License Compliance Services Inc. (LCS) Corporate Naming Hanky-Panky?

[Matthew Chan]

I am noticing some changes from the Getty Images' Picscout arm of the License Compliance division. I have a copy of an email sent by a Koleta Vee using a cluster-fuck of email addresses: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected].  I didn't notice these changes before but it could be I was not paying close attention.

lcservices-inc.com is owned by Getty Images based on the whois info and uses the Getty DNS. It was registered in Feb. 2013 and last updated March 2014. The lcs.global domain was registered in July 13, 2015 and last updated Aug. 23. 2015 Given this, the LCS email operational changes seems very new.  lcs.global DNS points to wixdns.net

The email I have clearly states a corporation name "License Compliance Services Inc." that is NOT registered in the Illinois, California, New York, or Washington corporations database. They are using the Seattle address. From the GettyImages.com contact us page, they list 4 business locations. 

http://www.gettyimages.com/contactus

    Getty Images, Chicago
    55 E Monroe Street
    17th fl, Suite 1700
    Chicago, IL 60603

    Getty Images, Los Angeles
    6300 Wilshire Blvd, 16th Floor
    Los Angeles, CA 90048

    Getty Images, New York
    75 Varick Street
    New York, NY 10013

    Getty Images, Seattle
    605 5th Ave South, Suite 400
    Seattle, WA 98104

They are also using a new LCS logo with a tag "Creations are Valuable". The logo as well as LCS can be found here:  http://www.lcs.global/

I believe Getty is engaging in corporation name hanky-panky but I cannot be absolutely sure. They are advertising/communicating/using a corporate name I cannot find registered in the 4 Getty business states.  But there is a small possibility it might be registered in one of the other 46 states.

And what is the deal with the address lcs.global.com? A visit to global.com indicates some enterprise software company that Getty appears to be utilizing as part of their internal communication process. My guess is that it relates to how they are moving towards maintaining cases and distributing extortion notices electronically vs. by letter as in years past.

I welcome anyone who wants to help me dig and uncover more information based on what I have found so far.

[Robert Krausankas (BuddhaPi)]

and there's that dangling carrot once again...you know who is gonna bite!

[greg]

Apparently they have moved.  The address just a couple months ago was the 605 Fifth Ave address. 

Koleta Vee
License Compliance Services, Inc.
Telphone: 1.855.387.8725 Email: [email protected]
Address: 701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 4200, Seattle, WA 98104

[Matthew Chan]

They may or may not have moved. They might have simply changed their mailing address, not their operational address. We really don't know nor is it really that important.  LCS = Getty Images in 95% of their operation and procedures from what I can tell.

But what I do know that Getty Images, Masterfile, and many others are avid readers of ELI. The problem with some of our public sharing of information is that they occasionally adjust and act upon the information we disseminate.  They might simply changed mailing addresses to fake out the uninformed.

We try to be open with our information but occasionally we have to hold back. The only way to find out certain pieces of information is through an ELI Support Call although I will plainly say that 90% of the information you need is available for free. The other 10% is trivia, personal, sensitive, or a need-to-know basis.

They have a bunch of lawyers on staff and on retainer but can't get the corporate naming/presence thing straight for LCS. Quite pathetic.