How to Legally Protect Your Blog Content from Copycats, Confusion, and Unintentional Repurposing
Guest Blog by Amber Gilormo, Esq., an attorney, digital business owner, and founder of The Boutique Lawyer, where she helps online entrepreneurs protect their content, contracts, and income with clear, customizable legal templates.
You’ve poured hours into your latest blog post. The idea is fresh, the writing flows, and you’ve woven in just the right amount of personality and value.
But here’s the part no one likes to think about: the second you hit “publish,” that content is available for anyone to read… or copy.
Whether it’s innocent (someone screenshots your post to quote it without credit) or more serious (someone republishes your work as their own), creative content is constantly at risk of being misused online, especially when you don’t have a legal layer of protection in place.
Let’s fix that.
Below, I’m breaking down what actually protects your blog content, what legal docs you need on your site, and what to do if someone steals your stuff.
First, YES! Your blog content is protected by copyright law
The second you publish something original (a blog, a photo, a digital resource), it’s automatically protected by copyright law. That means you own the rights to it, not the internet, and definitely not the person who copied it and claimed it as theirs.
But here’s the catch: copyright only works in your favor if you have the right tools in place to prove ownership and enforce your rights. That’s where most creators get stuck.
Copyright isn’t a force field (and yes, people will cross the line)
Here's how stolen content usually happens:
Someone copies your blog post structure, swaps out a few words, and hits publish on their site.
A collaborator lifts a shared blog draft and turns it into their next newsletter, without asking.
A student repurposes a resource you shared inside a paid program and gives it away on their own.
In most cases, it’s not malicious, it’s ignorance. But whether someone meant to or not, you still have the right to take action.
What protects your blog before anything goes wrong?
Think of legal protection like locking the front door of your house. It doesn’t guarantee no one will try to break in, but it makes it a lot harder, and if something does happen, you’re not left unprotected.
Here are the 3 tools I recommend every content creator has in place:
1. Website Terms of Use
A Website Terms of Use is the quiet legal contract that lives in your footer. It tells visitors what they can and can’t do with your content. It also helps protect your blog posts, graphics, downloads, and anything else that’s viewable or clickable.
Without this, it’s a lot harder to prove that someone violated your terms by copying or repurposing your content.
Pro-tip: Your business also definitely needs a Privacy Policy, and you can get both of these website legal policies at a discount in our Website Protection Bundle.
2. Copyright Notice
This is the simple line you’ve seen a million times:
© [Your Business Name] [Year] All rights reserved.
You can put this in your footer or at the bottom of your blog posts. It’s not legally required, but it’s smart, especially if you ever need to issue a takedown or prove you claimed your content.
It’s a visible, timestamped way to say “Hey, this is mine.”
3. A Clear Plan for What You’ll Do if Someone Copies You
Most creators wait until something goes wrong to figure this out, which is when you’re stressed and scrambling. Instead, get ahead of it by knowing:
How to recognize when content theft is happening (vs. coincidence or fair use)
How to contact the person or file a formal takedown
What to say (and not say) if you need to take action
If you want help with that, I created the Content Protection Kit for this exact scenario. It includes:
Templates for takedown requests, cease and desists, and friendly outreach
A cheat sheet of what to do when
A legal flowchart and mini-guide, so you’re not stuck wondering how serious it is
Use Natalie’s Code ‘NAT’ at checkout to save 10% on the Content Protection Kit.
What to Do if Someone Steals Your Blog Post
If you catch someone republishing or repurposing your content without permission, here’s what to do:
Take screenshots of the stolen content, including timestamps and URLs.
Reach out directly. A simple message pointing out the issue (and reminding them it’s protected work) usually gets it resolved.
Send a takedown notice. If they ignore your email, this is your next step. Your website host or platform (like Instagram or WordPress) will usually remove the content once they receive it.
Talk to a lawyer. If it's high-stakes or ongoing, it might be time to get legal support.
TLDR; You Don’t Need to Be Paranoid, Just Protected
Your blog is one of your most valuable marketing tools. Don’t wait until something goes wrong to start thinking about how to protect it.
Start with the basics. Lock the doors. Post the sign. And if you want a shortcut, grab the Content Protection Kit so you can set it up once and move on with peace of mind.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means Natty Writes may earn a commission if you choose to make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. Only products that are genuinely helpful are ever recommended.