Awesome.

good thread on apic and their bullshit:

http://gofuckyourself.com/showthread...highlight=apic

:glugglug

I used to get letters from Apic when I was with TopBucks.
I used to delight in telling them to fuck off about 90% of them time.

Copyright is copyright, but dick head Nazis are dick head Nazis and one don't make the other right.

I get content stolen 2-3 times a week. Mostly scanned from magazines or from clients sites.

Do you really think I want to employ a lawyer every time?

Also with APIC once they get notified from one member of an infringement they check the rest of the pirate's site and include any other members content. Normally the site is full of stolen content.

They are not perfect and will never be, but until someone comes up with an affordable alternative they are all this indusrty has and I do not mean the Interent, I mean the porn industry.

Until companies like AdultCheck understand it is there problem we wil be at the mercy of the pirates. We need someone who these companies fear and there are many of them, AVS, hosting companies, sponsors, etc who simply do nothing but say "Not my job".

You see what I mean, a sponsor who delights in telling someone reporting a crime to fuck off.

If APIC were wrong 90% of the time they would not have a single member.

But I'm sure if he got an email from someone he did not know saying "This content is stolen" he would immediately drop everything to investigate the whole matter.

So let's just say a for instance.

A Czech guy steald your content and put's it on a website. He tells your lawyer to sue him in Czech.

And your next move is?

my content is on thousands of unauthorized websites at any time.

as well as all over kazza et al. ebay. etc.

i have some one who spends half his day looking for infringment. 90% of the time talking to the host and sponsors will get an account shut down - dmca forms are rarely needed. it's worked extremely well for us. the exposure of my content to the public internet is extreme to say the least, yet it has never touched my bottom line. certainly not in a percentage profit basis.

when it comes to the point where i need to hire unscruplous hit men to go after 3rd world copyright infringment, in order to turn a profit, i'll likely rethink being involved in this biz. :glugglug

just look at the apic thread i posted. if you feel you have no choice but to use unprofessional thugs to protect your content... then your hacked server, fucked up hosting, fucked up shopping cart, and negative attitude towards potential customers... is the least of your worries.

Sorry Quiet but I cannot find someone to keep looking for my content being stolen.

When we find it we write to the webmaster, which is usually a waste of time because he's invisible. We then write to the sponsor or host, which again is usually a waste of time. The pirates are with people who don't care, like AC use to be. But occaisionally it get's the desired result.

If all this fails we then call in APIC. Which usually works.

It's simple if they were as bad as everyone makes out they would not have survived. The list of members are some of the top companies in porn and not just restricted to the Internet. These companies simply would not be with an organisation that is wrong 90% of the time. I think you will find Alsscan on the list.

Yes APIC bullies, yes they are undiplomatic, but this is after the normal methods that you use have failed.

But piracy of content is not an individual thing it's a collective problem and does cost you money. Because every site out there carrying illegal content weakens the whole business not just your business, all of us.

I personally do not like some of their methods, but this has brought them fear and gets results.

So what do you do after a webmaster outside the US tells you to go sue him?

ill do it :winkwink:

Why is it my responsibility, as a sponsor, to protect YOUR copyright on the word of some third rate collection agency?? If you have a problem with one of my webmasters come to me like a man and we'll work it out. If your work is so valuable to you make the time, rather than taking the half assed route of sicking a hired guard dog on me.

Besides, at least half the letters I got from APIC were unverifiable bullshit.

If you don't believe me: one of my oldest friends in this industry is this crazy guy who used to email me all the time about people stealing his cheerleader pictures. An email from him and one from me to a webmaster got him taken care of without the need for APIC's bullshit.

He runs a little company you might have heard of called Lightspeed.

that's unforunate. :glugglug

the hells angels, and the mafia (all forms) continue to survive. does that mean they are not as bad as everyone make out to seem? lol.


glad to see you admit to exactly what everyone is saying, and continue to use them :)

like i already said, i have someone talk to the host, sponsors (and if applicable) billing company.

:glugglug

Tampa's in da house! Good looking sites Jim! :thumbsup

How anyone can defend APIC is totally beyond me. It's like saying it's OK for police to batton people every time they suspect somebody of a crime guilty or not. The guy running it is only semi-literate (take a look at any of the 'official' e-mails he sends) and with the business of your average school child.

I had some fun with him a few days ago. Seems he's good at pissing off just about everybody, although amazingly some can't see a problem with his methods. Still, you have to blame the idiots who use him. If they had an IQ high enough to see where the problems lay he wouldn't be in business.

My problem was a simple one in the end. Somebody I host a site for (I'm down as tech/admin hence he got my info from the whois) who had 100% licensed content and is not a native English speaker, missed a part of the license terms saying images could only be a certain size when used outside of protected areas. It was all a mess and it's also possible the provider 'forgot' that she actually had the license. Hard to be sure because Easton provides little or no useful information to help resolve stuff - he's too busy shouting thief to the whole word and feeling smug.

APIC's FIRST port of call is to find eveybody associated with the domain from sponsors up to the host(s) and e-mail them to say you are a thief. Am I the only one who has a problem with this? Nah - were that the case the industry wouldn't be full of people laughing at the guy for the idiot he is. Bear in mind that this e-mail didn't even mention the domain owner - just random info picked up from the whois, so the person who actually made the mistake doesn't even get a mention in the original BS mails.

Crazy thing is this could have been settled in 5 mins with a simple e-mail from the content provider. Involving Easton dragged it out into a 4 hour pissing match to resolve a simple issue and left a bitter taste in many mouths. There's now at least two companies I will never do business with and from the shit that Easton stirred they will probably think twice before doing any with me, none of which would have happened without APIC's involvement. Even with APIC's involvement a very short and simple e-mail just to the site concerned would have resolved the issue quickly. Telling the whole world somebody's a crook before any facts have been established makes about as much sense as anything else Easton does ie none.

The guy simply hasn't a clue so why use him? There are good, easy and FAR more effective alternatives as has been mentioned. Even before my own run-in I would never have used any company with any involvement in APIC from experiences others I know well have had with them. This mess just proved that position to have been right.

110% wrong. This is the first port of call for many before they try any other methods. If you use him as a last resort then you are the exception rather than the rule. If you do use him as a last resort then why? Why not actually hire somebody who understands both business and the law? Easton clearly doesn't.

So you read something on a website and right away decide to NOT better your business with some of the best amateur content out there?
Im sure you will make it in this biz :glugglug

Now go search all the boards for "crappy content provider" and you wont have 1 set left to buy anywhere!
Good choice my friend.....

Or did you just post to suck up to the big guys that hate Charly?

I only know what I see, here is one of the emails that I recieve daily.

You guys live in a world where people listen and do the right thing. Easton lives in the world where companies like AC turn around and to a publication like Perfect 10 just say, nothing we can do about it to a judge.

This is typical of what we see every day. Or do you want to just have a quiet word with the guy and see if he responds?

Such a collection of know nothing porn companies now why would all these stupid little companies hire such an idiot like APIC to represent them?

Maybe these people should be listening to Tipsey and quiet about how to protect their property.

The best protection against the pirates is someone like APIC, I wish that was not so but why else do multi national companies stick with them year after year if all it takes is an email.

jimmy3way
Why is it your responsibility? Simple before you give advise know what you are talking about. Read the RICO act.

And it's not just my coptright I protect, it's my clients.

And that company Redslip will be back in a few months time, stealing all the content he wants or just re-using what he has already stolen.

He does not care, because he can get hosting again, he wil find sponsors again. Because the attitude is "I can't keep track of everyone"

Big name compaines use APIC because they dont really give a rats ass about small to midsize webmasters. Most of thier money comes from print and larger programs. They dont care that because Easton uses a shotgun approach that might cause a smaller webmaster days of income if they are wrong. So in turn you don't care about them either because you are supporting APIC.

So please just come out and say you dont give a damn if APIC causes 3 honest webmasters losses, because he might get 1 who is really stealing down the road. Then when Easton does get it wrong, you just sing the "it wasnt me it was APIC, we got them to fix it arent we nice" song.

Yeah thanks charly for looking out for all of us webmasters by using APIC, you are truly a saint..... From now on I request in honor of Charly using APIC to protect us we refer to him as Saint Charly!

Gooooooo APIC!

You are bringing up Perfect 10 in the midst of this thread? That is just wrong.

Charly

I filled out your registration form 2-3 days ago. Provided all of the required information.

I have yet to receive that e-mail with access information.

Whats up?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Kimmykim
[B]Hmmm, forgive me if I'm intruding here but I have a question... what does it matter what site someone owns if they want to buy content?

the smartest statement in this whole thread.

Rutopls
Go look at the list of people who are APIC members then you will see how wrong you are.

Kimmykim
Why is it wrong, it hi-lites the attitude of many. Quiet has a word with them. Pity a lot don't listen. :(

L_L
The site is down and we will be up and running next week.

models
It matters because it's my business, you want to run my business your way, then buy it and you can do.

I decided the same. So :glugglug to you too.

Are you just sucking up to Charly?

Had another thought which shows how wrong Rutopls is.

The big succesful webmaster like Quiet can afford to employ someone to keep searching & chasing pirates, getting them taken down, etc. And if all this fails he has enough money to recommend going to a lawyer to send letters out.

Us small guys who do not make $3 million a year cannot afford this to protect ourselves, so we use APIC.

When the professional pirate is surfing around for his next victim to download content from, he sees the site with the APIC banner on the front. And he thinks to himself "Those guys are complete fucking morons and arseholes who will serve DMCA notices on me, my host, my sponsor and anyone else they can think of" Not true but he reads this board amd this is the impression you are giving :thumbsup

So what do you think he does steal the content from an APIC protected site or move on? Unfortunately some do steal, but how many move on to target someone who sends out emails asking nicely, to a host who is not interested and/or a sponsor who thinks it's not his job to worry about pirates?

You know these people exist and who do you think the pirate is with?

So a webmaster buying content has an option, go to a supplier who protects his purchases or go to someone who does not. Same choice the pirate has steal from someone who will not be a problem or steal from someone who will be.

The pirate often not only steals the content he steals the design as well. He does that to one of my clients he toasted. Got that ARSEHOLE organisation APIC chasing him.

So please keep screaming what APIC are like, it serves to warn pirates not to steal our content.

And serves to warn webmasters not to purchase any of it.

I assume that most content providers, Charly and myself included, have a license that is for use on certain sites. For the license to be a legally binding document, it has to have real information on it. Otherwise, the purchaser is using the material without a license. It never ceases to amaze me how many people buy stuff from me and then don't bother to license it. They apparently don't realize that the actual purchase is not for the photos (at least some of which are being uploaded to the newsgroups or swapped in the so-called "forums" as we are posting here anyway), but for the license. So, why does someone pay for the license and then not get the license?

A content provider is like a builder's warehouse. Frequently, if you go to a builder's warehouse, you can't get in to buy lumber and sinks and dishwashers at builder discount rates unless you can prove you are a builder. A content provider is a wholesale seller, not a retail seller, so it is quite right and logical to vet a customer.

Except you can be a lot more confident about your trip to the builders club. The shop owner is likely to be more professional about his dealings with you. He doesn't talk about your shopping habits where you hang out. He doesn't indulge in posting your name or phone number on the board where you hang out. He doesn't encourage the local web pussy mafia to beatup innocent clients as long as he manages to get a real one here and there.

Some of you "professional content providers" engage in practices like this that naturally makes it necessary for your potential customers to be more cautious in dealing with you at first.

I am so agreeing with Brujah, this is scary.

You really should think before you post.

Why would all the content providers on APICs list stick with them if they got it wrong as many times as you THINK they do?

This is the myth built up by people who post one thing and then go on and get it repeated.

I know the facts and NEVER TO MY KNOWLEDGE HAS ONE SINGLE CLIENT OF MINE BEEN HARRASSSED BY APIC OVER MY CONTENT.

Awesome free publicity for Charly!

LOL :1orglaugh

And the amazing thing is the guy can't see it. He can't see that you would not want to risk everything that feeds your family and gives them a roof just to use his content and risk yet another fuckup made by APIC and/or the provider. Crazy thing remains that the idea of APIC isn't a problem. The problem lies in the guy running it having no business skills, no communication skills and the fact that he causes more problems than he solves a very large chunk of the time. If he had any kind of communication skills and didn't scream thief at the top of his lungs to the whole world in the first contact, before any true facts have been established, APIC just may have worked.

WTF though. It's amusing seeing Charlie keep trying to justify their use and totally missing all the obvious and huge flaws in his arguments so please, don't stop :)

Did they even make it that far, to become clients?

Seems you kill clients before the even get their shopping cart figured out.

:1orglaugh

It's obvious to everyone that you don't know your ass from your head.

You really should think before you post.

Why would all the content providers on APICs list stick with them if they got it wrong as many times as you IMAGINE they do?

This is the myth built up by people who post one thing and then go on and on then get it repeated.

I know the facts and NEVER TO MY KNOWLEDGE HAS ONE SINGLE CLIENT OF MINE BEEN HARRASSSED BY APIC OVER MY CONTENT. Or do you think we all stay with APIC because they are continually harrassing our clients? get real, it's a myth.

APIC would have closed down long ago if they were "web pussy" beating up lots of innocent webmasters and only occaisionally getting one here or there. He probably closes down more illegal sites than anyone else on the net.

Or do I just say "Fuck it" any guy can register, any guy can buy, I done care who you are, how you act and what you do with my content?

If a shop owner wants to he can and will refuse to serve you. It's his right and his privilage.

Kimmykim
You are scaring me.
Because you are a CC processor handling OUR money. You should be interested in who we pass on up to you. Unless ePassporte are going to carry ALL my Charge Backs, kindly allow me to run my business as I see fit.

But what you did was basically walk up to the guy who has a stack of things to buy in his hand and knock all of the shit out of his hand, grab him by the collar and throw him out your store.

THAT is what you did.

Please don't compare yourself to a REAL business Charly, youve proven more than once you are ANYTHING but professional.

:1orglaugh

Stop the jeep and back up here Charly.

*I* am an independent consultant with a contract to market ePassporte. *I* am also the owner of Spotbrokers.com with Backov. *I* also represent a few other people in certain situations. *I* also provide independent consulting and evaluation services to businesses in this industry.

*I* am NOT an employee anywhere. *I* am not a credit card processor. *I* have nothing to with your chargebacks, nor do I ever even see your account information with eP or any other processing method, nor would *I* want to.

If *you* are trying to insinuate that *I* am not entitled to voice my opinion on a public message board for some reason or another, or that my opinion would have some effect on your ability to do business with anyone that I represent, then you have two choices. Do not do business with that company, or do business with that company through another individual.

In all the years I've been in the adult internet, which is more than most people here, I'm sure I've ruffled some feathers. But my response to threats, veiled or otherwise, is always the same. You make your own choices, you do not make mine.

Attempting to play the 'I should be concerned with who you pass up to me' card isn't going to work here, since fraud scrubbing is pretty much independant of the individual merchants in an aggregator situation, and the technology that is used to handle that scrubbing is not something I am at liberty to describe.

I'm not Mr. N Sync
I'm not what your friends think
I'm not Mr. friendly
I can be a prick