MODEL CEASE AND DESIST LETTER
This model letter is provided by OPA Legal Services Plan to help if you 
want to contact persons that are infringing on the newspaper copyright, 
by reprinting your copyrighted materials on other web sites.  
Please contact OPA at (405) 499-0020 if you need more information.

Via Certified Mail No.: ___________________________
(Date)

[Infringer Name]				NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
[Infringer Address]

Dear [Infringer Name]:
Your website (http://www.			) is displaying at the "news" link (http://www.	
						) an exact reproduction of a headline and news story 
created and copyrighted by [NEWSPAPER NAME]. This article was originally published in [NEWSPAPER 
NAME] on [date published]. Your infringement of [NEWSPAPER NAME'S] copyright is obviously willful.  
Such unauthorized reproduction violates federal copyright law.  17 U.S.C. §§ 106, 501(a).  You should be 
aware that 17 U.S.C. § 501(b) provides that:
The legal or beneficial owner of an exclusive right under a copyright is 
entitled . . . to institute an action for any infringement of that particular 
right committed while he or she is the owner of it.
[NEWSPAPER NAME] has and will be substantially and irreparably damaged should this 
infringement continue. We therefore request that you immediately cease and desist from displaying the 
aforesaid headline and article and that you remove them from your website.  In order to mitigate further 
damage to [NEWSPAPER NAME],  the following actions on your part are required:
1.	Immediately discontinue the use of the infringing headline and article designs on your website;
2.	Immediately return to [NEWSPAPER NAME] all of the infringing material in your possession;
3.	Provide a complete accounting of all hits made to said link.
[NEWSPAPER NAME] is prepared to undertake any and all necessary legal action to protect its 
exclusive right to reproduce and distribute its copyrighted articles and photographs.  Relief requested may 
include the issuance of an injunction to prevent and/or restrain further infringement of copyright.  Id. § 
502(a).  [NEWSPAPER NAME] may also petition the court for an order impounding or destroying all illegal 
copies of the copyrights material that you possess.  Id. §§ 503(a), (b).  Finally, [NEWSPAPER NAME] may 
seek statutory damages of up to $150,000.00 for willful violation of copyright.  Id. §§ 504(a), (b).  
We await your prompt response.
Very Truly Yours,
[NEWSPAPER NAME]

Publisher