Online Petition Against Getty

[njb52]

Is this worth signing or is it just a place to blow off steam?

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/boycott-getty-images/

[Robert Krausankas (BuddhaPi)]

waste of time, been sitting there since 2013, your energy would be better spent submitting legitimate complaint to the Washington attorney general.

[The-Gobbler]

Is there anything we can do vis a vis Masterfile and some of the others out there? I'm glad to see that Getty has dozens of complaints listed on the BBB website but I see next to nothing on Masterfile and it would be very satisfying to see some there.

This shit has started to turn into a major plague and someone needs to start the work to change the law.  I think all of us agree that a "Cease and Desist" would be the logical and ethically correct way to deal with image infringement.  Failing that, then sue all you want.

This is getting close to the breaking point and there's got to be something out there we can work on together to try and end this nonsense.  Surely, right?

[njb52]

Is there anything we can do vis a vis Masterfile and some of the others out there? I'm glad to see that Getty has dozens of complaints listed on the BBB website but I see next to nothing on Masterfile and it would be very satisfying to see some there.

This shit has started to turn into a major plague and someone needs to start the work to change the law.  I think all of us agree that a "Cease and Desist" would be the logical and ethically correct way to deal with image infringement.  Failing that, then sue all you want.

This is getting close to the breaking point and there's got to be something out there we can work on together to try and end this nonsense.  Surely, right?

I agree 1000 percent.

[Greg Troy (KeepFighting)]

Is there anything we can do vis a vis Masterfile and some of the others out there? I'm glad to see that Getty has dozens of complaints listed on the BBB website but I see next to nothing on Masterfile and it would be very satisfying to see some there.

This shit has started to turn into a major plague and someone needs to start the work to change the law.  I think all of us agree that a "Cease and Desist" would be the logical and ethically correct way to deal with image infringement.  Failing that, then sue all you want.

This is getting close to the breaking point and there's got to be something out there we can work on together to try and end this nonsense.  Surely, right?

The route to take is attorney general complaints,  the BBB can not bring action against the company and the AG can.  Also BBB will kick out most complaints since there is not a product or service that has been sold.  Infringement is not something they deal with.

[The-Gobbler]

Interesting.  Well then I'll be opening some complaints with the AG.  Is that a national thing? State thing? Do you know the best way to do it?

I know the BBB can't bring action but it would still bring some attention to the problem no?  The BBB review on Getty certainly shows a huge number of complaints and they don't seem to be removing them!  The more the better, I say.

[Robert Krausankas (BuddhaPi)]

at the end of the day, the BBB is pretty much useless, in regards to the AG's that would be state by stae depending on where the troll does business.. Masterfile is a Canadian company, and I don't know what their equivilent would be, but as I understand it Carolyn Wrights office is now working with MF and she is US based.. The thing with complaints is making sure you do them correctly, due your due diligence to make a legit complaint..Complaints to the AGs' and to state bar association, if nothing else will force them to at least spend time replying, which in turns means more of their "billable" hours are burned away.

The days of a "cease and desist" are over and probably won't ever come back, thats why we have DMCA now, but many sites do not have a registered agent, especially small business and mom/pop sites.

[The-Gobbler]

Thanks! Well i will certainly be opening complaints with a few AGs.  After Googling around, it turns out in Ontario it's quite straightforward.

Why do you think cease & desist is futile? It seems like it's a very common sense change o the law that we could accomplish if enough people complained about these trolls.  There are enough victims out there - probably just on this site alone - that at least someone might take this to the next level. 

Finally - I still don't totally understand how DMCA works.  I have a registered agent and all of that, but what does it actually do for me?  Should I mention it to the troll? They seem to just ignore it.  It's clearly spelled out on my site and in all of the instances where a troll has found an image it was NEVER me who used the image, it was always a site user.

Thanks!

[Matthew Chan]

We, at ELI, are much pragmatic people.  We like to take meaningful action.  Signing an online petition requires little effort but it also has little impact in making a difference.

Many of the strategies discussed on this forum such as filing complaints to certain agencies are very powerful and effective. Speaking out public and sharing information here on the forums is very powerful on so many levels.

The Google and Bing search engines are our friend. When people post on these forums, it also helps us out in getting the word out within search engines. It is amazing how education and knowledge to many people can effect so much change.

People who hang on ELI are not about cowering and hiding.  It is about being smart, creative, and punching back.  Everyone gets to choose how to punch back directly or indirectly.

Just know that if you are "only" reading, lurking, going dark by not paying, hiring me or Oscar, you ultimately are punching back. Filing complaints, outing extortionists, and naming names are all awesome gravy items.

It is difficult for anyone who connects and reads ELI to NOT have a negative impact against copyright extortionists.  It is how we roll around here.

[luanne415]

We, at ELI, are much pragmatic people.  We like to take meaningful action.  Signing an online petition requires little effort but it also has little impact in making a difference.

Many of the strategies discussed on this forum such as filing complaints to certain agencies are very powerful and effective. Speaking out public and sharing information here on the forums is very powerful on so many levels.

The Google and Bing search engines are our friend. When people post on these forums, it also helps us out in getting the word out within search engines. It is amazing how education and knowledge to many people can effect so much change.

People who hang on ELI are not about cowering and hiding.  It is about being smart, creative, and punching back.  Everyone gets to choose how to punch back directly or indirectly.

Just know that if you are "only" reading, lurking, going dark by not paying, hiring me or Oscar, you ultimately are punching back. Filing complaints, outing extortionists, and naming names are all awesome gravy items.

It is difficult for anyone who connects and reads ELI to NOT have a negative impact against copyright extortionists.  It is how we roll around here.

Here is my contribution to the Getty trolls. It's a very well search engine optimized blog that's been around since 2007

http://mini-moe.blogspot.com/2015/08/internet-trolls-why-getty-images-will-die-a-natural-death-online.html

[Matthew Chan]

That is a very good blog post and I think you will be rewarded with some traffic.

Another prominent blogger, Ryan Healy went off-topic to discuss Getty Images, their extortion letters, and ELI. It has become one of his most read blog posts ever and he gets very high recognition for writing about it and sharing his story.

Given what I read and saw on your blog post, I think you too will be rewarded in unpredictable ways and goodwill in the years to come. I can safely say that anyone who has stepped up to speak out publicly and informatively has generated goodwill and unforeseen benefits for themselves.

I like being associated with empowered people who are able to take a stand. So good on you for getting the word out.

The untold and barely spoken story is the inner turmoil Getty Images is going through with its financial situation. I am waiting for someone in the financial press to eventually pick up on a possible Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

In the meantime, Getty Images can suffer a demise by thousands of tiny cuts by all the people (ex-employees, photographers, extortion letter victims, investors, creditors, etc.) they have pissed off over the years.

I am doing my part to spread the "non-love".

[Robert Krausankas (BuddhaPi)]

I agree naming and shaming goes a very long way indeed.. I've read your post and please don't take offense at my comments, but since your simply want to share truthful information, you might want to clarify a few things in your post.

Images don’t require a “watermark” of any kind

August images is NOT the same as GETTY IMAGES,2 different companies altogether.

August Images uses Picscout to find offending images, Picscout is in turn owned by Getty Images, but a separate entitiy
“Image one & Two” is referred to as “Front & Back of Getty Images letter”, the letter is from License compliance services, which again appears to be offshoot of Picscout. I’m currently digging to find LCS articles of incorporation.

You might consider putting “Samantha Clemens” in the text of you post to get picked-up by search engines.
Be wary of suggesting sites that offer “free” images, as many times there is no way to vet where those “freebies” originated from.

For example look at the terms from morguefile.com:
“Any questions regarding liabilities should be directed to the specific photographer.”
“…although they are not in the public domain. You are still responsible for the legal content of the images including model releases and property releases”

"What does it mean I have to alter the image."
The morguefile license is specifically for designers and illustrators to use the images in a creative process creating work of their own. If you would like to use the image in a blog post, we recommend contacting the photographer and providing a by line under the photo with the photographer's name. This is generally agreed to be acceptable.

http://www.morguefile.com/terms

[Matthew Chan]

Regarding Robert's suggested corrections, accuracy makes for a more credible article.  I only browsed the article and didn't scrutinize it as closely as Robert did.

However, in the case where Getty Images, first through Picscout, and subsequently "License Compliance Services Inc." are using a clone of the Getty operation AND the exact same mailing address and perhaps even the same employees, August Images could easily be associated with Getty Images.

Robert is technically correct but as far as I am concerned, August Images, is simply lending their name to this effort.  EVERYTHING else operationally and functionally-speaking conforms to the Getty Images operation.  Getty Images wants to try to preserve its "distinctive" name and uses its various division and corporate names to create these different "identities".  Only purists such as those here in ELI could ever make those many finer distinctions because laymen don't go to that level.

Essentially, if someone gets an August Images letter, they should follow the protocol as if you receive a Getty Images letter which is well documented.  If August Images chooses to entirely place their name and operations under Getty management then they deserve to be associated with the Getty name.

[Robert Krausankas (BuddhaPi)]

Thats exactly what I was getting at, the accuracy part.. August images is clearly a client / customer of Picscout as are many others, and they certainly deserve to be thrown under the bus along with Getty Images. We all knew getty images was hurting in regards to their selling images, with the purchase of Picscout and the creation of License Compliance Services, this just further proves that point and that Getty Images is now trying to make money using different avenues, hence it's even more important to be accurate to name and shame all of them, while not creating any confusion as to who is who.