Seriously - why are they trying to stop this? It's not like there is a huge app store (phones) or a huge market for pirating apps (nintendo ds/psp) where they would lose money by allowing this. Can somebody explain the reasoning behind their unwillingness to allow hobbyist applications to me?
Or, if everything else fails, try writing an email to your account saying you want your laptop back and are willing to pay for it. The thief might read it. I know this pretty much sucks because you are paying the thief but if have you tried everything else and want the laptop really bad this could be a viable option.
He should be honored and respected for his actions, not called abnormal.
Yeah we should give him a prize or sth. Oh, wait...
no escape from reality
The only value that Getty Images could add would be offering legal services to those who photos are used in violation of whatever the licensing terms are.
Not true - they have something much more valuable: direct access to customers willing to pay for images (newspapers, press agency, online news sites, etc.). That is their main business model after all. That is also why they will pay such a small sum to flickr photographers - because they know that they are in the stronger position. Photographers / flickr users are easily replaceable, but Getty Images is not replaceable.
There is nice quote by Robert A. Heinlein for what you described:
"There has grown in the minds of certain groups in this country the idea that just because a man or corporation has made a profit out of the public for a number of years, the government and the courts are charged with guaranteeing such a profit in the future, even in the face of changing circumstances and contrary to public interest. This strange doctrine is supported by neither statute or common law. Neither corporations or individuals have the right to come into court and ask that the clock of history be stopped, or turned back."
- Robert A. Heinlein, "Life-Line"
egrep -n '^[a-z].*\(' $ | sort -t':' +2.0
