Picrights UK and Trading Standards?

[psmith]

As Picrights seem to receive a lot of legitimate pre-action protocol requests for information, but don't seem to answer them fully, or at all,

AND instead,
seem to focus on demanding immediate payment using threats of legal action,
AND seem to appear to do this on an industrial scale,

I was wondering if they have often been reported to Trading Standards for such behaviour.

If it was a once-off it could perhaps be forgiven by Trading Standards, but if it is something they do all the time, Trading Standards may be interested.

Thoughts?

[AndyJ]

Hi psmith,

Understandably, you seem to be very interested in finding ways of retaliating against Picrights. However I don't think they are guilty of any trading standards violations. What they are doing is technically legal although clearly not that ethical. In that respect they are somewhat similar to the private parking enforcement companies and the claims management companies which used to specialise in PIP claims. I'm sure that photographers who indirectly use their services would defend them by saying that they help to tackle the large problem of copyright infringement faced by photographers who usually don't have the time or the resources to go after the infringers. However no-one so far has managed to justify the ridiculous amounts PicRights and the others claim, from which I suspect the photographers only see a tiny amount.