Why do sponsors think it's okay for affilates to use stolen content?
 

It seems nearly every sponsor program I contact about webmasters using stolen content (of mine) they couldn't care less. It's like pulling teeth to even get them to reply to you for the most part. Out of all the sponsors I've contacted over the years, Sunnydollars is the only one who took action to suspend the affiliate.

So what the fuck is your issue affiliate programs? You don't care that they're stealing from us to send you money?

:321GFY

Just like they don't seem to care if people are using hacks and spamming kids to make signups.. it's ALLLLLLLLLL about the bling.

:( not good, not good at all :(

I steal content everyday.
Sometimes I even steal two of them.

i wonder what some of the sponsors responce is, or if they will even comment?

Jesus Bucks

They will all say that they turn off people who use stolen content. Isn't that what anyone would say? The truth is, in 99% of cases, the sponsors don't care as long as they are making the money. . Or at least, that's how it seems on this end.

It's funny. They get pretty pissed off when people steal THEIR content, but as long as nobody is stealing theirs, it's ok for them to make money off of content stolen from someone else.

nobody cares about content people - never have never will. only thing people understand is being served with a lawsuit.

On the plus side, these sponsors make it EASY to sue. You
can file with the court for their financial records to prove that
monetary damages DID occure.

Would also put a end once and for all as to who's shaving
if they knew one bad affiliate could make their finances
public record. :winkwink:

doesnt it all end up being their content anways? because you are advertising the same sites?:2 cents:

It's going to happen.. We're fucking sick of the bullshit.

No, we sell content. We don't advertise sites. If they are using our content illegally to promote their sites, how does it end up being their content? Not only is it taking money out of our pockets, but reducing the value of the content for those people that legitimately purchased it.

They should fucking smarten up, seriously.
It's shit like this that kills the industry a little more every day. People wonder why this industry has a bad fucking rep, it's because it's the industry that's MOST LIKELY to support and even applaud theives, crooks, and assholes. There are some exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, this is the truth.

OzMan... you should spend more time reading or thinking about what you've read and less time sticking your foot in your mouth. :glugglug

money driven and how many lawsuits have the content producers filed? next to none. Quit bitchin and start send lawsuits, cryin about it will achieve nothing. Pull an Acacia and file a barrage of lawsuits against some hefty sponsors. Wont happen cause those hefty sponsors may do business with you. :glugglug

That's easy to say, harder to do. Believe me though we are tired of the bullshit and lawsuits are going to start happening.. Maybe, just MAYBE, other providers will follow the lead.

And honestly, I don't want the business of ANY sponsor who supports fucking thieves, because they are shooting themselves in the foot in the end. I don't care HOW big or small they are.

LM / JACT

Start here, this gets most American's attention.

http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellec...ract/cease.htm

I can also give you a referral to a couple Bay st. lawyers that
do have I.P. experiance.

Cmon you happen upon a sponsor that is gonna buy 10's 20's of thousands of dollars and your gonna turn him away cause he has a few small time no traffic donkeys using bogus pics? I think not personally but you may, never know

Yes, because honestly, my business ethic means more to me. If they support content thieves, who's to say they aren't going to rip ME off too? It's one of those things. I find that people who are dishonest or turn a blind eye to the small stuff are the ones willing to comprimise and do it in the bigger situations too. Why would I want to do business with a company like that? It's not going to gain me anything but grief. There are enough HONEST companies out there (barely though it seems) to do business with.

the way it sounded to me, that people were taking gfx off hosted gallery sites, and reusing them to promote the same site
:321GFY

No. They are stealing MY content from my customers and using it to promote whatever they want.

oh god whats your thoughts on the dishonest shavers in this industry that buy content from you? Lemme guess you havent seen any shaving proof right? Ethics in PORN ROTFLMAO:1orglaugh

hard to stop and I wish you the best, thats harder to kill than shithead Berman and his klan:glugglug

If I'm selling content to sponsor programs, it's usually exclusive. They are paying the prices and honestly, they can do whatever the fuck they want with it. It's when they are profiting off the backs of my customers who payed for their content, and who lose the value of that content because of fucking crooks that piss me off.

And shaving happens, if it didn't many programs would not survive. I don't think it's right, but from a business perspective I can see why it happens. It's not my cruisade though. The thing that REALLY chaps my ass though is, the bigger the program, the less they REALLY need the money (in terms of hoew much they make), the less they seem to give a fuck about the crooks.

stealing is stealing, i know personally i would not do any biz with anyone who has stolen from others... i know this is a ruthless biz and some people say there are no morals with some people, but when you work hard and produce quality content just to have it stolen it is like a kick in the teeth, i respect your views 200% jact and ladym ... best of luck :(

you have a long fight ahead of you, and if they dont already the sponsor will put a clause in their TOS stating they wont be held responsible for this tha and another thing the affiliate does short od spam. So who ya gonna sue then? Some webmaster from chechnya?:helpme

dont look at it towards the person per say using it, but look at the ones supporting them by not removing and respecting others..

That's the problem now though.. Sponsors aren't held accountable enough. They really should be, in my opinion. They are responsible to Visa for how their affiliates promote them, why shouldn't they be responsible to the people who's livlihoods they are affecting, directly or indirectly. Silence in the same as agreement, in this kind of an issue.

I'm a Sponsor and I don't steal anybody's content and I don't shave:thumbsup

Now, the question is 'Are more of you going to use my program'?:helpme

here we go, ok these shithole sponsors can and will term you even if you havent done anything wrong cause there bottom line is short this month. So you think there gonna be held responsible for the actions of some webmaster doin a right click save as scenario. It will or is in their TOS. And we all know their TOS is iron clad:1orglaugh Im playin the devils advocate here so you dont get caught up in your headhunting campaign that will get you nowere except less of a checking balance than last month if you choose to file lawsuits. I mean really now.

I feel a kinship with my fellow chicagoans:thumbsup

LadyMischief sorry to hear that, can i see a sample of your work just coz im curious of what people are stealing from you, mayb you should copyright the crap? could that help?
all the best mate:thumbsup

Contibutory infringement can he lawsuit-worthy :)

see sig :) We also broker and it affects our producers as well.

And as for copyrights, as soon as you snap a picture, you hold copyright :)

never happen cause if it was a plausible solution you or another provider would have been doing it. I mean your losin a ton of money right? They have all seen the run of the mill C&D letter, its as good as Acacias letter. Trash bin, next sponsor:2 cents:

ars turns off accounts that steal content after one warning.

maybe you could give a seal of approval to paysites that don't allow this practice and respond in a timely way. you could have a site listing these responsible paysites, as well.

and if the word gets out, some webmasters will be careful to promote sites who don't allow such practices. we don't, but we're small.

vet: but don you think that attitude is what gives this line of work such a bad name?

True,

But if you don't register the coypright in a certain period of time...you can't file suit later:2 cents:

you want feedback on this problem or you all wanna hold hands and live in a bubble? Look this is not some small little 50 mile radius community, world fucking wide, im sayin your witch hunt to stop content theft is gonna far more costly and less effective than most of you think. Forget my attitude I give you the other side of the story, cause in your head your gung-ho about prosecutions. And as for changing peoples attitude towards theft you are sadly mistaken, make sure you take your fight on all stolen property and fraud. Including your groceries you pay to much for due to fraud, and then your car insurance cmon the list goes on and on. And if it was a viable situation to prosecute dont ya think it would be happening repeatedly?:glugglug

i thought you had 2 register it? oh well file a law suit or something? or give them permission to use your content for a small fee?. nice work:thumbsup

bingo

im not on the which hunt here but i will tell you one thing if i found someone had taken content i did for my site that is not provided or a exclusive video for a client and someone was using that without their permission and making it less valuble i would have it resolved, im not saying stop crime across the world but why not point out those who are bluntly allowing stolen content to be used to promote their sites... i know i bust my ass off working and if someone comes along and steals it, big name or small name im still going to fight, just my personality.. i just think it is sad a great group of people like jact content is getting ripped off.. thats all :2 cents:

That's a very U.S. centric way of looking at the rights of the
producer. It's also a myth legally. It is impossible under the
current law to put something into the "public domain" unless
you are;

1. dead for 50 years (75 on wards now thanks to Disney)
2. Are the government (then all works belong to the people)

The "heart" of a work is at all times the sole property of the
producer or the parties that the producer has sold their rights
to.

there rippin you off to you just havent found out about it yet. Guaranteed

Maybe in the USA, but we're in Canada, we're protected by Copyright laws the second the photo is taken having filed or not. We can file litigation without ever having to file for a copyright.

oh im sure people have taken pics and stuff from my site , no doubt bout that.. but if i came across it or had someone tell me i would deal with it, i wont go hunting around for it but if it was brought to my attention it would be delt with

Excuse me, what you say is true...But read the copyright law if you have not registered you copyright, you can't sue. That's the law, period:thumbsup

Well as a sponsor and someone who has worked with them for years, I can say this...... I go after them with everything I have. A VERY well known Content Provider contacted me about 3 years ago and alerted me of someone stealing their content, copied their entire front end and was pushing dialer traffic to it...... I promised I would handle it. So I go after the guy, warn him, shut his dialer off, did everything I could to get his attention..... THIS didn't work, so I had his pay sent to the content provider he had stolen the content from. The guy made something like $3k with that content and refused to deal with me on it, and I TOLD him if he didn't remove it, I'd have his money made using said content to the people that owned the content, and that's exactly what I did.

I NEED my content providers and I need them HAPPY, so I WILL work with them as much as I would myself on a cheater and getting them to co-operate with me. I don't WANT someone in my program that cheats or steals...... I don't CARE how big they are, I just won't have it. I know this doesn't and won't set well with some, but in as much as my webmasters expect ME to be honest, I expect the same of them. :winkwink:


Oh yes, and Jenn....... you needn't worry about someone taking YOUR content, I SOOOOOOO got your back on that one. :1orglaugh

thats why i love ya tam :)