Got a letter from gettyImages - help!

[thecaretaker]

I'm so pleased to find this forum....

I've just had a letter (4 page) from GettyImages saying I must pay £572 for a single image.

I'm not a company, I have a personal website. That is a lot of money to me.

I'm happy to provide a link to the owner where I have uploaded a pdf version of the letter.

The image was given to me by the HSE when they ran a ladder campaign. I've contacted the owner of the image (according to Getty) and asked him to confirm it is one of his and if there is anything I can do.

What should I do?

Ignore it and anything that Getty send and hope they go away?

I have removed the image.

They assume I am a company. I do not have a legal dept. I am a family man who doesn't earn much, to which this settlement will affect my family finances and I will definately have to shut my website down.

Any help from you would be most appreciated.

[thecaretaker]

OK, here is my situation. The single image I used was from the 'Stone Collection' which I understand that wasn't in Getty hands until 2008.

I have evidence that the image was on my website from 2005, 3 yrs before it was copyrighted to Getty. I know this, as I was working in partnership with the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) a government body who used this image for the front cover of a freely downloadable booklet on 'Working at Heights' which is still available from their website to download today.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg401.pdf

I was given the content by the HSE to publish on my website.

Now, I doubt a government body would use images illegally. They must have bought the rights to use it for a booklet cover. How come this has now come in to Getty hands?

This is bordering on entrapment.

Thankfully, I also have several other sources (which I won't publish in case they read these pages) where I have evidence the cover image was on my website in 2005 and 2006.


What do you think my chances are of winning this one in court?