To Whom It May Concern,
According to Title 17, §501, of the United States Copyright Office, concerning the prosecution of alleged damages from copyright infringement in section (b) defined below, I (we) reject your claim for damages.
§ 501. Infringement of copyright
(b) The legal or beneficial owner of an exclusive right under a copyright is entitled, subject to the requirements of section 411, to institute an action for any infringement of that particular right committed while he or she is the owner of it. The court may require such owner to serve written notice of the action with a copy of the complaint upon any person shown, by the records of the Copyright Office or otherwise, to have or claim an interest in the copyright, and shall require that such notice be served upon any person whose interest is likely to be affected by a decision in the case. The court may require the joinder, and shall permit the intervention, of any person having or claiming an interest in the copyright.
Getty Images has, to date, failed to produce an official notarized copy of the alleged Copyright Certificate issued by the United States Copyright Office, Washington D.C. for the image(s) appearing in your black and white photocopy which you have produced as so-called “evidence” of copyright ownership. A search of the United States Copyright Department Public Database shows no record that ether Getty Images or its agent(s), representative(s) or client(s) hold a valid Copyright for said photocopied image(s). Therefore, in accordance with Title 17, §501(b), you have no legal basis to file suit or seek legitimate damages for copyright infringement.
You are hereby instructed to CEASE AND DESIST ALL HARASSMENT by your agent(s) and/or your representatives via written correspondence, E-mail, and/or attempted telephone contact. Should you continue to pursue any further attempts at extortion for payment of funds by misrepresenting yourself as a licensed attorney, or by using the term “copyright” when in fact, you nor your agent(s) hold any valid copyright certificate issued by the United States Copyright Office, we shall refer this matter to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office directing a formal Complaint to the attention of District Attorney Dan Satterberg. Should you continue to misrepresent that you have filed a Complaint in Seattle Superior Court by using terms such as, but not limited to, “Getty Images v. John Doe” or refer to your extortion attempt using the term “Case No:” containing a fictional Court Docket number, we will file a formal Complaint with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel of the Washington State Bar Association. Should you continue to attempt to contact me (us) for the express purpose of fictitious debt collection, I (we) will immediately file a Complaint with the FTC for violations of the Fair Debt Collection Act.
Govern yourself accordingly,