Masterfile Cooperation Extortion Scam Rip off Unethical Do not Support this company or give in to their threats...
Sent me a letter that in my opinion amounted to a threat and extortion for a tiny image on my non commerce website. The demand a sum of nearly $5000 for a single image that was used that had no copyright information whatsoever in the file or apparent where it was found.
The amount demanded was roughly 250 times the fair market value of an image from any number of their competitors. He we have a case of a single tiny image used and a company who is threatening even though the images were removed immediate upon their request. This action was taken despite the fact we are unable to even prove that the image in question was copy righted by above company.
In short, no cease and desist, no friendly heads up. We have a company who apparently allows images to be distributed among those whom purportedly hold licenses from " clients" who have paid a $1000 licensing fee to be distributed freely without them having any notice of the copyright in the file or on sites whom host the images.
Further research has shown that I am not alone. Apparently this company makes a significant income sending outrageous license fee letters to people and collecting what amounts to extortion money.
This is analogous to taking a walk and happening upon Sherwood Forest. The forest has no trespassing sign and you embark on a seemfully harmless jorney. After about a 30 minute walk you are stopped by a troll whom has appraoched in a threatening manner and advised you of your trespass. After you explain to Shrek that you mean him no harm and will leave his forest immediately he demands a $5000 terriff for the walk you have taken and you may not leave till you pay the toll...
I am not paying troll, I negotiating with terrorists. This incident is clearly not about licensing and paying "artists" for a picture they have taken otherwise a fair market value which was offered for the unknowing trespass would not be rejected. Masterfile take notice this scam and extortion will be known to the public and the attorney general has received your letter and formal complain from me.
Flicker, Facebook, Myspace, Google, Yahoo, and a host of others post images... if you do not want them re posted you should at least take the due care to inform those who license from you to leave copyright information embedded in the picture file.
Type Masterfile into Goolgle and read about the thousands of $$$$$ this Canadian company is extorting from small American Business and non profits including one a read about to help Autistic Children... See
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