Caught a client screenshotting my portfolio and using it as their own site copy

I found out because a buddy googled my name and saw my exact bio text on some random landscaping company's about page, what do you even do when it's not worth a lawyer but it still makes you mad enough to lose sleep?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_olivia9d ago

Right? That happened to me with a freelance article I wrote. Some blog just copy-pasted my whole piece, changed the byline. The rage is real but what can you actually do except fume about it.

ward.diana9d ago

Wait, is that really true that there's nothing you can do though? I mean, you can send a DMCA takedown notice to their hosting company, that usually works pretty well. Most bloggers back down real quick when they get a legal notice from their web host, they don't want to lose their whole site over one stolen post. It's some extra paperwork but it's worth it to see it come down... just make sure you have screenshots and the original timestamps saved first.

the_betty9d ago

Ugh yes, happened to me with a knitting pattern I posted on my blog. Some Etsy seller took the whole thing, photos and all, and listed it as their own. Spent a whole weekend tracking down their host and filing the DMCA. It actually worked though, the listing was gone in like 48 hours. So satisfying watching it disappear lol.