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Marty: The future, it's where you're going? Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
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Ubikoh pete, that's later. maybe we'll be dead by thenRegistered Userregular
The part I imagine would run into legal problems is if the authors requested their media be removed from his service and he declined to do so.
See, I'm not sure. I mean, I don't know. But let's say that you had a site that you paid a fee to enter. On the site, it just has links + re-hosted images of popular comics.
Even if the creator doesn't want you to link to them, or to re-host their image, what can they do about it? It's a public website. The owner of the pay to enter site isn't claiming that the work is his, he is just collecting them for you so you don't have to go to each site every day.
linking you can't do anything about, but re-hosting images w/o permission to make profit is most probably infringement
even without payment, it's probably infringement because you're using copies of someone else's work to drive views to your website instead of theirs
it doesn't matter if you claim the work as your own
It's always going to be annoying to comic makers that someone else has found a way to make money which includes using their work, because generally comic makers are really awful at making money.
Yeah, I feel for dudes like Kris Straub when he starts ranting about attribution, linking, and tumblr, but I feel like the problematic facets of content distribution on the internet are largely inseparable from the great ones. Navigating the social and technological obstacles to maintaining both a personal recognition and a livelihood are fucking difficult, and there have to be ways to foment a sense of social responsibility, but calling this "stealing" is, I think, the wrong tack.
And then, there's QC.
I got a whole bunch of tweets and emails today linking me to this blog post about a smartphone app that is ripping off a whole bunch of webcomics, including my own.
Here's the problem, in a nutshell: they are taking my comics, which I put up on the internet for free, and attempting to make their own money off of them by charging people for an app that is essentially a glorified RSS scraper. It's not stealing money directly out of my pocket, but it's still some form of theft, of that I'm sure. And of course it's being done without my permission.
This isn't the first time someone's written an app or coded a website that does this sort of thing, and it probably won't be the last. But I want to state here, for the record, that I think this sort of thing is awful and will never, ever grant permission for my work to be used in this way. So if you see an app or a website that is using QC strips in this manner, be assured that it is without my permission. And please let me know about them so I can contact the creators and have my work removed. I never would have heard of this if it weren't for you guys.
And a note to anyone considering doing this kind of thing themselves: it is stealing. It is not okay to take someone else's work and sell it without their permission. Don't do it. Everyone will hate you.
The main thing this has taught me is that I need some sort of official QC app for smartphones. I'll look into it.
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BroloBroseidonLord of the BroceanRegistered Userregular
The part I imagine would run into legal problems is if the authors requested their media be removed from his service and he declined to do so.
See, I'm not sure. I mean, I don't know. But let's say that you had a site that you paid a fee to enter. On the site, it just has links + re-hosted images of popular comics.
Even if the creator doesn't want you to link to them, or to re-host their image, what can they do about it? It's a public website. The owner of the pay to enter site isn't claiming that the work is his, he is just collecting them for you so you don't have to go to each site every day.
linking you can't do anything about, but re-hosting images w/o permission to make profit is most probably infringement
even without payment, it's probably infringement because you're using copies of someone else's work to drive views to your website instead of theirs
it doesn't matter if you claim the work as your own
well I mean then couldn't you just not rehost the image?
I actually said re-hosting because that is purported to be the socially conscious thing to do.
I understand why creators would be annoyed, someone is profiting off their hard work - but I would actually be willing to tolerate ads or pay a small amount for a really well done comic app. If a few comic creators pooled together and made a nice Android app where you could mark favorites and have them put notices on the phone when new comics become available I'd pay a buck or two for that convenience.
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Ubikoh pete, that's later. maybe we'll be dead by thenRegistered Userregular
The part I imagine would run into legal problems is if the authors requested their media be removed from his service and he declined to do so.
See, I'm not sure. I mean, I don't know. But let's say that you had a site that you paid a fee to enter. On the site, it just has links + re-hosted images of popular comics.
Even if the creator doesn't want you to link to them, or to re-host their image, what can they do about it? It's a public website. The owner of the pay to enter site isn't claiming that the work is his, he is just collecting them for you so you don't have to go to each site every day.
linking you can't do anything about, but re-hosting images w/o permission to make profit is most probably infringement
even without payment, it's probably infringement because you're using copies of someone else's work to drive views to your website instead of theirs
it doesn't matter if you claim the work as your own
well I mean then couldn't you just not rehost the image?
I actually said re-hosting because that is purported to be the socially conscious thing to do.
inline links aren't copies so yeah "not rehosting" is the way to go under copyright
People realize that things can be bad without being stealing, right?
I'd just say charging for an RSS scraper is pretty bad. It's bad whether or not it's also stealing.
This is a pretty pointless assertion. Is it bad to eat a half gallon of ice cream every morning for breakfast? Sure, some would argue. But that doesn't really have anything to do with whether charging for an RSS scraper is actually harming the comic creators at all.
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Blake TDo you have enemies then?Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered Userregular
People realize that things can be bad without being stealing, right?
I'd just say charging for an RSS scraper is pretty bad. It's bad whether or not it's also stealing.
This is a pretty pointless assertion. Is it bad to eat a half gallon of ice cream every morning for breakfast? Sure, some would argue. But that doesn't really have anything to do with whether charging for an RSS scraper is actually harming the comic creators at all.
The GeekOh-Two Crew, OmeganautRegistered User, ClubPAregular
The guy isn't charging for webcomics, he his charging for the service of gathering them all up in one place.
Saying this guy is stealing webcomics is like saying AT&T is stealing webcomics because they charge you to have access to the internet where these webcomics can be viewed on your phone. Oh, and also Apple is stealing webcomics because they charge you money to buy their phone, on which you can read webcomics.
BLM - ACAB
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Ubikoh pete, that's later. maybe we'll be dead by thenRegistered Userregular
copyright is a no go but if you guys want to talk about this guy committing trademark infringement
I have Penny Arcade on my Google Reader, but it doesn't show the comics. It shows the title of the comic, and then I have to click and go to the site to see the comic itself.
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The GeekOh-Two Crew, OmeganautRegistered User, ClubPAregular
I mean yeah, it's kind of a douchey thing to do, but so far the arguments presented sway my opinion that he's not actually "stealing".
I have Penny Arcade on my Google Reader, but it doesn't show the comics. It shows the title of the comic, and then I have to click and go to the site to see the comic itself.
There was a thingy to show them but I forgot what it was
I have never used an RSS feed ever, and I honestly know very little about them, but this is still a shitty thing to do. It may not be illegal, but its shitty
I mean, if the guy wanted to at least try to be above board he ought to have obvious links back to the creators' site so that if a person was interested in finding out more, reading archives, or buying merch then they could.
It's a fucking moot point. People are either going to check those comics in that app, in another app like that, easily accessible on a mobile device compatible website, or not at all.
The RSS feeds are posted by the sites themselves, too. I don't see anything wrong with this.
Posts
The only people who can stop it are Rick Santorum, Ted Nugent, Chuck Norris, and Rush Limbaugh.
They are the Asshole-Team
Secret Satan 2013 Wishlist
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
linking you can't do anything about, but re-hosting images w/o permission to make profit is most probably infringement
even without payment, it's probably infringement because you're using copies of someone else's work to drive views to your website instead of theirs
it doesn't matter if you claim the work as your own
Yeah, I feel for dudes like Kris Straub when he starts ranting about attribution, linking, and tumblr, but I feel like the problematic facets of content distribution on the internet are largely inseparable from the great ones. Navigating the social and technological obstacles to maintaining both a personal recognition and a livelihood are fucking difficult, and there have to be ways to foment a sense of social responsibility, but calling this "stealing" is, I think, the wrong tack.
And then, there's QC.
They have.
I do not know how to rss your junk.
Satans..... hints.....
Satans..... hints.....
I'd explain it to you, but the URL for mine is probably too long for the post limit.
I'd just say charging for an RSS scraper is pretty bad. It's bad whether or not it's also stealing.
well I mean then couldn't you just not rehost the image?
I actually said re-hosting because that is purported to be the socially conscious thing to do.
if that was entirely true, penny-arcade couldn't be in it, they don't put the actual comic in the rss feed.
I believe Ars Technica is one such dealie, and it doesn't seem like it would be that difficult for a webcrumbler to do the same.
Thanks Obama!
Secret Satan 2013 Wishlist
inline links aren't copies so yeah "not rehosting" is the way to go under copyright
This is a pretty pointless assertion. Is it bad to eat a half gallon of ice cream every morning for breakfast? Sure, some would argue. But that doesn't really have anything to do with whether charging for an RSS scraper is actually harming the comic creators at all.
Well, duh, I read the comic during lunch.
Satans..... hints.....
i'd be more concerned about people being swindled into paying for an RSS aggregator where they can't actually pick what is aggregated
it actually has been updating again. not often, I don't think.
you should post about Kony on twitter
There are, you can add any feed you want to them. I just import my google reader feed into it, and that keeps my list of webcomics in there.
Saying this guy is stealing webcomics is like saying AT&T is stealing webcomics because they charge you to have access to the internet where these webcomics can be viewed on your phone. Oh, and also Apple is stealing webcomics because they charge you money to buy their phone, on which you can read webcomics.
now there we might have a case
There was a thingy to show them but I forgot what it was
This post was useless.
Hm. Hm.
provided that these comics are the ones making an RSS feed publicly available.
if they aren't and the guy has some kind of scraper thing running and grabbing their strips and rehosting them then yeah that is shitty
I would check and compare these to see how many strips have a public RSS feed but I am lazy.
Fuck that shit.
But he probably isn't doing that
The RSS feeds are posted by the sites themselves, too. I don't see anything wrong with this.
he's such an ass.
Guess I can put my torch and pitchfork down.