Messages

1456

Getty Images Letter Forum / AKM Images / Copryight Enforcement Group Settlement Demand Letter

« on: May 09, 2012, 12:09:12 PM »

AKM Images is using Copyright Enforcement Group to send out extortion letters. Until recently, we have never heard of AKM Images (celebrity photos) or Copyright Enforcement Group.

http://akmimages.net

http://copyrightsettlements.com

Here is a copy of the Copyright Enforcement Group extortion letter sent on behalf of AKM Images who appear to specialize in celebrity photos.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/93005312/AKM-Images-Copyright-Enforcement-Group-Settlement-Demand-Letter-Lindsay-Lohan-Bikini-Beach-Photos

I have to admit that this is slightly tamer the most demand letters I've seen. I also have not seen settlement prices as "low" as $500 per image. It's still unreasonably high at $500 per image but compared to Getty, Masterfile, and HAN, it is much more attractive. I would guess that Copyright Enforcement Group will go a bit lower if motivated to do so.

1457

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: CEG Email?

« on: May 09, 2012, 10:55:28 AM »

I would like to see a copy of this email by Copyright Enforcement Group if you are willing to share it. This is a new one for us. We are happy to redact the information for you before sharing it. You can send it to matt30060 at gmail.

If you don't want to share it publicly, I would still like to view it privately if that is ok with you.

It can only help others by educating people.

I got 2 emails from the Copyright Enforcement Group. One email for quite a few pictures and one for a thumbnail of one of the already mentioned pictures. The total is near $9000 dollars and I have a month to pay it on their website.

The email just shows an image comparison and the url to the image. Unlike some others who seem to show a screenshot of the website itself. Any thoughts on this one? I have looked thoroughly through the site and most seem to deal with stock images.

1458

Hawaiian Letters & Lawsuits Forum / Re: HAN/VKT question

« on: May 09, 2012, 10:50:19 AM »

No amicus brief can be done unless someone intelligently and diligently fights back. No one is going to be inspired enough to spend money or donate their time to write an amicus brief to support someone without a spine and sense of intelligence.

As of right now, the idea of an amicus brief is a fantasy because I have not seen much to inspire me to advocate for one.

Lettered gave Matthew a suggestion some time ago about filing an amicus ("friend of the court") brief on behalf of the defendants in the HAN cases explaining our findings about the HAN/VKT baitpaper cartel, and turning over all of the information we have on each and everyone of the images he's tainted the information society with. Or at least the ones we're aware of, who knows how many there really are.

1459

Hawaiian Letters & Lawsuits Forum / Re: HAN/VKT question

« on: May 09, 2012, 10:45:07 AM »

When I wrote my original reply to you, I was bit concerned you might have been unhappy with it. Nevertheless, you took it in the good spirit it was intended. If you directed people to ELI, short of spoon-feeding them, there is not much you could have done to help them.  They chose to pay out of their own laziness, fear, and ignorance even when you pointed the way.  Even hiring Oscar would have been less expensive than the settlement amounts they paid.

Regarding the lawsuit strategy, we have already discussed that if a lawsuit lands on the doorstep, one powerful strategy is to file a strong countersuit with some strong allegations.  And bang, they are in a vicious bear-trap.  Even if they want to drop the lawsuit, they can't because they now have to answer to a countersuit.  Having said that, most people don't have the stomach for it. The thought of a lawsuit makes people lose their minds.  People always think they need info when they really need is a solid brain and spine to go with it.  Well, we have a ton of info here and even have a well-respected lawyer on the team.

Regarding VKT and his shenanigans, not everything can be solved through the legal system. People need to understand that. And even if it could, sometimes it simply isn't practical because of financial issues.  That is why I am a big proponent of the First Amendment, reporter rights, exposure, publicity, information sharing, and Google visibility as my weapons of fighting back. VKT can keep up his shenanigans but his online reputation is shit now because of his sleazy wallpaper entrapment tactics but also he makes no statements or explanations as to what is going on with his side.

I certainly don't advocate his side but the simple fact is if anyone gives a damn about their online reputation (like I passionately do), you have to be smart enough to speak out and defend yourself aggressively. That is why I encourage people to "come out" because bullies like VKT tend to back down or let others like HAN do his dirty work.  But so many people slink around anonymously as if they committed this huge crime when they really didn't. It was a mistake that caused no damages. They fear the "so-called" retaliation against them like anyone cares about their one letter among tens of thousands floating around.

If there was going to be retaliation for "coming out" and speaking out, I would be the prime target for that, not some random person who got a letter. If I ever got hit by a lawsuit or some other legal threat, you can believe I would be broadcasting it loud and wide and then I would be pointing all guns at the attacker and do some massive info digging on them. A few people have learned the hard way how nasty, aggressive, and vindictive I can be. I neutralize many of my opponents out without ever going to court. Court should always be the last option, not the first one.

With very few exceptions, my opponents and critics all go to Oscar and complain to him behind my back (which I almost always hear about later) about what we do or how we do it here on ELI.  Oscar and I have said many times that he doesn't "own" or directly control ELI.  Yet they keep crying to Oscar instead of crying to me which is fine by me.  Those people who complain have no problems making other people cry but when we hit back in unexpected ways, they are not expecting that they will do some crying themselves.

The biggest revenge against each copyright troll is to call them out and name them.  Google does the rest. I could give you a list of lawyers and other copyright troll parties that regretted getting into the copyright trolling business at all. They never expected they would ever be publicly called out and challenged. And they certainly didn't expect that when someone googles their name, the top listings come to ELI.  ELI has become so potent, that nearly any troll we report shows up prominently on Google in 24-48 hours.

The associates who caved in aren't going to get much support here. They settled and the matter is resolved. Regarding VKT, the reports just keep coming in.  It has grown so much, ELI may end up creating a special bio page just for him.

Yes I agree. I am equally frustrated with some of them. I sent out a warning to a list serve of businesses and got many people emailing me with their stories asking for help.  I told them the situation and I gave them all kinds of information which included your information and encouraged them all to come here and read up then donate for advice and help.  I don't think one followed my advice, when I followed up they all ended up paying except one who wont and is prepared to go to court.  Now that they see all this court stuff, they are upset and want to recoup. 

I agree they deserve it however, I was more thinking along the lines of what kind of trouble VKT and the others can get into.  It annoys me that he is getting money for this and if they find him guilty of this, I want to know that they are going to be punished and hopefully have to repay the money.  That would be the best way to punish the guy.  It seems to me that if a judge sees all the evidence and is told about all the money he has collected, that he would be ordered to give it all back.

And like someone said, he has not gotten the word out, there are so many things he could do to discourage people from taking images from these sites, including posting information on his own site about it.  It isn't that hard, I have been warning people about this and found multiple people who images that were not licenses on their sites and  helped them remove them and showed them where to go for legal images.

1460

Hawaiian Letters & Lawsuits Forum / Re: HAN/VKT question

« on: May 08, 2012, 10:36:38 PM »

You can sue anyone for anything. But the question is whether you can win or collect anything. That is what I say all the time when someone is trying to come after you.  Despite our efforts, a ton of people still pay up and settle. It is very hard to save people from themselves.  Quite frankly, I don't have much sympathy for people who have been told the scam and they still cave to it. Once you give the money, it is hard to get it back. And more than likely a settlement agreement went on top of it all.

Keep in mind we do call it "extortion" on these forums as a rhetorical hyperbole (not criminal extortion). At the end of the day, no one really held a gun to anyone's head to pay the money or sign a settlement agreement.  People cave in because of their own legal ignorance, unwillingness to make a stand, or do the work to defend themselves.

They have simply learned a hard life lesson by caving in.  People who let fear run them and not make the effort to get educated do get rolled. The best they can hope for is to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone again.

I am sorry to say, it will be very hard for them to unring this bell. They probably are best to chalk it up to a life lesson. 

If they couldn't defend themselves on a relatively simple matter, trying to go after someone and collecting is even more difficult.

It is one big reason I don't personally help people for free anymore on these letters.  I would spend the time and effort to help, talk, and strategize with them and they would still act like cowards and ultimately settle. I have no sympathy for those people at all. They got the best advice possible and were too ignorant to know any better when the information was plainly given to them. They were weaklings that deserved to have their money parted from them.

Everyone has to assume a certain amount of responsibility of the outcome. They settled. As I said, it's going to be hard to unring the bell now.

I might have asked this before but don't recall getting an answer so sorry if I repeat this.

Those who I know that have already paid after getting the demand letters are wondering that if the courts rule against HAN and VKT that this is entrapment/extortion, can they sue to get the money they paid back?  I am assuming they have some kind of case at that point?  I know a few people who have paid a lot already and are really upset to learn about all this.

1461

Hawaiian Letters & Lawsuits Forum / Re: Vincent K Tylor Tuesday!

« on: May 08, 2012, 05:44:24 PM »

Speaking of Vincent Tylor, go check out another brand-new extortion letter by HAN. This time it is from a larger law firm named Conrad-Scherer, a Florida law firm.  Quite a few young puppy lawyers in the law firm.

http://www.extortionletterinfo.com/forum/getty-images-letter-forum/conrad-scherer-demand-letter-by-attorney-jeffrey-kominsky-ivan-kopas/

1462

Hawaiian Letters & Lawsuits Forum / Conrad-Scherer Demand Letter by Attorneys Jeffrey Kominsky & Ivan Kopas

« on: May 08, 2012, 05:36:23 PM »

Hawaiian Art Network has recruited a new law firm to do their collection work. It looks to be yet another Vincent K. Tylor image infringement (big surprise here.)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/92901413/Conrad-Scherer-Settlement-Demand-Letter-for-Hawaiian-Art-Network

$8,000 for 1 image. Standard price for a HAN extortion letter. We now don't get shocked over this unless it is over $10,000 per image.

Florida Attorneys Jeffrey L. Kominsky & Ivan Kopas of Conrad-Scherer law firm are the ones sending "extortion" letters on behalf of Hawaiian Art Network. I have never seen an "extortion letter" naming two attorneys in the signature line.

It should be interesting to watch how this big law firm operates vs. the small-time collection lawyers we have seen. There is a big list of lawyers here.  Many of them look like they are 35 or younger. You know what that means.....

http://conradscherer.com/attorneys.asp

1463

Hawaiian Letters & Lawsuits Forum / Re: Hawaiian Art Network files 2 more suits

« on: May 06, 2012, 07:50:25 PM »

Absolutely correct on all these points. I should point out that most people are respectful but it's just amazing the time of day I get random calls and the expectations people have when they send in emails. No way in hell am I going to type a long response privately as I might do here publicly.  When I elaborate, I know many people can read and gain from it, not just one person burning up 20 minutes of my time.

To most letter recipients, it is brand new. For many of us, it has become old hat as people come and go.  Most situations are very similar but people think their case is so special.  I have to keep shouting "you aren't that special".  You know some people have slinked off and settled quietly because they can't take the heat because some of the loud ones that make a splash suddenly disappear into the night.

As people can tell, my patience has run a bit thin on some things. Some posts will never get answered because they land here with ZERO reading ahead of time.

It definitely gets old trying to reassure people. I really don't try to anymore. I tell the facts and if they still quiver and get an ulcer, I just tell to pay money to Oscar to feel better. I really have the least sympathy for the people who can't process facts that are being presented to them.

I do get occasionally get good information when people submit them anonymously so I try not to cut people off the option to reach us directly. We have gotten some goodies through that way.

Yes, there's many extortion letter recipients who want advice.  The demand letters are sent en-masse daily.

But, copyright laws and trolling tactics haven't changed much at all, and the vast bulk of it has already been discussed on the forums.

Myself, I don't really respond to the "Got letter!  Wat do?!" topics anymore.  No offense intended, but the forum is already brimming with advice and facts.
Having studied this subject informally for some time, I've come to the realization what a sham the whole trolling business is.
I don't mean to sound insensitive, but once one comes that that realization (that it's 99.999 percent bullshit), it feels like a major chore just trying to calm people down.

Additionally, much of what might be discussed "privately" doesn't help the audience of forum readers as a whole.

1464

Getty Images Letter Forum / Don't Call or Email Matthew or Oscar Asking for FREE Help. It's Disrespectful.

« on: May 06, 2012, 04:04:37 AM »

This has been said many times both directly and indirectly but now we have to make a sticky post so it is an ongoing reminder to newcomers.  We have tried to be polite and firm about it but many people still don't get it.  People are so caught up in their fears, they don't think twice about disrupting our personal and business lives by trying to force their communications and problems on us.

Oscar and I have given a lot of free help over the years through our forum posts, blog posts, and online videos. When I say a lot, I do mean A LOT.  Take a look at the ELI Document Library, the many videos and interviews, and hundreds of blog and forum posts. That doesn't even include several dozens of emails we have responded to over the years.

People always say they "only want a few minutes" except it never ends up being a "few minutes".  It ends up going 10, 20, 30 minutes because the questions never stop at 1 or 2 questions. We answer one question, then another gets asked. We give an answer, then because the person has little background in the extortion letter situation, they are confused or don't fully comprehend the answer.  This cycle goes on and on.

Both Oscar and I probably get at least 100 emails each day, if not more. Oscar runs his law practice and "freebie" people used to jam up his email account or call his office "to check him out" or wanting free answers from him. And then legitimate paying clients who pay for the Defense Letter service ends up complaining for slow response.  Then I get emails saying they can't get ahold of Oscar, can I contact Oscar for them?

It all got to be too much and it detrimentally hurt Oscar's law practice and my business through "theft of time".  It got so bad we finally had to remove Oscar's email address and replace it with a generic email address which Oscar's staff now checks on his behalf. Oscar is under no obligation to respond to anyone except those people who want to become clients of the Defense Letter Program. It is a simple "take-it or leave-it" program. We aren't going to hard-sell anyone on it.

For me, I never listed my email address or phone number on the ELI website.  But people would take it upon themselves to find my phone number and call me anyway. They call morning, afternoons, evenings, and weekends. Or people would send me private forum messages expecting a response from me. Sorry, I don't welcome these actions. It is too intrusive.

People would ask for help and advice, I would try to help and some would complain they wanted a "sure-fire" approach, still received extortion letters, or they wanted an alternative approach. Some were downright ungrateful. Because they had no spine or intelligence to handle it themselves, somehow it became my problem because they didn't like what I was telling them.

All of this came to a head in early 2012. Both Oscar and I decided we were not willing to lose our time or money to support ELI. Either it is self-sustaining or it gets shut down.  We developed some hard-line rules to protect ourselves. If anyone expects Oscar and I to run a charity through ELI, that isn't going to happen and we make no apologies for it. We don't expect to go in the hole supporting others in THEIR extortion letter problems.

I recently had to shut down the private forum message feature for both Oscar and my forum accounts. I had no choice. People send us messages and if we don't respond, we are the bad guys.

So now, there is a hard line we draw. If you don't want to pay, then you are restricted to the FREE resources of the discussion forum, blog posts, forum posts, and online interviews and videos. That's it.  Don't be sneaky, rude, disrespectful, or insulting to us by trying to circumvent this simple policy.

If you want personal help from Oscar, you will have to become a paying client in the Defense Letter Program.  If you need my personal help via email and telephone, you will have to become an ELI Support Contributor. Those are your options until we can come up with better ones.

http://www.extortionletterinfo.com/getting-help-with-your-extortion-letter/

Oscar and I value our time.  We are comfortable in saying we have provided more free extortion letter information and resources over the years than anyone else or any other website.  Remember, ELI is NOT our primary business. It is something we do "on the side" to help others but ELI is not a charity service we are running.

If you are looking for charity, go elsewhere. Every letter recipient pays one way or another. You pay in money, time, energy, OR stress. You choose how to proceed. If you don't want to pay money for our help, fine. We don't do hard-sells. But be prepared to pay with your own time and energy to study. But don't expect us to "donate" our time to you.

I regret having to type this firm notice but I don't believe in repeating ourselves forever. Going forward, it is far easier for us to cut and paste this link/post as a reminder to others to BE respectful and courteous to us. Oscar and I are not running a charity service through ELI. We have plenty of free online resources but if that is not enough, be prepared to pay for services and financially support ELI.

Going forward, we trust you will respect our wishes and follow our policy in regards to asking for personal replies and personal support.

1465

Hawaiian Letters & Lawsuits Forum / Re: Hawaiian Art Network files 2 more suits

« on: May 06, 2012, 02:34:17 AM »

Anyone can send me an email but I will not respond to it if it involves advising on a letter situation.  The only way I will get into it with someone is if they make ELI contribution for support.  If you have some juicy extortion letter information, helpful comments, or something related, I am happy to receive it. Otherwise, I don't generally welcome ELI-related emails.

I turned off the private forum messaging for both Oscar and my accounts.  Oscar's personal email address was removed as well. Too many people abuse it asking for free private help no matter how many times we say if someone wants private help/advice, they will have to pay for the service.  The freebies stop with the forums, videos, and blog posts.  People have become downright rude and disrespectful in their insistence to take our time for free regardless of what we say.

Matthew, I'd like to send you a comment offline. I tried using the forum message feature but it didn't work. May I use the email address for requesting a phone interview? Please advise.

1466

P2P/BitTorrent Lawsuits Forum / Book Publisher Getting into the P2P/Bittorrent Lawsuit Business

« on: May 05, 2012, 05:36:39 AM »

John Wiley & Sons, publishers of the popular "Dummies" book series, is getting into the P2P/Bittorrent lawsuit game with their lawsuit filed on October 27, 2011.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/92479421/John-Wiley-Publishing-P2P-Bittorrent-Lawsuit-Complaint

Interestingly, they are going after the trademark violation angle in addition to the normal copyright infringements.

We have another dying media business looking for ways to prop up their dinosaur/legacy business. Supporting their expensive NY offices and big salaries must be a huge burden nowadays.

1467

Getty Images Letter Forum / Funny Video About Recent P2P/Bittorrent Legal Extortion Story

« on: May 05, 2012, 04:33:09 AM »

I know this post is out of place in this forum but I had to share. This video is extra special for so many reasons.

It's not often we get to have some fun or watch a funny video about a serious subject on a recent copyright troll news story.  I just love that these guys use our favorite word so frequently!

I found out about this video from FightCopyrightTrolls.com. I highly recommend that website.

1468

P2P/BitTorrent Lawsuits Forum / Funny Video About Recent P2P/Bittorrent Legal Extortion Story

« on: May 05, 2012, 04:29:25 AM »

It's not often we get to have some fun or watch a funny video about a serious subject.  I just love that these guys use our favorite word so frequently!

I found out about this video from FightCopyrightTrolls.com. I highly recommend that website.

1469

Hawaiian Letters & Lawsuits Forum / Re: Hawaiian Art Network files 2 more suits

« on: May 05, 2012, 01:40:43 AM »

No HAN Letter Forum for now... But you did plant a seed.  Let's see where this all goes.

I don't like to split the forums up too much because it hurts the cross-pollination of knowledge.  Right now, I think people need to understand how the various extortion letter programs work. You will notice I intentionally refer to "outside" legal cases and references because lessons are learned from getting outside the box.

I "make" people learn by referencing topics outside of the core topic because they are interrelated and connected.

Anyone who really wants to drill down on HAN can easily do so with Custom Google Search function for now.

I was considering reposting that valuable info for which Budd supplied previously myself regarding HAN and Aloha's defenses!

Perhaps Matt might consider adding a new "HAN Letter forum".

1470

Hawaiian Letters & Lawsuits Forum / Re: Hawaiian Art Network files 2 more suits

« on: May 05, 2012, 01:34:38 AM »

It is true that pushing the "lawsuit button" can trigger an unbelievable ripple effect. One only has to look at RIAA, Righthaven, P2P/Bittorrent lawsuits, etc. to see how that turns out.

I think it's funny how Glen Carner has decided on behalf of HAN to file more lawsuits than Getty Images.  Remember, HAN=Glen Carner.  I wish we had more contacts in Hawaii to find out what this guy looks like and know more about his background.

It was me that mentioned that one of those being sued will be fighting back,and I know first hand that if the default judgment is overturned in the Aloha case, HAN will have their hands full, once a counter suit is filed that backs them against a wall and they will have to see it thru.. I would be willing to bet HAN does not have the resources to go all the way in one case let alone 2. It's only a matter of time before HANs house of cards comes crashing down, especially since they have decided to pull the"lawsuit trigger"