A photographer, picture agency, publisher or music rights holder accuses your company of using a work without a licence, for example on the website, in social media or in a brochure. It demands that you cease and desist, provide information, pay damages and reimburse legal fees, often based on standard tables.
What matters now
- Take the deadline seriously; do not sign the enclosed declaration unchecked.
- Remove the work everywhere: on sub-pages, in PDFs, in social media and in publicly accessible file storage.
- Look for proof of licence: invoices from picture agencies, contracts with photographers, agencies or copywriters.
- The amount claimed is often not set in stone. If an agency included the work, recourse against it may be possible.
Documents I need
- the warning letter with all enclosures and the date of receipt
- proof of licence, invoices and contracts with the agency, photographer or copywriter
- where, since when and for how long the work was used
- screenshots of the pages concerned
Next steps
Send me the documents by email to kanzlei@bauer.legal or use the appointment request, and mention any deadline that is running. I usually reply within one working day and let you know how things can proceed. You can write to me in English or German. If the deadline is close, it is best to call: +49 33365 784007. How we work together and how fees are charged is explained under How we work together.
More: Intellectual property.
This page gives a general overview of German law and does not replace advice on the individual case.