As we all know, it’s getting harder and harder to make a buck these days:

Padriac Sheridan wanted to draw customers into his restaurant… by showing the 2008 Vice Presidential debate, featuring Palin and Senator Joe Biden.

So, as he did with other big television events that he hoped would draw customers into his restaurant, Sheridan put a note about it on his restaurant’s web site. For this occasion, he Googled a little bit, found what appeared to be official portraits for the governor and the senator, and downloaded them. Then, Sheridan inserted them onto his web site, along with details about the October 2 debate.

Two years later. Yes, two years:

…Sheridan received a letter from an attorney representing a company claiming that Sheridan’s web site stole their photograph of Palin, and they wanted him to pay for it.

“A copyright holder is entitled to seek statuary damages up to $30,000 per infringement as well as statutory damages of not less than $2,500 or more than $25,000 per falsification of copyright management information, in addition to attorney’s fees and costs,” the letter said.

Sheridan is an Irish immigrant who became a U.S. citizen only three months before receiving the letter.

“I assume that an elected official’s official portrait would be public domain,” he said.

Please read the whole story.  The title the author gave it is, “How to Control (and Cash In On) the Sarah Palin Brand.”

Wait ’til Former Half-Gov Tawdrina McMoneyGrub and Bristol trademark their names, if they ever figure out how to sign them on a form.

H/t: LWDGrfx