CEASE AND DESIST LETTER
Important jurisdiction and legal advice warning
This fictional letter is a pre-action communication, not legal advice, a court order or proof that infringement has occurred. It is written for a photographer and a business in England and Wales. Copyright ownership, licences, moral rights, defamation, privacy, platform procedures, limitation and available remedies depend on the facts and applicable jurisdiction. A solicitor should review the evidence and wording before sending, especially if urgent injunctive relief or a counterclaim is possible. Do not destroy or alter relevant records.
From
Amelia Rose Bennett, trading as Bennett Studio
5 Orchard Gate, Brighton BN1 6YR
Email: amelia.bennett@example.test
Telephone: 01273 555 6084
To
Seaview Events and Hospitality Ltd
For the attention of the Managing Director, Marcus Bell
27 Marine Parade, Brighton BN2 1TL
Date: 22 April 2027
Subject: Unauthorised use of four Bennett Studio photographs
Dear Mr Bell,
I am the photographer and copyright owner of four photographs identified in the schedule below. They were created on 16 August 2026 at a private wedding reception for your client, Clara and Jonah Miles, under my written commission dated 2 July 2026. The commission permitted delivery of a private gallery to the couple and personal social-media sharing, but did not grant Seaview Events a commercial advertising licence.
On 18 April 2027, I saw the four photographs on the landing page, Instagram account and printed brochure for Seaview's summer wedding packages. The pages identified the venue but did not identify me or Bennett Studio. The website's page source and the brochure print date of 11 April 2027 are preserved in my records. I emailed your general address on 19 April but have not received a substantive response.
Works and apparent use
Photograph A is “Harbour Lanterns,” showing the couple beneath lights, file BEN-160826-0142. Photograph B is “First Dance,” file BEN-160826-0198. Photograph C is “Terrace Table,” file BEN-160826-0271. Photograph D is “Golden Hour Portrait,” file BEN-160826-0310. The photographs were delivered to the couple through a password-protected gallery on 30 September 2026. The four images currently appear in unlicensed commercial advertising associated with Seaview Events and Hospitality Ltd.
I have not authorised a transfer, sublicence, cropping, alteration or paid promotion by your company. I have not calculated a licence fee or damages at this stage. This letter is sent to give you an opportunity to investigate and resolve the matter without proceedings, and nothing in it is an admission about any defence, limitation or remedy.
Required steps
Please, by 4.00 p.m. on 29 April 2027:
- stop displaying, reproducing, distributing or promoting the four photographs and disable them on your website, social accounts, advertisements and booking materials;
- remove the photographs from live and scheduled campaigns, while preserving an unchanged evidential copy for investigation;
- contact printers, advertisers and contractors who received the files and request that further distribution stop;
- confirm the dates, locations, audience and number of impressions or printed copies for each use;
- provide the source of the files and identify any person who approved or uploaded them; and
- propose payment for a retrospective commercial licence and my reasonable costs of obtaining evidence.
Please do not overwrite analytics, campaign records, invoices, design files, emails or messages concerning these images. Preserve metadata and the original brochure files. Removal alone will not resolve the claim or amount to a release.
Proposed resolution and reservation
I am willing to discuss a limited paid licence for future use if its territory, media, duration, attribution and fee are agreed in writing before any further display. Any payment or discussion must not be described as a full and final settlement unless I sign a separate settlement agreement. If I do not receive a satisfactory response by the deadline, I may refer the matter to solicitors, platform processes or a competent court without further notice, subject to applicable pre-action rules. I reserve all rights concerning copyright, moral rights, costs and any other available remedy.
Please send a written response to amelia.bennett@example.test and copy the postal address above. I would prefer correspondence in writing so that the parties have a clear record.
Yours sincerely,
Amelia Rose Bennett
Signature: ____________________ Date: 22 April 2027
Schedule of evidence
Commission dated 2 July 2026; gallery delivery record dated 30 September 2026; website capture dated 18 April 2027; social-media captures dated 18 April 2027; brochure purchased on 20 April 2027 for GBP 12.50; and original image files retained by Bennett Studio.