I also posted it at clwoods Gallery

I understand all of this, my point is that we allow "guests" to download free, do we not? Then they pass them to someone else or another site. We have no control over those who do this. I agree the dollar bill stuff didn't work but what I am trying to say is that over and over people steal from the internet, this will not stop. That was my point, and Hackers do it more than you know. They steal programs, have code generators to get software free. We can not police the whole internet throughout the world, we can try but this is futile. Everything we do on the internet can and will be taken by those who steal. Limewire, download all the music you want if you pay the price, I paid, I met a hacker recently that said " are you kidding, you paid for that?" I was talking to him in a club, and no I don't know his name but he said he can steal anything and access almost anything with a code generator. I was horrified. I paid for winzip, he got that too for free. I just think this whole thing is getting rather scary. I left the club, didn't get his info. I should have and maybe turned him in, to who I don't know but hell he is only one of so many. All I am trying to get everyone to understand is the internet is one big place, and everything can be stolen, no matter how safe you think you are, you are not. I am not trying to get banned or kicked in the guts for stuff I say, but if you think I am wrong I am willing to hear you all out. I just wanted you to know what I just found out this weekend, sitting in a club and talking about computers. I didn't like what I heard, but it opened my eyes to more than I wanted to know.

So we should not try to stop them?

Quitter.

As soon as one stops defending their rights they lose them.  This is true in intellectual property, real property,  government, whatever.  You quit and they win.  Not me sister.  Thanks but no thanks.

Not a quitter, just know there are powers out there bigger and badder than little old me. I hope you all keep going, Like I said, Good Luck With That. I don't have all day to chase down these people. I have a life. If you have all the time in the world, more power to you. I don't have the time and I am powerless to stop them. Thanks to all you internet police for finding and stopping all this, but as I said, it will continue thanks to all those who are willing to take and not give back and line their pockets. I remain "horrified".

The only power folks have over you .. is what you allow them to have....throw in the towel, and they have it all..


yes crime on the internet will be around as long as there are immoral folks out there on it .. but we must fight them when called to arms...


My stuff may not be the greatest stuff on the net .. but it's mine, when i allow someone to forceably take control over it.. I give up my right's...Ive had too many family members make the ultimate sacrifice for mine and others right's, to give them up so easily....

I'll be short and sweet.

1) The site is not linking to the content. Instead, it is simply letting you download from their servers that harvested it from WinCustomize (I know it's WC because I don't upload my stuff anywhere else). So the person downloading has no idea from where the art-work or whatever you want to call it originated.
2) The site is not really giving you credit. Your user name appears but it is not linked to your WC account, so it could be any "yourusernamehere" at any site in the vast internet. So, whoever downloads it has no way of commenting on your work or reaching you in case they were interested in giving you real paying work, which some authors here do provide. People here give countless hours to their work only to give it away for free. The least they deserve is feedback from all the people that appreciate their work.
3) They did not ask for it.
4) They are trying to make money by providing your work on an ad supported site.

All of the above added up is enough for me to not like them for what they are doing. Thanks for the alert.

T.

Knock, Knock, Knock!

Who’s there?

Elsius Saint

Enter Sir!

A member kept it short and sweet. I’ll keep it soft as a pillow.


This is not being addressed directly to that member.

Would not it be best to attach your information with your files in case they are being redistributed elsewhere by nonpartisans or unknown invidious? At least your credit would find its way back to you. In my book, only a handful should act on my advice because if your works aren’t that good, why bothered?

If you like my advice and plan to use it please be nice to make a donation of at least $50 in US currency through my PayPal Account within 24 hours right after or else.

Warning: copying my comment above to other sites without my written consent is strictly prohibited and will be punished beyond human can possibly endure.

Elsius Saint

Signing out

Wow i made 4 crap wallpapers under the guise of Sir Headly about 4 years ago and they are on the website... I dunno if i should be chuffed or annoyed

They love my work, i feel loved

Ronan

ugly skin's or not everybody had the right to be treated equally and defend their property...crap or not makes no difference.... to smugly tell folks their skins are crap and they should thank the rippers is about as repugnant of a statement as ive ever heard....

Well, I'm sitting here with nothing to do so I guess I'll throw in my 2 cents also.

First off I'm sure we all know what someone means when they say something about their 2 cents. It's their opinion, nothing more than that. Unless the person speaking has direct involement in the matter at hand an opinion really isn't worth 2 cents, sorry.

Folks responding to this post have expressed strong feelings on both sides.

The only important thing to consider is was a law broken. If a law has been broken than as they say, all bets are off. It really doesn't matter if you don't like the particular law that's being enforced or when the law in use was established.

Now back to my 2 cents worth. I've seen WC go after sites like these mentioned here and I've seen them stop people from downloading skins that where not theirs and where they did not have the permission of the owner of the skin. Stardock and or WC needs to be applauded for their integrity.

That my friends is how real life is. Oh and by the way the Internet is not real life. It's a bunch of people running amouck until they get caught with their hand in the cookie jar.   

I have seen people get off charges for saying just that.

I just got back into town late last night, so I'm running a bit behind on this subject. So forgive me if this has already been covered. I must have missed it when I read through.

mschleisner, consider this example
:
You invent a widget that allows time travel and you generously decide to distribute it for free to all who want it--for personal use, (and as creator/inventor, that is your right). Now, an individual comes in and gets one of your widgets (supposedly for personal use), sets up shop in another city, and begins distributing your widget for free also. I can see how that might not be a biggie from your viewpoint, because it's still being given away at no charge, however, since this individual knows that your widget is the greatest thing since high speed internet and that there is definitely going to be a demand for it, they decide to charge a $2 admission fee (to cover overhead, of course). Such is the demand for your widget that the individual not only is able to cover his overhead, but also to make a nice little profit.

You still say, "No biggie"? Remember, it was/is your intention to give the widget away for the betterment of mankind (you're so generous) and it was never your intent for there to be a charge for YOUR invention, yet here is an individual who has taken your property and is not only giving it away without your permission, but is making a killing off of YOUR idea (through admission fees), AND you're not receiving ONE RED CENT! Hence they have violated your intellectual property rights on a couple of levels.

This whole discussion boils down to one simple fact: as creator/inventor YOU and you alone have the right to determine when, where, and how your creation/invention is to be used. It matters not if it's good or not, it matters not if it's valuable or not, it matters not if it's free or for a price, you have the right to determine what is done with it.

One final point. Each drop of rain is but a single drop of water, but if enough drops fall, you can flood the world. Even if the entire world is stealing from the 'net, everyone that takes a stand makes a difference.

Sorry if that sounds cutsie, I'm just trying to get a point across. I also apologize for the book length post.

Funny personally directed at me, yet philly0381 was also saying the internet is full of people who are running amouck until they get their hand caught in the cookie jar. I gave an idea to Busch Gardens when I worked there, Rhino Rally was my idea, did I get paid? no! Does it make me mad yes, my family and friends knew about it. Did I file a lawsuit, no, I have no proof that the idea was mine even with pictures and all, they also changed a couple of things, so that would have been a lost cause because they changed a couple things, the court would have sided with big old Busch Gardens. Yet we talk about items that although took someone a long time to create or just a photo they doctored as being something of major value. O.K. It is to the person who created it. However, In a court of law, this is not something that the person could afford to fight, this also has international implications. I am not saying you don't have a right to ask someone to remove the stuff you created but guess what, according to a friend, who is a lawyer, you would be bankrupt if you tried to stop it. You may ask but if they choose to keep it, what can you do? I am just stating facts here. It's just like the Question recently where someone asked "what your computer setup looks like" people took pictures of massive computer systems and put that online, without thinking of who might look at that and find that person to break into their house and steal all their stuff. I think we forget who is out there and what kind of people use the internet and what for. Think about what you post, think about what you say, and how much info you give out. They are lurking and looking for ways to get what they want. I feel like I shouldn't use the forum anymore because no matter what I say I get slammed. No one sees it as information or opinion.

Maybe because the point of this post was to state a fact that another website has uploaded tons of stuff from members here and the post was written to give the authors the opportunity to ask that their work be removed. You seem to want to turn this into a debate or a drama. I see no point to the repeated ' info' you keep drilling into every post. I don't think any of us are new in town and do not understand the ' wicked ways ' of the internet.

carry on tho...

PS : Elsius Saint, in regards to your comment about giving fake praise/comment to new skinners to encourage them to keep improving their work but they ' couldnt pay you ' to download anything unless it was the work of the ' great masters '

Do you get up in the morning and say " im going to be a dipstick today ?" Cos those comments just piss me off.

Please don't feel that way. You have as much right to your opinion as do I or anyone else here. And I think, at least most of the people here understand that this is your opinion. This is just a case where a majority of the opinions tend to lean towards intellectual property right. And it seems that most of the ones that have taken this stand are artists whom[?] are trying to protect their rights regarding their creations.

Now, I intend no offense when I say this, so don't take it that way, but you sound as if you have experienced a situation where you have had something taken from you (identity theft?) and are possibly a little paranoid or pessimistic about individuals that use the net. I can accept that. And I 'm not trying to change your thinking on this. Just trying to help you understand why it's important to us. Now, I have one mediocre BootSkin that I've done, but I don't want some clown downloading it and then using it to make a profit just because it's available for free.

Anyone who's lived in this world long enough knows--sometimes from bitter experience--that the world can be very ugly and corrupt at times. I know that I've experienced my share of injustices like many others, but don't you think that despite fact that the odds might be against a person, that it's worth the effort to at least try and fight? To protect what is yours?

If I were in a situation where my children were threatened, I would try something within reason to protect or save them even though the odds are against me. Now we're not talking about a life or death situation here, but I would at least give it a shot, based solely on the principal of: It's my picture, and I don't want it on their site without my permission. If they're making money and they offer me a small share in the profits, then I might reconsider, but the choice is still mine and they need to respect it.

Yes, you ARE entitled to your opinion, and don't let anyone dissuade you from it. And don't leave us, despite differing opinions, it's still a good place to be.

Debate about the moral turpitude of copyright theft is all well and good, but the prime reason for this particular thread was/is to notify others of the existence of this site which IS violating copyright.

The debate cannot be about THAT as its veracity is self-evident.

It is totally irrelevant/immaterial whether someone or other may consider taking action as futile.  It's about being proactive in the defence of YOUR property rights, as indifference will only breed contempt/further abuse.

mschleisner ...again, it is not about some person KEEPING 'stuff', it is about someone DISTRIBUTING 'stuff'....[and not to mention also doing it for personal gain].

All content on our site, and that of our fellow skinning/art sites is freely given [or sold] for personal use of the recipient.  It is a conditional contract, entered into by tacit acceptance of the Terms Of Use of the site/s.  Public redistribution is not 'personal use' and thus violates the TOU of the contents' source.

It actually does not matter whether an individual artist later is ambivalent towards his content use, as it also can be shown to contravene the host site's restrictions...

BTW...the last lawyer who tried to intimidate me personally [for the alleged rights of his client] was summarily gelded.  I knew mine better than his understanding of his client's...

My results of searching in this site:

adni18 (74 wallpapers): WWW Link

Nikos Adamamas (54 wallpapers): WWW Link

Nikos Adamamas (2 bootskins):
http://www.topdownloads.net/services/search.php?section=bootscreens&keywords=Nikos%20Adamamas&mode=

10 have been deleted all ready, after my request, but still remaining 130 of my works there without my permission...

Emailed him, Nikos....specifically mentioning you/your work ....

I hesitate adding another reply to this post, we have enough opinions that have been expressed for both sides.

(Mrs) mschleisner in her reply (#63) took a part of one sentence from my reply (#60) and essentially wanted to know why I wasn't being picked on like she was. I kind of feel she changed the meaning of what I was trying to pointing out.

Sure I could copy the text, but It's more fun to have you go back and read the reply again for yourself. Yea, I'm lazy.   

@ Fairyy~

I'm getting pay big money at work and sometimes I feel bored 'cause I don't have much to do or my work is just that easy. I come here to have a little fun with friends and those who dislike me just a little. I'm just having fun keeping things going wishing no one gets hurt.

You might want to blame Jafo instead. He has his own way of expressing himself in English which I find interesting. So I invite myself to keep things going one way of the other – I reserve the right not to be judged. At the end of the day, I as well as the people go swimming under the stars. The people do not hate me more than they love me.

  

Reminds me of a quote from Firefly.....

"This is going to be interesting"

"Define interesting"

"Oh God, oh God, we're all going to die?"

I love it here and have been here a long time. I just feel attacked sometimes for my 0pinion. I am well educated and feel I should let others know when there is a possibility that some of the posts here only give others the chance to take without permission. I admire all those skinners who have made me happy for 7 years, as a member. Some of our members and visitors just don't know the internet as well as others. For now as of this moment, I will keep much of my opinions to myself. I will help when I can but as far as opinions, well for now I will keep many to myself. Just to keep people from smacking me down. Please keep trying to keep your stuff where you want it. I visit here and want to look. I am very impressed with the talent here, Yes Jafo, you too. I have made mistakes here and so have others but I plan to make sure I do my part to keep it clean and within my rights as a person with integrety, so Happy Hunting and Good Luck.

All beginning has an ends


I just got to work and the first thing I did was logged on here. Mrs. mschleisner has gently thrown her soft silky white towel nice and sweet. I picked it up and smelled it with such indescribable way – Smelled so good… had to lick it.

I gently moonwalk my way back in heaven.

That’s how the story ends.

But I shall be back another time, another place in the castle.

Attention all!

Jafo might be a top skillful discoverer

Firefly was our recent password to access one of the government highly protected servers. Was it a coincident or what! It is now changed anyway.


  

Very nice I think it was the tingle at the thought of the knight on his horse, daydreaming fun. Thanks for the wonderful words so that I may daydream for a moment in time.