Messages

76

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Got the letter ....A question and my plan....

« on: January 22, 2013, 05:27:46 PM »

They're using a company in Florida to chase a Canadian because it's illegal for collection agencies in Canada to pursue people for something that's not a debt.

Now that Getty's messed up and done something that's illegal, they've basically screwed themselves. lol

S.G.

77

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Interesting Article from a Pissed Getty Contributor

« on: January 21, 2013, 04:56:40 PM »

Mr Stinger, it seems that Mr. McCormack of McCormack law disagrees with you.
From his faq:

Q: I found the images on the Internet or the Getty Images website; aren’t these free or “Royalty-Free” images?
 
A: Although we understand you may have believed the images were available for free use, all images represented by Getty Images require an appropriate license for their use. “Royalty-free” does not mean that the images are free; it is an industry phrase that refers to a licensing model where the user pays once and has the continuing right to use the image without additional royalty payments. In any event, the images referenced in our settlement demand are not available from Getty Images under a royalty-free licensing model.

http://www.mccormacklegal.com/blog/getty-images-demand-frequently-asked-questions

McCormack must be lying again.

S.G.

78

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Interesting Article from a Pissed Getty Contributor

« on: January 21, 2013, 02:51:17 PM »

Ok.  Thanks.
Well, it doesn't sound like they have "exclusivity", then.

What a bunch of a-holes.

S.G.

79

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Interesting Article from a Pissed Getty Contributor

« on: January 21, 2013, 02:23:05 PM »

Then, I stand corrected, Stinger.

I'm curious.  In your case, do they claim that these images are RM (in their letters to you)?

S.G.

80

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Interesting Article from a Pissed Getty Contributor

« on: January 21, 2013, 01:16:49 PM »

Just curious... is it in law that there must be a model release for an image to be considered "royalty free"?

Another concern of mine is that Getty can move images from RF to RM without notice.
Even if this is done will no ill intent, people could be getting Getty extortion letters in regard to these images two, three, or five years from now.
If one can't prove that the images were RF "back in the day", it's a huge hassle for the alleged infringer.
The alleged infringer just gets a raft of letters demanding money if he/she doesn't have a license.

Hell, who even knows if Getty's people remember what the status of any given image was even a few years ago?

S.G.

81

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Interesting Article from a Pissed Getty Contributor

« on: January 21, 2013, 12:36:42 PM »

Yes, I concur that Stinger and Buddhapi.

However, I doubt that Getty/Google have set out to "seed" images in order to induce infringements.

I'm sure that the average person may assume that the images are akin to "free clipart", and use them for other purposes.
Getty trolls the Web 24/7 looking for "copyright infringements", so it's logical to assume that the images in question could become part of the problem.

According to Getty, these images are royalty-free.  Traditionally, Getty hasn't pursued infringements for its royalty-free collections.
But, let's keep an eye on it...

S.G.

82

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: New Topic: "ELI After Dark"

« on: January 21, 2013, 01:36:13 AM »

S.G.

83

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: We are the latest victim of the Getty Image extortion scam

« on: January 20, 2013, 12:33:57 PM »

It's a good way to crowdsource the SEO too...

Me?  I'm gonna make some more memes..!

S.G.

84

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: We are the latest victim of the Getty Image extortion scam

« on: January 20, 2013, 11:53:53 AM »

HEY!!  WE AREN'T "SENSITIVE ABOUT THIS"!!!  lol.

However, I don't see much support for a FAQ or Guide at this time.
So, we'll just see how it goes.  Like I said, if the forum prefers a more hands-on approach, I'm ok with that...

S.G.

85

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: New Topic: "ELI After Dark"

« on: January 19, 2013, 05:19:19 PM »

Great find, Greg!!
Many thanks..!

S.G.

86

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Interesting Article from a Pissed Getty Contributor

« on: January 18, 2013, 07:29:20 PM »

Great reporting and discussion as usual.

While Getty has stated that Rights-Managed (RM) content was not included in the deal, Getty does move images from its RM pool to its Royalty-Free (RF) collection at will.
Additionally, even if the images in question were of the RF variety, they are now low-valued, much like clip art because of the deal.

Here's the complete list of images included as part of the deal (you can search using multiple criteria):
http://kga.me/gds/

I think that photogs need to understand that Getty pretty much does whatever it wants with their images, once they sign on.

S.G.

87

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Glassdoor to Getty Images, Corbis, Masterfile

« on: January 17, 2013, 01:18:08 PM »

Wow.  People at Corbis are pissed..!  Who knew?
I like this comment re Corbis:

"HR types and managers are obviously posting the 5 star reviews of the company, that is laughable. Start doing assessments of yourselves and the organization, make the necessary changes needed in order to move forward. Clean up your image by leading by example. You aren't doing it today and you are allowing poor decisions by junior leaders. Growing up is tough but so is unemployment."

S.G.

88

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Getty Loses Major Case Brought by Photographer Daniel Morel

« on: January 17, 2013, 11:39:57 AM »

Thanks for posting the story of this important case.  Yes, lots of irony..!
Getty should be second only to the copyright office in knowledge of copyright laws/conventions.
So, it's baffling that they'd do something like this, let alone try to fight it in court.

S.G.

89

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Masterfile Employees can now post their opinion of the company

« on: January 17, 2013, 11:34:49 AM »

heehee... I have every album, and I can play about half of "Subdivisions".

A modern-day warrior
Mean mean stride,
Today's Tom Sawyer
Mean mean pride.

Though his mind is not for rent,
Don't put him down as arrogant.
His reserve, a quiet defense,
Riding out the day's events.
The river

S.G.

90

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: We are the latest victim of the Getty Image extortion scam

« on: January 16, 2013, 11:59:02 PM »

Many good points have been made about the FAQ issue.

I just saw that the forum regulars are typing in much the same information in answer to general queries about Getty letters.
About 90 percent of what's typed is essentially the same information each time.
There's a lot of fatigue associated with this sort of thing.  The end result will be that there may be little or no response to such queries on the forum in the future.
But, when the victim does a search for the topic, 1000 results come up, with a baffling range of discussion regarding same issues each time.

But, Oscar makes a good point that there are already resources on here that address many of the issues.
Maybe they need to be better utilized?

I any case, I do realize that it's pretty cathartic to explain to new visitors how Getty is such a sham.
Again, there's nothing to stop with the friendly, personal approach.
Maybe we need something (only a couple of pages) that gets the "boilerplate" stuff out of the way?

However, if people aren't interested in using it, it might be a waste of time.

S.G.