The issue isn’t zoomify in itself, it has been suggested that the uploader circumvented zoomify and directly downloaded the images from the server. There is also the issue of the watermark, apparently the images contained one and under EU law, removing any form of copyright notice is a criminal matter and not a civil matter.

The NPG have acted as nice as is possible, and wanted to enter dialogue with the WMF over the images, the WMF could host low resolution images, with the correct copyright notices, linked to the high resolution on the WMF website. The WMF firmly reject this however because of the copyright status, the WMF will only be happy if they can have the images themselves, the high resolution ones, under a PD licence, anything else just isn’t cricket!

Lets face it though, how many blogs out there would *need* to post a high-res image? How many websites would happily set up the img tag, linked to a file that is over 1mb in size, when studies suggest that if a website doesn’t load in 3-5 seconds, or maybe 8, the person doesn’t visit the website?

All the high res images are taken down now, so no one can enjoy them, I really don’t expect them to be put back up.

■does the exposure on Wikimedia increase exposure? – No, why go to the NPG site when you can find all the images on wikipedia instead, along with details on the person, and a huge notice at the bottom accusing the NPG (incorrectly) of copyfraud?

■does exposure of hi-res pictures stop people from buying them – It stops people licencing them, and because of the licence that the WMF has applied to them (which *is* copyfraud) people who view them on Wikipedia will be lead to believe copyright does not apply (when, it does, the WMF try to use a US ruling to justify their actions when the US ruling does not apply, and UK copyright experts say would not have passed in the UK anyhow)

■does the exposure of the images increase click-through to the NPG website (and hence, assuming at least some kind of connection between traffic and physical visits) – Interesting question. Not sure they would have to give the information of an FOI request though due to data protection laws.

■does the threat of legal action make NPG look good? – A better question, does the actions of the WMF in blatently ignoring UK copyright, accusing a British museum of copyfraud and threatening “bad publicity” make the WMF look good? Depends on which side of the fence you sit, supporters of the WMF will say the NPG is at fault, supporters of the NPG will say the WMF is at fault, legal experts say its a simple case of copyright theft, I’m going to do with the copyright experts on this one.