I also really doubt they had any agreements with either Getty or Corbis,
They wouldn’t have had a direct agreement with anyone. In the UK there are effectively group licensing schemes for education and they tend to be administered through Education Authorities or a body like JISC. They buy a global licence for royalty payments and the schools pay so much towards it each year. How the heck they work out who is owed what in Royalties I haven’t a clue.
Hello all,
I am glad to hear about the group licensing schemes for education, I really hope the school I went to had it all arranged.
Just to update you all on my story.
I received a response from www.limeone.com first thing this morning, very efficient. They are happy to take my case on, will send letters to both Moreton Smith and Getty on my behalf. Such a relief, as I was very anxious about making any contact with Moreton.
Another message from Moreton was waiting for me on my answering machine, which was quite disturbing. Not nice at all. I am not answering any of their calls, just keeping a record of them.
Thank you all for you support and advice, will keep you posted on my case.
hi Dancer3. Can you give us the general jist of what the messages that MoretonSmith left for you? Also www.limeone.com, what are their fee’s etc?
i too have contacted limeone who i am going to appoint to act on my behalf.
All the info is going out in the post tonight so here’s hoping.
CAn you elaborate on the calls from Moreton Smith so i am prepared and, did you say the invoice was ‘in dispute’
Thanks
I was contacted (actually the U.S. company was officially contacted that never existed…never registered…we never got past the website design phase).
not sure where images originally came from.
each image was being billed for $1000
I offered to buy the images for the price that they offered for the duration on the demand on their website, since I was not aware. But realized that there was an infraction.
They said that was not good enough.
“The amount being invoiced is the price for past use plus a copyright infringement premium. This premium covers administrative costs and past commissions due to our photographers.”
I guess my issue is that I was not aware of where the photographs originated, but also realize that it IS an infraction and am willing to pay for the images legit. I could easily not call them back, but I am trying to meet them somewhere in the middle (middle = “fair”)
Contemplating what to do
If you do not know what to do just consider the fact that as far as I know no one who has refused to pay has yet been prosecuted, and this has been going on for about nine months or more.
Come on Getty let’s see what you are made of!
I ignored my two letters from Getty. Today I got a letter from a law firm who Getty retained to sue me for $1,000 for an image they claimed I stole. This image has a small watermark on it, Getty does not watermark their images so it clearly was “stolen” from another site.
Has anyone in the USA received a letter from a law firm threatening to sue on behalf of Getty? Did you do anything about it?
I can’t see how I can be responsible for an image on a website that I did not even make - somebody else made the website for me, but I guess that does not matter does it in the USA???
It is also possible some one has been prosecuted and no one knows about it. The letter from the law firm still makes me nervous.
Hello All,
Basically Moreton is leaving messages every day, saying that they are acting on the behalf of their client Getty USA - regarding copyright infringement and unauthorized use of images on my website. I should call them urgently to settle my invoice in full. I haven’t actually talked to Moreton yet, as was advised not to.
I wouldn’t like to state here what www.limeone.com fees are, but all I can say they a reasonable.
This is all very unsettling, it just happened so suddenly, as I have never received any communication from Getty. From one day to another, suddenly I am being chased to pay over £10,000 in full. I don’t even know exactly what I am accused of.
The reason Getty does not protect their images is because they want people to steal them so that they can go after them for $1,000 per picture fees. All other stock photo sites protect their images except for Getty - yes this is entrapment and there should be a law against it.
My biggest problem is that even though I was not aware of the origins of the pictures, I tried to purchase the images legally for the timeframe stated (6 months), in order to be fair.
Still nothing…
also, has anybody paid these demands?
Stuck, what country are you in?
Us
The exact image Getty is trying to make me pay $1,000 for is on another stock photography site for $95 and it has the same watermark as my image - so the person who “stole” this image did not copy it from Getty, but from the other stock image site. I don’t think Getty cares, they just want $1,000 from me.
Perhaps Getty owns this other stock site?
Knowing Getty, anything is possible. But even then they’re not “excused” from doing the right thing.
dancer could i just ask…how did you initially hear about limeone?
thanks
I found limeone on this thread.
Is anybody being chased for over £10.000 or is it only me? I am starting to get panic attacks. It worries me a lot I have to say.
Has anybody’s case has been dropped recently?