Let’s be clear in this post —- copyright is a real thing as is Picrights but there is a right and a wrong way to go about things. Sometime ago the so-called “image rights” agency representing sites like AFP tried to get us for an image that was not actually hosted on our website but instead was hyperlinked through a sourced article (our system is programmed that when a link is sourced it also shows the image in certain social media posts even if it is not directly on our website.)
This irked Picrights at the time who claimed that we hosted and used the image when in fact we did not. This had to be explained to Picrights at least 6 different times (because as some may have already learned themselves we don’t use images at all anymore.) Eventually, a so-called manager from Picrights dismissed the claim against us after they determined that the claim was improperly filed to begin with.
But the contents of the e-mail appear to be coming quite common among blogs and such on the internet. The contents of the e-mail read like a Nigerian e-mail scam demanding money for something that doesn’t exist. If you’ve gotten the e-mail before, you’ve probably thought something along those lines. Though a legitimate company — they’re often regarded as one of the shadiest in the business merely based off of nothing more than their e-mails that they send out (We received at least 5 all copied and pasted but with different names on them.)
If you’re getting these e-mails from Picright please consult with a specialist or an attorney before you give them any money. While some of their claims are legitimate in terms of representing photographers allot of them are shady; misleading, and in our case invalid all together. That isn’t always the case though and it is best to consult a legal professional to ensure you are in the clear. Though remember to brush up on copyright laws there are certain instances where things can be used and where they cannot without a proper license and so on.
One Comment