Received Email From Sanders Law Firm Suspected Copyright Violation

[Flex]

I received an email from a paralegal from Sanders Law Firm stating a suspected copyright violation from use of a photo.  It used to be a blog and a domain I no longer own. The last wayback was June 2013. I don't have any data as I deleted everything related to the blog a long time ago. It hardly had any views so I just let it go. Apparently it is a BWP media photo that has 189,000 google results. Apparently the photo was taken March 2013 and copyrighted in April 2013.  The domain is expired and apparently can be bought for just the registration cost.

The link to the supposed violation does not even work since the blog no longer exists.  There aren't any links left in google either.  Does anyone have any recommendations going forward?  Thank you.

[Jerry Witt (mcfilms)]

They sent an email? Blog is gone? If it were me, I wouldn't bother replying. Make them work to get a physical mail address and THEN tell them to pound sand.

Out of curiosity, how do you think they got your current email? It couldn't have been you@YourDefunctURL.com, maybe they pulled it off the old domain registration?

[Flex]

They have my mailing address but sent an email with my address at the top with a Sanders file number.  Looks like a bulk email, mail merge.... as if they're sending 100's or thousands of the same form email but with the personal info and alleged copyrights violation being changed. They must have pealed my info from the old domain registration. It has the other warnings just like those here who have received a mailed letter. Penalties from $30-$150K etc etc.

I use gmail accounts for my domain registrations. That's what Sanders has found in an expired domain registration.

Sorry for the over use of the word apparently.

[stinger]

Like Jerry says, pretend your spam filter intercepted it, and pay it no mind.

[Flex]

That's what I was thinking. I read about these copyright trolls before I got the email, so I had some idea about the scam. When Sanders popped up as a troll in a google search, I had an ah ha moment. Thank you to the owners of this great site, and thanks for the advice. I'll keep on the lookout for a mailed letter in the future. I'll drop a few bucks in the paypal bucket.