Finally sent my first cease and desist letter after a contractor stole my deck design photo for their website

I was just browsing around and saw my exact photo of that curved staircase deck I built in Denver last fall on some random contractor's site. No credit, no nothing. I was so mad I almost called them but my wife said wait and talk to a lawyer first. So I paid a lawyer $350 to draft a simple cease and desist letter and send it. I honestly thought they'd ignore it or argue. But they took it down within two days and even apologized. I never thought a piece of paper could do that much. Has anyone else had to protect their work photos?

3 comments

3 Comments

cora8131mo ago

Did you ever find out if that $350 lawyer letter could also let you ask for some payment for them using your photo without permission? I read somewhere that if someone steals your work and profits from it, you might be able to get paid for that use. It's wild how fast they folded when they got that formal letter though, sometimes that's all it takes to scare people straight.

lisas781mo ago

Lmao yeah that lawyer letter is like a magic spell sometimes. People just panic and fold so fast it's almost funny. And yeah, you can ask for payment if they profited off your photo, but good luck getting blood from a stone. My lawyer basically told me to expect nothing and be happy if they just take it down, which is a pretty sad reality check for a starving artist like me lol.

mason_murray81mo ago

Used to think a scary letter was all you needed to get paid. But after watching a few friends go through this, it's pretty clear most lawyers just want it gone fast, not to fight over pennies. Better to just be glad they took it down and move on.