image copyright, how much can you get in trouble?

[unwashed potato!]

just checking for my mums friends company website, they used some free template type thing which come with software to changer sectinos of the design, photos/text etc, and they used a company to get some images for what they sell.

now they get a letter from gettyimages saying take one of your images down etc it is copyright and you are being fined £2000.

Is this right, can they really fine £2000? surely its just take it down or we will fine?

never had to deal with this so any informaiont about it would be great. thanks

 

[unwashed potato!]

ok well the person has decided not to pay aftyer much searcning on the net it seems this is a very common thing gettyimages does, charging some people £10,000 for the images they have got from places like sxc as the person who owns the photo has put it on gettyimages and other free places.

I don't know why i linked to an image, thought i copuied the home page address but guess not.

this is the site the image came from which as now had to close down, apprarnetly they are looking into the legal side of it as they are getting fined thousands and thousands.
http://www.harveymaria.co.uk/