How to get my right from a scammer company

[Sam_Blue]

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.

[WhiteHat]

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

• Their website / server → find the host, send to its DMCA agent (lookup: https://www.copyright.gov/dmca-directory/)
• On GitHub → https://docs.github.com/en/site-policy/content-removal-policies/dmca-takedown-policy
• Google Play app → https://support.google.com/legal/troubleshooter/1114905
• Apple App Store app → https://www.apple.com/legal/intellectual-property/dispute-forms/app-store/app-store-dispute.html
• Also file a Google deindex so it drops out of search too

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.

[Indianapolis]

The first thing I would do is stop thinking about the code and start reviewing the contract.

The company may or may not be allowed to terminate early. That depends on the termination clause, notice requirements, whether termination “without cause” is permitted, payment terms, and the law that governs the agreement. A fixed end date by itself does not automatically guarantee payment for the entire remaining period.

What I would do immediately

1. Download and preserve every document you already lawfully have access to:

   • Signed contract
   • Amendments
   • Invoices and payment records
   • Emails and messages
   • Timesheets or task records
   • Proof that work was accepted
   • The message or evidence showing your access was revoked
   • Any notice they gave you about termination

2. Read the sections covering:

   • Termination
   • Notice period
   • Payment after termination
   • Breach or termination for cause
   • Dispute resolution
   • Governing law
   • Intellectual property
   • Confidentiality
   • Return or deletion of company property

3. Do not log back into anything, bypass access controls, clone repositories again, contact employees through internal systems, or attempt to delete or modify company data.

About the code

Do not publish, reuse, sell, show, or upload the code to a public portfolio until you know exactly what the contract says.

Even if you personally wrote the code, the company may own the work product under the agreement, especially if there is an IP assignment or work-for-hire clause. The agreement may also require you to return or delete copies after the relationship ends. Ownership depends heavily on the contract and applicable law.

Keep the files untouched temporarily if they are needed as evidence, but store them securely and do not share them. Do not make unnecessary copies. Tell a lawyer that you possess them and ask whether they should be preserved, returned, or deleted.

Also separate:

• Company code
• Company credentials
• Customer data
• Secrets and API keys
• Confidential documentation
• Your own pre-existing code
• Generic skills, methods, and knowledge

Company credentials and customer data should not be retained or used. If any passwords, tokens, or private keys are still present locally, do not use them; tell the company in writing that they should rotate them.

Send one calm written message

Something like:

Hello,

I noticed that my access to the company systems was revoked on [date]. Please confirm whether the contract is being terminated and identify the contractual basis and effective termination date.

Please also confirm the payment due for completed work, any applicable notice or termination payment, and the required procedure for returning or deleting company materials.

I am preserving relevant records and will not access company systems after the access revocation. Please provide any further instructions in writing.

Regards,
[Name]

Do not send an angry message, threaten to publish the code, or accuse them of fraud unless a lawyer advises you to do so. Keep the first communication factual and focused on the contract.

Speak to a lawyer before signing anything

A short consultation with an employment or commercial-contract lawyer could determine whether you have a claim for:

• Unpaid invoices
• Notice-period pay
• Payment for completed work
• Early-termination damages
• Breach of contract
• Employee misclassification
• Reimbursement for losses caused by the termination

The fact that you rejected other opportunities may be relevant, but it does not automatically mean the company owes you those lost opportunities. You would normally need to show that the loss is legally recoverable and connected to the company’s breach.

The strongest practical approach is:

Preserve evidence→ stop accessing company systems→ review termination and IP clauses→ send one written request for clarification→ speak with a lawyer→ negotiate before escalating

Being locked out without warning is unprofessional, but the legal issue is ultimately controlled by the contract, the facts, and the jurisdiction—not by whether the company was happy with your performance.