Email from the Coyote Contest Website
Feb 22, 2015 9:45:40 GMT -7
Post by Timber Butte Outdoors on Feb 22, 2015 9:45:40 GMT -7
We recieved this email from the Admin of the Coyote Contest Website. It seems that they have been hit hard by the ANTI Coyote Contest freaks. Frocing them to pay a huge amount of money for something they didn't do. Please read the email and if you can please send them some financial help, to keep them working for us.
Thanks
Gary
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Coyote Contest Website (support@outdoorinteractive.com)
Fellow Coyote and Predator Contest hunters - We are asking for your help.
As you know, the events we hold are widely criticized by those that are not aware of the REAL reasons why put them on. Because of this, the CoyoteContest.com website is under a high degree of scrutiny and we regularly receive emails and communications threatening us for helping promote coyote and predator calling events.
At the end of January, we were contacted by an intellectual property attorney out of Utah that demanded we remove the promotional materials for an event in the state of Oregon. While we complied, they continued to threatened us with a legal suit if we did not pay for the unauthorized use of their copyright protected images.
As you know, we provide our event listing service for FREE to event promoters - we do not generate the posters, nor put on the events ourselves. Seems the Oregon event promoter had unknowingly used an image that happened to have hordes of attorneys ready to pounce on those who used it without permission. Over the course of the next three weeks, we received multiple communications from their attorney despite having complied with their requests to remove the image from our site.
In early February, having seen their attorneys begin to raise both the treat level and the stakes, we contacted an attorney of our own to determine the level of credibility and threat to our company. Having completed their research into the IP attorney, our attorney suggested we "hold our nose" and pay the proposed settlement amount to make this issue "go away". Let me tell you, that was a HARD pill to swallow! Not only were we not responsible for the use of the image (the promoter had used it in their poster), but we had complied immediately upon notification of the infringement.
While I am bound by the agreement not to disclose the amount we had to pay, I can tell you that due to the fact that we set up the website at our own cost, and provide listings for event coordinators - at no cost, the settlement payment created a significant impact on our organization.
We are now reaching out to you - those that have benefited the most from our site - to help us recover from this financial hit. We are not a non-profit - just some regular guys that love hunting. Anything you can do would be greatly appreciated!
*BE AWARE - we have already implemented some "security" measures that ensure that all the promotional materials we receive have removed us from the liability associated with the images. We HIGHLY suggest if you put on a contest and use coyote or predator images from the internet - MAKE SURE you know who owns the photos - otherwise you could be putting yourself at risk for this same type of encounter!!!
Visit this link to donate: Donation Page.
For those that contribute, we've created a way to showcase your support of the sport and our site:
Level 1 Supporter ($1 - $50): Your name listed on our Supporters Page (as well as our sincere gratitude!).
Level 2 Supporter ($51 - $100): Your name (or Business Name) and link to the contest of your choice.
Level 3 Supporter ($101 - $1,000): All level 2 items plus publishing of your logo and information about your business.
Level 4 Supporter ($1,001 - $2,500): All level 3 items plus a bundle of Coyote Contest branded gear for your event.
Level 5 Supporter ($2,500+): All level 4 items plus Coyote Contest personnel will attend your next event!
Good luck out there - shoot straight and ignore those that don't understand! ~ ~ Jason
Thanks
Gary
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coyote Contest Website (support@outdoorinteractive.com)
Fellow Coyote and Predator Contest hunters - We are asking for your help.
As you know, the events we hold are widely criticized by those that are not aware of the REAL reasons why put them on. Because of this, the CoyoteContest.com website is under a high degree of scrutiny and we regularly receive emails and communications threatening us for helping promote coyote and predator calling events.
At the end of January, we were contacted by an intellectual property attorney out of Utah that demanded we remove the promotional materials for an event in the state of Oregon. While we complied, they continued to threatened us with a legal suit if we did not pay for the unauthorized use of their copyright protected images.
As you know, we provide our event listing service for FREE to event promoters - we do not generate the posters, nor put on the events ourselves. Seems the Oregon event promoter had unknowingly used an image that happened to have hordes of attorneys ready to pounce on those who used it without permission. Over the course of the next three weeks, we received multiple communications from their attorney despite having complied with their requests to remove the image from our site.
In early February, having seen their attorneys begin to raise both the treat level and the stakes, we contacted an attorney of our own to determine the level of credibility and threat to our company. Having completed their research into the IP attorney, our attorney suggested we "hold our nose" and pay the proposed settlement amount to make this issue "go away". Let me tell you, that was a HARD pill to swallow! Not only were we not responsible for the use of the image (the promoter had used it in their poster), but we had complied immediately upon notification of the infringement.
While I am bound by the agreement not to disclose the amount we had to pay, I can tell you that due to the fact that we set up the website at our own cost, and provide listings for event coordinators - at no cost, the settlement payment created a significant impact on our organization.
We are now reaching out to you - those that have benefited the most from our site - to help us recover from this financial hit. We are not a non-profit - just some regular guys that love hunting. Anything you can do would be greatly appreciated!
*BE AWARE - we have already implemented some "security" measures that ensure that all the promotional materials we receive have removed us from the liability associated with the images. We HIGHLY suggest if you put on a contest and use coyote or predator images from the internet - MAKE SURE you know who owns the photos - otherwise you could be putting yourself at risk for this same type of encounter!!!
Visit this link to donate: Donation Page.
For those that contribute, we've created a way to showcase your support of the sport and our site:
Level 1 Supporter ($1 - $50): Your name listed on our Supporters Page (as well as our sincere gratitude!).
Level 2 Supporter ($51 - $100): Your name (or Business Name) and link to the contest of your choice.
Level 3 Supporter ($101 - $1,000): All level 2 items plus publishing of your logo and information about your business.
Level 4 Supporter ($1,001 - $2,500): All level 3 items plus a bundle of Coyote Contest branded gear for your event.
Level 5 Supporter ($2,500+): All level 4 items plus Coyote Contest personnel will attend your next event!
Good luck out there - shoot straight and ignore those that don't understand! ~ ~ Jason