Received a Getty Images Letter? A Complete Response Guide

Getty Images is not going away — and neither is their enforcement programme. They have sent millions of demand letters to businesses of all sizes across Europe. If you received one, here is what it means and what to do.

Understanding the Getty Images Letter

Getty Images (and their subsidiary iStock) owns or licenses rights to millions of photographs. They use automated technology — image hash matching and crawling — to scan websites for images used without a valid licence.

When they find a match, they send a demand letter (also called a "claim letter," "settlement offer," or "invoice"). The letter typically includes:

• The specific image that was found on your website
• The URL where it was found
• The date it was found
• A calculation of the demanded amount
• A deadline to respond or pay

The letter usually comes from one of several entities: Getty Images directly, their settlement service provider (in the Netherlands this is sometimes routed through PicRights, a separate company), or a law firm working on their behalf.

Is the Claim Valid?

Work through these questions:

1. Did the image appear on your website? Check the URL they reference. Is this actually your website? (Rare but possible: false positive on a domain squatter using your brand name, or a cached version of your old website.)

2. Do you still have the image? Remove it from your website immediately if you do, regardless of whether you believe the claim is valid.

3. Do you have a licence? Search your records for:

• Purchase confirmation from Getty Images, iStock, or a Getty-affiliated agency
• A licence from another stock photo provider if you believe the image is not exclusively Getty's
• A Creative Commons licence covering the specific image
• Evidence that you own the image (you took it)

4. Is the image actually Getty's? Getty occasionally over-claims — asserting rights to images that are in the public domain, under Creative Commons licences, or that they do not actually represent. If you believe this, you can challenge the underlying ownership claim.

If you used the image on your website and have no licence: the claim is almost certainly valid.

What Getty Calculates and Why

Getty Images bases its demand on a calculation:

• Licence fee: what you would have paid for the image through Getty's standard licensing
• Multiplier: typically 2–5× for unlicensed use (a standard practice in copyright enforcement in the Netherlands and other jurisdictions)
• Duration: the longer the image was on your site, the higher the calculation

For context: a standard Getty editorial image licence might cost €100–€500. A commercial rights-managed licence can cost thousands. Their demands typically run €500–€3,000 for small commercial websites using editorial images, potentially higher for premium images used prominently.

Do Not Ignore the Letter

Many small business owners receive a Getty Images letter and choose to ignore it, especially if the image has already been removed. This is almost always a mistake.

If you ignore the letter, Getty Images escalates. This typically means:

1. A second, firmer letter (often from a law firm)
2. Formal legal proceedings (in the Netherlands: dagvaarding — summons to court)
3. Default judgment if you do not respond in court proceedings

At each stage, costs escalate. Court proceedings in the Netherlands result in you paying not just the licence fee and damages, but also the opposing party's legal costs if you lose (Art. 237 Rv) — which you will, if the underlying claim is valid.

How to Respond

If you have a valid licence or defence

Respond in writing with your evidence. Be clear and factual. Provide:

• Your licence documentation
• The date of purchase
• The licence scope

If Getty's claim is based on an error, they will withdraw it. Keep records of all correspondence.

If the claim is valid

Respond within the stated deadline. The letter usually includes a settlement offer — paying the demanded amount. But this is negotiable.

Steps to negotiate:

1. Acknowledge the letter — do not pretend you didn't receive it
2. Confirm the image has been removed — this is your strongest negotiating point
3. Describe your website context — small local business, limited traffic, the image was not the central commercial element
4. Make a counter-offer — typically 40–60% of the demand is a reasonable starting position for negotiation
5. Request a settlement agreement in writing before paying — the agreement should specify that payment resolves the claim completely and that Getty will not pursue further action

Getty Images processes hundreds of thousands of claims. Their settlement operations are set up to close cases efficiently. If you engage professionally, pay a reasonable amount, and get a written settlement agreement, the matter is typically closed.

Realistic Settlement Ranges (Netherlands)

Based on reported cases and legal commentary, settlements for small Dutch business websites commonly fall in these ranges:

These are illustrative — every case depends on the specific image, the usage context, the duration, and your negotiating position.

What to Do After Settlement

1. Get the settlement agreement in writing — a PDF or email confirming the specific claim is settled and no further action will be taken
2. Audit all images on your website — if one image triggered a claim, others may too
3. Implement an image licensing policy:
   • Only use self-taken photos
   • Only use images purchased from stock agencies with receipts
   • Only use images with a clear Creative Commons licence
   • Download and store the licence documentation for every image

Free Stock Photo Alternatives

Avoid future claims by using images from these sources with clear licences:

• Unsplash — free for commercial use, no attribution required for most images
• Pexels — free for commercial use, no attribution required
• Pixabay — free for commercial use under Pixabay licence
• Wikimedia Commons — check individual licence (public domain or CC)
• Freepik — free tier with attribution; paid for no attribution
• Adobe Stock — paid, clear licences, widely used

Always download the licence documentation when you download an image. Store these with your business records.

If the Claim Is for a Web Designer Who Used the Image

If a web designer you hired used Getty Images (or any unlicensed images) without your knowledge, the situation is more complex. You may have recourse against the web designer — but Getty's claim is still against you as the website operator (the entity responsible for the website).

In the Netherlands, a web designer who uses unlicensed images without disclosing this is in breach of their contract and potentially liable for the copyright claim costs under their professional liability. This is addressed in more detail in our web designer copyright liability guide.

For related guidance on CopyTrack and Picright claims, see our CopyTrack/Picright claim guide.

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This article is technical analysis, not legal advice. Consult a lawyer for advice specific to your situation.