What happens if the client refuses to pay for the idea?

Under normal circumstances, the person you are pitching to is under no obligation to buy or use your certificate. But if a client refuses to pay the licensing fee but still uses your idea, the PitchMark® certificate serves as a critical layer of defence by providing indelible documentary evidence of your ownership and the terms offered.

Here is what happens and what you can do if a client refuses to pay:

• Negotiate: If a client objects to your fee, have a conversation about what they think a fair fee should be. Be sure to capture a written record of the discussion. A client who cannot reach an agreement with you and still takes your idea could be shown in court to be acting in bad faith.
• Strengthening your legal position: By offering a "clearing house" choice—between a full production contract and a smaller licensing fee—you put yourself in a much stronger position if you head to court. You can prove to a judge that you offered a fair, low-cost commercial alternative which the client bypassed to misappropriate your work.
• Providing proof for litigation: If the client uses the idea without paying, the certificate provides factual proof (a blockchain "hash") of exactly what was pitched and when. Unlike emails or WhatsApp messages, which can be conveniently forgotten or deleted, the PitchMark® certificate is an official, permanent record of the transaction's parameters, such as duration and geography.
• Resolving payment disputes: For creators like freelance writers, the certificate ensures you have proof of registration until the point of payment. If a dispute arises, the documentation anchors your claim, making it much harder for a client to argue they originated the content.
• Initiating a formal conversation: Sometimes a refusal is simply an opportunity to pick up the phone and have a formalised discussion about IP stewardship and your professional standards.

Ultimately, while the platform cannot physically stop someone from being dodgy, it acts as a deterrent to dishonest actors by forewarning them that theft is a high-risk, documented activity.