how to write a cease and desist letter from a lawyer

by Woodrow Will 6 min read

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Every cease and desist letter requires the same basic contents, such as:
  1. Your name and address.
  2. The recipient's name and address.
  3. A demand that the recipient stop the unlawful behavior.
  4. Sending the letter via certified mail, return receipt requested.
Oct 28, 2021

Full Answer

Can I Have my attorney serve a cease and desist?

If the issue continues or escalates in some fashion, prompting legal action, an attorney should be brought in to help serve a cease and desist order, which is a legal action issued by a court. Finally, although there is no specific outline of how long someone needs to give an offending party to stop their actions, a timeframe should still be included.

Can I send a cease and desist letter to someone?

If a person or a business is infringing upon your copyright, trademark or patent, you can send a cease and desist letter to inform the recipient about your rights and clear your intention to enforce your rights through appropriate legal means. Your letter may include a licensing offer and a threat of lawsuit.

Is it okay to ignore a cease and desist letter?

There’s no legal penalty or repercussion for ignoring a cease and desist, but you risk the sender beginning legal proceedings against you if their claims are legally sound. However, if you’re confident that the content of the letter is inaccurate or unenforceable, you can safely ignore a cease and desist letter.

What happens if a cease and desist letter is ignored?

What happens if you ignore a cease and desist? If you ignore it, the attorney who sent the letter will eventually file a lawsuit in federal court against you for trademark infringement and/or copyright infringement. This action may not happen right away. You might even think you are out of danger.

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How do you write a legal cease and desist letter?

The elements of a cease and desist letter are rather simple:Include your name and address.Include the recipient's name and address.Demand the recipient to stop the harassment.Send it via certified mail, return receipt requested.

What are some examples of cease and desist?

Cease and Desist Examples There are four unlawful activities that are most often addressed with cease and desist orders or letters: misuse of intellectual property, harassment, character defamation and libel, and contract violations, including unfair labor practices or unfair compensation.

What justifies a cease and desist letter?

Stop Trademark and Copyright Infringement If someone is infringing your trademark or copyright, use a cease and desist letter to make a formal request for them to cease the infringing activities. This shows that you mean business and are prepared to pursue legal action if necessary.

Is a cease and desist letter a legal document?

Even though a cease-and-desist letter is a non-binding letter and does not have a legal effect, it is primarily sent to the wrongdoer so that it may later be used as evidence in litigation against the wrongdoer if the alleged misconduct is not stopped.

How much does it cost to send a cease and desist letter?

Hourly Rates for Cease-and-Desist Letters ContractsCounsel's marketplace data shows the average hourly rate for a cease-and-desist letter lawyer ranges from $200 - $350 per hour.

How do you stop someone from slandering you?

You can file a lawsuit for libel or slander, or you can seek a restraining order from the court. But the cheapest step is to first send a cease and desist letter that tells the party to stop or face the consequences.

What happens if a cease and desist letter is ignored?

If you ignore it, the attorney who sent the letter will eventually file a lawsuit in federal court against you for trademark infringement and/or copyright infringement. This action may not happen right away.

Can a cease and desist letter be considered harassment?

A cease and desist harassment letter is a written document that demands the recipient stop a certain behavior immediately. This behavior is constituted as harassment in some way.

Should I be scared of a cease and desist letter?

Either way you dice it, these letters can be very scary to a non-lawyer and should be given the utmost respect, at lease until you know for sure whether the claims in the letter are legally valid. That being said, a cease and desist letter has no legal significance.

What is a cease and desist letter?

Cease and desist letters are a written warning sent to the party causing harm that notifies that if they do not stop the mentioned actions, further action and potential legal ramifications will be taken. These letters are not a legally binding order against another party.

Why is it important to send a cease and desist letter?

It is useful to send a cease and desist letter, in these circumstances, to request the opposing party to stop falsified written and oral statements. It is important to include why the statements are false and a correction to the statements in the letter.

What happens if you give a debt collector a cease and desist letter?

By providing the debt collector with a cease and desist letter, the harassing phone calls and abrupt visits to your home can be halted. Once a debt collector receives your letter, they can, legally, only contact you once more. This final contact can only be to explain that they are ceasing communication.

What is a copyright letter?

Copyrights and trademarks give ownership of titles, names, logos, writings, books, music, etc. to the owner of the copyright or trademark. If a party is using your material without receiving your consent first, you may want to consider sending a cease and desist letter.

Can you send a cease and desist letter to another party?

Legally, any person can send a cease and desist letter to another party. This is partly due to the letter not being a legal order to stop the actions. Although, if you are foreseeing a lawsuit in the future, it is good practice to meet with an attorney for guidance.

Can a cease and desist letter be taken lightly?

Personal attacks should not be taken lightly. In certain circumstances, sending the offender a cease and desist letter can provoke them further. However, in a majority of situations, when receiving a cease and desist letter, the offender will understand that you are serious and mean business.

Can a cease and desist letter be used as a first measure of action?

In some instances, a cease and desist letter may not be an appropriate first measure of action.

What Is a Cease and Desist Letter?

A cease and desist letter or demand letter is a written document that formally requests the recipient to stop engaging in illegal, injurious, or unwanted behavior. In contrast to the cease and desist order, the letter is not legally binding and cannot force the individual or business receiving the letter for compliance.

Cease and Desist Letter Template

A cease and desist letter is considered a courtesy to the individual or business who can potentially end up as a defendant in a lawsuit. It gives them a fair warning to resolve the issue before you proceed with litigation.

Delivery of Cease and Desist Letter

In some cases, the recipient may use the defense that the sender failed to deliver the letter correctly which resulted in the recipient unintentionally ignoring a cease and desist letter. To avoid this from happening, you need to check with your jurisdiction for the appropriate service delivery.

Pointers When Writing a Cease and Desist Letter

Although the template is ready to download and fill in, there are some parts of the letter where you may need to compose them by yourself. When writing the content of a cease and desist letter, there are some considerations that you need to take, as follows:

Get a Cease and Desist Letter from DoNotPay

The best way to ensure compliance and accurate technicalities of your cease and desist letter is to allow a legal expert to draft or review it. However, this expertise also comes with prohibitively high costs. That is where DoNotPay can help. Our AI lawyer can help you draw up a cease and desist letter without the headache or the stress.

What Else Can DoNotPay Do?

DoNotPay doesn’t stop at helping you write cease and desist letters. The AI-powered robot lawyer can help you with day-to-day issues such as cancelling subscriptions, creating passport photos, appealing parking tickets, and so much more! Here's what else we offer:

What is a cease and desist letter?

A cease and desist letter (also known as a notice to stop letter, or a demand letter) is a legal document used to inform a person or party of your formal notice requesting them to stop a behaviour or activity that infringes on your legal rights. In many cases, a cease and desist letter is the first step you will take ...

How to contact Rose Law?

If you are experiencing activities that you believe to be infringing on your personal or business rights, get in touch with Rose Law on 03 9878 5222 for a complimentary 15 minute discussion about how you can take action to stop this behaviour.

Can a business use a cease and desist letter?

You can use a cease and desist letter as an individual, and businesses can also use cease and desist letters. Some of the common situations in which one can be used include: Trademark or copyright infringement. General personal harassment, intimidation or stalking. Defamation. Circumstances when your rights are being infringed generally.

Can a cease and desist letter be accurate?

Without legal advice, you might miss out on an area of law that is being breached, and you can also ensure that your cease and desist letter is accurate. Putting false information in a cease and desist letter can have serious negative consequences. A lawyer can write a persuasive and legally accurate letter on your behalf.

What is a cease and desist letter?

Updated May 14, 2019. A cease and desist letter is a legal notice sent to someone you believe is infringing on copyrights you own the rights to. The letter is your way of stopping them.

Can civil claims be appealed?

Even if you get a verdict in your favor, the defendant may file an appeal and further extend the legal process.

Do you pay an attorney if she wins a verdict?

In that case, you only pay the attorney if she wins a verdict or obtains a settlement for you. An attorney can also advise you if your rights have, in reality, been violated and if so, if you have enough grounds for legal action. Also, an attorney can tell you if a cease and desist letter is the appropriate course of action, ...

Why do lawyers send these letters?

The most common reason someone sends a cease and desist letter is simple efficiency: a letter is simpler and cheaper than a lawsuit.

So What Should I Do If I Receive a Cease and Desist Letter?

There is no “one size fits all” answer to this question. If it turns out that the letter was sent by a trademark owner who was just trying to create a paper trail to avoid abandonment or genericide, it might be fine in some cases to ignore the letter.

What information should be included in a cease and desist letter?

If you are writing the letter yourself, you should include the following information: Your name and contact information. Name and contact information of the person or business being asked to stop the behavior.

Can you send a cease and desist letter yourself?

No specified method of delivery is required for a cease-and-desist letter. Because it is not a legal document, you can write and send the letter yourself without the help of a legal professional, or you can hire an attorney to write and serve the letter for you.

Can you write a cease and desist letter?

They are relatively simple to write up and you don't even need an attorney to serve them.

What is a cease and desist letter?

A cease and desist letter is a letter, usually from an attorney, that advises you to stop certain activities, such as: Infringing upon a client's trademark or other intellectual property. Harassment. Breaching a contract. Slander or libel, known as defamation. Certain types of prohibited activities, such as plagiarizing content.

What happens when you stop a cease and desist letter?

While it's not something you should ignore, a cease and desist letter can sometimes start a dialogue with the other party. It could eventually end up making the other party sorry they sent it.

How to stop a trademark?

If your domain name or trademark is similar to another company's trademark, you can respond to the cease and desist by: 1 Having your attorney write a response letter to try bargaining with the other trademark owner for continued use of the name 2 Asking the other party for more information, including seeing their trademark to evaluate whether they have a legitimate claim 3 After consulting your attorney and finding that the other party is infringing on your rights, writing to the other party, asking them to cease and desist from using their name as it violates your mark 4 Ceasing business under your current name and transitioning to a different name, without conceding anything 5 Denying by letter that there's any similarity between the marks and stating that your mark is not causing confusion 6 Agreeing that the other side is correct and having your attorney send a letter stating that you'll comply with their request 7 Filing a declaratory judgment lawsuit before the other domain owner files one, asking the court to determine if you're infringing the trademark

How long does it take to reply to a cease and desist letter?

A cease and desist letter may contain an arbitrary date for you to reply, such as within 7 days. While most letters tell you to stop your activities immediately, you can reply to the cease and desist letter in one of several ways.

What is a demand letter?

Any type of behavior that the other party believes is directly or indirectly affecting that party's rights. Cease and desist letters are also known as demand letters.

Can you ignore a DMCA notice?

Receiving a DMCA notice can be nerve-racking, but it is vital that you don't ignore it. Read more to understand why you received one and what you can do to resolve it.

Can a cease and desist letter be ignored?

By itself, a cease and desist letter can't do much, yet it may advise you that if you don't comply, the other party will sue you. In some cases, the party actually will sue you, while in other cases, they won't. Whatever you do, though, don't ignore the letter or you risk having the other party commence a lawsuit against you.

What is a cease and desist letter?

A cease and desist letter is a letter you send to someone demanding they cease a certain behavior or activity that is harming you. A "cease and desist order" is an official order, handed down by a court, a judge or a governmental body. The two are very often confused.

Is a letter from an attorney a legal document?

A letter from an attorney is not a legal document in the sense that it can force a person to stop. The purpose of a letter from an attorney is to threaten legal action is the behavior or activity is not stopped - and therefore you would eventually pursue a cease and desist order and financial damages accordingly.

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