Re: Getty Images are at it again!
Simply responding to the original invoice, saying that the images that were used on the site were used in error and you were unaware of any copyrights assigned to those images. They have been removed, and thank you for bringing this to our attention.
That simple letter to the first invoice from them is all that is required in most cases to cover your butt.
You definitely need to respond to them each time that they contact you. With the second contact simply take another screenshot and send that to them, showing that those images are not on the site and were not purchased from Getti so were removed as soon as you were aware there was copyrights to the images.
The part that really sucks with these things is that if they actually file suit against your client and they don't show up physically in court (depending on the court it's filed in they must appear in person, we've used this before going after clients in the past) and if they don't then Getti wins automatically by default. Some courts will allow your client to hire a lawyer to represent them by proxy, but most companies will file in a juristiction that requires the named defendant to appear in person. The other option is to apply to the court for a change of venue to your client's benefit...
Having said all that... SPEAK with a LAWYER if they actually file or don't drop the case.
This should have been dealt with at the point of the initial invoice though. Once it's the hands of a collection agency then you have to deal with both Getti and the collection agency.
Good luck!
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