19 June 2006, 11:05 | #1 |
Evil Mastermind
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Pictures used on other sites
Just wondered if a general policy about whether other sites are allowed to take screenshots and scans exists on HOL. The reason I'm asking is I've stumbled across this and if one looks at the 'folds' on the box, it's obviously the same one I scanned for HOL. Now, on that other site, it's credited to some guy who didn't do anything but save my scans from HOL and submit them there, they're miscategorized as 'DOS release' and they have been 'branded' with that site's logo. I wouldn't have minded if anyone had asked and if proper credit to HOL (or me for that instance) had been given, but this way, it's just lame. So... what's the HOL people's opionion?
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19 June 2006, 15:24 | #2 |
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Thanks for pointing it out. It has happened before with MobyGames, with a larger number of scans, but the admin there will remove the images if asked and, to be fair, they probably receive a large number of contributions. I'll contact them about this one.
I don't think that it's a problem where a few HOL files (usually screenshots) have been used on non-database sites. There are a number of sites that use them in this minor way. It is a problem where sites with the same goal as the HOL include its scans and screenshots. This has happened a lot in the past with database sites. Usually an email to the admin sorts it out with at the very least a note about where the images come from. Other times it becomes something of a battle. It's not very fair on the HOL contributors and team who have spent money and time to buy games and run the site, especially when someone else is reaping financial benefit. We've also had screenshots appear in magazines such as Edge, GamesTM and RetroGamer with only Edge asking beforehand and including a credit. Then there was the guy who accused the HOL team of being "thieves" and was offering the site as a download... So it's happened before and will happen again. |
19 June 2006, 15:48 | #3 | |
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Just for the record: I'm perfectly aware that the Mobygames admins can't be held responsible themselves. I've talked to Jim often enough to know he cares and wants to do the right thing. My guess is that Mobygames itself is the biggest victim of all gaming sites of lame actions like that. Back when I was still running these rings and linkpages, sites which ripped off Mobygames popped up there every day.
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20 June 2006, 00:39 | #4 |
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I'm really wondering what the hell are you talking about?
You are talking about preservation and you want to put a watermark on the scans to protect "your" work. It's not even your work, it's the original creators and publishers' work, you won't do anything more than scanning and put it online. If you think this make the original work yours, then there is a serious problem. |
20 June 2006, 00:49 | #5 |
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I would be happy to see one of my scans appear on another site..
One of my rare LCD handhelds is featured on a website and I'm just happy that its there, and it belongs to me. |
20 June 2006, 10:26 | #6 | ||
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The meaning of 'content' is the hard work putting together a website. And by protecting it all you're doing is trying to stop others take this work, claim it as their own and make money out of it. Quote:
What I find amazing is the the developers of these games are almost always happy to see their creations live on in this way. The people who have a problem with it are inevitably those that weren't involved with the games at all! Furthermore, what's the point in spending the time and money to put together a resource for the community if someone else is going to take your effort and claim it as their own? |
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20 June 2006, 12:47 | #7 | |||||
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Protecting a personal creation is one thing, protecting someone's else creation is a very different (and pointless) thing. Quote:
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Now, most of those sites who steal ressources from other or craps and/or die quicly. My opinion is there is no real point to worry about these persons, just concentrate on what you do and peoples will recognizes your effort (and if some don't, they are probably of no interest). |
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20 June 2006, 13:12 | #8 | |||||
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20 June 2006, 14:06 | #9 | ||||
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Ripping off massive amounts of stuff from websites is also lame. We had some clever guy do it with the whole of HOL several months ago and offer it on a torrent site. He removed most references to HOL (and may have stuck in something about himself) and when confronted about it called us a bunch of thieves given all the hard work put in over 7+ years for what is a non-commercial project (that incidentally costs RCK a lot of money in hosting along with EAB, APOV, aGTW, Classic WB etc. etc. etc.). Quote:
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20 June 2006, 15:57 | #10 | |||
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What I meant is it's almost impossible to protect your site content, and this is even more true with hobbyist sites. Because you have no real legal tools in your hand for that. I can't imagine someone making a site for fun and copyrighting every single element of it. And even if you do (and it will cost you a lot of money) will you really go with a lawer against someone who'd steal your work? I really doubt it because it will cost you even more money, a lot of energy and time and sometimes it's not even possible because of laws being different from a country to another. Quote:
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20 June 2006, 18:00 | #11 |
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I agree that it's hard for hobby sites to take legal action. However, it doesn't cost anything to copyright your own work. Copyright is an implied right which starts on the original date of creation. The copyright (c) notice is usually added to reinforce this.
It's not a good idea to abandon all thought of legal protection. Failing to actively protect your work can be seen as abandoning rights. As you say, lawyers are, of course, expensive and so usually unavailable to hobby sites (and will take every opportunity to screw you - as was seen in this recent UK case in a miners' claim: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...140977,00.html) The law isn't the only way to protect sites. So it's not a case of deciding between lots of protection or no protection and a degree of reasonable protection is justifiable. |
24 June 2006, 14:40 | #12 |
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Cody and DrBong basically said it all. Just wanted to add that I refrained from putting anything on my latest scans, so they're all 'clean'. If anyone takes them without credit, there's nothing I can do, yes. Still doesn't make it right. In this 6.5 years I've been running my site, I've been ripped off repeatedly, mainly with the comics. In a few cases, I've even seen my 'unmarked' scans being taken, watermarked by someone else and spread on.
I don't see how anyone can seriously say it's not such a big deal to see other take credit, fame and praise and sometimes even money out of one's own voluntary work for the community. As I said, if another respectable webmaster takes something and acknowledges the work put into assembling something, fine. The more people get access, the better, but not at the cost of integrity. If something I put together ends up on some lame site with lots of ads and no real contents, not fine. |
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