What to Do When Someone Steals Your Creative Work Online

It happened. Someone is using your work without permission. Maybe they're selling it. Maybe they're claiming they made it. Either way, you need to act — and you need to act correctly.

This is your step-by-step playbook for what to do when your creative work is stolen online.

Step 1: Document Everything Before They Take It Down

Before you do anything else, capture evidence. Screenshot the infringing content. Record the URL. Save the page using the Wayback Machine (web.archive.org). Note the date you discovered the theft.

This matters because once you contact the infringer or file a takedown, they may remove the content. If you haven't documented the infringement first, you'll have no evidence it happened.

Step 2: Establish Your Priority

Now prove you made it first. This is where prior preparation pays off. If you timestamped your work with Prima Evidence or registered your copyright, pull up that proof. If you didn't, gather whatever evidence you have: original project files with metadata, email chains with collaborators, social media posts predating the infringement.

The gap between "I know I made this" and "I can prove I made this" is where most creators get stuck. This is exactly why timestamping matters — it closes this gap before the dispute happens.

Step 3: File a DMCA Takedown (For Online Theft)

If the stolen work appears on a website or platform hosted in the US (or by a US company), you can file a DMCA takedown notice. Most major platforms — YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Spotify, Amazon — have DMCA forms you can fill out directly.

A valid DMCA notice requires: identification of the copyrighted work, the URL where the infringing content appears, your contact information, a statement of good faith belief that the use is unauthorized, and your physical or electronic signature.

Platforms are legally required to respond to valid DMCA notices. Most will remove the content within 24-72 hours.

Step 4: Contact the Infringer Directly

Sometimes the fastest resolution is a direct message. Many infringers don't realize they're infringing — they found your work somewhere, assumed it was free to use, or were misled by someone else in the chain.

A clear, professional message stating that you own the work, providing your proof of creation, and requesting removal or proper attribution resolves a surprising number of cases without further escalation.

Step 5: Escalate When Necessary

If the infringer refuses to cooperate, your options include: sending a formal cease and desist letter (a lawyer can do this for a few hundred dollars), filing a complaint with the platform's intellectual property team, or pursuing legal action if the damages justify the cost.

For high-value infringement — someone selling your work commercially, or a large company using your creation without license — consult an IP attorney. Most offer free initial consultations, and many work on contingency for strong cases.

The Lesson: Timestamp Before You Share

Every creator who's been through a theft says the same thing: "I wish I'd had proof from the beginning." The time to protect your work is before it leaves your hard drive — not after you discover it on someone else's website.

A 30-second timestamp creates the evidence trail that makes every other step in this playbook dramatically more effective.