I could spit a snake, I am so angry.

[Vanessa]

Up until today, I was a member of another scrapbooking site as well and this one. Over the last month, I became aware that the site (Site A) was posting direct links into my scrapbook gallery, linking directly to my scraps. I picked up on this one day when running a search on something else. I was of course concerned because there were pictures of my children and my grandchildren in my gallery. I went over Site A's T&C's with a fine toothcomb and nowhere do they say that they will make your work freely available to every tom, dick and harry and pervert in creation and also anyone who wishes to right click on your work. Members on the site were also continually infringing copyright by using original artist's and scrapbook designer's work without obtaining permission and giving credit. I complained when I initially started to notice that this was happening and was ignored by the webmaster and customer service team. I was told by the owner of the challenge using an artist's original work without permission to mind my own business, because they weren't hurting anyone. Today I withdrew all my scrapbooks from their site and complained very vocally in their forum about the lack of site management. Thank god I withdrew my scraps beforehand, because I was immediately shut down. I found out this evening that the woman who I have been teaching has been accused by Site A of lifting my work and infringing my copyright. She has been blamed for me leaving. How can they hang, draw and quarter someone like that without proof? For the record, she had nothing to do with it and I will continue teaching her and have asked her to join us her in the Max community. Why can't other sites be like this one? No-one can access my work that is not a member, unless they spend hours poring through the galleries or unless I give them the link to my gallery. God almighty, some sites are good, some are just crap and some, well we won't go there....

[Granny]

Vanessa, I'm really sorry this happened to you. It's terrible when people act that way. And I understand that you don't want to lower yourself to their level by saying what site it is.

However, ah, eh.... We have no way of protecting ourselves from them, because we have no idea who they are. So, glad you feel better by telling us, but it kind of leaves us hanging.

[Carena]

Sorry to hear this Vanessa. The scrapping world can be both wonderful and dreadful. I've seen challenges where members can do quick pages and part of the challenge is to offer the page to members - that is fine so long as they use their own work or have permission from the designer but so often this is not the case.

I guess sometimes the only thing we can do is leave a comment about the theft of the item in the hope that the embarassement may bring them into line. Breaches of copyright are happening way to often - in fact you could find it every single day in the scrapping world - is someone gonna take them to court - the courts would be tied up for years with the amount of cases. Sorry - I don't have any answers and I don't think anyone has. All we can do is to look out for one another and if we see something that's not right - make it know.

Good for you my sweet.
Kind regards
Carena

[Vanessa]

Vanessa, I'm really sorry this happened to you. It's terrible when people act that way. And I understand that you don't want to lower yourself to their level by saying what site it is.

However, ah, eh.... We have no way of protecting ourselves from them, because we have no idea who they are. So, glad you feel better by telling us, but it kind of leaves us hanging.

Have sent you a PM with info. I was still arguing with them at 1:00am my time because they tried to say that if I uploaded to their site then I was responsible for the fact that there were direct links from the web into my gallery linking directly to my pages. Wrong, web links are done by the web team. I am not sitting there writing their back door programme and updating their links for them. As to the other breaches of copyright, they held up their hands and said that again it was not their responsibility. Well I have news for them they are just as responsible for what goes on on their site, because they are acting as a proxy ISP by allowing hosting on their server of other peoples scraps, as the people who post them.

[crops2dawn]

ewwww You have a snake in your mouth....by all means spit that thing out... LOL
Sorry you had to go through that! Putting anything on the internet you are at risk...I was googling a couple months ago, I forget what it was and so surprised when it brought me into here...I guess I just never gave it much thought. It just goes to show that whatever you put on ANYWHERE you are allowing anyone to see it. And I guess there are some people who like to steal...I doubt anyone could could stop them, but what comes around goes around. It will come back to haunt them one day!!!

[Vanessa]

I have calmed down somewhat today. It has only taken spending the whole day grafting like a navvy putting up a garden shed to work out my anger. I guess what my mother always said is true after all - "I am a redhead who is slow to anger, but when I come out of my corner, I come out going for the jugular vein."

You know honey, I was not so much angry at the fact that they had allowed links into my gallery, but there were pics there of my grandchildren. When they were accessed they were high quality jpegs, not little thumbnails that would print up badly. I know what it is like to be terrorised by a pervert, and websites are supposed to be more responsible as to the access to content stored on them, especially where images of children are concerned. Paedophiles get off on jerking off over picture of kiddies.

Normally when you access a website through the main page, you leave a trail, as you enter the site on web monitoring software, that logs information such as your IP address. I have run the same searches that showed up the problem with the site concerned and none of my work here on SBM is available other than going through the main page and then into galleries and then they would have to search. Basically the idea of web monitoring software is that the longer you are on a site, the more info is gathered as to what pages you visited, how long you visited etc. By providing a quickie backdoor link to my gallery it gives people like that a quick entrance and exit.

Anyway as they say, I am well rid. That particular website is just celebrating its 2nd birthday I think, and with a bit of luck it won't see another. As you say hopefully what goes around will come around. I don't care what they think, but when you breach someone's rights like that they are entitled to remove their work and tell you to get lost.

If you ever want a pitbull to fight your corner, you know where to come.

[crops2dawn]

Glad to hear that you have calmed down a bit!!! And I promise if I ever need a pitbull I will DEFINATELY come running to you! LOL
I recommend you take a hot bubble bath, light some candles, get a good book and do some relaxing tonight! Dont stress too much dear, it aint worth the headaches.

[autisticwonder]

BLESS you Vanessa!! WHEW.. I'd be very upset too!! It's one of the reasons I don't post to the Gallery alot of my scrapbook pages but rather have them in Private albums now!! Two autistic kids that don't hesitate a second...well..don't want to say too much..sorry!! It only takes one undesirable to upset the apple cart!!

This is a GREAT site with lots of integrity!! The management listens to all complaints and makes adjustments accordingly!! LOVE that about them!!

Sadly, the internet was so new..technology was faster than the protection of such broad techno stuff..

I have a hard time trying to figure out who's the REAL owner of stuff I purchase on the net..

Only the original owners can complain to sites and must show proof of their copyright infringement issues. Court battles are ridiculously expensive for the effort..As Desmond always says..We will have to do what we can to protect our stuff....and here is a GREAT PLACE!!

HUGS!!! I'm with Crops..BUBBLE bath sounds WONDERFUL!!

[Vanessa]

You know I have only been on this site a few weeks and I have already figured out that as sites go, this is a caring and sharing site. I have to admit that as far as help etc is concerned our dear Des is an absolute darling. For all the things he has helped me with, I can only thank him for his never ending patience. When people bend over backwards to help out it certainly is appreciated. You keep one eye in the back of your head with your two littlies, they are precious.