What winning multiple settlements taught me about copyrighting my art

If you are an artist (or even if you aren’t) you know that art gets stolen every day. Whether it’s a misguided mistake of an admirer, or a purposeful theft from someone looking to profit, when someone uses art that they don’t have the rights to, it’s stealing. But you already know that. What you might not know, however, is that in many cases you can do something about it.

Since the launch of my art licensing career in early 2023, I encountered the theft of my art almost immediately. But, as my reputation and reach grew, so did the scope and brazenness of the infringements.

Skip forward to early 2025 and I was once again complaining to my husband that I had come across someone ripping off my art. Usually it comes to my attention when one of my followers shares it with me, or reaches out to ask “is this your art?” To which the answer is usually, frustratingly, no. There were quilted jackets being made and sold, and they were using one of my most favorite patterns.

So, having grown tired of hearing these complaints more and more often, he simply replied: “Babe, just do something about it, please.” My initial response was annoyance, because I simply wanted someone to commiserate with. But, after a minute I realized that he was totally right. From that night forward we started trying to figure out exactly what could be done in these types of situations.

I ended up finding an amazing attorney (who I am happy to make referrals to!) who was willing to look into the case to see if it seemed like it was strong enough to pursue. After some initial research she agreed to take the case on, on a contingency basis - meaning I only pay legal fees if she achieves a settlement. Woo!

There was a lot that had to be done on my end as well, including working on getting my art copyrighted (yes, you can do it later on, after your work is released). I got 1:1 consulting on how to submit my own copyright applications, how to determine what art needed to be copyrighted, and what the advantages were for submitting copyrights pre and post art publication. There was a LOT to learn that I had no idea about.

After several back and forths with the company who was selling the jackets, my attorney was able to reach a settlement for over $20,000. I was over the moon.

Skip forward a few months and a follower now sends me a link to a set of clothing that looked an AWFUL lot like my art, but were decidedly not. Not only did I know that I had never worked with that client, I also could see that it was a very close, (albeit not very good), copy of my art.

Once again I reached out to my attorney, and she dove right in. This ended up being a much more nuanced and complicated situation, especially because there were actually several prints being copied. But, my superhero attorney came through again, this time reaching a favorable settlement. To say I was in total shock is an understatement.

It’s important to note that not all instances, or even most instances, of infringement make sense to pursue in this way. There are several key factors that need to align for it to make sense for an attorney to want to take it on a contingency basis.

Why am I sharing this story? Because my two major takeaways from this situation are that 1. you need to empower yourself with the knowledge of how to copyright your art, and 2. if someone is stealing your art, you can do things about it.

I am also SUPER excited because the very first expert interview that I am going to be sharing in my Keyholder’s Community is with, you guessed it… my superstar attorney. She answers ALL the questions about the best ways to protect yourself against infringement, copyrighting your work, and how to know when pursuing a legal route is the right move. There is also an entire lesson that covers copyrighting your work (including how to submit you own copyright, step-by-step) in the course.

In case you don’t know, The Keyholder’s Society is the exclusive community that only students of my signature course Art Licensing Unlocked have access to. Feel free to reach out if you have questions about that, enrollment opens for the first time on September 9, 2025.