Stolen photo ended up on a competitor's website last month

I did a branding shoot for a coffee shop in Portland for $600, and six weeks later I found one of my shots on another shop's menu across town. The owner admitted her graphic designer just grabbed it off Instagram without asking. Has anyone had success getting a takedown notice filed without spending a fortune on a lawyer?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryan_hart384d ago

Found out a buddy of mine had his real estate photos used on a competitor's site once, sent a DMCA to the host and they were gone in three days.

angela7284d ago

Her graphic designer just grabbed it off Instagram without asking." That is wild to me. I'd be asking the coffee shop owner if her designer also helps themselves to the tip jar. For getting the photo down, you can usually file a DMCA notice directly through the hosting platform - most web hosts and social sites have a form. I've done it twice myself on Squarespace sites, just filled out their copyright form, no lawyer involved. It can take like a week but the photos came down both times.

dakota_miller934d ago

Same thing happened to me with a local cafe using my food photos. I just emailed their web host directly with the DMCA form from their website, no lawyer needed. Worked like a charm and the images were down within 5 days.