Any help would be much appreciated!

As some of you may have read, I'm working on a project to record a CD for commercial release. I've selected a cover image, but to abide by copyright law, I have had to seek permission of use. Anyway, this is the relevant section of the reply I received back from the museum who hold the image rights.


"En contestación a su e-mail en el que nos solicita imagen de la obra de Rogelio EGUSQUIZA BARRENA, Tristán e Isolda, 1910, Nº Inv. 00/9, perteneciente a los fondos de este Museo para su inclusión en la carátula de un CD de música, quiero indicarle que este Museo dispone de un Archivo fotográfico, que proporciona material en las siguientes condiciones:

.- Imagen digital en alta resolución Venta 70,00 €

.- Autorización de Reproducción de cada imagen, carátula de CD/DVD, etc. 90,20 €, cada una

.- En todos ellos se incrementaría el IVA 21 %

Recibida la solicitud del material fotográfico, junto con los datos de la persona o entidad a nombre de quien tenga que ir la factura, así como el DNI/CIF., se le remitiría una factura proforma.

En el momento en que el Departamento de Contabilidad de este Museo nos comunicase que se ha efectuado el ingreso, procederíamos a enviarles la factura original, la autorización para su reproducción, y el material solicitado.

También le incluyo los datos técnicos de la misma junto con el pliego de condiciones para la publicación de material fotográfico de obras de nuestro Museo en cuyas cláusulas 2ª y 3ª se indica el copyright, y le ruego que nos lo devuelva debidamente cumplimentado y firmado, para incluirlo en nuestro Archivo. {my note: clauses 2 and 3 are in a separate document (fortunately in both Spanish and English) and pertain to me crediting the origin of the image - nothing to worry about}


EN LOS SUPUESTOS DE DISTINTAS REEDICIONES

Con respecto al tema de la autorización del Museo para la reproducción de dicha imagen en distintas reediciones, me gustaría comunicarle que esta autorización se hace única y exclusivamente para una sola edición, y que hay que abonar la misma cantidad para cada una de las ediciones en que se vaya a publicar esta imagen.

Por ello, si estas diferentes ediciones se van a publicar simultáneamente deberán indicarnos ahora la naturaleza de cada una y el número de ediciones diferentes que se van a publicar para indicarlo así en una próxima factura."


Google Translate mangles this horribly and produces mind-scrambling pseudo-English, hence my query.

If anyone can follow the above Spanish, am I correct in presuming that they want €70+€90.20+ an additional 21% of that; in return I can print off as many copies of the CD (and image) as I choose the first print run (or issue) to be? Secondly, any idea what the position is regarding me using the image online as a thumbnail of the CD? Does that constitute a separate issue of the image, or would such a potential interpretation be an absurd attack of pedantry?

Thanks so much if anyone is able to help me out.

Maybe Richard can help - he knows several languages. If not, then I can ask a friend.

I used to be fluent in Spanish, but that was some 45 years ago.
You pretty well have the gist of it, and with the aid of a yellowing old dictionary, here goes my attempt at filling in the gaps:

In reply to your email enquiring about an image of the work {described}, being the property of this Museum, for inclusion on the cover of a music CD, I wish to tell you that this Museum has a photo archive which supplies material on the following terms:

- high resolution digital image, for sale at €70
- permission to reproduce each image CD/DVD cover etc., €90.20 each
- to the above should be added VAT at 21%

Once your order for photographic material is received, together with details of the person or named entity in whose name the invoice should be made out, {don't know what the bit about DNI/CIF means, possibly it's something to do with VAT registration numbers if applicable} we will issue a proforma invoice.

As soon as our accounts department informs us that payment has been received, we will send the original invoice, authority to reproduce, and the material requested.

I also enclose technical data for same, together with a list of conditions for publishing photographs of our Museum's works, clauses 2 and 3 of which acknowledge our copyright, and I ask that you return this to us duly completed and signed to be retained in our archive. {does this make sense? is there a form to fill in?}

In case of different editions

Regarding the subject of this Museum's authorisation to reproduce said image in different editions, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that this authorisation is unique and exclusive to a single edition, and one must pay the same amount again {presumably only the €90.20+VAT, not the €70} for each further edition in which the image would be published. {Not sure, but I think this really means DIFFERENT editions, not just a new print run of identical material}

If such different editions are to be published simultaneously, you should tell us now the nature of each, and the number of different editions you expect to publish, so that this may be taken into account in follow-up invoices. {I guess this would apply to a multi-volume set in which you were to use the same image on the front of each volume, perhaps there might be some discount available}

There is nothing in there which would give an answer to your thumbnail question. Personally, I would assume they would not object to your publishing a low-res image of the CD cover online, in a context where you are clearly doing no more than simply promoting your CD, without this counting as a separate "publication" of their work.

That's really great - thanks so much for taking the time to do that. I appreciate the clarifications.

Clauses 2 and 3 are in another document (thankfully in both Spanish and English) and pertain to the manner in which I acknowledge the copyright within the CD sleeve notes. Seems like the fee is reasonable enough and I can proceed!