trademark, or a scam or spam message, see Can you sell fan art or licensed characters? or Report a listing or shop.

What if you're accused of copying?

If a listing of yours is removed and you believe it was a mistake, you can respond. See What happens when a listing is reported and How to file a DMCA counter notice.