people that asked me for encrypted theme code remover
 

I know a few of you have asked for this.

http://newwpthemes.com/

they add a nasty encrypted links in footers, and header, and functions

http://snipplr.com/view/28058/shell-...dpress-themes/

Thanks Fris bump for you

Thanks and bump!

What do they encode with?

or.... just don't use the themes since you're breaking their TOS and they're not pointing a gun to your head to use them

then we complain about piracy... :(

base 64. what they add is the following code:

and

not very difficult to get rid of, but the thing is it's added with a reason, and as I said, you're free not to use it.

Personally, I find quite amusing adult webmasters complaining about stolen content and when you surf their blogs, most of them get rid of the footers because they aren't willing to give not even a motherfucking credit link

Well some also add links to gambling sites and shit that devalue your site. Which is the reason to get rid of this...

Thank you for this

// Warning! Your site may stop working if these links are edited or deleted

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

As much as I try I can't find anything that says you HAVE to use those themes. If you want full customization and control of your site, you may pay for a custom theme. Just an idea...

well, if any newbie tries to remove that without knowing what they're doing, yes, the theme won't work. I won't say what is needed to do since I'm strongly against hacking code to get a benefit. One thing is cracking code for learning purposes (ie I know how to do it, but I choose NOT to do it), a very different thing is to get a benefit AND cause damage to the script author. Sorry, but this is no different than tubes stealing content and deleting watermarks on top of that.

Again: you don't like their TOS? don't use their themes. Simple as that.

as harvey said. you guys are fucking funny. the links are there cause authors want them there. if you remove them you stole the template. so great work gfy, lets go crying about tubes. no comment

:2 cents: we only can't steal porn, everything else is no problem.

theirs a reason why any of these themes arent added to the wordpress codex.

and how does that relate to removing a header/footer/whatever without consent? Even you are saying they're sticking to Wordpress rules, since they have hidden links they're not listed at WP codex. btw, the themes I've made aren't on wordpress codex either and I don't add any obscured code either. Am I wrong? Is WP wrong? is absolutely any relation?

I know you're not stupid so I don't understand why the reason to take those turns and leaps, you know perfectly well that what you're doing is wrong, and whoever uses your snippet of code is stealing. If I'm wrong, please explain me how, because as much as I think about it, I can't see what I'm missing. On the other hand, I admit I'm quite stupid, but always open to admit my mistakes

and just in case, here's the GNU GPL. And no, it doesn't grant any right to people to steal anything, quite the contrary

The graphics are copyright. The code is not.

report these asshole to google

they should be banned for that

Read a similar case, where Matt Cutts got invlved personally: http://www.seomoz.org/blog/widgetbait-gone-wild

exactly.

if they had a linkback to the author and not all these spam links, plus adding crap to wordpress dashboard, i would be fine with it.

This is pretty much it right here. End of Story.

if you say removing code from template and use it without any problems is fine, then removing watermark and use the picture or video anywhere is fine? what is "copyrighted" then? i know, its easy to steal from designers and programmers but if they ever use one copyrighted adult picture, lets slap them with lawsuits. one way thinking, maybe weekend is the reason why your brains are so slow

Releasing themes with encoded links are like leaving your wallet on the street and think someone wont take it. If they release a free theme...expect people do encode and remove the links.

It's a little bit different as Wordpress is a GPL licensed product and Adult Content 99.999% of the time isn't.

nice to see you took a look to the terms of GPL license :error

it's not what you're fine with or not, or your feelings or your sense of justice. It's about you cracking code and distributing the crack so other people can steal. Please tell me how this is different to stealing movies, removing watermarks, distributing warez and such. Again, since you seem to miss the point:

YOU ARE FREE NOT TO USE THE THEME IF YOU DON'T LIKE THEIR CONDITIONS

what is so difficult to understand about that?

nice to see you took a look to the terms of GPL license :error :1orglaugh:1orglaugh

it's like.... say... creating content? oooh, then why don't we go to rapidshare, download a few TB and make it all ours.... after all, stealing is OK because they released it :(


And a final thing: whoever thinks this is safe is absolutely wrong. You're risking to be sued because you're too cheap to pay for a theme and too shady to steal copyrighted/protected work. And we're talking about themes that aren't exactly "out of this world", there are thousands that are better and don't have those links or obscured code. Do you really, really, REALLY need those themes? Then comply with their terms or arrange a payment to people that worked on it or whatever. Otherwise, don't use them, it's not like the world will ends or you won't find anything better FOR FREE.

Either way, what worries me is that this thread is a pretty exact description of what's going on in online business, and very specifically, adult business. TBH, I would have never expected some of the replies in this thread, at least not in public. But well, you learn something every day.

and you know this because according to your previous post you're an expert on GPL license :winkwink:

I call it a patriots act...if the links are bad I save people from them.

Beat that!

just so you know I dont use any of the themes from newwpthemes ;)

This topic has been debated ad nauseum on Wordpress blogs, forums and message boards.

Theme code released for Wordpress is GPL'd code, just as Wordpress is. The only copyright claim a designer has to a WP theme is for the actual design and graphics.

You may not like this or you may not even care. But this is what has been said on the topic from Matt Mullenweg on down.

I love how some in this industry feel it is the biggest thing in the world to steal some things, but stealing other things is perfectly fine.

Fris btw, hows the tube theme for wordpress coming out?

I tried to pay for a free theme I went as far as looking for a premium theme and also contacted the people who did the theme I offered them money and got no reply back :(

Themes ON THE WORDPRESS CODEX is GPL. Even then, I dare you to find where does it says that GPL is about design. I posted the GPL link, so don't can reinventing the wheel and that someone said something on a board. THERE'S A WRITTEN LAW. Plus, these themes are OUTSIDE THE WORDPRESS CODEX. Reality is a bitch, isn't it?

I know, and that's why I didn't say anything on your thread. I know you tried and if the other part doesn't answer is their problem somehow, but you show a proper way of action.

funny, isn't it? :Oh crap:Oh crap

having those links there are irrelevant to your site and are there generally in a scheme by the guy releasing the theme to get backlink juice from google to try to game the serps, obviously not a good idea to have all over your site
:2 cents:

Yeah. And the guy with this backlinking scheme put in work making those themes, under those terms.

Just like you dont want to give surfers porn out of the good of your heart, this guy probably wants something for his time to develop the themes.

But then again we're all too human. Just like the surfer justifies not paying for porn when he can get it all free, we webmasters justify stealing things because it's too easy to steal them.

oh, and btw, it seems you always had a very particular perception of what is legal. You were already outed for stealing and reselling galleries, databases, scripts, bandwidth, logos. For what I remember, you admitted it all (or at least most of it), only that giving a very particular perception of what is legal and tried to mess with the reasons why you stole those things. I really thought you'd have grown by now after all these years, but it seems it goes really deep inside you :( Either way, not exactly the most accurate person to talk about laws and legality :2 cents:

There was one theme I saw where the dude encrypted his own Google Adsense script into the footer, thought that was kinda shady. Plus I wanted to use it for an adult site which could've gotten his adsense account suspended, so he didn't think too far ahead there... having his adsense script on sites he doesn't control isn't a good idea.

But yeah, I leave the footers and credits intact. If it's something like what I just mentioned, that I don't think I can work around or I think would end up hurting the script creator, I find a different theme.

wordpress themes are not that expensive fyi

:2 cents:

Its the cost of Free.

+1

Just out of interest though I have downloaded the Rodopi theme to see what the fuss is about.

The demo of the theme has a link to wordpress and a link to newwpthemes which I would have been happy to leave as I feel that the author deserves credit for their work.

The downloaded theme has no encrypted links in the footer just wordpress and 4x spam links that I normally see being sold for $30 each or $90 for the whole set to go on free themes. No link to newwpthemes.com either, they are only mentioned in the css file.

Not sure how you are stealing from the designer by removing the spam links as they will have already been paid and if newwpthemes don't want to give themselves any visible credit for providing the theme then thats their own fault.

hm
 

bump for you

The simple fact of the matter is, anything released to work with Wordpress inherits the GPL license. If I pay for something that is protected by a GPL license, I can modify, give away and even sell it if I want. This isn't about laws or legality. It isn't against the law to remove footer links from a Wordpress theme, no one is breaking any laws. It's about an open license that doesn't restrict people. If I want to remove the footer links, I can. If I want to leave them there, I can do that too. I'm not restricted either way.

There's no debating that. It is what it is.

Half of you in this thread are a fucking joke.

If a designer codes a template and creates it's graphics and gives it away for free on the condition that certain links remain, that is their payment for doing the work.

When you strip those links out, it is no different than stealing a paid template.

Is it that hard to make your own themes? If there's an aspect of the theme you like, look into the code, figure out how it's done and use it, that's not theft. If you use someone's theme you keep the links, simple as that.

Extending the GPL to themes and plugins is debated ad nauseum on the Web, but WordPress themselves are clear on the issue - licensing a theme under the GPL is an option, not a requirement. From their developer FAQ:

"Most plugin and theme authors choose to license their plugins and themes under the GPL. Also, keep in mind that if your theme or plugin incorporates code from another theme or plugin that uses the GPL, you will probably need to license your theme or plugin with the GPL as well. If your theme or plugin is completely independent of other WordPress code, themes, and plugins, then you can probably license it however you would like. "

They use words like "probably" because they can't provide legal advice. They see themes and plugins as calling bridge functions in the WordPress Codex. The FSF allows for such "at arm's length" communication between a free and non-free component. As long as a theme only calls code via the standard bridging interface, and never cribs it from the WordPress Codex or calls it via a non-documented manner, its authors are free to license the theme or plugin any way they chose.

Actually Matt said that some themes may need to be released under GPL, and
some themes are not. They need to be relased as GPL ONLY if they include code
copied and pasted from other GPL code.

However, even if you were right, you say "The only copyright claim a designer has to a
WP theme is for the actual design and graphics." If that were true, you could not use
that "design and graphics" unless you abide by the author's license and leave the links
alone. If you use that "design and graphics" other than as allowed by the author, you
are stealing. If you want a template without links, use one that doesn't have links,
buy one, make one, have one made for you, but don't steal one.

Fris, just so you know what the consequences of posting such things are, vendors
such as ourselves DO notice who posts about stealing stuff, removing required links,
violating TOS, etc. For instance, I've now looked over many of your past posts to
see whether or not you are a repeat offender. The web hosts, content providers,
software companies, designers and others will be very hesitant to do business with
webmasters whom they know will violate their TOS, illegally copy their content,
software, designs, etc.

I'm not saying you are a bad guy, yet, but just that IF you get to be known as someone
who fucks over designers, developers, etc. we'd be stupid to do any work for you
knowing that you have no qualms about fucking us over. We'll never sell Strongbox
or Throttlebox to certain people because we know from their posts that they will
make illegal copies, essentially stealing from us the income which should have been
paid for those other sites.

Yes, I am aware that by posting this and other similar posts I've made we are "losing"
certain "customers" - those who are offended by someone stating the truth about right
and wrong, and about fair play. I'm glad. I WANT the thieves, scammers, and cheats
to dislike me, stay away from me, and go screw over someone else instead.

i hate WP in full