Work for Hire Dispute — AI art used without permission

Quick background on my situation — any input appreciated.

AI art used without permission. I've been dealing with this for about 12 months now and the situation isn't improving.

This involves software/code I developed over the past 10 months. I do have documentation proving my ownership and timeline.

What are my legal options here? Is it worth pursuing?

I work in this industry and unfortunately this is very common. The good news is that when people actually push back with legal representation, companies usually settle.

I went through almost the exact same thing.

What worked for me was hiring an attorney to send the initial letter. It took 2-4 months but was worth it.

Been there. Here's what I learned.

In my case, it took about 2-4 months to resolve. The key was hiring an attorney to send the initial letter.

I've handled similar cases. Here's my take on the legal issues.

There are several legal theories that could apply here. The strongest is probably 17 U.S.C. § 106, which requires showing substantially similar.

The practical consideration here is cost vs. potential recovery. For disputes under $10K, small claims court is often the best route.

Have you tried reaching out to your state's legal aid society? They sometimes have free resources or mediation services.

I had a similar issue and ended up consulting with an attorney. It was worth the $200-300 for the initial consultation just to understand my rights.

I had a similar issue and ended up consulting with an attorney. It was worth the $200-300 for the initial consultation just to understand my rights.

I had a similar issue and ended up consulting with an attorney. It was worth the $200-300 for the initial consultation just to understand my rights.

I've dealt with this before.

In my case, it took about 4-8 months to resolve. The key was filing with the appropriate government agency.

I've seen this play out several times in my field.

The biggest mistake people make in this situation is escalating to a supervisor/manager. I'd recommend following the formal complaint procedure instead.