A Company Used Your Photo Without Permission: What to Do

General information, not legal advice. Laws and damages differ by country and change over time. For your specific situation, talk to a qualified lawyer in your country.

A fan reposting your shot is one thing. A company using your work to sell something, with no license and no payment, is another. Here is how to handle the commercial case calmly and effectively.

I learned this the surreal way: I once found one of my concert photos on a billboard, and only spotted it because someone had posted a selfie with the billboard in the background. A business was profiting from my work and I had no idea.

1. Confirm and gather evidence first

Before you contact anyone, save proof that the use exists right now: a screenshot of the page or product, the URL, the date, and your original file with its metadata. Commercial infringers often pull things down the moment you reach out, so capture it while it is up. PixelRetriever does this for you, it stores a snapshot plus the details so the evidence stays even if the page disappears.

2. Decide what you want

With a commercial use, your goal is usually one of three things: get paid a fair license fee for the use, have it taken down, or both. Knowing your goal shapes your message. If a fee is on the table, it helps to know how licensing works.

3. Send a clear, professional message

A short, factual note often works: this is my photo, here is proof, this is a commercial use I did not license, and here is what I would like (a license fee, or removal). Many companies will settle quickly rather than risk a public fight.

4. Send an invoice or a formal request if needed

For a clear commercial use, many photographers send a licensing invoice for the period the image was used, based on their normal rates. If they ignore you, a formal takedown notice (a DMCA notice for US-hosted content, or a notice-and-action request in the EU) is the next step.

5. Escalate only when it is worth it

For significant commercial misuse, a specialized image-rights service or a lawyer can pursue compensation. In the US, this is where copyright registration really pays off, because it can unlock statutory damages and attorney fees. In the EU, you typically claim the license fee you should have been paid, and sometimes more.

The hardest part of all of this is usually the first step, finding the misuse, and the second, proving it. Both are exactly what PixelRetriever is built to do.

Find out if a company is using your work, with the evidence ready to act on. Start a free account.