"I've been contacted by a "compliance firm" called PicRights representing AP and Reuters, demanding"

[mahatmakanejeeves]

IncitementToResurrectionHat Retweeted

I've been contacted by a "compliance firm" called PicRights representing AP and Reuters, demanding I remove photos from my blog AND pay them thousands of dollars for "past use." The photos were posted between 2011-2017 with attribution. I made $0 from them. My blog makes no $.

Link to tweet

[Hugh_Lebowski]

1. Sounds like a scam to me ... but that's really just a guess

One actually does need to be pretty careful about how they use pictures on blogs.

Fonts too, big time.

But this reality means there's scammers out there as well.

[MiniMe]

2. Scam

PICRIGHTS COPYRIGHT ENFORCEMENT TACTICS



Their copyright enforcement efforts seem to be purely by email and to be very scripted. They send unsuspecting users of photos notices via email along with instructions on how to pay online with a credit card. The email also contains screenshots showing their client’s original image with the purported infringing use. Many of their claims involve images that have not been registered with the US Copyright office. While registration is not required for them to enforce the rights, the copyright owner will need to register the image before actually bringing a lawsuit in the US.



PicRights is also not a law firm. So, they cannot sue you. However, they refer claims to law firms. Higbee & Associates seems to be the main step-up for claims that PicRights do not settle.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. Thanks for the legal advice, but I don't believe that's true.

PicRights is also not a law firm. So, they cannot sue you.

I'm not a law firm, but I can sue people.

People sue people. People sue firms. Firms sue people. Firms sue firms.

And so on.

[msongs]

6. registration is required to collect damages of any kind nt

[ZonkerHarris]

4. I would tell them that I am turning over their emails to the media and the state's attorney general

s office for review.

[ratchiweenie]

5. Sounds like good advice. If it's legit, they will persist. If not, they'll bug off.

[cyclonefence]

7. Not a Scam

My husband was contacted similarly by Getty Images over images his assistant had put into his newsletter. The images involved? A border design of holly. They wanted him to pay thousands; he ended up settling with them for $750. Goddam expensive holly.

If you're using images from the internet for your own purposes, be sure when you search you specify "free" or "open." FWIW, I've used most images for the newsletter from Wikipedia with no problem.