‘Let me steal or I sue’

NEW DEPTHS of misunderstanding about copyright are revealed by an email sent to the musician who owns www.shapelessmass.com. It's from 2005, but worth repeating. "I must say I am quite upset," it begins: "I have been using images from your web site on my web site for along time now and suddenly they are gone and I am concerned. I am using my web site to build up my business which is not easy and you changed the location or deleted them or something."

The email, reproduced as fair dealing for the purposes of reporting news and current affairs. Not to speak of review and criticism. Image © unknown

So? So the anonymous alleged businessperson said: "If you do not upload the images again I might have to contact my lawyer."

After a little gentle education about copyright, the aggrieved image leech did apologise.