It’s nice to see the virtuous, hard-working underdog triumph.
Many creative people have their online materials used without their authorization. If a cease-and-desist letter or DMCA take-down notice doesn’t resolve the issue, a copyright infringement lawsuit may be the only remaining alternative. It’s an illusive alternative for many because the cost of litigation may be more than the damages that can be recovered from the infringer.
Stock photographer, Chris Gregerson, didn’t let the cost of litigation deter him. Gregerson represented himself in a copyright infringement lawsuit after discovering that Vilana Financial, Inc. had used his photo of the Minneapolis skyline in its telephone book advertisement. He later discovered that Vilana had also used the photo on additional print and web advertisements including in an advertisement in a Russian-language newspaper, and had used another of Gregerson’s photos in a promotional brochure.