In the past we’ve posted communications whenever someone has threatened to sue us. I think it’s entertaining, and it hopefully makes people think twice before firing up the legal machine with ridiculous claims. So when YouTube sent us a cease and desist letter, I posted it. And when that asshole Shannon Terry threatened to sue us out of existence, I posted that too.
Now the most ridiculous claim yet. Richard Figueroa, who claims to have the rights to this image of Ashton Kutcher, is demanding that we pay him $150,000 immediately or else he’ll sue us for $1.5 million.
Hi Michael, My name is Richard Figueroa and I am contacting you on behalf of the image you are using of Ashton Kutcher that Beth Boldt had taken. Beth is upset that your company has been using his image to generate traffic and revenue to your company without her permission.We are asking that you pay Beth $150,000,00 for the image that you have been using to generate business. If you choose not to settle this bill now we will ask for $1,500,000 in damages in loss of income form the image you have been borrowing for creating traffic to your website with here picture.if you google Beth Boldt you will get an idea of who she is in the modeling and entertainment industry.We would like to settle this quietly without the media getting involved however if you choose not to agree on these terms we will file a lawsuit against your company for copyright violation and we all know how that’s going to turn out since she’s the photographer of the image you are using.
So here is her invoice: Please make check out to Beth Boldt in the amount of ($150,000,00) send it to
[deleted contact information]
And after payment is made you may not use the image of Ashton anymore unless you want to negotiate a contract.Thank you
Richard Figueroa
BethBoldt
Here’s the problem: we never used that image of Ashton Kutcher on any of our websites. The one image we did use (in this post) was supplied by Ooma (Kutcher is the creative director for Ooma), and Ooma says they own that image.
The problem turns out to be that if you do a search on Google (or “the Google” as Figueroa calls it), the image in question appears at the top of the results and is linked to TechCrunch. Why? Well we did some digging and it turns out that someone linked to the image in a comment to one of our posts.
I explained all of this to Figueroa on the phone but he insisted that Google bought us and that we need to remove the image from Google immediately. Sadly, Google has not acquired us, and I have no easy method for removing images from Google’s servers.
Normally I’d just let something like this drop since this guy doesn’t understand anything about copyright law or the Internet, but he has also been calling and emailing our advertisers and threatening to sue them, too (listen to the voicemail below). They are understandably concerned, and Heather and I now have to spend time today calming everyone down.
Don’t be this guy.
The voicemail below is to one of our advertisers. Listen to a second one, sent to Ooma, here.
Update: Starting at comment #79 below it looks like Richard weighs in with a number of comments. In comment no. 113 he tried to post my phone number and get people to call me and complain but I just deleted it.
Update 2: Richard has been calling me this evening saying people are crank calling him and that he will take “legal activation” against everyone who calls him. I’ve removed the phone number above. Please stop calling him because he just calls me afterwards.
Update 3: So the link to TechCrunch on Google’s search results is gone and the picture now links to Yahoo Answers. Richard still isn’t happy and is demanding I link that search result to him. I’m just speechless.
Update 4: Richard apologizes.
Laugh. Out. Loud.
Am i the only one who sees 150M dollars and not $150,000 or $1.5M?
Also, this photographer can probably thank (and sue) this doosh for lost business because of this. This isn’t how legal disputes are handled.
Oh my god. This is so freaking hillarious. Some people are just flat out dumb. I know I’m not smart, but now I’m glad to know that at least I’m smarter than some people out there. A lot of morons in this world.
You can use my images anytime - sweetie!
This made my day - Richard Figueroa you are a douche bag (please don’t sue me for saying so)
People like this can be sued for unjustified threat.
sueing 2.0? Dun try to be outsmart others, when u dun even know what internet is all about…..Get a blog, n sue any1 u like…..RICHARD!
$150,000 for a single photo use seems a bit unrealistic.
Surely you could sue him for his actions.
Is this a joke??
Mike,
You should threaten this guy with a slander/libel lawsuit. He’s clearly hurting your business.
Can I draft the letter for you? I’ll do it for free if you hook me up with the next TC party tickets
J/K.
Vik
I forgot people like this existed.
Sorry they are wasting your time Mike. I doubt they know you’re a lawyer. Ridiculous!
What a complete Douche. If you are going to send a threating *legal* looking note at least do spell/grammar check.
Mike - your a lawyer, you should file a counter suit just for fun against this guy for trying to shake you and your advertisers down.
Stupid people tend to be litigious.
FDAS 2.0 …
That is what I call “clown City” Please please please follow up on this and let us know how you are paying him MA?
This is ridiculous, too say the least.
I’m glad that I’m living in Canada!
I bet they will have a few phone calls from Techcrunch readers… well I hope so!
Please send money to MY Pay Pal Account for the Mike Arrington legal defense fund.
That was a joke people.
Beth is upset that your company has been using his image to generate traffic and revenue to your company without her permission.
Isn’t ‘Beth’ a female?
How rediculous can one be who has no actual knowledge of what they talk about? I suggest to Richard, that he immediately attends an 8am appointment at the Special Needs Care Unit, seriously.. Wake up you delinquent, you only fool yourself!
Wow - hang in there Michael and Heather - this is one of the joys of doing business (you had nothing better to do today, right?!).
I love the way that this nutjob doesn’t even know where to put the ‘,’s in the sum of $1.5m!
Hahahaha. Counter-sue for Libel just for fun.
Richard Figaroa is a moron!
Definitely spell/grammar check. No representative of the legal system should ever make as many errors as this guy.
Notice the second sentence, the guy refers to Beth as a guy at first (his) and then as a girl (her). LOL.
In regards to the amount. First I see him asking for $150,000. Then he threatens to sue for $1,500,000. Then he finally asks for a check in the amount of $150,000,00. Is that $15mil? A comma where a period should be? AMBIGUITY!
Fun stuff.
Richard Figueroa is my hero. Another gift for you, Richard:
http://www.oroscopi.com/sfondi.....15;768.jpg
Now you can go for an even $3 mil
Your using my name (StupidLawyerTricks2), so you must pay me 150,000 or I will sue for 1.5M. I see how this works now… NOT!
this has to be the funniest thing I’ve read all day…
@Adam & Hunter, I think this is more of his bad grammar. I think “his image” was meant to mean image of Ashton, not possession of Beth’s.
In any case, God Bless our litigious society. It sucks to have to retain legal counsel just to deal with these jerkwads.
Um….fair use?
Nigerian Scammer!
Be careful this dude’s from Alabama. Laws there work a little differently.
Some people have become quite prosperous thau way!
http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
Here’s Beth’s email address
Have a field day… ooops don’t sue me
beth@bethboldt.com
I think this guy works for the record industry as well.
fake steve ballmer please go away
Possibly the funniest thing on the tubes for a while!! Way to know you’re a fake lawyer… “oh hi sir… calling on behalf of the asten crutchen photo leading to tech erm website”
Richard is a turd.
“but he insisted that Google bought us and that we need to remove the image from Google immediately”.
So call up Google and Sue them!
Oppss…someone has made a fool of himself and got massive exposure
I think that since it’s a copyrighted image which was hosted on oroscopi.com’s website…he should go after them. Technologically at least.
He wants to go after Google, Oroscopi and TechCrunch.
Mike,
Unfortunately an idiot with whom you have no affiliation can create a mountain of work for you. It makes me wonder why you are no longer practicing law. I can’t wait to see the scribd (or docstoc) posting of the lawsuit with the link (posted by TechCrunch, of course) to the attorney’s listing in the yellow pages. Only the highest quality attorneys obtain their clients from the yellow pages. I’m sure their listing appears right next to WSGR’s.
This reminds me of the Nigerian businessman hustle.
This guy sounds scary Mike. If he’s willing to track down and harass your advertisers, he may just have the nerve to show up on your doorstep. Tread carefully wit people like this..
I have a great idea for traffic. Send in a crazy letter regarding my eminent lawsuit on the grounds that you didn’t do xyz or you posted something about abc. Sure I may look crazy, and an ass… but hopefully I get some traffic out of it. Hell, I could do that to lots of blogs. Imagine the traffic I would get!
(kidding of course)
Seriously though, thanks for the post this was quite entertaining.
in the voicemail: “for the past couple ‘a years”?
Your original post isn’t that old. I’m confused. Then again, so is this guy, so I’ll not lose sleep over it.
Clearly you’re being punk’d….
The photo in question isn’t even hosted on the TechCrunch website. The Google result may be linked to TechCrunch but the photo is hosted at oroscopi.com. And it appears that the photo never even appeared on the TechCrunch site. If people start suing over links we’re going to have to outsource the U.S. court system to get more help with all the filing.
Hey guys…do you have my money yet? Just go ahead and make it out to cash. kthxbai.
Wow. This really does sound like a Nigerian scammer sort of thing.
ass clown of the year ()()
What an asshat.