Hello everyone,
I want some honest opinions on a situation I’m dealing with.
I was working remotely for a company under a signed contract. Without warning, they revoked my access to everything, email, Slack, GitHub repositories, and the rest of the systems I was using for work.
What makes this especially frustrating is that my work was good, they were happy with it, and there were no performance issues. Despite that, they decided to terminate/revoke the contract even though there was still time remaining on it.
Because I had already signed this contract, I turned down other opportunities. Now I feel very mad how they dealt with me.
I still have copies of the backend and frontend code I worked on.
3 Likes
You still own the code — and their live product runs on it. That’s the only lever that crosses borders.
Forget “send a demand letter, take them to small claims.” You’re remote — a judgment in your country is near-worthless to enforce against a company in theirs, and those courts are often built for consumers suing businesses, not a contractor chasing a firm. That road is a paper win nobody collects.
The lever that actually moves them is the thing you already have.
© your code ──► DMCA notice ──► their host (§512) ──► product OFFLINE ──► they call you
(you own it) (you file) (must remove) (their choice: pay)
Why you hold the switch
Paying a contractor does not transfer copyright — that needs a signed written IP-assignment. “Work made for hire” doesn’t cover a contractor’s software either. So unless your contract has an assignment clause, you still own that code — and the moment they stopped paying, their licence to run it died. Their live product is now your copyrighted work, used without permission.
The move — do it in this order
| step |
what you do |
 |
Open your contract, search for “assignment” / “IP”. No signed assignment = the code is yours |
 |
File a DMCA takedown where their product lives — pick the right door  |
 |
The host must pull it or lose its legal shield. Their product goes dark until they deal with you |
Where to file — pick the door their product sits behind
A valid notice needs 6 things or it’s ignored: your contact info, what you own, the exact URL, a good-faith statement, a line swearing under penalty of perjury that you own it, and your signature.
If they filed you through a platform — a stronger path
Hired via Upwork / Fiverr / Toptal? Use their dispute — disputes go to binding arbitration, free to you, and unlike a foreign court judgment an arbitration award is enforceable across borders. If they’re paying through the platform, the money may already be held in escrow you can claim.
Keep it clean. You’re the owner filing a lawful takedown — that’s your power. Do not ransom the code, sell it, leak it, or touch systems your access was pulled from. The takedown is the lever; sabotage hands them the moral high ground and a case against you.
The paper trail you kept is your proof. The copyright you kept is your leverage. Pull that one, and they come to the table.
2 Likes
!