Ahmet,
It’s not surprising that Shore Thang, a glorious American talent agency who does a reasonably good job getting content up onto social media and out onto the web, would bump heads with Rulta.
Your company makes money by removing content from the web using the DMCA, an American law designed to remove content from Google search results and other digital places.
We are working at cross purposes.
What I find odd — extremely so — is that after years of unlawfully removing our content, finally being confronted by me, and agreeing in a series of emails (which I’ll post below) to stop targeting our copyright and fair use content, that you would continue remove it from Google search — filing unlawful DMCA takedowns.
Below is a screenshot of Google Analytics data, showing what happens when a DMCA takedown occurs.
See the dip? That’s about three weeks, which is how it it takes for Lumen (formerly one of the Baby Bells, broken up in 1980s anti-trust action by the US Government against AT+T) to remove content from search results, verify Rulta’s bullshit takedown filings, and eventually restore our family of websites to Google.
After interviewing competitors, digging into wtf Rulta actually is, and comparing my experiences with those of others, a few facts about Rulta came into sharper focus.
1. Rulta, although organized as a European Union corporation, is actually based in a Istanbul, Turkey. A reliable source revealed that Rulta is little more than five guys sharing a room, calling it an office, and pretending to be based in Estonia.
2. Rulta has been targeting our copyright content for many consecutive years. The entire database of DMCA takedowns is maintained on the website, https://lumendatabase.org. Feel free to verify my assertions by seraching the Lumen website for ellietheempress.com and Rulta or LexiWinters.com and Rulta. You will find our wholly owned and in many cases copyright content taken down en masse either by one of the handful of support staff working for Rulta or possibly by an automated script (imagine a bottom-trawler scooping the bottom of the ocean, and nabbing a few dolphins on the way up. That’s us, we’re the dolphins trapped in Rulta’s grimey net)
3. Rulta is an unscrupulous company. Some of the internet hotties that Rulta performed inappropriate takedowns for, at the expense of Shore Thang include Ellie The Empress, Lexi Winters, Xanthe Schaub, Julia Burch, Lauren Burch, and more. Shore Thang really does work with all these hotties. Either buying selfies for Quarantine Selfies or signing modeling agreements, which often includes in-person photo shoots in Los Angeles or other locations around the world.
4. Rulta is not interested in making peace. When I reached out several times earlier this year, following Rulta’s violation of our mutually agreed upon whitelist of domains (our list of 30 websites), I received no response. Instead, when I turned up the heat, Rulta emailed the models, telling them that they would be required to testify as a witness at the Tartu Courthouse, in Tallinn, Estonia.
Bad form, Ahmet, bad form
The appropriate use of any DMCA takedown agent is to stop the spread of copyright content.
Models in our business often experience leaked content, which makes it onto places on the web where they wish it would not be.The DMCA is not a broadly wielded eraser, used indiscriminately to remove content from the web you simply dislike. The DMCA is a formal legal dispute mechanism, which despite your business endeavors, you clearly need more education about.
That said, the dolphins scooped up in Rulta’s bottom-trawler operation do not appreciate spending time, money, and marketing mojo to locate hotties, get them making content, only to have that content removed by a Turkish company pretending to be European.
See that photo of Ahmet Teke at the Louvre in Paris, France? Ok, great, that’s not where he’s based or where his company is actually located.
Ahmet, when you read this, understand that we only wanted to be left alone, for Rulta to follow the whitelist we mutually agreed upon, and short of that, to be paid a modest settlement fee for interfering with our digital marketing, and sign a release agreement that indicates which websites are ours and that you would like to avoid scooping up dolphins in your trashy fishing net.
Now you have something else to consider.
Do you abuse the DMCA yet again to remove this article from Google search? Or will you finally breakdown, return my emails, pay a modest settlement, and abide the whitelist you were supposed to honor?
If your past behavior is any indication, I suspect I know the answer.
Ahmet,
We have repeatedly demanded that you stop filing false DMCA takedowns against our copyright content.
Despite this demand, you continue to do so, a knowing and clear violation of US copyright law.
As stated previously, we have obtained litigation funding and are in the process of securing a new IP attorney.
In addition to the false copyright takedowns your company has filed, your repeated and flagrant filings on Facebook on behalf of Sharika Ellis have resulted in a penalty from Facebook which prevents us from running digital ads on their platform.
This is unacceptable.
We will next file claims in US Federal Court as you have refused to obey the whitelist of URLs and continue to harm my company.
Regards,
Zachary Elliot
Owner
Shore Thang Media
Direct: 310-428-9832
https://ShoreThang.media
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the communication and any attachments.
Owner
Shore Thang Media
Direct: 310-428-9832
https://ShoreThang.media
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the communication and any attachments.
On Sep 2, 2024, at 5:27 PM, Shore Thang Updates <support@shorethang.com> wrote:
Ahmet,Please immediately cease and desist from pursuing anymore fraudulent DMCA takedowns on behalf of Lexi Winters.We own this copyright content. Lexi Winters sold this content to the own of our company in 2022. Lexi has been paid in full and has no legal claims to our company-owned content.Any additional takedowns of our content will result in a legal filing in California and Alberta. You made a grave error and we would appreciate you respecting our intellectual property rights.
Shore Thang SupportText or call: (310) 663-7959Insta: @shorethangx
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the communication and any attachments.
On Aug 20, 2024, at 2:31 AM, wrote:
Name ahmet teke dmca@rulta.com Message Pursuant to 17 USC 512(c)(3)(A), this communication serves as a statement that:
I am the duly authorized representative of the exclusive rights holder for lexi winters be seen on https://onlyfans.com/brunettebarbieeeee
These exclusive rights are being violated by material available upon your site at the following URL(s):https://petitecurve.com/lexi-winters/I have a good faith belief that the use of this material in such a fashion is not authorized by the copyright holder, the copyright holder’s agent, or the law;
Under penalty of perjury in a United States court of law, I state that the information contained in this notification is accurate, and that I am authorized to act on the behalf of the exclusive rights holder for the material in question;
I may be contacted by the following methods:Address: Harju maakond, Tallinn, Kesklinna linnaosa, Tartu mnt 67/1-13b, 10115, Estonia
Phone Number: +1 8337178515
Email: dmca@rulta.com
Signed on this date of: 08/20/2024
Signature: Ahmet Teke
Rulta OU
Hello,
We have repeatedly demanded that you stop filing false DMCA takedowns against our copyright content.
Despite this demand, you continue to do so, a knowing and clear violation of US copyright law.
As stated previously, we have obtained litigation funding and are in the process of securing a new IP attorney.
In addition to the false copyright takedowns your company has filed, your repeated and flagrant filings on Facebook on behalf of Sharika Ellis aka Ellie The Empress have resulted in a penalty from Facebook which prevents us from running digital ads on their platform.
This is unacceptable.
We will next file claims in US Federal Court as you have refused to obey the whitelist of URLs and continue to harm my company.
Emir,
I remember you from the first time when you targeted our LexiWinters.com website in early September of this year.
If I don’t stand up for our business, who will?
Everything below that follows is protected under confidential settlement discussions: CONFIDENTIAL SETTLEMENT COMMUNICATIONS California Evidence Code 1119, 1152
Please appreciate that we:
1. Photograph most of the content in-person.
2. Own the copyright to the content (as in it has been contractually assigned to my company and in many cases we have taken the extra step of US Copyright office filings – as in the case the Burch Twins, Julia and Lauren)
Considerable time, effort, and attention has been given to creating and protecting our content. Rulta has walked all over our content for many years, including after we were assured that our website URLs would be whitelisted.
Your owners/managers are encouraged to search the public US copyright database link I sent previously for my legal name “Zachary Urbina,” as well as the case history of the incorporated name of our company “Digital Marketing Advisors.”
After initial assurances that our domains would be whitelisted Rulta acted to minimize our digital footprint by filing improper DMCA takedowns notices on our copyright protected content to intentionally remove content we rightfully owned from the internet.
We respectfully demand that you to count up the number of times you have filed DMCA takedowns against our content since 3 September 2024, and multiply that number by $750, the minimum statutory penalty under US law:
Please note, anyone can see all your DMCA takedown history in the Lumen database.
After you have counted up the DMCA takedowns, you are encouraged to make a settlement offer to my company to ensure we stay out of court.
I would also like assurances which of our websites are on your whitelist, so we never have this interaction again.
You may take up to seven days to prepare an offer. After that, we have no other legal remedy than to file in California court.
Julia,
This company you hired, Rulta, is totally gross and untrustworthy.
We need you to please immediately withdraw the DMCA notice you filed against our company content (I’ll send you the link at the end of this email).
Additionally, after giving Rulta many chances to act right, they have repeatedly ignored our company’s intellectual property rights, filed malicious takedown requests, and hidden behind the weird Estonian and Turkish addresses to avoid civil liability.
I have asked you repeatedly to exercise better care of DMCA takedowns. That includes the DMCA agent you choose to hire to file these legal disputes.
You’re not a kid anymore. The professional connections you choose to make will reflect on you.
Rulta is not to be trusted and after many years, I expect more from you.
Very best,
Zach
Hello,
For many years, Rulta has filed illegal DMCA take downs from a fraudulent and baseless position inside Estonia. Evidence of this behavior is easily found in Lumen.
Since being discovered, Rulta was asked many to line to cease this illegal marketing interference.
Still, the marketing interference continues.
So, after we file a complaint with the European Union and get your VAT taken away, we will pursue our legal claims in the US.
Your company is a bottom feeder and we will put an end of this.
Payment for damages, an apology, and adding our digital properties to a whitelist is your only way out of the mess you created.
Hello Rulta,
We found your physical location in Kosuyolu.
Would you like to offer that settlement amount now or should I proceed with my legal filing in Estonia?
Rest assured, you will not be able to do business in the EU, after this matter is done.
I recommend looking up my litigation history in the US.
Zachary Elliot
Creative Director
Shore Thang Media
Direct: 310-428-9832
https://ShoreThang.com
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the communication and any attachments.
Shore Thang Media
Direct: 310-428-9832
https://ShoreThang.com
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the communication and any attachments.
Ahmet,
Stop filing malicious DMCA takedowns against my company. We will drag you into court in the EU soon enough.
You were given many chances to settle. We know all about your little Istanbul office.
Xanthe Schaub, among others, actually worked for me. Rulta is a bottom-feeder.
Go the fuck away, parasite.
Zachary Elliot
Creative Director
Shore Thang Media
Direct: 310-428-9832
https://ShoreThang.com
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the communication and any attachments.
Creative Director
Shore Thang Media
Direct: 310-428-9832
https://ShoreThang.com
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the communication and any attachments.
