Skip to main content

Getty claims man stole as many as 3,400 of its images, resold them on Facebook

Code words and a private Facebook group weren’t enough to keep Getty Images from uncovering the illegal resale of as many as 3,400 of its photos. The stock image company filed a lawsuit on June 8 against an Ohio man, Walter A. Kowalczuk, who allegedly downloaded and then resold images through a private Facebook group.

Kowalczuk appears to have gained access to those images through the unauthorized use of a paid account, though how he obtained the login information is unclear, according to Photo District News.

Recommended Videos

According to the court documents, he allegedly used code words within the Facebook group, like “spaghetti” for Getty and “apples” for Associated Press. A screenshot included in the court paperwork indicates the images were resold for about 75 cents a piece in bulk quantities.

Getty discovered the resales when Photo File, a distribution partner of Getty’s, contacted Kowalczuk last year about purchasing some Chicago Blackhawks images offered for sale through the Facebook group. According to the lawsuit, Kowalczuk then “gave specific instructions for ordering the images, directing that each image be identified by the catalog number assigned by Getty Images.”

Getty then conducted its own investigation into the matter, purchasing 29 images from Kowalczuk’s Facebook group on March 29, April 1, and April 29, 2015. Most of the images that were allegedly resold were related to sports — including NHL, MLB, and NFL games. According to Photo District News, Getty is still working to identify some of the buyers. Getty is known for pursuing even the smaller offenders when it comes to unauthorized image use.

Kowalczuk is facing charges for willful copyright infringement, contributory infringement, computer fraud, and Digital Millennium Copyright Act violations. The case is being reviewed in U.S. District Court in Cleveland.

Hillary K. Grigonis
Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…
This is what happens ‘when you get two uber-geeks in space at the same time’
NASA's Don Pettit on the space station.



During NASA’s first-ever Twitch livestream from the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, current station inhabitant Don Pettit and recent returnee Matthew Dominick talked about what it’s like to live and work in a satellite 250 miles up.

Read more
The GoPro Hero 13 Creator Edition is $100 off, but not for long
A person holding the GoPro HERO13 Creator Edition in front of the ocean.

Outdoor enthusiasts who want to buy a new action camera should go for the brand that popularized the product and look for GoPro deals. Best Buy has an offer that's going to be hard to refuse, as it features the GoPro Hero 13 Creator Edition. From its original price of $600, it's down to just $500 as part of the retailer's Presidents' Day Sale. There are still a few days remaining before the $100 discount ends on February 17, but we highly recommend completing your purchase as soon as possible because stocks may run out before then.

Why you should buy the GoPro Hero 13 Creator Edition
The star of the GoPro Hero 13 Creator Edition is the GoPro Hero 13 Black, which is the latest version of the brand's popular line of action cameras. It's capable of recording video at up to 5.3K resolution, and you can grab photos of up to 24.7MP from your footage using the GoPro Quick app. The GoPro Hero 13 Black can also take videos that are slowed down by 13 times the normal speed, and it can last more than 5 hours on a single charge. The front and rear LCD screens will let you frame your shots perfectly, and the built-in buttons enable easy controls for lengthy sessions.

Read more
ISS astronaut shares epic photo of a ‘starry starry night’
Don Pettit's 'starry starry night' image captured from the space station.

 

Don Pettit's been snapping away in orbit again. This time, the NASA astronaut has captured a stunning image of the Milky Way from the International Space Station (ISS) . It also features Earth and city lights some 250 miles below the orbital outpost.

Read more