Brand Used Your Content Without Permission? What to Do Next
If a brand is still running your content after the deal ended, save the proof first, then check your contract, work out what the extra time is worth and send the brand a notice with an invoice. Most overruns are oversights: someone duplicated an ad set or forgot to switch it off. A clear, friendly notice with evidence gets most of them paid. This guide walks through each step. It is practical guidance, not legal advice.
Key takeaways
- Save the evidence while the ad is live. Meta's Ad Library shows active ads, and stopped ones can disappear.
- Your contract decides what you can claim: the usage end date, any extension rate and the whitelisting end date.
- With no extension rate, 25% of the original fee per 30 days is a common starting point.
- Start with a notice and an invoice. Escalate only if the brand ignores you.
- Checking every brand after every end date is the step most people skip. It is also the one that finds the money.
Already found one? Work out what it's worth with the free usage rights fee calculator. No sign-up.
1. Save the proof while the ad is live
Do this before you contact the brand. Once they know, the ad may be switched off, and Meta does not promise to keep stopped ads visible in its public Ad Library (except political and social issue ads, and ads shown in the EU).
- Open Meta's Ad Library, choose your country and "All ads", and search the brand's page name.
- Find the ad with your content. Check partnership ads and ads running from your own page too, if you gave the brand whitelisting access.
- Screenshot the ad with its "Started running on" date and its Library ID visible.
- Save the image or video itself if you can, and note the date and time you saw it live.
- Check again a few days later and save it again. Two dates live are stronger than one.
Seen it on TikTok or YouTube instead? Screen-record it in the app with the brand name and date visible. Those platforms don't have a public library like Meta's for ordinary ads, so your own recording is the evidence.
2. Check what your contract actually says
Look for these five things. They decide whether you have a claim and how much it is worth.
| Term | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Usage period | How long the brand may use the content, and from when (signing, posting or go-live). The day after it ends is day 1 of the overrun. |
| Usage scope | Organic only, paid ads, or both. Organic-only rights don't cover running the content as an ad at all. |
| Extension rate | What the brand pays for extra time. If it's there, that is your number. |
| Whitelisting or allowlisting end | When the brand's access to run ads from your account ends. It can differ from the usage end date. |
| Perpetual or unlimited wording | Words like "in perpetuity" or "unlimited" may mean the brand can keep using it. If you see them, talk to a lawyer before claiming. |
3. Work out what the extra time is worth
Count the days from the day after the usage end date to the last day you saw the ad live. Then apply your extension rate. If the contract has none, 25% of the original fee for each 30 days is a common starting point, and some contracts bill in whole 30-day periods instead of by the day.
Example: a $2,000 deal with usage ending May 31. The ad is still live on July 9, 39 days later. At 25% per 30 days the rate is $500 per 30 days, so by the day it's $650, or $1,000 if you bill whole periods (2 periods started). Our fee calculator does this for you.
4. Send a notice and an invoice
Send it to your contact at the brand, or the agency that booked the deal. Keep it short and factual. A good notice includes:
- The deal (campaign name, signing date) and the usage end date in the contract.
- What you found: the ad, its Library ID and the dates you saw it live, with screenshots attached.
- The amount, how you worked it out, and an invoice.
- A choice: pay for the time used and switch it off, or extend the license at your rate.
- A date to reply by. 7 to 14 days is common.
The second option matters. If the ad is performing well, the brand may want to keep it, and an overrun can turn into a paid extension.
5. If they ignore you
Escalate in steps, and keep everything in writing.
- Follow up once after the reply date, with the original notice attached.
- Go up a level: the brand's marketing lead, or the agency's account director.
- Report the ad to Meta through the intellectual property reporting form in Meta's Help Center. This can get the ad removed, but it won't get you paid.
- Talk to a lawyer about a formal demand letter, especially for larger amounts or repeat overruns.
Organic posts vs paid ads
A brand reposting your content on its own feed is different from running it as a paid ad. Many contracts allow organic use for longer, or indefinitely. Paid usage is what most usage periods are written for, and it is where most overrun claims come from. The Ad Library shows paid ads, so it is the right place to look.
Frequently asked questions
Can a brand keep running my ad after the usage rights expire?
Not unless your contract allows it. Once the usage window ends, the brand needs a new agreement or an extension to keep running the content as an ad. Check the contract first, because some grant longer or unlimited use without saying so in the headline terms.
What should I do first if a brand is still using my content?
Save the proof while the ad is still live: a screenshot of the ad in Meta's Ad Library, the ad's library ID, the brand's page name and the date you saw it. Stopped ads can disappear from the library, so do this before you contact the brand.
How much can I charge a brand for using my content past the deal?
Use the extension rate in your contract if there is one. If there isn't, 25% of the original fee per 30 days is a common starting point. Our free usage rights fee calculator works out the amount by the day or in whole 30-day periods.
Should I send an invoice or a cease and desist first?
Most creators start with a polite notice and an invoice, because most overruns are oversights and the brand often wants to keep the ad running. Save a formal demand or a lawyer's letter for brands that ignore you or refuse to pay.
Can I report the ad to Meta?
Yes. Meta has an intellectual property reporting form in its Help Center for content used without permission. A report can get the ad taken down, but it does not get you paid, so many creators send a notice and an invoice first.
Is it copyright infringement if a brand runs my content after the license ends?
It can be, depending on who owns the content and what the contract says. Many brand deals license the creator's content rather than transfer ownership, which is what gives you a claim when the license ends. A lawyer can tell you where your contract stands.
How do I stop this happening again?
Put an end date, an extension rate and a whitelisting end date in every contract, and check the brand's ads after each end date. Usage Hawk does that check every day for every deal once its usage window ends.
Stop finding out by accident
Most creators learn about an overrun when a friend sends them the ad. By then it may have run for months, and the earlier dates are hard to prove. Checking each brand after each end date fixes that. You can do it by hand in the Ad Library, or add your deals to Usage Hawk and it will check every one, every day, and keep the evidence. For how the options compare, see our usage rights tools buyer's guide.