Scam Alert: Are You At Risk For Copywrite Infringement

Most of us know how to spot a scam when we see one. We know that the IRS won’t be calling you with threatening phone calls, and that you should never  give personal information over the phone to  someone who calls claiming to be from the credit card company. Did you also know that there are an increasing amount of copywrite infringement scams aimed at making pictures look free when they really aren’t?

Lately we are seeing an increasing amount of copywrite infringement claims, and here is why. The internet is full of copywrite trolls, people who take uncopywrited images, copywrite them and then wait for people to use the pictures so that they can sue them. Many of these trolls use key words in their picture descriptions making sure their pictures come up often in searches so people will use them more often. Once someone uses the picture they will be contacted by a law office with a threatening letter often demanding thousands of dollars.

Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself:

1. If you’re going to be posting pictures find a REAL, LEGITIMATE website to get your pictures. Some sites may be free and some like Adobe photo stock may require a small monthly or by the picture fee.
2. If you own a small business, talk to your insurance agent about a General Liability insurance policy. If you are sued by someone for copywrite infringement this is where your coverage would most likely come from.
3. If you get a letter from a lawyer stating that you are being sued, don’t panic. Call your Insurance Agent or an attorney to have someone who understands what you are legally responsible for respond to the lawsuit with you. For more information on copywrite infringement check out https://www.contentfac.com/copyright-infringement-penalties-are-scary/