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?
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.
You could try handling it yourself but honestly a lawyer speeds things up 10x.
Dealt with this exact thing last year.
The thing that gets people is escalating to a supervisor/manager. I'd recommend following the formal complaint procedure instead.