Short answer:
- Itch.io protect my game from piracy?
No. Itch.io does not incorporate any type of DRM.
- can they distribute copies of it?
Yes.
- what can you recommend me?
Make a good quality game and upload to itch.
If you have a quality product, most people will buy it.
Long answer:
There is no 100% secure protection, no matter what DRM system you use, your game can be pirated and distributed.
Steam has a very basic protection system. If you uploaded it to steam, in a few hours you will find it on pirated download pages, because its DRM system is broken with a simple script. It's that simple.
If people want your game without paying, they will surely find it pirated somewhere, even if you don't upload it to itch.
If your game is of quality and priced accordingly, many people will prefer to buy it, either because it is easier or more reliable to buy or simply to support you.
Better than worrying about piracy, especially at an indie level with no ad budget. It is that you worry about giving quality to your users.
You can invest more in DRM systems, but piracy will always be one step ahead and people tend to respect a developer interested in providing quality in their products more than one who invests in false security, especially when DRM worsens quality. for legitimate users.