Q: I have received a letter from a law firm indicating that a photograph I used on my personal website was copyrighted.
They asked that i remove the photo, which I did, and are also asking that I pay them $6750.00 for the last six months that the photo was used. This photo was taken off of Google search and had I been asked by the copyright owner to take it down sooner, it would have been done immediately. This is a personal website. I am not a business and do not profit from it. The photo would not have been used had I known it was copyrighted in the first place. How should I respond to their letter?
A:
How you should respond depends on a lot of factors not available in your question. It's a strategic decision best left to an attorney with experience in copyright infringement actions.
Attorneys on this ask-a-lawyer board are going to be unwilling to answer your question, partly because more information is needed to give a helpful response and partly because, if you act on that advice and it turns out badly, the attorney has created a lot of trouble for him/herself.
Contact an attorney directly for further assistance.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
