Stealing fom SkinBase

Yep, I see my stuff on websites, in other themes/skins...even had a couple of people selling a CD of my stuff on E-Bay but I realized a long time ago that, realistically, once you release something on the internet, you´re relinquishing control of it for better or worse. The skinning sites do a wonderful job of recognizing and removing rips but with other sites...well, that´s up to the owner/host whether they want to be a decent and fair individual about it or not.
Nope, not alot of control once it´s out there...I know it pisses people off but that´s the nature of the beast and, unfortunately, not alot you can do about it. Look even at a company like Microsoft...how many times a day is their logo, designs, graphics, etc. used in the work of others although they´re clearly copyrighted, which goes to show you Joe Average is pretty much on their own... :-)

The difference I see in what you are saying about Microsoft is it really is not affecting their income when people use their logos...it is enhancing their income and promoting their product and providing a service for people that they generally ignore. You only have to look at the quality of the images they usually provide with a system. Pixelated to hell. I also see a large difference between that and taking a photo that clearly has copyright markings and deliberately cropping those from the image,flipping it in a token gesture of an attempt to hide its appearance and then splattering your website name across the top of it claiming it as your own work. I know you visit devART and realitysquared there has provided a wealth of information on copyright law. The thing that irks me the most is these people not only jeopardize their own position by placing themselves in a position for prosecution but it also puts the unsuspecting website in line for prosecution as well. Those costs can close a website which is why devART chose to enforce copyright law with a zero tolerance attitude. The mindset of nothing can be done simply gives it a seed to continue...better to do something about it rather than simply accept a wrong. In the case of posting others work without permission that is just rude.....courtesy costs nothing!

Just using Microsoft as an example...could be Warner Bros., Disney or one of a hundred companies people have "borrowed" graphics from...and I certainly can´t speak for whether they profit from art projects incorporating their images or not but if an individual makes their living creating art, I totally agree it does have a tremendously different affect on them versus a big corporation. It´s strictly a hobby to me, I´ve never made a cent off anything so I guess I do have a very different perspective from those who make a living from what they create. Naturally, it gets under anyone´s skin to see their work intentionally ripped, which there is absolutely no excuse for, but if it doesn´t involve a large website/host such as DevArt (an example) against a large company threatening copyright infringement then it´s you against another individual (or their representative) which could involve alot of expense, time and aggrevation. Who knows, maybe alot of the people who use others work realize that and rationalize the odds are stacked in their favor. Again, just speculation on my part... :-)

I don´t entirely disagree with your viewpoint....for me it is the basic principal of the thing....it is about doing what is right and lawful. I spent enough time on the wrong side of the fence and cannot allow myself to compromise these days.

ok, Folks... here is my statement:

today i´ve got an message by TAXIFUNK about this thread .
Now , i´m very surprised about all this the stuff !

As First: We building Skins for the Jetaudio Player. Our Mainpage and our Forum is for jetaudio Users.
We have an Image Area for Uploading Graphics and an Downloadarea for uploading Skins, and other related things. We are not an Downloadsite, like Skinbase !!!
(We have only a few DL´s in few Kathegorys at a small server !
We dont get money for that, we only do this for Fun and free !!!

2. All our Website Graphics, our Jetaudio Skins and some Wallpapers are made by me or other Users of Media-Play !

Here at Skinbase are 15 jetaudio Skins. 11 are made by me and 1 was made by the owner of the Media-Play Board ! only 3 are from other Users, and they have uploaded the skins by themself !
At our Site, there are over 100 jetaudio Uploads, and much of them are made by us - And we have contact to all the other jetaudio Skinbuilders, like Exity, CVP ( they are Moderators at our Bord) - and Cowon by it self !!!

3. The Uploadsystem, we installed was in the beginning for our works, cause of the bad uploadsystem of the Boardsoftware. But with the time some Users uploading more Files, so we opened an "Other Skins" Area and an Wallpaperarea.
Anybody can upload Files, so we dondt know, if some Files are not made by the Uploader or not !
Thats, why the Original Authors should leave us an short message, if there is an illegal upload - but this is NOT happened so far as i know.
(@ Mountainhawk: can you show me your PM , you send to us ? We never get anything like this from you or another one )

4. Only at the Wallpaperarea i by myself have uploaded some Files, i have downloaded to my Disk in several Years. I have done that cause i like the Images i uploaded - not to "Rip" or "Steal" !!!
All the other Stuff is Uploaded by other Users. In that cases, i know the original Author, i have written the name and the link to the Website of the Author, like Skinfactory and other Authors. For other cases we have written, that we would be happy if the original Author could leave us an message about the Name and the Website or if he wants to remove the File !

So.. there is NO Ripping or what you think. This is only an Fansite ! If you dont want to see your works at our Site, than please let us know about that . (I´m very proud to see my works at other Sites - so i don´t understand why some users here make so much troubble. )

As next, most of the time i spend to build new skins. At this time i build an skin for an Musicgroup (They ask me to to that!) So, i have not the time to controll all uploads or else.
Our Site is seperated in Two Websites:
www.Media-play.de - this is the Mainsite. Here you can gat all informations about our works (Not yet, cause i rebuild the site since a couple of days)
www.media-play.org - This is the Messageboard with the Uploadarea. Im not the owner of the Site.
The owner is here at skinbase regitred as "media-play.org" .
This is not me ! Its another Guy they like jetaudio too and want to help to make an jetaudio Place.
But i have Administrator Rights, so i can delete files, if an original Author send me an short message.
(Please do that at our Area, cause i´m not so much time here at Skinbase)

Ok... now i have written much text... if you want to know more, just ask me.
And to all the other Posters here, i will say: Please come down ! This is not an War - its just an small Fansite !

Regards
Sven Westphal , [LINK]

@ Taxifunk:

Hab auf Deine Mail geantwortet.
Hoffe, damit is der disput ausgeräumt ^^
Wir sind ne jetaudio Fanseite - sonst nix

lg
Sven

Hi all : I´m a friend of this member. He makes lots of skins and used to help jetAudio. I know he made these skins himself and didn´t steel them or whatever. He made them !!!

Phill

Also take a look at his site - he´s a pro and not a steeler

Just for Better Understanding: The Download & the Wallpaper area is NOT an own Website !
The both Areas are just subpages of the Message Board !!! Its the same, like "News, Profile, PM Box, a.s.o.)

www.media-play.org is an Messagebord ! No Download-Website !

For more Information about this, you have to ask "media-play.org" - not me... i made all the graphics and the skins from the Board and the jetaudio Player ^^

My personal Website is [LINK]
At this Website i will show all my skins and graphics.(Under Construction)

Both Websites working together, but they are two different things.
My media-play.de Website is personell by me as the builder of jetaudioskins.
The media-play.org Forum is an Fan Forum for jetaudio by another guy.
We are helping us together and we both have the same hobby: JetAudio
But we are two different persons !


(just for all, they think, they want to play Sherlok Holmes and want to see some evil Robberys in our Works!!!! )

Regards
Sven Westphal

I have never read such bullshit in all my life.

JetAudio... an expensive commmercial download. If you are so good at skinning Mr "mediaplayer" make something for the community!

As to your explanation of how other folks work appeared on your site without permission... what was it?.... "All the other Stuff is Uploaded by other Users".... well if it wasn´t uploaded by the original author it just shouldn´t be there fella!

And, you Blue ( Nadwhat ~ nothing in your gallery )... should also be ashamed of yourself! This is the worst case scenario of ripping I have ever seen. If I were a SB moderator I would remove JetAudio from the list of audio software.

( and my apologies to my friends for becoming a "flamer"... someone has to do it! )

This is the pm I received just today from Media.Play:

Ok, Skinbase !
Now , i have deleted my own (!!!) works at your website.
If you don´t want to have Skinbuilders as Users, i dont want to be one of you.
You tell the Users, i have ripped my work from your Website - thats NOT true and you know that exactly !
The other User from our Forum, Medi-play has explained you the Facts !
And as you can see, most of our Files in our Board Oploadsystem are uploaded by some NBoardusers !
Nobody has send us an Message to remove some graphics, some Users uploaded or any other information was come !
so, you can delete me from your system !



Comments anyone before I do something drastic?

Oops! sorry I worded it too strongly... funny how I didn´t have to call my lawyer

Quote:
(Also take a look at his site - he´s a pro and not a steeler )

Nadwhat..

Nadwhat Hi.
I visited the website and found my windowblinds there. It is not wrong for another website to host another authors windowblind, but, if you do not ask for authorization from the author then you are stealing ! As the work is mine and not his ! It is very simple to ask for permission to host another authors work, so please dont even say that you didnt even have any of my work there as I visited the site along with other members here, and I seen my work there as did the other members here....

I answered his pm. If any of you are so inclined you may way to send him an e-mail to remove your work. Otherwise, I don´t think it will be.

mediaplay was requested by me to withdraw from their site any works that did not have authorisation of original creators. It is as simple as that and mediaplays responsibility to ensure unauthorised works do not appear on their boards not ours. Full stop! mickeblue and Butch basically covered anything else I would have said. My only other suggestion is read copyright law and get up to speed with it. It is the responsibility of any credible ,responsible site owner.