Another Getty Letter

[decature]

I guess I'm another victim of the Getty curse. I hired a company do build a web site for my new company and how was I to know they use an image from Getty Images. I called the company today because the media blitz they were suppose to do didn't happen, plus I wanted to ask about the photo image they put on my site and guess what? I got the odd phone sound just before the automated voice said, "the number you have reach is no longer in service." So here I am, they got paid and Getty is threatening to sue me. I removed the picture immediately and plan to seek legal counsel. How did anyone else handle their letters?

[ellie]

I am in the back and forth stages of letter writing with Getty. They are still making an outrageous demand of $780 for a small image on a secondary page. My possible ace-in-the whole is that they stupidly copied a customer of the website owner's business whose email was in a signature on a testimonial. I am battling them from that angle and demanding they show me proof that they had the license at the time the image was put on the site. Of course they will not give you any proof which makes their claim tantamount to extortion...Don't know how it will play out but I thought I would give it a go before I paid Oscar Michelen a very reasonable $195 to fight it on my behalf. Likely I will end up hiring Oscar but since I don't have a spare $200 I thought I would try a fight first.

Suggest you read everything you can on this site before you do anything. Good luck.