In a previous post, I touched on why it is important to register your creative stuff with the U.S. Copyright Office before sharing it online. Here, I discuss the initial steps of what you need to do if you catch someone stealing your ‘ish.

Here are the Q+D (quick + dirty tips).

one.

Take a screen shot and capture the details of when + where you saw your ish. Why? Hopefully, you can get these people to take the image down right away. But, it doesn’t hurt to start to create a documented record in case you have to take it to court at a later time.

two.

Before you go the hard, Imma get all legal on you, route…just reach out to the alleged infringer. Send a short email simply letting them know that you are the copyright owner and saw the image/writing/recording posted on their website and ask them to remove it. Give the person a chance. Send a formal cease and desist later, if necessary.

three.

If you saw the infringement on a social media network then report it through that network. Every social media network has a process for reporting infringement. Usually, it’s a very short form. Here are quick + easy links for you: