Retired Forums > UK Getty Images Letter Forum
Getty in the UK
nixlyn1:
Dear Matthew
Just to let you know that in the UK our team is doing much the same as you www.copyrightinfringement.org.uk with solicitor Liz Ward.
We now have a video with the link which is also on our website.
I know you get a lot of contact from the uk too so it would help if you can let these people know about us!
Best Regards
Nick Bloomfield
Matthew Chan:
Nick,
Respectfully, from what I can tell from your website, you are NOT doing the same as what we do. It is not even close. While it appears you have a solicitor working with you to help provide a working solution to Getty Images letter recipients that need help, the main focus appears to be selling a template letter program for letter recipients to use starting at 150 British pounds ($237.50 US Dollars). From what I understand, there will be some background legal support in the use of these letters but essentially letter recipients are self-representing.
What ELI does is much larger in scope. It is first and foremost an advocate website that openly fights and challenges extortion letters of all kinds. Secondly, we highly encourage widespread education of the relevant issues. Third, we have established an online community,document library, and video archive read by hundreds of people to increase the awareness of the issue but also help letter recipients defend themselves by directing and educating them to issues they need to understand.
Certainly, I brainstormed and worked with Attorney Oscar Michelen to develop the Defense Letter Program in 2008 which actually provides solid legal representation. Quite frankly, we are proud to say that it is an excellent value ($195 US Dollars) that has been unmatched in the U.S. since its inception.
It has only been very recently that I started providing 30-minute telephone support calls for those who want and need it. And very soon, I will be releasing our Special Report that will include advice on how to write defense letters. But more importantly, I feel that people need to know and understand more than simply sending out sample or template letters.
I don't want to sound critical of your efforts because it appears you are offering more than anyone else has in the U.K. (that we know of). But quite frankly, at 150 British pounds ($237.50 US Dollars) for self-representation template letters, you have created a category all your own. We have nothing of that equivalent higher pricing except for full legal representation by Oscar. For us, we try to serve a larger number of people and we try to keep prices at a nominal level wherever possible.
I don't want to say what you offer isn't of value because value is relative. But if you really want to offer greater help to the U.K. community, might I suggest starting an online discussion forum and educate others in the legal issues specific to the U.K.? You certainly are not required to. But if you don't, your website simply comes across as opportunistic where you and your solicitor are there just to sell your product. And anyone else who doesn't buy your product is left out in the cold.
Admittedly, Oscar and I are very unconventional in how we operate and how much we openly share. Some people might say we are crazy to do so. We are so crazy that we know the major stock photo companies read our forums also. I know this because I see the web traffic logs.
We have a passion for the positions we stand for. We have few secrets. While we certainly cannot freely give our personal time away on a one-on-one basis anymore, we continue to contribute to the larger cause through our legal research, analysis, editorials, blog posts, videos, and our online credibility and influence. WE have even established relationships with other copyright troll fighting websites who do it for the sheer passion of the mission.
We are more than willing to send U.K. letter recipients to your website but I would only do so conditionally simply because there appears to be nothing else available.
Your post will be seen by our U.K viewers but they will also see my constructive comments about how you and your solicitor might better serve letter recipients in the U.K. community beyond simply selling Letter Templates for $150 British pounds ($237.50 US Dollars).
nixlyn1:
Hi Matthew
I apologise for saying we are doing the same thing as you. I was so keen to get the video information out there that my post was a bit short and perhaps misleading.
What I would say is that we are 'fighting' getty and their obnoxious letters in the UK. I myself am a 'victim' and when I found copyrightinfringement.org.uk and eventually met them it was the first time that I felt that there was somebody there to help!
I offered to help them with both website and video work so that the message could be spread. I take no payment for this but obviously the solicitor and company need some finance to keep the whole project going.
We are in the process of redoing the website and the offer involved but I would stress that Liz will be defending participants on a no win no fee basis should it come to that so there is perhaps more to the offer than at first appears. Also the template letters will continue to be supplied for the two year period. We are also offering an enhanced service where we will do the letters from the company as opposed to supplying them to the participants.
I don't believe that yet another forum would be that helpful as a, you have an excellent forum on this site and there are many more in the UK. What tends to happen is that after a while the whole thing starts going round in circles and then forum members start abusing each other. The FSB (Federation of Small Businesses UK) forum is a case in point. Then you get the Getty 'moles' attacking. One on the FSB forum who appeared to be a Getty mole called themselves 'Bambi' which was quite amusing.
Anyway, I apologise again for appearing to offer what you do but personally speaking, although the cost may be higher here than the service you are offering I still feel it is worth offering.
Best Regards
Nick
SoylentGreen:
Good discussion as usual.
The thing about the ELI forum that is particularly good is that while we all have our own opinions which may differ slightly at times,
a great deal of proof and references are commonly provided to back up opinions and arguments.
While I don't think that there has been very much "trolling" on the ELI forum (by Getty or otherwise), there have been a handful that cropped up from time-to-time.
These people went away fairly quickly, as they couldn't back up their statements with anything of substance.
Indeed, anytime that I read that something "always" happens, or "never" happens the other way, I'm thinking "troll".
For me, the greatest single concept that's come out of ELI and actual court cases is that even the legal community has gone from, "no matter what, you've infringed",
to "better check out the whole story carefully".
Additionally, we've seen that even average people can and will fight to the bitter end and win (Righthaven).
While the contributors here don't get "paid" in the traditional sense, I must say that I've enjoyed how butthurt these stock image companies and photogs are.
I mean, don't cry me a river, just register your images and stop scamming people.
Here's what my facial expression has been during my entire foray with this:
S.G.
Khan:
Information is the key word. I have seen a couple of lawyers. The best lawyers are not worth a penny if they do not have the right information. This forum gives you tons of information which you can use yourself or give it to your lawyer which will help him to defend you properly. But you always have to do your share as well
Start with the basics and do not anticipate that G.I. is doing a proper job. They are just greedy.
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