in recent weeks I have found two websites making unauthorised use of images they have copied from one of my sites.



The first was a local football club who have apologised and removed the image and also offered me a free half page ad in their next home match program as a way of compensating me for the use in a way that doesn’t cost them money as they have no funds. This was great and I scrapped the invoice I sent them and wished them well.



The other is a commercial business who has told me they won’t pay anything unless I can tell them when they started using my image. They removed the image from their web site but left it on their web server so although the page didn’t show the image a direct link to the image still displayed it. I originally invoiced from the copyright date on their site up until 30/11/09. The assured me the site had only been up since the end of last year but refused to discuss payment as the site was updated to often for them to know when the infringement started and said it was up to me to prove a start date. I have now invoiced from 01/01/2009 until 31/12/09 on the basis that the image is still viewable from their server and stated that they can now check the date on the server copy of the file if they wish to dispute the start date. They are still not replying to my emails although the image has now gone from their web server.



For the record I am charging by the month and doubling it as the use was unauthorised, what’s my next best step and how do I stand legally?
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Richard How FIAP MAPM
How Associates - Programme Management Consultants
Quality Web Hosting
Photography Forum
Tourist Guide to Newport Pagnell