In the slip-shod realm of celebrity blogging – of which, for better or worse, we take part in – the bread and butter that makes that gossip go 'round are the paparazzi photos that populate fan forums, where many a celeb blogger goes to find photos, gratis, to post. This usually runs afoul of what we, and any attorney aware of the difference between the bar and O'Healy's Pub, refer to as "copyright law" (it helps to make the air quotes). But one celeb blogger in particular, Perez Hilton, does not care for the endless court battles that have determined what acceptable terms of Fair Use are. Perez, aka Mario Lavandeira (a sometime friend and business acquaintance of Jossip), was none too pleased to find a note from from pap agency X17 sitting in his inbox. X17, which has been making a go at launching its own blog as a marketing tool for its photos, send this note to a swatch of celeb blogs:

Hi there — sorry, but I think the free ride’s ending. We’re asking that everyone cease and desist using X17’s images, watermarked or not, effective immediately. We’ve gotta get some traffic out of our Britney story and when other sites run all our pix, even with a link to us, what good does it do for us? Sorry guys, but from now on we will offer images for license only. We may be able to work out some deals with particular websites for the use of one or two images/story in certain circumstances, but you need to email first for permission. If you have pitches you’d like to make about why you should be able to use our images, how you’d like to work with us, etc., we’re always open to suggestions. This is not an angry email, we just have to start protecting our images and not giving them away — we’re losing money, guys!

This means no Britney pix unless you email first and we’ll decide on a case-by-case basis.

Thank,
Kelly

Perez, never one to not have the last word, responded in kind:

Don't threaten me bitch. I'm not scared!
I would have gladly put up a link to your site but you had to get all nasty.

Instead of wanting to have me as a friend or an ally you choose to be
a cunt! CUNT! And I don't wanna work with cunts. And liars. And
unethical people. And that's what you are!

You've tried to fuck me over. And you've only fucked yourself over.

All of which reminds us of a certain other email exchange between Mz. Hilton and another party not to his liking.