Fledgling Photog to U.K. Daily: Pay Up for Using My Photo

Image via WikipediaStinkyjournalism.org picked up a story in the British Journal of Photography involving student photographer Thomas Welfoot, whose photo of a student protester turning a fire extinguisher on authorities apparently appeared five times in the print and online versions of The Daily Mail without his permission.

Welfoot sold his photo to Sky News, but sent the Mail a bill seeking 1,000 pounds ($1,599) for the repeated unauthorized use of his photo.  The Mail, in turn, offered him 150 pounds ($240). The Daily Mail was recently sued by a celebrity photography agency for unauthorized use of its photos. Readers and professionals have weighed in on the matter, some acknowledging that the student shutterbug's invoice was excessive, while others consider the fee adequate punishment for the Mail's alleged commandeering of the photo. As with most photo disputes, we'll have to wait and see what develops (first pun of 2011).