Messages

16

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: $9,000 for 1 image! Photo Attorney Extortion Letter by Carolyn Wright's law firm

« on: August 03, 2011, 10:33:08 PM »

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/970/1071/1600/_MG_2291WEB.jpg

http://backingwinds.blogspot.com/2006/10/lincoln-nebraska-by-night.html

In that pdf that Matthew posted , Ryan McGinnis claims that his image was watermarked and shows the watermarked image on his Flickr catalog.

Check that link out, that is his personal blog with the image in question that he is threatening the  one guy for $9k and Rentech Solutions.  

As you can see there is no watermark on his own image.  That's not going to help his case.

17

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: $9,000 for 1 image! Photo Attorney Extortion Letter by Carolyn Wright's law firm

« on: August 03, 2011, 09:39:14 PM »

Ryan McGinnis is a photographer from Nebraska.  He does a lot of forum posting under the name chakalakasp.

Google "chakalakasp + copyright" and you'll get a ton of post by Ryan McGinnis.

Here is his method.

Bing Image search and Google Image search. Search for keywords that might contain your images. (This tends to work best with images of very specific things, of course.)

Google / Bing (non image) search: Search for your name. Search for any aliases you post under, such as your Flickr alias (many times, people will credit your photo, thinking that that's good enough.)

Look through your Flickr stats (if you are a Flickr Pro member). See where people are coming from. Go to those sites and look to see if your picture is there. Look at what keywords people are using to find your images in Google; then go to Google Image search and plug those keywords in.

Try Tineye. I haven't had much success with it, but Tineye does occasionally find infringements for me

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=773253

You get the impression that the guy puts his photos out on Flickr, his blog and on forums, then waits for people to use his images so that he can go after them.

Perhaps he makes more money going after people than by actually being a productive member of society.  His advice is almost comical, it's like he could set up his own photo franchising business teaching photographers how to toss their images all over the net and then how to track people down who use the images and threaten them for $12k!

18

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: $9,000 for 1 image! Photo Attorney Extortion Letter by Carolyn Wright's law firm

« on: August 03, 2011, 05:52:34 PM »

Who is the photographer they are representing? 

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Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: $9,000 for 1 image! Photo Attorney Extortion Letter by Carolyn Wright's law firm

« on: August 03, 2011, 03:10:57 PM »

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B731czgvHvn9N2Y3ZDgyMzQtYTVjYy00YzY2LThlMjktZTlkMjNiMDkwYjFj&hl=en_US

Looks like Ryan McGinnis and Photo Attorney are filling suit for a single photo against Rentech.  Oddly enough it's a photo of Lincoln, NE.

Of course in this instance they are going after a company and in the $9k example they are going after a blogger.

Be interesting to see how this one plays out.

20

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: $9,000 for 1 image! Photo Attorney Extortion Letter by Carolyn Wright's law firm

« on: August 02, 2011, 06:42:15 PM »

http://threatenedbyryanmcginnis.blogspot.com/2011/05/have-you-been-threatened-by-ryan.html#comment-form

Ryan McGinnis is becoming a house hold name, quite the photo hound.

21

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: $9,000 for 1 image! Photo Attorney Extortion Letter by Carolyn Wright's law firm

« on: August 02, 2011, 06:32:18 PM »

From a negotiations POV, I think threatening someone with such a ridiculous amount of money ($9k) is a poor move.  Maybe a rookie move by Evan Anderson who is fresh out of law school.

I can't think of too many individuals with 9 large in their bank accounts, thus you put the defendant in the position that they can't settle or they would simply rather take their chances in court.  At least with Getty and Master File the amount might be attainable, sure they might have to sell their car to do so, but it's attainable.

It is sad that that blogger caused Ryan McGinnis $9,000 in damages though!

22

Getty Images Letter Forum / Re: $9,000 for 1 image! Photo Attorney Extortion Letter by Carolyn Wright's law firm

« on: August 01, 2011, 08:56:33 PM »

http://dockets.justia.com/search?query=ryan+mcginnis&court=ohsdce

It looks like Ryan McGinnis, photographer from Nebraska likes to sue, do we know anything about this case?

http://www.flickr.com/groups/gettyimagesonflickr/discuss/72157612849664574/

Ryan has some funny comments in the above thread, he is a class act.