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Home > Guides > Cease and desist letters
Write a factual letter naming the conduct, the right violated, what you want stopped, and a reasonable deadline: send it tracked (certified in the US, registered in Canada) and keep a copy. A cease-and-desist letter is a warning, not a court order: no legal force on its own, but a documented warning helps whatever you do next.
This is general information, not legal advice.
It is a demand to stop a specific activity: using your photo without permission, copying your product, harassing you, violating a contract clause. It is not a court order. It can't compel anyone to do anything, and the recipient is free to ignore it. Its real power is as a paper trail: if you later go to court, you can show you gave fair warning, identified the problem precisely, and asked for a specific fix. Many disputes end here precisely because the letter shows you're organized and serious.
| Part | What to write |
|---|---|
| Who you are | Your name and your connection to the issue (owner, creator, party to the contract). |
| The conduct | Exactly what they're doing, with dates and specifics: "your product X copies my design Y" not "you're stealing my stuff." |
| The basis | The right or rule involved: your copyright, trademark, contract clause, or statute. |
| The ask | Precisely what must stop, and by when. A reasonable deadline, typically 10–14 days. |
| The consequence | A plain statement of what you'll do next (file a complaint, pursue legal remedies): one sentence, no bluster. |
Firm, factual, and boring. Specifics are what make these letters work; threats are what make them backfire. "You'll be hearing from my lawyers" is weaker than silence: it signals you don't actually have one. An overblown letter can even provoke the recipient into filing first, asking a court to declare they did nothing wrong, which puts you on defense. State the facts, name the deadline, and let the tracked mailing do the talking about your seriousness.
Tracked, always: US Certified Mail or Canada Registered Mail. The whole point is being able to show later that the warning was delivered: a regular-mail letter you can't prove arrived is nearly worthless as a warning. LetterAgent's registered option covers both. Keep the exact letter you sent, the mailing receipt, and the delivery record together. If the recipient refuses the letter, that refusal is recorded, and many courts treat documented refusal as notice given.
Send it yourself when the stakes are low and the facts are simple: a neighbor, a small seller using your photo, a one-off infringement. Bring in a lawyer when money, reputation, or an ongoing business relationship is on the line, when the other side already has counsel, or when you're unsure you actually have the legal right you're claiming. Claiming a right you don't hold, in writing, can create liability of its own. A lawyer's letterhead also changes the tone without a word of bluster: recipients read it differently.
Ready to mail it? Send your letter with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it's printed and mailed.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
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