A Free Freelance Mentors Toolkit
Client used your work without paying? Someone using your work without attribution, or claiming it as their own? Our simple form-based toolkit makes it easy to draft your own copyright takedown notice. It's a starting point for US copyright matters, not legal advice, and we don't keep a copy.
Tell us about your work, who's using it without permission, and where.
Build an exhibit of evidence with screen shots or other materials.
We assemble the letter, a certified-mail cover page, and your evidence as labeled exhibits.
When a client uses your work without paying, or someone reposts it as their own, a formal notice is often what ends it. This toolkit helps you assemble a self-prepared copyright notice in your own words: describe the work and the misuse, attach your evidence, and download a ready-to-send package.
You get the letter, a certified-mail cover page, and your evidence as labeled exhibits - the same shape a lawyer's first letter would take, without the first-letter bill.
Freelancers and creators whose work has been used without permission or payment - a client who ghosted the invoice but kept the deliverables, or someone passing your work off as their own. If you want to respond formally and on the record, this gives you a solid starting point.
This covers US copyright (17 U.S.C.) only, and it produces a starting-point template - it is not legal advice or a substitute for an attorney. Nothing you enter is stored: the letter, your evidence, and the finished PDF live only in your browser and are gone when you leave, so re-downloading means re-entering.
As the creator you generally hold the copyright to what you made, and using it without paying or permission can be infringement. A formal notice demanding they stop or pay is a common first step, and this toolkit helps you draft one you can send yourself.
Describe the work and how it's being misused, attach your evidence, and download the assembled letter, certified-mail cover page, and labeled exhibits. Then send it yourself - certified mail is common because it creates a record of delivery.
Related but different. A DMCA notice goes to a host or platform asking them to remove infringing content; this is a direct notice to the person misusing your work. They're often used for different situations, and sometimes both.
No. It produces a self-prepared template for US copyright matters and is not a substitute for a lawyer. For anything high-stakes, cross-border, or unclear, consult an attorney before sending.
No. Everything stays in your browser and is discarded when you leave - we never store the letter, your evidence, or the PDF. If you need it again later, you re-enter and re-download.