I built a small app entirely on my own: the website, the product, and every line of code. There was never a client, agency, or outside team involved.
While searching for the app, I found an agency portfolio page presenting it as their work. They had written a full case study with a challenge, approach, deliverables, mockups of my pages, and a testimonial supposedly signed by "Sophie, SevenGrid." No such person exists, and there was never anyone who could have provided that testimonial.
I also noticed several warning signs. The agency claims to have operated since 2020 and completed more than 100 projects, but the domain appears to have been registered only recently. Their screenshots include a client-side calendar week that does not match the week displayed by my site on the same date, effectively giving the screenshot a timestamp. Looking through the source of other portfolio entries, I found creator metadata and credits belonging to other people. At least one project publicly describes itself as a personal project, yet the agency still attached a client testimonial to it.
One portfolio entry does appear to be genuinely their own work, so they may be a real studio, but much of the portfolio is difficult to verify. I have already asked them to remove my project and have received no response. The site has no clear business address or legal notice, and the only contact options are an email address and a messaging handle.
What is the most effective way to document this and get the portfolio entry removed when the company and hosting arrangements may be overseas?
4 Answers
There may be a practical upside: if they are presenting your work to potential customers, you can publicly and professionally clarify that you created it. Do not harass their staff or pretend to be a client, but you can contact identifiable project owners and explain what you found, attaching evidence. In one similar case, a client dropped the agency after learning that the portfolio was misleading and hired the actual developer instead. Treat that as a possible opportunity, not a substitute for documenting the infringement and filing proper complaints.
Preserve everything before escalating: save dated screenshots showing the full page, archive your own site and their portfolio page, download relevant source or metadata, and keep copies of your correspondence. The client-side week number is useful supporting evidence because it helps establish when their screenshot was created, although it is not proof by itself. Then send a formal copyright-based removal request and, if ignored, report the copied material to the hosting provider, registrar, and search engines. A concise, factual notice is usually more effective than an angry message.
I would not jump straight to an international lawsuit. If the agency has no verifiable address and may be operating through several countries, legal action could be expensive and difficult to enforce. Start with the companies that can actually affect the content: the host, domain registrar, and search engines. Include proof that you created the work, links to earlier versions of your own site, and a clear request to remove the case study, images, and fake testimonial. You can also notify the other project owners whose work appears in the portfolio; several independent complaints may get faster attention.
That makes sense. I am planning to contact the other creators as well so they can verify whether their work was used without permission.
Make sure you distinguish copyright infringement from false advertising or impersonation. Your strongest immediate claim is probably the unauthorized use of your screenshots, text, and other original material. If they are using your project to attract customers while falsely claiming they built it, mention that clearly in the complaint, but avoid making accusations you cannot document. If you eventually want legal advice, consult a lawyer in your own country who handles copyright and online commercial disputes.
I did not hire them or sign anything with them. The project has been mine from the first commit, which is why the fabricated testimonial is especially frustrating.
I have archived the pages and saved screenshots with dates. I also sent an email, but there has been no response so far.