I get this about once a month, and the conversation is always the same, it starts with…

Them: “Hey, we found this great image of yours online and we want to know if it’s OK to use it for free”

The image is usually an image I have released under a Creative Commons attribution license, the terms of which are explicitly clear, notably – attribution in the manner specified by the author. So I reply…

Me: “The attribution is specifically “Matthew Field, http://www.photography.mattfield.com”, which must be displayed legibly and directly alongside the image. In addition, as you can see from the CC license link, you must additionally make clear the specific license the image was released under. So you will need a logo or text that says Cc-by-sa-2.5″

The answer that comes back is always deliberately vague:

Them: “So, as long as we credit you, we can use it, that’s what you are saying?”

Me: “No, I am saying that provided you fulfil the full conditions I have laid out then you may use it without charge. If you would like to use the image in a less restrictive manner then we can discuss a rights managed license that suits your intended use.”

Them: “Well, we aren’t going to put the full credit in, and it won’t be right alongside the image, and we certainly aren’t going to put the creative commons license part in, but can we still use it?”

Me: “Then no, you absolutely clearly may not. I direct you again to the conditions of the license. If you are unable to fulfill them then you will need to purchase a license.”

Them: “Ok, fair enough, how much will it be for a double page spread, circulation 500k?”

I quote them a price and they happily pay it, they after all have a huge circulation and they have obviously chosen the specific image with a specific purpose in mind. Do we really have to go through this charade where you try and trick me into agreeing into you using it for nothing, license terms be damned?