Got the Getty Letter

[gotletter]

I've not replied to it, it's a post on my blog that they sent this "demand" to.. and at that, it's on a page that dates back several years.. I'm not even going to consider it legit, as.. it's a reply to a post on a blog.. it looks to me to be one of those "phishing / spam" replies.  At least that's how I see it.  My websites are registered, my actual name is on display as the registrant, as well as my physical address.  They are welcome to contact me via mail.
Once that happens then oh yes, the letters will most certainly rain down.

The dumb part is.. all replies on my blog can be edited to say whatever I want them to say...  So yeah, they can just send me a letter in the mail.

[gotletter]

NCS left a second reply on my blog (this time under a different area).

[Robert Krausankas (BuddhaPi)]

I can't believe NCS has resorted to commenting on blogs in regards to trying to collect on a claim..surely there is a way to make this stop..either by blocking them from your site, or possibly reporting them..

[Greg Troy (KeepFighting)]

I agree, if it were me I would be sending off a flurry of complaint letters about NCS as well as Getty for using them and approving of these tactics.

To me comment on a blog is equivalent to me coming to your workplace, mall, restaurant or any public place and shouting.

"I am looking for John Doe, I have been sent by Ted Smith who says you owe him money and he wants you to pay it.

Would you just sit there and take that or tell the guy to get lost? 

I would be writing and mailing complaint letters so fast they wouldn't know what hit them...oh wait, I did and haven't heard a peep from Getty, NCS or McCormack for a year and a half now.

Seriously though, I would consider filing complaints as this is totally inappropriate

[gotletter]

Letters have already been drafted and are ready to mail out in the morning.

The very fact that I have already provided proof that I purchased said image is what is really pissing me off right now.

[stinger]

I would make the fact that you have already provided proof, the basis of your complaint letters.

If one steps back and looks at what is really going on here, it is easy to see that these guys are motivated by the money - not by correcting mis-appropriated copyright issues.

Unfortunately, the agencies we complain to tend not to look at things over a broad swath of time.  They look at individual incidents and think that they are isolated mistakes rather than a carefully thought out plan to enrich the trolls.

The only way we can combat this is with a deluge of complaint letters so large that it would be impossible not to see the big picture.