It says he earned a few thousand pounds and recouped his cost upon his return. He would have earned a small amount of money and leveraged on that burst of fame

It says he earned a few thousand pounds and recouped his cost upon his return. He would have earned a small amount of money and leveraged on that burst of fame and networking it brought him. Instead he decided to fight a stupid copyright battle. The photo didn't ruin his life, his decisions on what to do with it did.