Messages

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UK Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: UK Query

« on: March 30, 2012, 05:01:19 PM »

Just checking back in guys...initial fright on receipt of our letter has dissapated and been replaced by anger at the sheer arrogance of GI !  We are going to sit tight and wait to see what happens next.

Thanks for all of the good advice so far and keep up the good fight !

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UK Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: UK Query

« on: March 09, 2012, 03:11:26 AM »

Another point.

The website is owned and operated by Round Table UK.  They effectively provide a platform that the clubs around the UK then use at a local level.  The Getty letter is addressed to the main organisation rather than our local club and wouldn't our organisation have something in place to avoid them getting into this situation when someone at a local level posts or publishes something either illegal and/or infringes copyright ?

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UK Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: UK Query

« on: March 08, 2012, 05:40:49 PM »

The URL of the screenshot appears to be ours, although I'm looking at a scanned copy of the letter not the original.  It's the URL printed in the letter which refers to a different club.  Not sure if this is significant but is a bit odd.

Getty won't care if your a charity, non-prodfit or doing good deeds, it's all about money to them. Not to shift blame although I guess with my next statement, thats what I'm doing, if the URL of the screenshot is not your URL, then they are barking up the wrong tree. so the first decision you have to make, is if you are going to take responsibility or are you going to point this out to them, thus shifting blame to another club? There are some good recent post regarding getty and the UK, worth reading if i were you...same general rules of thumb would apply. Contact getty and while not admitting guilt, state that the image was removed, and in order to address this you will need proof of ownership, and or registration, you will need  the method by which they arrive at their "claim amount" as you can get a very similar image from istock for a fraction of the price. ( Istock is owned by Getty as well)..
Also do some research on the image in question, is it available elsewhere, or has it ever been. does the photographer offer the image for sale??..

With all of the UK chatter lately it's hard for me to keep it all straight, but doesn't the UK have an "innocent infringement" clause..thus reducing the amount awarded if it went to court drastically?

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UK Getty Images Letter Forum / UK Query

« on: March 08, 2012, 04:45:54 PM »

Hi,

I have just been informed of the dreaded Getty letter in relation to an image I used on a website and am looking for some help/advice.

First a bit of background...

I am a member of the Round Table in the UK, which as most people know is a worldwide charity fund raising organisation arranged into small community-based clubs.  They recently launched a new website in the UK which allowed individual clubs to edit their own content.  I volunteered to act as our club 'webmaster' and in doing so inadvertantly grabbed an image from Google Images  to place next to one of our events.  It now turns out that this is a Getty image and they are demanding £850 for its use !  The image used was 200 x 200 px and I can buy a similar image on istockphotos for £12 so there appears to be no logic to the price determined by Getty for their very similar image.

I have removed the offending image and don't really know where to go from here...I have been reading lots of posts here but I guess the problem might be who is responsible.  The letter is addressed to our HQ and they have then forwarded it to our club.  Strangely enough at the end of the letter there under a section entitled Report Data: which contains a copy of the image and a screenshot of our site showing it in position but the homepage URL is not ours but a completely unrelated club !

I am obviously very concerned about this, and more than a little embarrassed, and was wondering if our status as a not-for-profit charitable organisation (although we are not a registered charity) might be my/our best defence.

I searched on google images for 'beer glasses' and the images appears linking to a completely different website.  How anyone is meant to know who the owner of an image is and whether copyright has been infringed is beyond me.  No excuse I know but you get the picture...no pun intended !

I look forward to any comments anyone has or even just a bit of moral support...