Do This ONE Thing When Contacted by PicRights...

What to do When You Receive an Email from PicRights:

What's the best and ONLY thing to do when you receive an email from the scum-sucking leeches at PicRights? There is only ONE correct answer:

Do absolutely nothing.

Do not respond. Delete the email. You can even go one step further and BLOCK the email. But whatever you do, do NOT respond. I promise you, it really is that simple.

Now That We've Gotten THAT Out of the Way...

Welcome to the clearest, most-concise and easiest-to-read blog on the bottom-feeding parasites that call themselves PicRights.

There are countless articles, conversations, YouTube videos and podcasts about these douche-nozzles, but I made this single blog to be your best resource. Plus, if you read on, I'll even give you action steps to actually put these clowns completely out of business.  

So please enjoy this blog, follow its instructions, and, most importantly, SHARE!

I must inform you I am not an attorney. Read my disclaimer HERE.

Who is PicRights?

They are an alleged "copyright trolling" organization. They are known for picking on the small guys (bloggers, website hobbyists, small organizations). They use predatory and threatening tactics to shake people like you down for large sums of money. There are a million blogs and videos on PicRights if you want to find out more about them.

Here's one of the best descriptions of PicRights and Higbee and Associates, and what they do. Read THIS, but make sure to come back to this blog.

I Received a Demand from PicRights...Seriously, What do I do?

1. I meant what I said: DELETE IT. Whatever you do, do NOT respond. Once you respond, they'll know you've received their communication. The best way to handle PicRights is to simply make sure you never, EVER respond to them. Why? You not responding is a DEAD END for them. They do not pass go, they do not collect $200. This will all become clearer as you read on, I assure you.

2. Check your website or blog for the image/photo they are accusing you of using. If it's not your original work and/or you do not own the license to it, remove it from the webpage and permanently delete it from your server. 

3. Check your website for any other images that do not belong to you. If you didn't take the photo or design the graphic yourself, or you don't own a license/have permission to use it, take it down. And let this be a lesson: Don't use work that isn't yours.

4. You are DONE. Consider the matter closed. You may very well receive more emails from PicRights - in fact, count on it! But simply delete them. I recommend BLOCKING them completely. Your work is done. There is nothing to discuss.

But Shouldn't I Respond to Them and Tell Them I've Taken it Down?

You'd think this would be the logical thing to do, but responding to them at all is the worst thing you can do. You will never win. It doesn't matter if the photo was posted by mistake, if you got it from a license- or royalty-free website, or if Russian operatives hacked your website and placed the images there themselves - PicRights wants your money and will not stop bothering/bugging you until they get it. It does not matter if you took the image down, if you don't run the website anymore, or if you weren't even aware the image was on your website - which many people aren't. They will want their money. They have no empathy, no forgiveness, no compassion and no common sense. Anything you say will NOT matter and ANY response whatsoever will only fuel these guys. However, YOU have the power to shut it down immediately by simply never responding to them. It's a dead end for them. It's like a telemarketer calling your phone and you not picking up. They have nowhere to go. Please trust me on this. It's both the EASIEST way to react and the most EFFECTIVE.

But They're Saying They Could Sue Me!!! I'm Scared!

Here's the fun part - and the part that needs to be exposed to everyone facing these threatening emails and calls: They won't. They will not sue you. Let me repeat it again: They will not sue you.

Plain and simple, here's how their game works:

It's a numbers game. They use AI to scan the internet for images their clients "supposedly" own, then use AI to send out literally HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of shakedown emails. They are depending on people like you to be frightened and immediately cut a check to avoid "costly litigation." Truth is, they're not suing anyone.

"Hypothetically, let's be conservative and say that one out of every 10 recipients pays a $500 settlement, and they send 100,000 letters in a year. Again, pretty conservative. That's a cool revenue stream of $5 million without so much as having to lift a finger. One can also assume that when they catch an alleged copyright violation on the blog of a high-profile corporation, the settlement ask is almost certainly much higher, as is the rate of settlement." -Dusty Weis

Of the hundreds of thousands of threats PicRights have sent out over the past seven years, a miniscule handful of these cases have ever made it to court, and even fewer resulted in judgments for PicRights Why? Because it's waaaaaaay too costly to take anyone like you or me (a small guy with a small website not making any money) to trial. Bringing a case to court would cost them tens of thousands of dollars. And for what? To sue a 60-year old lady because she used an image on her hobby butterfly-watching website? It would be different if you were a major, multi-million dollar company, like Nike or Panasonic, using copywritten images for a booming online business moving millions of dollars of product - but chances are, you're like me: just a dude with a little website you built for fun. Oh they will threaten litigation, and they will turn your "case" over to a sham firm called Higbee and Associates, who will then take over the shakedown operation, but trust me, they ain't taking you to court because you posted a picture of that cactus on your "I Love Tucson" blog. 

Mathew Higbee: Only a mother could love

TAKING YOU TO COURT IS SIMPLY NOT THEIR BUSINESS MODEL! They will use AI and minimum-wage paid legal "assistants" to barrage you with threats, because that only costs them pennies and garners results for them...enough to make them millions of dollars each year. However...

IF EVERYONE WHO RECEIVED A DEMAND LETTER FROM PICRIGHTS SIMPLY HIT "DELETE," THEIR ENTIRE COMPANY WOULD SHUTTER WITHIN 90 DAYS.

"While many individuals and businesses have received infringement letters from PicRights, it's difficult to pinpoint an exact number of people who have actually been taken to court. Blue Media reported that their clients received letters but no legal actions were taken. The Film and Video Institute suggests that the process relies on psychological pressure and the cost of legal action may deter some from pursuing the matter further."

If you made it this far, congrats. And I assure you, it's only going to get better, because in a bit, I'll show you how you can actually FIGHT BACK against these idiots and hit 'em where it hurts: their pocketbook.

But first, I'd implore you to listen to this very well-done podcast that will explain to you just who PicRights is and why THEY ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE YOU TO COURT. This is so important to understand, and once you do, you'll giggle and THANK YOURSELF for not responding to them.

Here is A LINK to one of the best explanations of why you will never be sued. It is worth reading and will set your mind at ease.

This is such a brilliant podcast. You can listen to it on Apple Podcasts HERE.

And if you prefer to read, the transcript of the podcast is HERE.

And HERE is one of the best and most concise blogs that outlines PicRights' operations. It's so good. 

This is the part where I once again remind you that I am not a lawyer. It's why I want you to listen to the podcast above - it gives you a 360-degree view of what PicRights and their lawyer-cronies Higbee and Associates are all about. This way, you have all the info, and at the end of the day, you can make your own educated and well-informed decision. I'll still plead with you never to respond to these scumbags, though. The more you dig up on PicRights, the more you realize what shysters they are and how their business model of fear and intimidation works. 

But the Internet Recommends I Get a Lawyer, Should I?

After I quick Google search, I realized there are indeed numerous law firms advertising their services and advising you to secure their firm to protect yourself against PicRights. Sigh. Of course there are. These firms don't care about you - they simply want your money too, and they're making a whole business of making money off the very same people PicRights are shaking down. Don't buy it.

These "firms" will say things like, "Do Not Ignore the Letter: Ignoring a legitimate demand letter can lead to escalated legal actions. Take the letter seriously and prepare for a measured response..."

Of course they say these things - they're trying to re-enforce the very same fear tactics that PicRights is using. And, inevitably, there will be many ill-informed people out there, actually frightened to death by the letter they received from PicRights; people like my dear mother. Remember, these bottom-feeders prey on the same kind of people that get caught up in most scams: the elderly and mentally-challenged; the vulnerable. It's wrong all the way around.

And what do these "defense" firms actually do? Chances are they will simply lower the settlement. Now you'll be writing two checks: one to PicRights and one to your attorney. Both parties will be laughing all the way to the bank. Nah. F them both.

Stay the course. Completely ignore. Delete and ignore. That's the mantra. Delete and ignore.

I remind you that I am not an attorney. Read my disclaimer HERE.

Got It - I'll Ignore Them! What Can I do to Fight Back?

And here's where it gets really good. There are three easy and immediate things you can do.

1. Spread the word. Share this website. People need to know NOT to respond to these guys. Search Google, Facebook and Twitter for posts about PicRights and share my blog with the others being bullied by PicRights and Higbee and Associates. There's a lot of chatter out there regarding PicRights and a lot of other lawyers looking to make money off of PicRights' victims - we need this info, my blog, to be their first resource. 

2. Sign THIS PETITION. Then have your friends sign it. It will matter, but only with 100,000 or more signatures and we've got a long way to go. Also, join our Facebook group HERE and our Twitter/X page HERE.

3. Contact PicRights' clients and let them in on the scam. This will take a few extra minutes but will no doubt be the most powerful and effective thing we can do, together. Remember the rule: follow the money. This is what ever successful advocacy group does: they go after the money, the clients, the advertiser. GO HERE for a list of PicRights' clients and contacts.

The above are personal opinions based on my experience. Readers should draw their own conclusions.