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Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Masterfile Corporation
« on: May 04, 2009, 10:17:01 AM »
Realtor in Utah,
We recently experienced what I call Internet extortion. I had purchased a product endorsed by the CRS as a good and viable product for Realtors. This product is used for Realtor web content. Real estate tools for buyers and sellers. Very good content, I paid around $599 for it. The content is hosted and provided by a vendor, so it is not actually on my website, just framed in. Just other day I received a FedEx package with a demand letter for copyright infringement by a company called MASTERFILE CORPORATION. They claim I owe money for the use of about 27 photos which were on the web content program I paid good money to get. There bill was over $75,000. Yes these Internet gangsters were asking for that much! I called them to find out what the heck was going on and told them I paid a web company for the content and there must me some misunderstanding. These extortion experts don’t seem to care about that or going after the provider of the content. Just the end user. Well after quiet a bit of research it was clear that MASTERFILE CORPORATION had figured out how match up photos with websites using some sort of program. Various artists have placed with this company digital artwork to file a copyright on. I am to believe that good honest web programmers and designers pay this company for the use of the stock photos. Ok all is good. However Masterfile runs their photo matching program and then asks the end user for copyright proof. Of course we don’t have the copyrights provided to us. Now we end up defending a potential lawsuit. Masterfile knows this but chooses to harass and extort money from end users that have not knowledge of any infringement issues. Apparently this is legal?
Masterfile most likely knows that copyright claims where the innocent 3rd party has no knowledge of a copyright has a maximum claim per copyright of $200.00 per copyright filing. Digital photos and artwork are commonly filed in copyright groups. Our exposure would at max be allegedly $2000.00. Masterfile most likely knows this. This is why i think they are a bunch of thugs.
We tried to come to some sort of settlement to avoid a legal battle an offered them $2000.00 (even though we don’t owe them anything). They now want about $36000.00! My wife and I just do not know what to do and are just sick about this. Hundreds or Thousands of users bought this same program content and i think Masterfile just wants to sue everyone thus getting big bucks for something that has been paid for the the original provider. The web content provider is doing damage control, and removing any photos it has on their site that get framed onto all the other Realtors sites. I am leaving the name of the producet off this blog for now in hopes the company that sold the content with me will settle with Masterfile.
Can Masterfile be prosocuted in criminal court for this?
Any helpful information is greatly welcomed.
We recently experienced what I call Internet extortion. I had purchased a product endorsed by the CRS as a good and viable product for Realtors. This product is used for Realtor web content. Real estate tools for buyers and sellers. Very good content, I paid around $599 for it. The content is hosted and provided by a vendor, so it is not actually on my website, just framed in. Just other day I received a FedEx package with a demand letter for copyright infringement by a company called MASTERFILE CORPORATION. They claim I owe money for the use of about 27 photos which were on the web content program I paid good money to get. There bill was over $75,000. Yes these Internet gangsters were asking for that much! I called them to find out what the heck was going on and told them I paid a web company for the content and there must me some misunderstanding. These extortion experts don’t seem to care about that or going after the provider of the content. Just the end user. Well after quiet a bit of research it was clear that MASTERFILE CORPORATION had figured out how match up photos with websites using some sort of program. Various artists have placed with this company digital artwork to file a copyright on. I am to believe that good honest web programmers and designers pay this company for the use of the stock photos. Ok all is good. However Masterfile runs their photo matching program and then asks the end user for copyright proof. Of course we don’t have the copyrights provided to us. Now we end up defending a potential lawsuit. Masterfile knows this but chooses to harass and extort money from end users that have not knowledge of any infringement issues. Apparently this is legal?
Masterfile most likely knows that copyright claims where the innocent 3rd party has no knowledge of a copyright has a maximum claim per copyright of $200.00 per copyright filing. Digital photos and artwork are commonly filed in copyright groups. Our exposure would at max be allegedly $2000.00. Masterfile most likely knows this. This is why i think they are a bunch of thugs.
We tried to come to some sort of settlement to avoid a legal battle an offered them $2000.00 (even though we don’t owe them anything). They now want about $36000.00! My wife and I just do not know what to do and are just sick about this. Hundreds or Thousands of users bought this same program content and i think Masterfile just wants to sue everyone thus getting big bucks for something that has been paid for the the original provider. The web content provider is doing damage control, and removing any photos it has on their site that get framed onto all the other Realtors sites. I am leaving the name of the producet off this blog for now in hopes the company that sold the content with me will settle with Masterfile.
Can Masterfile be prosocuted in criminal court for this?
Any helpful information is greatly welcomed.