Yeah, I've had that happen all too often when I freelanced, Benigo. I'll add a couple of points to what pdjixms, Scott and Bloodsong offered: 1) Always ask for an advance fee (in addition to having a written contract). That way at the very worst, you're at least not completely uncompensated. And a company that won't agree to an advance fee for work, probably won't pay the final fee. 2) If you do a lot of freelancing, a reputable agent is a good expense. Keyword being "reputable" - research a prospective agent as thoroughly as you would a company you're thinking of submitting work to. If you can, try and find other clients they represent you can ask for a reffernce, and companies they've done business with. If you don't get paid, the agent doesn't collect their fee, so they'll try to steer you to reputable contracts. [In theory anyway ;)] The Graphic's Artists Guild used to maintain and publish a list like you're talking about. I'm not sure if they still do. You might contact them to see... www.gag.org Another avenue to approach would be the ACAP, and see if they'd be interested in starting a database service like you're suggesting. They already do maintain a small [but growing] DB of web related piracy, and companies that do web artists rip offs. I think they'd be amenable to the idea of expanding their services. The ACAP - Artists Coalition Against Piracy: http://www.theacap.com/ Those are just a few suggestions that may help. As long as you have a contract, at least in the US, you have an avenue to pursue via small claims court. Not certain how that works on an international basis, sorry.

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• Monkeysmell