Copying other people’s work is absolutely unacceptable at 99designs and we do our best to eliminate and prevent clear cases of theft. Copyright violations aren’t good for anyone.

If your design has been stolen, please report it to us right away!

We’ll investigate, and if there’s a clear case of copyright violation going on we’ll remove the offending entries and suspend the user.

However, there are cases where a certain amount of similarity is expected, especially between designers competing in the same contest. If you are directed by the contest holder to use a common concept in your entries such as an arrow, a circle or a butterfly, you are not able to claim copyright on that concept.

Please see our policy on concept originality.

If you’re unhappy with the resolution to your report (and you can prove your ownership of the design in question) consider filing a DMCA takedown notice. But be warned — you’ll be liable for damages, including costs and lawyers or attorneys fees, if you materially misrepresent that an activity is infringing your copyright.