Getty Images Makes Mom of 3 Kids Pay for Unlicensed Use of an Image!

   A lesson from my courses in Social Media Mastery, WordPress Web Design and Search Engine Optimization: Don't use images from Google.com. Most images that appear on Google Images and other websites are copyrighted. Which means that, as tempting as it seems, you are not allowed to these images without permission or licensing them.

The Big, Mean, Money-hungry, Power-Hungry guys like Getty Images protect their images and don't really care about the circumstances! 

If you use a Getty Images or any other image or photo licensing broker's images, videos, fonts or other media without paying for them or acquiring permission, the Big, Bad, Wolfs, like Getty will come after you and they will demand compensation.

Here's to You Getty!

   This is the case with one of my colleagues. She works from home. Has a husband that is disabled and three hungry mouths to feed and clothe.  Well, inadvertently she used and image from the web as a temporary place holder while she found an image to purchase. She forgot all about the image..  Who can blame her when she has three kids to get ready for school and daycare, a husband who is disabled and a house to maintain.  Well, Getty Images sure didn't care!

   The image she used was for one of her clients.  It was a Getty Images image. Getty sent her client a $380 bill for "Unauthorized Use".  Her client is asking her to pay the Demand from Getty, which I understand.

She called Getty Images to ask for assistance from them... She got a big, fat NO!  

Now, I can understand Getty's position in all this... but come on!  Is Getty Images in such dyer financial position that they couldn't help this mother of three young children!  That borders on corporate ignorance, in my opinion!  When BIG business is so hard up for cash that they "just can't make an exception, I cringe at where the future of business is going!  

We know that Getty Images is a major player in Image brokering, which makes it all the worst!  It bothers me to see this ABUSE and CORPORATE GREED! 

Shame on You, Getty Images and Your Corporate Insensitivity and Greed!