Shutterstock Pays $35 Million to the US Government

May 13, 2026, 14:59
USFinance

Introduction

Shutterstock will pay $35 million. The US government says the company lied about its prices and plans.

Main Body

Shutterstock had a monthly plan. The company did not tell people that the plan started again automatically. They also charged people a lot of money to stop the service. It was very hard to stop the service. People had to wait a long time on the phone. They also had to read eight pages on a computer to cancel. Now, another company called Getty Images wants to buy Shutterstock. This deal is worth $3.7 billion. The government is checking this deal now.

Conclusion

Shutterstock paid the money, but they do not say they did something wrong.

Learning

💡 The 'Action' Words (Past Tense)

In this story, things already happened. To talk about the past, we often add -ed to the end of the word.

  • Pay →\rightarrow Paid
  • Lie →\rightarrow Lied
  • Charge →\rightarrow Charged

Wait! Look at the difference:

  • Present: The company charges money. (Right now/Usually)
  • Past: The company charged money. (It happened before)

🛠ī¸ Simple Word Pairs

To reach A2, you need to connect ideas. Notice how the text uses 'also' to add more information:

"They also charged people..." "They also had to read..."

Use also when you want to say "and one more thing."

💰 Big Numbers

When you see a number and a word, it's usually about money:

  • **35million∗∗35 million** \rightarrow$ Very high
  • **3.7billion∗∗3.7 billion** \rightarrow$ Extremely high

Vocabulary Learning

monthly
occurring every month
Example:She pays a monthly fee for the gym.
automatic
happening by itself without control
Example:The lights turn on automatically when you enter.
charged
billed for a service or product
Example:He was charged $20 for the repair.
service
help or work provided for someone
Example:The customer service was very friendly.
hard
difficult to do or understand
Example:It was hard to finish the homework on time.
wait
stay in one place until something happens
Example:They had to wait for the bus.
phone
a device used for talking over long distances
Example:She called her friend on the phone.
read
look at written words and understand them
Example:I like to read books before bed.
cancel
decide not to do something or stop it
Example:He had to cancel the meeting because of a storm.
deal
an agreement between two parties
Example:They reached a deal to share the profits.
worth
having value or importance
Example:The painting is worth a lot of money.
wrong
not correct or mistaken
Example:He made a wrong choice and lost the game.