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Extortion Letter from PicRights UK

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Robert Krausankas (BuddhaPi):
nothing is free, someday people will realize this.. would have taken less than 1 minute of research to see these images were not "free", by simply reading the terms...bad english but it's there..

"The images and resources that members and our collaborators published on https://www.freegreatpicture.com/ were was collected from many different sources. In addition to get permission from the copyright holder to post some pictures of them on our website, there are also many pictures that we not contact the copyright holder of the picture, or have the photos are shared for free on the internet that our collaborators has collected over the years.

So we do not assume any liability when people use photos, resources are posted on the website used for private purposes.

If you are the copyright holder of one (or some) images that were posted on our website, you may allow or do not agree. You should contact directly with us to be satisfactorily resolved."

will123:
I had received a few letters from PicRights every few weeks for 2 months or so. Saying the usual "You owe us for this blah blah blah". I began receiving them after I stupidly replied to a previous different extortion copyright type email (CreditReform representing Ryde GmbH) basically telling them to f off.

The letters seem really unprofessional, the language used, the formatting. Even the paper it's printed on seems a bit off.

When Googling "PicRights" 8 out of the 1st 10 results are about whether it's a scam or not...and I'm yet to find anyone, either on this forum or otherwise, who has actually had legal action taken against them.

The letters and emails have since stopped after completely ignoring them (Haven't received one for almost 2 months)

Although I will post on this forum if there are any further developments...

Edit: Of course, I removed the images in question immediately. Just in case...

Matthew Chan:
It does not surprise me there are very few lawsuits if at all. Most of this process is based on psychological pressure of a legal threat.  They are testing the waters.

I suspect the legal process in the UK costs money, effort, and legal fees to engage. That barrier of entry makes people think twice.

And I also suspect that even with a win, getting money from an unwilling payer who is digging in is not an easy thing to collect.

That is why there is a high motivation to settle. If not, they get nothing.


--- Quote from: will123 on August 20, 2018, 11:26:00 AM ---I had received a few letters from PicRights every few weeks for 2 months or so. Saying the usual "You owe us for this blah blah blah". I began receiving them after I stupidly replied to a previous different extortion copyright type email (CreditReform representing Ryde GmbH) basically telling them to f off.

The letters seem really unprofessional, the language used, the formatting. Even the paper it's printed on seems a bit off.

When Googling "PicRights" 8 out of the 1st 10 results are about whether it's a scam or not...and I'm yet to find anyone, either on this forum or otherwise, who has actually had legal action taken against them.

The letters and emails have since stopped after completely ignoring them (Haven't received one for almost 2 months)

Although I will post on this forum if there are any further developments...

Edit: Of course, I removed the images in question immediately. Just in case...

--- End quote ---

DavidVGoliath:

--- Quote from: Matthew Chan on September 08, 2018, 07:08:00 PM ---I suspect the legal process in the UK costs money, effort, and legal fees to engage. That barrier of entry makes people think twice.
--- End quote ---

It can cost as little as £25 to file a claim, though the fees scale with the amount being claimed; also, if you win or the claim is uncontested, then the amount you paid to file the claim is added to the monies owed, which may also include statutory interest and discretionary uplifts (penalties). Claims can be filed online and you can easily self-represent if the claim is less than £10,000 in total. Most claims/counterclaims are initially heard "on paper" i.e. neither party actually needs to attend court unless absolutely necessary


--- Quote from: Matthew Chan on September 08, 2018, 07:08:00 PM ---And I also suspect that even with a win, getting money from an unwilling payer who is digging in is not an easy thing to collect.
--- End quote ---

Easy? No - but there's a clear escalation process from which goes right up to High Court Enforcement. If a defendant is refusing to pay, you can request that their bank accounts be frozen (personal and business), that direct deduction is made from their any salary (employers *must* do this if ordered) and you can even place a charge on their land/property, so they can't sell it without first paying you any monies the courts have ordered them to.

A more common action If a defendant has dug their heels in is to apply to the High Court for enforcement, which can be done so long as you are owed £600 or more. The costs of HCE visits and other fees are added to the claim amount, and HCE officers have the power to enter both private and business premises to seize assets for sale at auction, with all proceeds going to the claimant. If a defendant calls the police, HCE will simply produce their warrant from the courts and the police will not intervene, being that HCE attends on the orders of the courts to enforce civil recovery.

If it gets to that stage, a claim that started out as £600 to settle could wind up being high-four figures... and I think that all but the most intransigent people wouldn't want things like their car or other personal possessions being seized for sale.


--- Quote from: Matthew Chan on September 08, 2018, 07:08:00 PM ---That is why there is a high motivation to settle. If not, they get nothing.
--- End quote ---

The motivation to settle exists for both parties; there are time/cost factors involved at each stage of escalation, but it's a large gamble on the part of any defendant to wonder to what extent a claimant will pursue them, since the cost of doing nothing could be a high one indeed.

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