I understand your points and agree - up to the point of legal action against a client (previous or current) if at all possible. This usually is not a good thing for your business. And, I think it’s possible to avoid it in most cases, this one for sure.
>>”The client doesn’t want to continue the business relationship but wants the OP to assist the client terminating the relationship. The OP is under no obligation to do so. The client claims purpose of self sufficiency, however, it is often a ruse to take the work to a competitor. The OP is under no obligation to assist a competitor, either.”
I agree again. But the way I recommended to handle it was to: “Put a price on the file equal to what you would happy to sell it for and let the client decide if it’s worth it to buy the file or hire someone else to reproduce it.”
There is such a price. It may be a very high price, but there’s a price/value he can place on it, all things considered.
Either he gets his happy price or the client doesn’t buy it. This is, in my opinion, the better way to end the relationship without contentiousness or legal action.
Thanks for your reply.
No one is advocating immediate legal action. However, if the client persist in using copyrighted materials, that can be a very large payday that far exceeds the profit of the business relationship.