ExtortionLetterInfo Forums

ELI Forums => Getty Images Letter Forum => Topic started by: Robert Krausankas (BuddhaPi) on February 20, 2012, 02:24:26 PM

Title: an interesting comment on one of the posts
Post by: Robert Krausankas (BuddhaPi) on February 20, 2012, 02:24:26 PM
I hadn't seen this before, figured I'd share it here, so everybody can have a look..must visit the blog side more often!

http://www.extortionletterinfo.com/possible-entrapment-scheme-by-vincent-k-tylor-hawaiian-art-network/
Title: Re: an interesting comment on one of the posts
Post by: Jerry Witt (mcfilms) on February 20, 2012, 03:13:10 PM
Wow, I missed that too. Thanks! Anyone with an issue having to do with HAN should read this.
Title: Re: an interesting comment on one of the posts
Post by: Robert Krausankas (BuddhaPi) on February 20, 2012, 03:17:14 PM
The part that got me was, their was an email where the photographer admitted to posting his images on free wall paper sites! Talk about damaging... I also looked into some of these sites and was able to confirm that they are hosted in the states... It does not appear to me IMHO that Mr. Carner or Vincent K Tylor are very honest...
Title: Re: an interesting comment on one of the posts
Post by: Jerry Witt (mcfilms) on February 20, 2012, 03:24:39 PM
I agree. I've traded several emails with Mr. Carner and he insists that they are constantly fighting with these wallpaper sites to get images removed. But that simply does not appear true. Many of these sites are NOT overseas.

Besides the photographer admitting to uploading un-watermarked, high-res images (!) I found one other tidbit interesting. One can simply contact Google, notify them that you are the copyright holder of a given image and presumably they will remove it from image searches. I wonder why this hasn't been done by HAN.
Title: Re: an interesting comment on one of the posts
Post by: Robert Krausankas (BuddhaPi) on February 20, 2012, 03:30:57 PM
Because removing the images from google or the wallpaper sites, would hurt the bottom line.. Who much can he be making by selling 5x7 prints for 10.00 a shot?  ::)
Title: Re: an interesting comment on one of the posts
Post by: Dee on February 25, 2012, 03:55:48 AM
I am the person Robert referred to in that post. I had started to hear several people discussing these letters including 2 of my clients, and it seemed strange so I contacted Vincent trying to see what kind of guy this was.  Needless to say the emails I got from him were what made me SUSPICIOUS and the more I looked into it the more I realized something wasn't right.  And it uncovered what I realized, was a genius opportunity to make money. 

I have loaded the email messages between Vincent and myself so you can review here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/82766750

Note in this chain, that he mentions several times that they have attempted to remove things, and that he was making changes to his own site to make it more safe.  Nothing has changed since all this which was 8 months ago.  All the same sites are up and he has not changed his website.

Note he also admits giving his image and still providing images to a site that he knows distributes his images as wallpaper images. 

Note he mentions how much his stuff costs and that if my clients have rentals in Kailua that they can afford to PAY UP.

Note when I asked why they weren't going after the sites distributing both he and his lawyer told me there were too many and they were trying but not succeeding because they are all out of country.  A simple search revealed that is not true.  Here are the main Sites I found distributing the image and some in the US and have clear policies and guidelines.  I spoke to 2 of these websites who told me that they will remove any image that someone sends over a copyright complaint on.  They were also the ones who told me that many of the images they receive come from the photographers.

http://wallpaperslot.com/wallpaper15432.search.php (contains very large file sizes)
http://wallpapersweb.com/terms.php (this is one that claims its getting it from public use)
This one claims it gets it from the owner and strictly adheres to DMCA:  http://www.scenicreflections.com/index.php?view=DMCA_Notice
This one interestingly enough claims they hold the copyright for all content on the site and will give permission for commerical use:  http://www.desktopnexus.com/tos  /  http://www.desktopnexus.com/dmca

Lets say they didn't intentionally distribute.  Any reasonable person who realizes that they lost control of their images because of their own actions, would feel bad going after the people who used them off of Royalty FREE sites.  Especially in this town.  I am a webdeveloper and a photographer here.  Its a small town,  this is a local photographer and these are local people.  You just don't do this kind of thing here.  In Hawaii, people are very respectful to eachother  and we work things out with our neighbors.  Its called the Aloha spirit.   BUT from what he said, and seeing that they do not appear to be taking any action on these US sites, it does not look like they are at all interested in stopping the infringing.  Why would he? 

Me and many of the businesses have boycotted using stock imagery of people we suspect are doing this.  There is another one here that we suspect, and as soon as I have more facts, I will post it.
Title: Re: an interesting comment on one of the posts
Post by: Jerry Witt (mcfilms) on February 25, 2012, 04:28:03 AM
Thank you for sharing this information. I think this will prove very helpful to anyone that decides to stand up to HAN.
Title: Re: an interesting comment on one of the posts
Post by: Robert Krausankas (BuddhaPi) on February 25, 2012, 09:08:32 AM
Yes, Thanks for sharing, this could be majorly helpful to the 2 defendants of ongoing lawsuits, I hope they see this.