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Messages - stinger

Pages: 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 ... 44
46
The Darwin Awards get published every year and picked up by various publications.  I'm thinking ELI should sponsor a "Sleaziest troll of 20xx" award.  All it would take is a press release sent out to a large range of publications with an analysis like Matthew's post.  It would be easy to cite past winners of the award. 

Winning involves no reward of any type, merely the recognition of the ELI community.  To deflect any claims of slander and such, we can nominate losers and let the ELI community cast votes so that certain past favorites like Timothy McCormack don't win every year.

If there is one thing I have seen in my years on this forum, it's that the Trolls don't like being called out for what they do.  The press release, besides naming a winner, could also cite runner's up and honorable mentions.  That way ELI can share the names of those who are actively trolling every year.

Wadda ya all think?

47
Hawaiian Letters & Lawsuits Forum / Re: Vincent Tylor Lawsuits of 2016
« on: November 18, 2016, 05:13:13 PM »
Is it just me, or does that list look like someone's plan to use the court system as his personal business?

48
Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Adlife - Extortion Letter Small Business
« on: November 18, 2016, 02:07:53 PM »
If you do not report it, the AG will not know it occurred.  What happens is that only a small percentage of people being trolled actually reports things like this.  That makes the government not understand the true scope of the problem.  I would report it.

Whether you communicate further with them is up to you.  They will likely continue to send scary notices your way.  Having the self confidence of knowing that you did legally purchase the image will be enough for some.  Others will try to communicate to stop the scare tactics.  That may or may not work.

In my mind, if someone is accusing me of committing a crime that I know I have not committed, I likely don't really want to have any kind of communication with that person.  Once you communicate with them, they know they have a "live one" on the other end.  Who knows what else they might accuse you of.  What they know is that you are a conscientious person who plays by the rules.  If they can convince you that you broke some rule, they might be able to garner funds from you. 

If it were me, I would ignore them and anything they sent my way.  It is highly unlikely that they will sue for one image anyway.  If they do and lose, they have far more to lose than you.  Can you spell C-o-u-n-t-e-r-s-u-i-t?

49
Quote
"Snakey Mitul" is my new nickname for him.

Snakey Mitul sounds a lot like Crooked Hillary.  Are you, perhaps, picking up tactics from what you once thought was the Dark Side?

Just sayin . . .

50
Welcome to the group, Kiat.

51
Quote
You're a special case.

Not sure I understand why - unless that was snark.

In my mind, their behavior changed each time I showed them I would not be easy prey.  In those days, at least, they acted like the school yard bully.  When someone stood up to them, they went off in search of easier marks.  My two cents.  It could be obsolete, as it has been a few years.

52
They did not sue me over 50 images.  Many people, even on this board, thought they would.

Here is my story.  I hope it helps you.  http://www.extortionletterinfo.com/forum/getty-images-letter-forum/what-you-can-learn-from-my-3-year-battle-with-getty-and-mccormack-ip-law/

53
Way to go Rhon! 

I wish we could plaster the world with your Counterclaim because it does such a nice job of summing up what Getty has been doing for over a decade now.

Perhaps it didn't happen in your case, but I see no mention of Getty having moved images that were displayed on the Royalty Free Images page to the Rights Managed page in order to claim higher damages.

At the very least, your counterclaim provides angered Getty targets a template for a new way of fighting the Trolls.

I sure hope the settlement you reached required them to pay you for your time and effort in drafting the counterclaim and dealing with their BS.

54
Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Letter received from LCS
« on: October 24, 2016, 09:16:57 AM »
As Robert says, it is a personal choice with pros and cons either way you go.  There are lots of people who have done it both ways with their experiences listed in these forums.  Use their experience to make the best personal choice for you.

I agree with the online assistance that you have gotten so far.  There is a whole lot of proving to do before you might owe anyone anything.

55
I am guessing this guy was smart enough not to make the threats in writing. 

I wonder if he realizes how many friends Robert and Matthew have made through ELI.  These are all people who have been victims of copyright extortion schemes.  Many of these people feel a debt to Robert and Matthew and might be willing to step in and assist them in the event that they are unjustly targeted by this troll.

These friends of Robert and Matthew encompass a wide range of society.  Legal scholars, large business people, small mom and pop businesses, students and bloggers who may have gotten caught in a troll net; there's even the guy who offered to fly to Seattle to personally deliver a lead calling card to Timothy McCormack.

At first glance, a guy with a blog and a mission to end copyright trolling may look like easy pickings to a type A intimidator.  Be careful where you step, Mr. Albrizio.  The waters may be a lot deeper than they look.

56
Legal Controversies Forum / Re: Short history of copyright
« on: September 22, 2016, 06:12:21 AM »
Well that clears that up.  Thanks again, Engel for your excellent research and reporting. 

I wonder if younger judges get the history lesson or if they are just taught the law as it exists today.

57
Quote
Hansmeier committed misconduct in the first matter by bringing a lawsuit for the sole purpose of conducting discovery to find the identity of others against whom claims could be made, making misrepresentations to the tribunal, filing articles of termination for a corporation that contained false statements. failing to comply with discovery requests, failing to pay attorney fees assessed against him, and transferring funds out of his law firm in order to avoid paying sanctions. In a second matter, Hansmeier committed misconduct by participating in the initiation of a lawsuit without a basis in law and fact, making false and misleading statements to the court, failing to pay attorney fees assessed against him by the court, and submitting to the court a financial statement that was false, misleading, and deceptive. In a third matter, Hansmeier committed misconduct by bringing a frivolous action for an improper purpose. And in a fourth matter, Hansmeier committed misconduct by testifying falsely during a deposition, bringing a frivolous claim, and perpetrating a fraud upon the court.

Gee, that's a real shame.

I only wish that more Bar Associations and judges will take actions like these to rid the legal field of those who don't deserve the right to practice law. 

58
Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Getty answered to Carol Highsmith
« on: September 13, 2016, 04:46:04 PM »
Quote
I'm not sure this paragraph was clear; it is most disturbing to me, to see how Getty tells the court in no uncertain terms, that it thought the images were public domain, and that's why it "licenses" them - it "licenses" "rights" in them, then claims that no one can do anything about it, if they're free to use by anyone. Anyone but the thousands of users who receive automated letters, that is, anyone but those scared into paying up, when nothing was due.

Does that mean the lawsuit should be amended to claim extortion on Getty's part?

59
Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: Getty answered to Carol Highsmith
« on: September 12, 2016, 09:02:46 AM »
Engel Nyst - I love the work you do here.  My hope is that everyone with a court case against Getty, LCS, et al uses it to put these companies in their proper place - bankruptcy court.

60
The best result I got in my letter writing campaign was from the Washington State Bar Association.  I basically asked them to sanction or disbar the Getty attorney that was pursuing me.  I had to read up on the WSBA attorney code of conduct (easily done, I found it online) and demonstrate why this attorney was violating said code. 

My first letter was a sort of executive summary type thing.  That was a mistake.  If I remember correctly, their first response said they contacted the attorney who claimed she had not violated any code of conduct and that she was "advocating for her client".  They said that if they didn't hear back from me in 30 days, they would close the case.  I responded in detail. 

The end result was that the attorney chasing me had to get another attorney to make her case to the WSBA.  Thereafter, I never heard another word from Getty's attorney.  But they never gave me a chance to refute what her attorney said.  Had I known that was the process, I might have gone into a lot more detail in my second letter.

I also tried writing congressmen, the Better Business Bureau, and the like.  I had little success.  Government officials had their underlings send letters stating they received my correspondence and would pass it along.  That was the last I heard of it.

What I learned from the process that you can use was that you need to understand the function and the processes of whoever you are writing to and present your case to them from their point of view.  They need to see it as something they are supposed to do something about, or they won't.

Greg Troy had much more success with letter writing campaigns.  You can probably find some of the things he did and organized by searching the posts on this forum.  He even tried to play the volume game by organizing people on this board to write letters.  It stirred some havoc and certainly changed how Getty behaved thereafter.  Spend some time searching his posts and I am certain you will find some helpful ideas.

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