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Messages - lucy

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1
UK Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: I Might Just Help Getty!
« on: November 27, 2013, 12:35:43 AM »
I actually did this - I saw that the image I was being extorted for was being used by a university press office - they even had it in their Flickr stream as their property, free for use! I called and asked them about the origin of the image - mentioning that I had received an extortion letter (from Phototake, not Getty) and that they should check on its legitimacy or risk extortion themselves. The woman I talked to claimed they never used outside photos, that it would have been provided by the scientist - but lo and behold a few days later it was off their site and replaced by an image from Wilkipedia. I saved their ass - but didn't even get a thank you. Oh well. Karma is mine.   8)

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Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Today I Received my "Letter"
« on: November 27, 2013, 12:28:35 AM »
This points to something that I think people may not be aware of: that Getty is collecting Flickr images that have been up to now freely available and offering to sell them for the photographers. What was once fair game and ok to use on a blog post (with attribution) suddenly becomes Getty property - and you have no way of knowing of the change.

I used to put some Flickr images (all with attribution) on my blog, but now that I know Getty has inflitrated, I have taken them ALL down. NO EXCEPTIONS. Nobody needs that headache.

It's really too bad because some amateur photographers who were happy to share their work are now being used and manipulated, told they can "make money" off their stuff. It also undermines the legitimate prices paid to professionals. Who's going to make money here? I can tell you one thing, it's not the photographers.

Here's one recap of how awful this is for photographers:
http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/1686568/flickr-extends-deal-getty-images
NOTABLY missing in this article is the fact that by doing this deal, Getty is dramatically ramping up the number of images they can claim copyright violation on - and this is obviously the money maker in the scheme.

3
First Flickr, now Pinterest ... The Getty scourge has infected the interwebs. My policy is now to use my own photos or nothing at all.

4
This is so awesome... what goes around comes around, in a kind of warped justice. What would be perfectly perfect is if Getty got a letter that had been cut-and-pasted from the regular extortion stuff they themselves regularly send out... i.e. ignorance is no excuse and you will be pursued to the full extent of the law...
 ;D

5
I got this same EXACT letter received from a different (presumably young) troll working for Carolyn Wright. Same photographer, different image. Image also sold on his website, as well as Visuals Unlimited and Corbis.

Except they've increased their settlement price to $6,000 for a single image from $4,400 in the Leslie Burns letter.

Go to the phototake USA homepage and scroll to the bottom for the copyright boilerplate. It says "All rights reversed." I almost died laughing.

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