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Messages - Arryn

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1
Sorry, the LCS I was referring to was License Compliance Services, which to my knowledge was an arm of Getty.

2
Robert, thanks for your reply. I will definitely keep all records should PicRights or any other entity come after me. If I'm understanding correctly, it sounds as if no other case would stand if anyone tried to collect on the particular photo in question, be they PicRights or some other entity. LCS had their shot, and the statute was met.

I wish I knew what happened with my case, although I'll not complain. In my correspondence with them I didn't mention anything about a claim or debt, I simply tried to ask questions, many derived from this forum, such as how LCS arrived at their ridiculous figure. They sent one email response, I replied again, and that was it.

I searched for LCS and can't find hide nor hair of them; curious to know where you found them on the web. I went back to the email from 2015 and clicked on their weblink but it appears to be shut down. My guess is they folded or changed their business model, and the photographer changed over to PicRights, at which time perhaps my case got lost in the ether. Who knows. I'm probably not the only one affected.

3
Greetings, All. With the help of this forum and the advice contained herein, I am coming up on 3 years of first being contacted by LCS about a pic on my website. I went back and forth with LCS early in the process, but then went dark after clearly stating my case and asking questions, to which I never received a response and have not been contacted again. If luck holds, the waiting game will have paid off and 3 years will have passed.

But I have a question relative to what exactly it means for the 3-year limitation to expire. Does this mean I can never be contacted about this particular pic again by any company that represents this photographer? During these 3 years, LCS appears to have gone out of biz, and the photographer whose photo I used transferred their copyright enforcement efforts to PicRights (again, I only received correspondence from LCS, never PicRights). Does that make any difference? Maybe I got lucky with the transfer from one company to another and got lost in the shuffle?

In short, I'm asking what exactly the expiration of the 3 years means. Am I completely off the hook for this photo? Thank you!

4
Thanks, Matthew. I'll go crawl back in my little hole now and not make a peep, and won't click on that LCS link as well. Let's hope for the best. I know time is on their side as to the 3 years, but I was surprised they'd let this much time pass and figured they'd be more aggressive.

5
So, as you can see from the old dates on this thread, it's been about 9 months since I've heard from LCS. In a nutshell, I received an LCS letter in Nov. 2015 for a single image, responded once asking for lots of add'l detail per these forums, got a flimsy response many weeks later, and then I sent a final response in April 2016 telling them that: 1. they didn't answer my questions, 2. they only responded to me via email (not snail mail as well), 3. their response looked like spam and had several grammatical mistakes, 4. to close my file and that I'd be filing complaints with the BBB and attorney general of WA. To date, I haven't heard bupkus from LCS. Is that long of a delayed response normal from LCS, or is there a chance they closed my file? I haven't clicked on the link to make a payment via the LCS website in fear that they monitor those clicks and perhaps it could trigger a response from them (perhaps that's an overblown fear). Anyone experience a long delay like this? Is clicking on their payment link to see if it still open a big deal? As always, thank you for your wisdom.

6
Matthew, as always, thank you for the straightforward advice. I clearly understand what you are saying, and I assure you I am not "low hanging fruit." Admittedly, this is the first time something like this has happened to me, so I'm sure you can understand the angst it created. But I researched, researched a little more, and then rinsed and repeated. No payment will be forthcoming from me. I am putting the finishing touches on my final letter to LCS, and that will be the end of it from my end.

Your brain is in a fear-feedback loop. That is a personal problem many people have. 

It goes to show that emotion often trumps information with some people. There are people who simply are not well equipped for dispute and conflicts in life.  And they make the easiest victims.  This is what we call "low hanging fruit" for them to pick at.

The answer has been given many times in these forums.  You just don't want to listen because it doesn't satisfy the closure you want.

Get it together or you will continue to be an easy mark in life.

If I had to get extortion letters from 3 years, it would be LCS I would choose.  What more needs to be said?

I guess my primary question comes down to this: since this was an innocent infringement of a single photo, do I just shut off my correspondence with LCS at this point, call it a day, and try to stick it out for 3 years, hoping for the best, or do I continue to try and engage these people? If I do the latter, I feel like it could go on ad nauseum, with neither side getting anywhere, so why even bother to do that? I made a first attempt, lawyers and a judge would be able to see that, and their answers didn't make sense. If I shut it down entirely at this point, knowing they won't provide the answers I'm seeking, why bother continuing to draft these responses to no avail?

I'll admit that I hardly slept last night because of their letter. My mind spirals out of control and I envision a ridiculous judgment of tens of thousands of dollars via a prolonged lawsuit. Yes, I know, ridiculous, right? I just couldn't shut my brain off. I can't imagine anyone gets happy feelings from getting these things.


7
I guess my primary question comes down to this: since this was an innocent infringement of a single photo, do I just shut off my correspondence with LCS at this point, call it a day, and try to stick it out for 3 years, hoping for the best, or do I continue to try and engage these people? If I do the latter, I feel like it could go on ad nauseum, with neither side getting anywhere, so why even bother to do that? I made a first attempt, lawyers and a judge would be able to see that, and their answers didn't make sense. If I shut it down entirely at this point, knowing they won't provide the answers I'm seeking, why bother continuing to draft these responses to no avail?

I'll admit that I hardly slept last night because of their letter. My mind spirals out of control and I envision a ridiculous judgment of tens of thousands of dollars via a prolonged lawsuit. Yes, I know, ridiculous, right? I just couldn't shut my brain off. I can't imagine anyone gets happy feelings from getting these things.

But no, I'm not considering sending them a dime... >:(   It's the principle, how they demand this money with strong-arm tactics, like the Mafia.

8
Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Letters from LCS
« on: March 17, 2016, 06:13:07 PM »
After a full 3 months I received a response to my letter asking how LCS arrived at their ridiculous settlement offer. First, they replied via email. Second, the email was riddled with grammatical errors (primarily missing words, as if someone was in a hurry to send the email). The LCS rep. tried to educate me on the difference between Rights Managed vs Royalty-Free Images, and said that Royalty-Free equivalent images that you can get at stock photo sites don't apply here. She writes that this is high-end creative content with high production costs suitable for license by large businesses.

But she never answers my question of how the settlement figure of just over $1000 was arrived at. She closes by saying LCS will not, under any circumstances, provide confidential sales data or costs incurred to an infringing party or legal rep. She attached signed proof that the photographer has mandated LCS to handle copyright compliance, a Settlement/Release agreement, a document showing what forms of payment they accept, and a signed Confirmation of Rights Holdership. Then she reduced the settlement offer by $300, payable in 15 days... :o

So my settlement amount has bounced around by $300 or so but still seems ridiculous at almost $800. Again, LCS has not answered my fundamental question of how they arrived at their figure, and they clearly stated they will not. Anyone have thoughts on how to proceed? Does Rights-Managed vs Royalty-Free make any difference in how someone handles a situation like this? The photo in question was taken by a well-known photographer.

I don't mind fighting this and being a pain-in-the-booty, as I have been educating myself on this site and know the chances of a suit are < 1%. But I just want to ensure I'm not overlooking something.

9
Thanks for your perspective, Matthew, that is a great help. I've been tooling around the ELI site for some time getting educated. Regardless, angst is still present, as I can't imagine anyone is ever comfortable with the threat of a suit down the road. But I'll stand firm and maintain vigilance.

10
My biggest concern is that the photo I used was taken by a well-known photographer who regularly photographs celebrities and such. But I never made a penny off it, nor did I use it for political or advertisement purposes. My humble little blog, where I used it, barely got 5 visits a day (I've since shut it down). The photographer has been known to sue, but it's primarily for larger scale cases and when the photos used are for political reasons or advertisements. I'm hoping the photographer will realize I'm just not worth the trouble... :-[

11
Final Notice usually never means a law suit is coming.  But they sure make it sound like that would be their next step.

Yes they do, Stinger. I appreciate your insight. I'll sit tight for now. I've certainly run the gamut of emotions after receiving these letters like everyone else has: stomach dropping angst, fear of the unknown, anger, frustration, and finally, apathy.

12
Getty Images Letter Forum / Letters from LCS - no response after 5 weeks?
« on: January 26, 2016, 01:10:16 PM »
First, thanks to everyone here donating their time to assist those of us who get these letters. On 12/2 I received an LCS letter for a single image. Two weeks later I responded in a respectful manner, asking them how they arrived at their requested fee. Two days after I sent my letter I got a Final Notice letter from them, and lo and behold they have a new mailing address (which they never disclosed). I can only assume my first letter got to them, as logically their mail should have been forwarded, so I did not send another copy of my original letter to their new mailing address. But it's been about 5 weeks and I've heard nothing from them after their Final Notice letter. Is this odd, or normal from a letter timing standpoint? I guess my paranoia kicks in and I wonder if they've been plotting a lawsuit these last 5 weeks.. :o

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