ExtortionLetterInfo Forums
ELI Forums => Getty Images Letter Forum => Topic started by: ceinspect on October 14, 2011, 06:09:10 PM
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I just found this website through Site Studio, the company that provided the template that contained the image.
I received the first letter in May 5 2011, The second letter in July 15 2011 and an intent to escalate in September 16 2011. I contacted ?? Webhosting with the details each time the letter came with full assurance that when they removed the image from the template I was using and then the issue would "Go away" and I had nothing to be concerned about. That was good until I got an email response that told me the template came from another company and I would have to contact them, because they are not responsible. Well I did contact company that provided the template and that is where I learned of your site. They have a standard response that says they will not do anything until they are contacted directly by Getty.
As I watched the new update with Robert I heard him tell my story. So where do I go from here?
This was my email to Parallels Site Studio:
> I have been contacted by Getty images 3 times since May. I have a website
> hosted by ?? Webhosting. Getty claims I used an image on my website
> xxxxxxxxx.xx in Site Studio that infringed on their copyright.
> I contacted ?? Webhosting and talked with a representative about
> the image. They told me that it was an image in Site Studio and All
> I had to do was refresh the site and the image would go away as
> well as Getty would stop contacting me. Well the image went away,
> but I keep getting letters from Getty. The latest is a letter with
> intent to escalate. The following is the last communications I had
> with ?? Webhosting.
> I chose a template provided by Site Studio and had no control over the
> stock images in the template. Now they want $1225.00 from me and I don't see
> how I could have possibly known where the image came from or who owned it. I
> don't know the inter-working of how your company functions and this is
> really stressing me out because I am a small, one man business that is
> struggling to stay afloat (as it is) without a big company trying to make me buy
> something I cannot see how I would have been responsible for. Can you
> please help me. ?? Webhosting is not willing to help any further.
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If site-studio is supplying images, via their templates they should step up to the plate and address the issue, have you opened a line of communication with Getty? It would be worthwhile to do so and explain that the template was part of your hosting package, but was supplied by a third party (sitepoint) Getty may be willing to pursue this directly with them if you can somehow show them this is what happened. Shame on your hosting company for not standing up to this, if it were me I would be pulling my business and going elsewhere..
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While the developer is responsible to you, Getty almost never contacts the developer. They like to target the end user. Take a look at the videos on our site to educate yourself about the various issues and do no further business with the template provider if he won't take this up for you. About 30% of our "Getty clients" have their developer paying our program fee