Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Re: CallTheShots.com

Author:Mark Kennedy
Posted:11/18/1999; 9:09:08 AM
Topic:CallTheShots.com
Msg #:13188 (In response to 13118)
Prev/Next:13186 / 13189

Yeah, since they parse out any client-side scripting, the only real solution is to screen them out on the server side. But then there's the issue of scalability -- if there are suddenly N sites like this that you want to screen, you have to have N screens. Ugh.

The reality is that this site really isn't a huge problem, and there could be some very good reasons that a site would *want* to be made available via a service like this. But, unlike the other syndication models, Joe Web Site producer has no say in the matter.

I recently had an interesting experience with copyright in the "real world." I was working on a web site for a friend and he sent me a set of 35mm slides that he had professionally taken of his boat (he's a charterboat captain). He wanted me to use the slides on the web site. He had paid for the photos to be taken expressly for such a purpose. Well, when I took the slides around to the local photo finishing stores, no one would touch them because the slides were marked with the copyright symbol and the photographer's name. The only way I could have the slides scanned or duplicated (unless I did it myself) was to present a signed release from the photographer. Otherwise, I was out of luck. This is how copyright is supposed to work; it protected the rights of the photographer, and it protected the rights of my friend who commissioned and paid for the work

I ask the question: why is it different on the internet? If a web site has a copyright notice on every page that states that the rights to the material on the site are reserved, why is it that another company can come and take whatever they want whenever they want without permission? Just because they can? In the slides example above, it would be easy for me to subvert the copyright protection if I had the tech resources (a slide scanner) to scan the slides myself. If I do so without permission, however, I'm still breaking the law and violating someone else's rights.

I guess in the end I just prefer a system that allows a producer some way to protect their creation, or some way to specify which content is "fair game" and which content is proprietary.

Just another .02 :-)

BTW, though I am an employee of The Motley Fool, none of my posts here should be construed as being the opinion of the company. It's just "One Fool's" thought on the matter :-)

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