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One Way to Deal with Internet Thieves

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Re: One Way to Deal with Internet Thieves

#41

Post by pyre »

rick888 wrote: post #11
wulczer wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very interesting comment. For me the line is profiting from the copied content/software. I am opposed to people selling pirated movies on the streets and not so to people downloading and watching them in their homes.

So, if I copied your startup (website, graphics, and name), and didn't make a profit on it (even if you were charging), it's okay?

The name would be covered under trademark law, and the website/graphics copying could be considered plagiarism if you are attempting to pass them off as your own.

On the other hand, someone that copies a movie is neither:

1) Claiming to be the movie studio that produced and/or distributed the movie.

2) Claiming that they were the producer/creator of the movie.

Comparing the two situations doesn't work because the only common factors are that copying happened and that they're both related to the nebulous term 'IP.'

Re: One Way to Deal with Internet Thieves

#42

Post by pyre »

citricsquid wrote: post #36

This guys website is just others content, HE is taking flash games created by others and publishing them on his website FOR PROFIT. I spotted some friends games on there that they are unlikely to gave permission to put on there. Also, he has taken a popular t-shirt design, copied it and then is selling it for profit here http://www.cafepress.co.uk/playitontheweb as advertised on his website. If the guy who posted thi…

Maybe this is why he didn't want to send a DMCA takedown notice? He didn't want to claim, under penalty of perjury, that he own the copyrights?

Re: One Way to Deal with Internet Thieves

#43

Post by function_seven »

jedsmith wrote: post #28
function_seven wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

EDIT: See my response to jedsmith below. I didn't look at the altered site when I posted the following: Well, it doesn't look like the OP has actually done any vigilantism (at least not yet): I simply altered the code of my site so that the next time his scraper tried to access its content, it wouldn’t get what it expected. Within an hour, the homepage and every page of his site looked like this (redacted to protect…

Intentionally altering your site so that the automated scraper pastes personal identity all over the target site is an act of vigilantism, and feeds the wild West that the author laments. Hell, digging up identity and then using it against a person is vigilante in itself -- the content of the site modification is extremely passive aggressive. 4chan calls this "dropping dox".

I didn't even bother to look at the screenshot of the altered site. You're completely right. Edited.

Re: One Way to Deal with Internet Thieves

#44

Post by David »

Fargren wrote: post #23
rick888 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The main argument for 'piracy is not stealing' is that there is still an original copy. Just like with the OP's site.

"The main argument for 'piracy is not stealing' is that there is still an original copy." No, the main argument for 'piracy is not stealing' is that piracy is not stealing. Stealing is the substraction of property, which piracy isn't. This isn't stealing either, this is plagiarism. If we don't name things with their correct names, we create false associations, and that makes arguing about those things needlesly compl…

Violent agreement. You and GP seem to be saying exactly the same thing -- because the original still exists, there is no subtraction of property, and it is not stealing.

Re: One Way to Deal with Internet Thieves

#46

Post by Quarrelsome »

I don't quite see the argument myself. As a former dancer in the breakdancing scene the premise of "biting" (stealing) moves comes up a lot. After a lot of consideration I came to the conclusion that if you perform something publicly its pretty much fair game for copying. I don't think there is a benefit in spending your time trying to hunt down these copycats. The time is much better spent creating new works. The Open Source world teaches us that product is not just the object the item being copied but the service, the knowledge, the understanding of the product and the ability to create more. For creatives and dancers it's the brand, and/or your name.

By all means if you think its worthwhile you can hunt down people ripping off your stuff but if you're becoming tempted to just sit on your prior work and prevent anyone else from touching it you're becoming stale. Case in point would be Cliff Richard who the RIAA like to roll out whenever they want to extend the terms of their copyright because apparently Cliff Richard relies on this royalties as his pension. I often wonder why he didn't/doesn't have to save for his retirement like everyone else.

Re: One Way to Deal with Internet Thieves

#47

Post by shareme »

jedsmith wrote: post #20

Okay, I'll take the alternative view: this is embarrassing for the OP. What worries me is that the OP found the name Bart Burns on the WHOIS for the domain, and assumed (a) that's who registered the domain, and (b) that the information he found via a quick Google is actually Bart Burns. I can change the information on my domain to be whoever I want, particularly if I'm a scammer. Whatever I put in NameCheap's panel s…

There also a legal ramification:

-If OP altered his/her own site to list such things as personal address of target, phone, etc of the target before he scrape and if that altered data appeared on the non target's site with WWW access than target would have a case of misdemeanor B class suit in any state in the US.

The OP needs stop doing his own lawyering..

Re: One Way to Deal with Internet Thieves

#48

Post by dctoedt »

shareme wrote: post #47
jedsmith wrote: post #20

Okay, I'll take the alternative view: this is embarrassing for the OP. What worries me is that the OP found the name Bart Burns on the WHOIS for the domain, and assumed (a) that's who registered the domain, and (b) that the information he found via a quick Google is actually Bart Burns. I can change the information on my domain to be whoever I want, particularly if I'm a scammer. Whatever I put in NameCheap's panel s…

There also a legal ramification: -If OP altered his/her own site to list such things as personal address of target, phone, etc of the target before he scrape and if that altered data appeared on the non target's site with WWW access than target would have a case of misdemeanor B class suit in any state in the US. The OP needs stop doing his own lawyering..

> ... than [sic] target would have a case of misdemeanor B class suit in any state in the US.

What makes you think so?

Re: One Way to Deal with Internet Thieves

#49

Post by pingswept »

DarkShikari wrote: post #35
dangrossman wrote: post #22

I would've just sent the DMCA notice. It's not a "whole process", it's a couple lines of text you copy/paste, put in the URL of your site and the copy, change the date, and email to the host. It'll take you a few seconds to modify and send out. Most web hosts have a specific mailbox for DMCA notices on their contact page or in their AUP. Subject: DMCA Notice of Copyright Infringement The copyrighted work at issue is…

I deal with companies ripping off GPL software. Not a single company -- or the webhosts they use -- have ever responded to a DMCA request.

Do you mean that the infringers have ignored the takedown request, or do you mean they have all silently complied?

Re: One Way to Deal with Internet Thieves

#50

Post by biot »

boctor wrote: post #16

It'd be interesting to hear the technical details of how the switcheroo was accomplished

Check web logs for regular visits from a specific IP address. Setup alternate site (eg: on a different port) and use firewall rules to direct http traffic from that IP to that port. Make a small change to the site and verify that the copied site is altered. Then have fun.
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