Contacting getty before receiving a letter

[cw0909]

Hey, everyone! Sorry if this has been asked (I looked but didn't see anything) but I was curious about emailing or calling getty now that I realize I had some of their images on my site for a few months.

While I would never pay those crooks, I would, of course, prefer to avoid any hassle if I can. How likely is it that I'll get a letter if I had 3-8 of their images on my site for a couple months?

Obviously, I've taken down all of the content and the site is only a few months old so I can't seem to find any archives of it.

Should I just not sweat it anymore?

Thanks!

[Robert Krausankas (BuddhaPi)]

As long as you took down the images. don't contact them!!! check at archive.org to make sure it's not there..I think they only use archive.org to look back once picscout reports an image back to them... You're probably good to go, but if you do here from them tell them to take a walk, as you were proactive and removed the images before they even knew they were there..

[Couch_Potato]

Wouldn't be a smart move to contact Getty first because it would be proof that you did not confirm the licensing of the images before putting them on your site or at the very least had some reason to suspect they weren't correctly sourced.

If Getty contact you then you at least have the fall back of being able to say that you took the initiative to remove any imaging that you couldn't locate a licence for.

I would never admit to Getty I knew the images were on their site, even after I had removed them.

[Moe Hacken]

Don't contact Getty. It's best to let sleeping dogs lie. No harm, no foul.

Don't sweat it because you haven't gotten a letter. Even if you did get a letter, don't sweat it. You can read through this forum to understand why.

In any case, there's no point in having a stress rehearsal. Be happy you don't have to hear Getty's braying on a regular basis like those who have received extortion letters.

If you're the type of person who thinks about worst case scenarios, you could try this exercise: Figure out how much the use of those particular images would have cost if you had licensed them for those two months. You can use their own calculator which comes up with each image. Add up the sum total and there you should have the highest amount you should offer them for a retroactive license ONLY in the event that they sent you a letter claiming some ridiculous amount for the infringement.

Finally, be more careful in the future about the way you use rights-managed images in your work. Don't buy from trolling companies like Getty Images or any of their subsidiaries. Search this forum for options to buying stock images from the trolls.

[SoylentGreen]

Laughed my ass off.

S.G.

[cw0909]

Excellent advice, gentlemen, and words that I will heed. And to answer Moe, I am indeed the type of individual who envisions the worst case scenario. Which is why I thought it might be best to take the initiative and contact them.

Does anyone have any idea what the odds are of actually receiving a letter, anyways? The three sites I "potentially" had getty/shutterstock images on are only a few months old, and now all of the data has been erased, as well as any record.

Considering getty claims about 85% of all images online violate a copyright, I was assuming less than 1%. But like I said, worst case scenario personality ...

Thanks!

[Mulligan]

Where does Getty claim that about 85% of all images violate copyright? I'd like to have the source of that for something I'm writing. Thanks.

[Robert Krausankas (BuddhaPi)]

you might want to watch all of Jonathan Kliens videos, he may have stated this somewhere along the line..he's been known to stick his foot in his mouth from time to time..

Where does Getty claim that about 85% of all images violate copyright? I'd like to have the source of that for something I'm writing. Thanks.

[SoylentGreen]

Also "get PreCrime!  It works!" 

S.G.

[Peeved]

Also "get PreCrime!  It works!" 

S.G.

LOL!!!
 

[Khan]

Think about it: Would you call the police because you have been speeding and nobody noticed yet ?

Donate the money to ELI !!!!!!

[Matthew Chan]

Don't go looking for problems unless you don't have enough drama in your life.