Reading sequence
Someone used my work
For finding your work in an unexpected place. Understand the facts and choose an outcome before you report, contact, negotiate or seek advice.
The sequence
- 10 questions when you think someone copied your work
Ten questions to answer before you act on a copy of your work, what U.S. law says about each, and the next step to take.
- You found your work somewhere unexpected
Before you send a takedown or an angry email, find out how your work got there: trace the licenses and transfers, confirm who owns which right, check your registration and the dates, then choose the smallest response that gets you the result you want.
- Saving evidence while the facts are still available
Capture the whole page before it changes, keep the originals untouched, save the permission history and every message, and label it all so a stranger can follow the story, including the parts that do not help you.
- When two things look alike
Looking alike is a clue, not a verdict. Split the comparison by right: copyright asks what expression was taken, trademark asks whether customers are likely to be confused, and a patent asks whether the product falls within the claims.
- What would a good resolution look like
Decide what result you want (removal, credit, payment, a license or a decision) before you choose a step, because each step can deliver only some of them.
- How platform reports and takedowns work
Pick the report that matches the problem, know what you swear to when you send a copyright takedown, and know what can happen next: a claim, a strike, a retraction or a counter-notice.
- Small claims and mediation for an IP dispute
The Copyright Claims Board decides a copyright claim and can award up to $30,000; a mediator decides nothing and helps you reach a deal. Check who can use each, what it can decide, and the deadlines before you choose.
Optional side paths
Every article in this section
10 questions when you think someone copied your work
Ten questions to answer before you act on a copy of your work, what U.S. law says about each, and the next step to take.
10 questions when someone says you infringed their rights
A complaint is someone's position, not a verdict. Ten assumptions people make when accused of copyright or trademark infringement, and what to do instead.
You found your work somewhere unexpected
Before you send a takedown or an angry email, find out how your work got there: trace the licenses and transfers, confirm who owns which right, check your registration and the dates, then choose the smallest response that gets you the result you want.
Saving evidence while the facts are still available
Capture the whole page before it changes, keep the originals untouched, save the permission history and every message, and label it all so a stranger can follow the story, including the parts that do not help you.
When two things look alike
Looking alike is a clue, not a verdict. Split the comparison by right: copyright asks what expression was taken, trademark asks whether customers are likely to be confused, and a patent asks whether the product falls within the claims.
What would a good resolution look like
Decide what result you want (removal, credit, payment, a license or a decision) before you choose a step, because each step can deliver only some of them.
How platform reports and takedowns work
Pick the report that matches the problem, know what you swear to when you send a copyright takedown, and know what can happen next: a claim, a strike, a retraction or a counter-notice.
Responding to a platform complaint or counter-notice
Find out which kind of complaint you received, check what you actually published, pick the response that fits your facts, and know what a counter-notice commits you to before you sign it.
Reading a demand letter without assuming it is a verdict
A demand letter is the sender's claim, not a ruling. Check who sent it, what it asserts and whether any deadline is real before you reply, pay or sign.
Finding help when defending yourself feels unaffordable
You rarely need someone to run the whole dispute on day one. Find your deadline, name the one question you need answered, and take it to a free or limited-scope service that covers your kind of claim.
Small claims and mediation for an IP dispute
The Copyright Claims Board decides a copyright claim and can award up to $30,000; a mediator decides nothing and helps you reach a deal. Check who can use each, what it can decide, and the deadlines before you choose.
Fake accounts and counterfeit goods and domain disputes
A fake account, a fake product and a look-alike domain each have their own route: an impersonation report, a trademark or counterfeit report, and the UDRP. Name each problem, save the evidence, then use the matching route.