Animation Source Forums

Am I the only Balto site that gets retarded emails? Seriously I am curious as my site seems to attract annoyance. I am thinking of making it offline but seriously look at this latest delight!

"Dear Fluke

I was wondering why you're so big on disabling the right click function on your website. I know you want to protect your copyrighted stuff of course, but Balto after all is NOT copyrighted to you. The public should be allowed to save any files of balto that they please. First of all, if you're worried about someone stealing him, that's not your concern now is it? Secondly, if you're worried about your mascott being stolen, well buddy I have sad news for you. This is the internet, unless you have gone straight to the lawyer's office and payed lots of money to copyright your website and everything on it, you really can't prevent anyone from taking something. Most importantly, if you have not contacted Universal Studios themselves and asked for explicet permission to upload pictures, trailors, and video clips of their copyrighted characters such as Balto, you could be in a world of trouble just for posting the clips. Pictures, ah they're pretty linient on that.

I am not in any way telling you how to run your site. These are merely suggestions and proven facts/stated laws in the United States's governent. If you are in any way offended by my email, I am sorry. This email was for notification purposes only and not created to merely offend you.

Salutations!"

The names have been removed to protect Jess aka kitt. I am sorry but that offended me and I replied, she/he is now replying in abuse quoting the First Ammendment at me. Jesus get over yourself, it isn't my fault your email makes good fiction![/i]

Well, while that person was surely rude in the message, I will say this:

1. As I understand it, any ORIGINAL MATERIAL, created by an individual that he or she can PROVE is his or hers, is automatically protected under copyright in the U.S. (I don't know the international laws). The government did this, I believe, to eliminate the need for a gross amount of paperwork, application and filing problems.

2. Any screen caps on your site are, in fact, not entitled to right-click protection (and this is the same for any tribute site). Even if you did do the work of making the screen cap, it is still property of Universal/Amblimation or just Universal. So it is uncool to turn off the right click/save as for screen caps (including, I might add, any material you got off of the Balto documentary). In simple point of fact, you don't own those caps or other copyrighted material, and have no real right to keep people from accessing them on your site. That much is true.

3. A harsh reality about the internet is that there are few laws which can protect a person's work from "theft". Unless that person is willing to keep a lawyer on retainer, and pay big bucks to pursue a proven (note: PROVEN) "thief".

4. I doubt VERY MUCH that Universal Pictures (or Amblin Entertainment) would pursue, legally, tribute sites made by fans for posting video clips and screen caps, and force their removal from the internet under threat of prosecution. Or talking about the characters, or even making tribute sites. If they haven't done so yet, it's unlikely they will. Still, that HAS happened in the past. George Lucas did it with Star Wars fans, and Paramount Pictures did it with Star Trek fans. And they insulted legions of their respective genres' fans who were internet users. Still, as bad as that seems, they WERE within their legal rights to do that.

Well, that's MY take on it, anyway.

I totally agree with you on every respect. The only reason I disabled the right click is because people's art was stolen a long with some of the original content on the site but everything on there is for the viewing pleasure of the visitor. All I have to say about that is if people want to have screengrabs on their site, make their own and don't be lazy!

Logical. I understand what you're saying.

I don't even see what the problem that person has with "right-clicking" the images on your site. I've tested some of them now, and it works perfectly to save them

However - such e-mails are just what you get for running sites that contribute to a special product. I'm used to it, as I've already run a big JP community, also was a member of many game-modding projects and as my current site still contributes to JP and TLK in some sections.

What I can tell you so far, from my own experience, that's that I wouldn't offer clips or music for download. The media enterprises really don't like to see that, and a trusted friend, who did manage another JP community, already got sued for it. They usually don't have a problem with you offering stills of a film, if you credit them correctly, but they'll go after you for publishing "moving images" or "sounds".

I really love your site! Dont take it to offline! ><

Sometimes I think it would be nice to right click, but I dont normally do it, unless I need to. ><

Its rather annoying when someone sends emails like that, but they did begin to put up a good arguement. Plus points for that. XD

--Jack

I wouldn't call it a good argument, I mean I know I don't own the copyright to Balto.. yet. Sounds like a self ritchous teenager who has no idea of the real world to me

Well, I must admit the copyrighted part of her letter had a strict point...but once you get abusage of the First Ammendment involved, one should really consider finding another excuse, but THAT is widely overused.

I suppose what bugs me is being lectured about how I should code my website, a site I made for free and non profit for other Balto fans to enjoy.. I don't see why some people think I owe them something and that I *should* do something else. If people don't like the way I run it, I will remove it!

Seriously, the only answer you can give such a person is continuing your webprojects the way you did manage them until now. When you remove your site, you'll confirm that he was right and that you were doing illegal things on the web.

As far as I looked through your site, I've to say it's a piece of art - really one of the better sites I've visited - so - it would be wrong to shut it down. At least as long as Balto belongs to your biggest passions - you should keep it up.

Is she for real? it's not her site so she should back off it, who does she think she is? her boyfriend probably left her or something, did she really exepct you to listen to that piece of crap? what's wrong with people this days, if cared so much about the images she would ask you nicely to borrow them now wouldn't she... then she starts talking about the law and stuff apparently she didn't notice but there are hundreds of Balto site in the internet so I don't think they would sue Accanis just for posting his love for Balto (which includes a huge disclaimer on the bottom of every page) on the contrary the only reason as to why balto is alive because of sites like these so that letter is a big load of crap. it's pointless to argue with this kind of people. It's ridiculous the way she trys to make people do something, instead of all this gay message she could leave a little part of her opinion or ask for the images, so it's probably some kid just ignore them and delete those e-mails.

She does have a point to some extent about copyright. However, if you have drawn the picture, it is your own work and you have the right to minimize the risk of people saving them if you don't want to.

But I get shtuff like that all the time. I get stuff like that on my You Tube, my livejournal, my msn space, etc. People get stuff up their butts and feel the need to post stuff like that. Heck, I get it on this site on a regular basis.
http://baltosource.timduru.org/board/viewtopic.php?t=8480
That is my favorite example of people who are so quick to point fingers, not having a clue what they are talking about. I just ended up changing the picture, because I was sick of having to explain myself for not doing anything wrong.

Exactly, they should be thankful that they even HAVE such a good site to even LOOK at. And they're complaining about how much you give to them.

Beggers can't be chosers and this person who e-mailed you obviously can't understand that. They also obviously can't understand the concept that companies like Universal and whatnot actually ENCOURAGE what you're doing. They probably even thank you for disabling the right click button so that people don't use your hard-earned material for their own cruddy site

Yes, they may be right with people stealing all kinds of stuff on the internet, but that does not mean you can't do whatever you can in your power to keep that from happening.

I hate sites with only like five things on them and it's all stuff that they didn't even get themselves and most likely got from kickass sites like yours. I hope you PWN them GOOD! That person deserves a kick in the head!

Oh and I have a suggestion for that person: GET OVER IT!

Done. XD

Laws on the copyrights are not very clear, especially when they are not the same depending on where you live. Anyway, I know that unless someone from Universal ask me to remove a part of the site, I wouldn't do it.
After all, I clearly gave a link to my site with the petition we sent to Universal, but they didn't tell me to remove anything on my site.

It would be a shame to remove your site just because of ONE email like this. I mean, if I had reacted that way, my site wouldn't be online since a long time, even if it hasn't happened very often.

Something I've learned when I made this site, is that it's better to take decisions when you base your opinion on a big number of people...Not just one individual. Usually, people who are satisfied with something are not going to write it, only the people who have a problem does complain. I would personnally just trash that email.

I don't have a Balto site myself, but I agree with the right click function. I mean, I know that the Balto images are not copyrighted to you, but when you've gone to the effort to collect the screenshots and the like surely you have the right to claim them as your own?