Received threatening email from PicRights about using photos from AFP/Reuters without permission on your site? Ignore them and don't pay a single cent

[josexfiend]

https://www.gobluemedia.com/blog/infringement-notice-letter-picrights/

https://www.intotheminds.com/blog/en/picrights-afp-copyright-trolling/

https://www.picrightssucks.com/2025/05/do-this-one-thing-when-contacted-by.html

 

[josexfiend]

But They're Saying They Could Sue Me!!! I'm Scared!​

Here's the fun part - and the part that needs to be exposed to everyone facing these threatening emails and calls: They won't. They will not sue you. Let me repeat it again: They will not sue you.
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Plain and simple, here's how their game works:
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It's a numbers game. They use AI to scan the internet for images their clients "supposedly" own, then use AI to send out literally HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of shakedown emails. They are depending on people like you to be frightened and immediately cut a check to avoid "costly litigation." Truth is, they're not suing anyone.​

"Hypothetically, let's be conservative and say that one out of every 10 recipients pays a $500 settlement, and they send 100,000 letters in a year. Again, pretty conservative. That's a cool revenue stream of $5 million without so much as having to lift a finger. One can also assume that when they catch an alleged copyright violation on the blog of a high-profile corporation, the settlement ask is almost certainly much higher, as is the rate of settlement."-Dusty Weis​

Of the hundreds of thousands of threats PicRights have sent out over the past seven years, a miniscule handful of these cases have ever made it to court, and even fewer resulted in judgments for PicRights Why? Because it's waaaaaaay too costly to take anyone like you or me (a small guy with a small website not making any money) to trial. Bringing a case to court would cost them tens of thousands of dollars. And for what? To sue a 60-year old lady because she used an image on her hobby butterfly-watching website? It would be different if you were a major, multi-million dollar company, like Nike or Panasonic, using copywritten images for a booming online business moving millions of dollars of product - but chances are, you're like me: just a dude with a little website you built for fun. Oh they will threaten litigation, and they will turn your "case" over to a sham firm called Higbee and Associates, who will then take over the shakedown operation, but trust me, they ain't taking you to court because you posted a picture of that cactus on your "I Love Tucson" blog.​

 

[josexfiend]

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joph...-picrights-activity-7364436262025424896-Gj6f/