Photographer Hits Getty With $1B Copyright Suit

Posted on 7/27/2016 by Jim Pickerell | Printable Version | Comments (0)

Law360 reports that photographer Carol M. Highsmith has filed a copyright infringement suit in New York against Getty Images. Damages could be worth $1 billion.

Highsmith alleges that Getty is sending out letters demanding licensing fees for at least 18,755 of her photos that were donated to the Library of Congress. In the instance when Highsmith first became aware of the infringements, she received a “threatening communication” from a company associated with Getty Images demanding payment for the use of an image she had taken and used on the website of her nonprofit foundation.

The fact that had she donated the photo to the Library of Congress years ago means that it could be used free of charge by anyone. She has been donating photographs to the Library of Congress since 1988. Her work has been used on postage stamps and as wall art in movies and television shows including "House of Cards.”


Copyright © 2016 Jim Pickerell. The above article may not be copied, reproduced, excerpted or distributed in any manner without written permission from the author. All requests should be submitted to Selling Stock at 10319 Westlake Drive, Suite 162, Bethesda, MD 20817, phone 301-461-7627, e-mail: wvz@fpcubgbf.pbz

Jim Pickerell is founder of www.selling-stock.com, an online newsletter that publishes daily. He is also available for personal telephone consultations on pricing and other matters related to stock photography. He occasionally acts as an expert witness on matters related to stock photography. For his current curriculum vitae go to: http://www.jimpickerell.com/Curriculum-Vitae.aspx.  

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