TIL a PDF metadata tool saved me from a false copyright claim

Last month a client tried to say I stole their logo concept from another designer. They sent a takedown notice to my portfolio host. I dug out the original file I sent them back in March 2023. The PDF still had the creation date and my software serial number baked into the metadata. Screenshotted that and sent it to the platform with a link to a metadata reader I found for free. They reversed the claim in 2 days. Has anyone else used file metadata to fight back when a client pulled something like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

johnson.eva9d ago

Huh, I gotta admit I used to think metadata was just junk data taking up space. Like who cares when a file was made or what program, right? But hearing you say "the PDF still had the creation date and my software serial number baked into the metadata" really changed my mind. I had a similar scare last year where a client claimed I never sent them a revision they wanted, and I just took their word for it. Now I'm kicking myself for not checking the file timestamps on my end. Seriously, that metadata is like a little receipt for your work, never deleting it again.

jana5099d ago

Three years ago I had a fight with a client over a logo file I definitely sent, and it was my metadata that proved I had the timestamp correct and they just lost it on their end. It's such a simple thing but it saved me from having to redo hours of work for free, which would have been a nightmare. So yeah, I feel you on kicking yourself about the timestamps, but at least now you know and it's a solid habit to have going forward.

tessalane8d ago

ohno wait, @jana509 you're totally right about metadata being a lifesaver but I think there's a small detail folks get wrong. That "creation date" in a PDF isn't always the same as when you actually made the file. It's more like when the file was first saved or exported, not when you started working on it. So if you open an old template and save it as a new logo, the creation date might still say 2019 or whatever. I've had clients argue about that before and had to show them the "last modified" dates alongside the creation date to make my point. Still, better to have it than not, just don't rely on creation dates alone to prove when you made something.