Confusion Over Creative Commons License

A field-test of the camera on the new iPhone 3GS turned into a soap opera for Internet designer Dave Shea, who goes by mezzoblue on Flickr, as he took issue with Business Insider hosting his photos on its server, rather than linking to his Flickr set or using a widget.

Writer Nicholas Carlson contacted Shea via e-mail and “apologized for the confusion.”

In the comment section under the Business Insider story, Shea wrote:

mezzoblue = me, and I’m wondering why Business Insider is hosting my photo set on their server without my permission. Not simply linking to the Flickr set, not using a Flickr embed widget, but actually grabbing the full set of originals from Flickr and uploading them to the Business Insider server. The Creative Commons license doesn’t allow for commercial use, and I see ads on this page. I appreciate the link/coverage, but I would have also appreciated being asked first, especially since the entire set is now on this site.

Shea went on to post examples of the right and wrong way to attribute photos on his Flickr site, using Business Insider to demonstrate the wrong way and Wired as the example for the right way.

Shea’s comments about Business Insider on Flickr:

Business Insider didn’t bother finding out my name beyond a username (hint guys: it’s on the Flickr Profile page), didn’t link to the original photos but to my main photo stream, and grabbed the entire set off of Flickr and posted it to their own servers. I’m sure they think the CC license on my photos allows this, and maybe it does, but running ads around a hosted gallery of my photos without so much as contacting me rubs me the wrong way.

Shea’s comments about Wired on Flickr:

Wired took the time to find out my name and link back to the original photo, and even attribute a quote to me. Classy.

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