Messages

1

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Am I doing this right?

« on: March 01, 2012, 05:48:31 PM »

So I went about things a little differently and wanted to share with everyone...

I went online and found that they were selling a 6-month license for about half of what they wanted to charge me.  Since I used the image for less than 4 months, I sent them an email with a proposed settlement of the prorated amount for a 6-month license.  This wasn't the case of buying a template, I simply downloaded an image and used it, so I felt a certain amount of culpability.

Anyways, a day later they sent me a follow-up email with a revised demand for the proposed settlement I offered.  Basically, they took it.  I'm sure they're just looking for the low hanging fruit and would probably have taken any reasonable amount, but I'm just glad I didn't have to pay for a penny more than the licensing price.

I'm way too busy trying to build my business to spend the necessary time to "get away with it", so I'm satisfied that I won't have to worry for the next 3 years about whether I'll get harassed with letters or other demands.

Thanks for everyone's feedback and commitment to helping people!

2

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Am I doing this right?

« on: February 27, 2012, 10:49:45 AM »

The website was made by me, using Weebly, a free internet-based website program.  When I delete it from the page and hit "publish" I assumed it deletes the picture from the server, because I have no access to that.

The Getty letter was dated last week, well after the picture was removed from the site.

3

Getty Images Letter Forum / Am I doing this right?

« on: February 27, 2012, 10:00:08 AM »

I opened my business about 6 months ago.  On one of my website pages I used a picture I found off a Google search (I know, big mistake).  The picture was relatively small, and only used for 4 months.  I realized it was mistake and took down the picture about 6 weeks ago.  Last week I received "the letter" asking for nearly $800.  I looked up the cost of the image on Getty's website and it's being sold for $387 for a 6 month license.  I'm not unwilling to pay for my mistake, however I have a couple questions...

1.  Should I call, email, or write a letter to respond?
2.  What should I ask them?  Should I ask for proof of exclusivity?  How they came to the number they're charging me?  etc.
3.  Do I need to contact a lawyer or seek professional help for this?
4.  The image on my website was inverted (not by me) compared to the Getty image.  Does that matter?
5.  How long should I expect to this to go on?

Any additional advice would be very much appreciated!  I freaked out when I got this letter, especially since the image had been taken down 6 weeks earlier.  I don't have that kind of cash around since we're so early in business.  Please help!

Thanks!