Help Us Return Matrix Web Images: Vivid's Hirsch

Vivid Video president Steve Hirsch wants help from affiliate Websites who may have Vivid-based imagery on their pages. Hirsch wants them to identify and return any such images that might have originated with Matrix Content. Hirsch says Vivid is trying to resolve a matter of licensing with Matrix without going to litigation.

"Matrix furnished Vivid with a number of its copyrighted images for Vivid to post on the Internet," said Hirsch in a well-circulated letter, a copy of which was also made available to AVNOnline.com. "Matrix now asserts that some of the use of the Matrix photographic images by Vivid's distributors, and by Webmasters associated with Vivid, are beyond the scope of its grant of permission to use."

Hirsch called on affiliate Webmasters to remove any Matrix-originated imagery or links thereto from their sites. "To the extent that you may have hard physical copies or chromes of said images," he continued in his letter, "they must be immediately returned to Vivid. Failure to remove such images and links, and to return the copies to Vivid, could subject you to potential claims of Matrix."

Hirsch also wrote that if such Webmasters cannot determine which vivid-supplied images originated with Matrix, "let us know forthwith. We will be asking Matrix to identify any of its copyrighted images of which it is aware as well."

Hirsch told AVNOnline.com when reached for comment that he began circulating the letter "a couple of days ago," but otherwise declined to comment about any potential litigation in the matter.

Matrix chief executive Norman Bentley was unavailable for comment before this story went to press.