Where is my photo, video, or music being used?
If you suspect a brand, agency, or storefront is using your work without permission, here is how to check it yourself — and what to do when you find something.
Photos and modeling images
- Run a reverse image search on your strongest frames (Google Images, Bing Visual Search, TinEye) and check e-commerce listings, not just blogs.
- Search your name, your agency's name, and any watermark text you use.
- Look at paid ads: brands often keep running an image long after the shoot fee was paid for one campaign.
Videos and reels
- Search a distinctive spoken line or on-screen caption in quotes — reposted reels usually keep the captions.
- Check the brand's own ad library (Meta Ad Library is public) for clips from expired collaborations.
- Take note of the date a brand deal ended; use after that date is a separate, billable use.
Music, masters, and royalties
- Search the track title plus words like "ad", "commercial", or the brand name on video platforms.
- Compare your distributor and PRO statements against places you know the track was played — a missing line means a missing royalty.
- Sync use in an ad needs a sync licence and a master licence. If you never signed one, the fee was never paid.
What to do when you find a match
- Save the evidence first. Screenshot the page with the date and URL visible, and save the link. Posts get deleted fast once someone asks about them.
- Work out what the use is worth. Base it on what a licence for that placement, region, and duration would normally cost — not on what you were paid originally.
- Decide the outcome you want. A paid licence, back payment of royalties or master fees, or removal.
- Let someone else do the chasing. File the case with RightsPay and we handle the monitoring, the report, and the contact with the company.
Common questions
Found something? Don't email them yourself.
File the work and the link. RightsPay reports it and contacts the company for you, then sends you the proceeds minus the recovery fee.