So you’ve found a probable infringement and you’ve gathered all the evidence you can (see previous post), now what? You have choices[1]: do nothing, contact the infringer yourself and send an invoice, contact the infringer yourself and send a cease and desist/demand letter, send a DMCA takedown notice to the infringer’s ISP[2], or contact a lawyer.
Of course, I’m going to say “contact a lawyer” is your best option (um, duh!), but I’d like to discuss the other options a bit here, too.
First, I think that doing nothing is not a good option, with one exception: if you are so utterly risk-averse that you can’t bear the slightest chance that you may end up in court over the illegal use of your work, then sit on your hands and seethe, but do nothing. That is, if you do anything else like the options described below, you do run a small (and usually is a very, very small) risk that the other side will file suit against you for declaratory judgment that it did not infringe. This is really rare because copyright infringement is strict liability and so, unless you missed something like a license granted to the infringer, it’s a loser case for the infringer. I had this happen once–the infringer tried to use it to scare off my client. Didn’t work and, not too much later, we negotiated a settlement that my client was quite happy with (plus, my client saved the cost of filing the suit). Still, if you don’t want to face the generally tiny possibility of going to federal court, do nothing. Otherwise, read on.
Some people suggest sending an invoice to infringers, but I don’t encourage that. It’s likely you will undervalue the infringement and maybe even miss additional claims that will add value to the overall matter, so you sell yourself short. Worse yet, an invoice sent will virtually neverresult in you getting a check for your invoice’s full amount. At best, the invoice will be a start to a negotiation; but, if you’ve already undervalued the matter and then you end up at, say, 50% of that, you’re bleeding money. You also set your price without knowing all the facts and that could bite you if you end up in court later. Nope, invoicing is not a wise idea in most cases[3].
Similarly, I generally don’t encourage creatives to send cease and desist (aka demand) letters of their own drafting because they usually (of course, accidentally) screw them up because of language errors as well as under-valuation. If you don’t know the law, you may (as mentioned above) miss legitimate claims that add to the value of the matter and you could end up offering to release a $25,000 claim for $5000.
As for language, there are two main areas of concern: misusing legalese and slipping from legitimate demand into extortion. The latter, first: “Pay me $10,000 or I’m going to go public with what a thief you are!” is going to get you in trouble but a demand for $10,000 to settle the claims is not inappropriate if the facts support it. The line isn’t so obvious sometimes and, since anti-copyright folk scream Extortion! at any demand, you want to be sure you don’t actually cross that line.
Using legal language incorrectly happens often and often it is by people who are very smart but, not being attorneys, they have no clue that using certain words means something different in a legal context (like published in copyright law, for one example). To paraphrase Inego Montoya, “I do not think those words mean what you think…” and that can get you in trouble when the other side lawyers up.
Another error in artist-drafted letters is you can be a doormat: “I’m sorry, I’m sure you didn’t mean to, but you used my work. Would you be willing to pay me $100?” is differently but arguably just as bad as accidentally extorting the infringer. You’re undervaluing the infringement and groveling…ick! Overall, unless you have a form letter drafted by an attorney and you are very confident in evaluating your cases for all the potential claims and their damages, I encourage you to refrain from drafting and sending letters yourself.
Moving on… sending a DMCA takedown notice to the ISP is a tool you can wield, and it will probably get the infringement stopped, but it does nothing about getting you the money you deserve for the illegal exploitation of your work. Usually, I think it is better to notify the actual infringer first (as a part of a demand letter) and then, if it doesn’t remove the work, send the takedown notice. This can be a strategic choice that is worth evaluating with an attorney too as, for example, continued use after notice can be a factor for willfulness. Also, you do want to be sure to send a technically proper notice, if you choose to send one at all.
That brings us to the final option: contacting an attorney. A competent copyright attorney will avoid the issues described above, will evaluate your claim(s) and your opposition’s potential defenses, and will advise you on your best course of action. We have to–there are rules (actually, laws[4]) that demand it of us. So, as opposed to companies[5] that claim to help you with your registrations or infringements, attorneys, once hired, must put your best interests first, including above our own. It’s part of why we have to be licensed–to provide competent counsel to our clients.
While we attorneys can’t take every case that is brought to us, we are required to hold your information confidential even if we don’t take the case so it is worth talking with one of us before you do anything.
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[1]As long as it is still less than three years since you discovered the infringement (in most cases/places), you have options. The statute of limitations is 3 years for infringement and usually that clock starts ticking when you discover the infringement. Don’t wait until the last minute.
[2]DMCA takedown notices do not go to infringers but rather to the ISPs that host the infringement. For example, if I were an infringer of the post office photo I showed in my last post, the author of the photo would send the notice to my host, not me. It gets the work removed and gives the host/ISP a legal protection (safe harbor) against being sued for infringement, but the author could (and arguably should) still go after me as the actual infringer.
[3]An exception may be with an existing client who has used work beyond the scope of a license; then, for a continuing-business-relationship reason, an invoice may be wise.
[4]See, e.g., Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §6068, including sub-section (g) that says an attorney must not “encourage either the commencement or the continuance of an action or proceeding from any corrupt motive of passion or interest.”
[5]Companies are required to make as much money as they can for their shareholders, first and foremost.
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