Truly a case of no good deed going unpunished! As an industry, we need to have a fee schedule, and we need to abide by the fees we set. Otherwise, we are indeed saying that "free" is equal to "worthless," not just in the case of copyrights, but in the case of admission, consultations, speaking fees, etc. It is perfectly OK to say, "The $45 fee for this program is covered by your tax dollars, we thank you for your support." Very few folks get shirty when they find their taxes are going to support such good works as museums accomplish. In this case, presumably you have pro bono counsel -- and yes, it would be advisable to contact your counsel. It is within the realm of possibility that the "lawyer letter" is designed to scare you into going away, and if the possibility of going to court materialized (a great deal less expensive if your counsel is donating time), that might change quickly. Thank you for sharing this real-life story. What will you do in the future if asked for a similar fee waiver? I have traditionally refused to waive fees ($100/hour, potential discount for including the museum's information in conjunction with the shot) for a professional photographer to shoot images of our exhibits for resale (note cards, posters, art prints, etc., etc.). I have encountered indignation; I maintain that if someone is planning to make money off our collections/building, the museum should have a share. Liz Bleiberg ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).