OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Mike Hunter today announced some of the authors and musicians who were victimized by the owners of Tate Publishing can safely retrieve their work through a secure website set up through the state.
In a letter delivered to over 1,100 Tate victims, authorities with the attorney general’s Consumer Protection Unit explain, step-by-step, how to access the website to download their work.
To read the file letter, click here.
The letter does not constitute legal advice.
Attorney General Hunter said returning the work of the artists is a positive development in the case.
“Even though the case is ongoing, my team and I hope releasing the artists’ work will give them some peace of mind and a clear indication that we are continuing to do all we can to make them whole again,” Attorney General Hunter said. “I appreciate their patience and hope they are able to begin to move on, past this unfortunate chapter in their careers.
“I commend the efforts of the agents and attorneys in the Consumer Protection Unit, who undertook this monumental task. The time and attention this took cannot be overlooked or understated. Thanks also to the state Office of Management and Enterprise Services for sharing its technology resources, which enabled us to begin this process.”
After the attorney general filed charges on Ryan and Richard Tate in 2017, the procedure of retrieving artists’ work began. A total of 1,560 book and music files, belonging to 1,130 authors and musicians have been received from the attorneys representing the Tates.
Related: Attorney General Hunter Files Charges on Ryan and Richard Tate
Unfortunately, the Attorney General’s Office cannot provide assurances to the quality of the files returned by the defendants. The files on the website were received by the Attorney General’s Office from the defendants. Some of the files received were incomplete, corrupt and possibly irretrievable. The defendants claim they are incapable of returning all authors’ and artists’ files as some files were stored in the Philippines and have not been recovered.
Since June, 2017, the Attorney General’s Office has received close to 2,200 complaints from around the world and continues to receive more on nearly a daily basis.