One Direction fans struggle with the concept of copyright

We hear a lot from the rich and successful in the music industry about how people breaching copyright is a terrible, terrible thing.

What happens when it's part of the well-heeled music industry doing the infringing, and someone calls them on it?

Why, then the fans pile in.

Ezequiel Scagnetti was surprised to see that Harry Styles was using one of his photos on Instagram.

Not only had Styles not asked, but he hadn't even bothered to credit Scagnetti.

Scagnetti was obviously upset to see his work getting so much praise while nobody knew it was his work, so took to Facebook to complain:

750,000 like - but I don't like it. I'm interested to see who is this guy that published my picture and got 750.000 likes, without even mentioning my name," said Ezequiel on the popular social network.

The One Direction hive mind detected this criticism of Harry Styles, and swarmed into attack.

Like good little corporate citizens, they told Ezequiel he should be thrilled and delighted that his work had pleased Styles; why, they would kill for Harry to share their photos. He should chill.

And if berating the man wasn't enough, they then started to give fake reviews for his photography business.

Oh, and that's not even touching on the homophobic and racist nature of some of the abuse.

"Why don't you sue him" said some; Ezequiel explained, patiently, that this wasn't about money:

#harrystyles maladroitness is not a real reason for me to sue him (you guys invented it), he is not the first publishing my work without permission and without previous agreement.
But you should understand that I have the right to do it if I want. And I have the right to be upset.

I am a rich man, but of another kind of richness, by doing professional pictures, I earn enough to feed my wife and my 2 kids, and that’s all I need.

You see guys, we have different values; success for you is to be famous, to have "likes" in Facebook or to be a pop singer, success for me is raising my family with dignity.

Even more patiently, he explained that it wasn't even about copyright:

Most of you (the ones insulting me) are damned because this: you are not able to understand people who think different than you.

I’m not talking about the lack of knowledge or simple ignorance in subjects as photography, arts, copyright, etc. You are completely lost on those subjects and that’s fine for me, you are kids.

I'm talking about your petty and narrow mind.

You are so narrow-minded that you think that my centre of interest, at my forties, must be a pop band and a -certainly-, nice guy called Harry Styles.

Well... I’m currently following with attention the problem of millions of Syrian refugees living in horrible conditions, dying in the Mediterranean Sea running away from war and terrorism.

I am busy reading some articles about the geopolitical impact of the agreement between USA and Iran concerning the Uranium issue.

But I also worry of the latest terrorist attacks in Paris, Brussels, Tunisia, Mali, Pakistan, to name but a few, and all this bunch of innocent people dying every day in the hands of insane people.

But you blame me because I did not know who is #harrystyles. Great.

He might not know who Harry Styles is. But, boy, does he know what Styles' fans are like.