To refuse to hand over a commissioned artwork because the customer is demanding copyright?

[Olympiathequeen]

I do commissioned images using photoshop, digital painting and composite photos. This customer (in the USA) is saying that because he commissioned the work he owns the copyright. I've read up on the subject and he doesn't meet these conditions. I've completed what I feel is a beautiful painting which has taken me days to complete for £20 (yes I know!) and I want the option to print limited copies locally. He is saying I can't do this without his permission and he will take any profit and I will get nothing as he has paid me for all rights.

He hasn't got the image yet and he hasn't paid me. He used to work as a lawyer and is trying to bullshit me.

AIBU in telling him politely the copyright is mine as the artist and he can suck it up?

desperately. No I would not have come across that image or had the idea to digitally paint old photos. On the basis of that and what I thought was a good relationship, I was prepared to sell to him for £20 and to give him free rein to reproduce the image and sell it any way he chose. I think that's a good deal in anyone's book?

I was effectively giving away an unlimited licence to him for pennies. I would still have been happy with that deal and it was only when I suggested to him I might sell a few copies locally that he came down heavy handed telling me I had no right to do so and if I sold any I would have to pay him any profit I made and get nothing myself! It was lying to and intimating me that blew the deal out of the water and made me withhold the painting. I printed the image on here before my computer blew up taking with it all my preparatory work and the image. I can download it again and repaint it at my leisure, when it will be a different (but undetectably so) image, as I informed the client. Who I don't think reads mumsnet anyway.

I didn't do the right thing by withholding the image but when someone tries to defraud and cheat you, all bets are off. He should have said I could do what I liked with it and he would have had the painting without me even questioning copyright. Ps it's currently not for sale anyway.