Hello, my intended...
Now, we all know Bobo's been off the air for a smidge, but sometimes even a ruthless monster has to face down the sort of thing that makes most men quail... Holiday shopping. But I digress...
So, I figured I'd stop by and give you faithful something to think about - as I am wont to do from time to time - and probably scare the beejeezus out of you as well (something else we're pretty good at... Heh). Now, first off, let me say that there is a SHOCKING article that you lot should examine poste haste...
Click here for the Shocking Article
That said, you have got to be as shaken as ourselves... Think of the ramifications... They have actually said that you give up any right to privacy when you provide 'infringing materials'. Don't think that affects you? Think again!
Anyone read fanfic? For the uninitiated, a fanfic is a story written (duh) by fans of a particular show or whatever... Many of the best stories I've ever read are these eloquent testimonies to the effect of things like the X-Men, Star Trek, various 80's cartoons, and yes, even the Sentinel... But guess what? If you read the article, you'd remember this little nugget:
Now, in all fairness, the tools now being put to use as described in the aforementioned article are reportedly intended to finally destroy unauthorized streaming of material, as well as the file-sharing antics purveyed by the users of Napster, Gnutella and the like... How? Easy, the holders of said copyrights would enter into the program what to look for, be it a filename, ID3 tag, or whatever. They then can track what stuff is being shared (stolen) and from where, and - as they put it - 'plug the hole'. While it's INTENDED to stop MP3, unauthorized video clips, and such, it doesn't seem much of a stretch to expand the parameters to include JPG, GIF, TXT, and similar.
And if it works with THEM, and rest assured it WILL, then the logical second step would be to come after all the OTHER unauthorized uses, especially the ones that can be considered 'damaging to the image' of the copyrighted material (Slash springs to mind, but also Crossover, and et cetera...). Now, I'm no fan of Slash, but as long as I'm not starring in one, I could care less. Some people enjoy it, and we don't see it as our job to judge them. Hell, some people enjoy Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Howard Stern, and watching soccer... Same thing. I accept that some people enjoy things that I find repugnant, and that's all I'm supposed to do. But I digress...
Bottom line, my friends, is that the law is the law... Fine, we know. HOWEVER, to say that the fans may not express their love for whatever they love without purchasing a rights-license is akin to slitting one's throat to stop the bleeding from a cut on the foot.
Admittedly, many of these shows no longer generate any revenue - such as the 80s cartoons not on Odyssey, Disney or Cartoon Network. And aside from the odd Fanart auction on E-Bay, generates DIDDLY for the efforts of these fans... But, as Duane (the Rock) Johnson would say, "It doesn't MATTER." A copyright lasts a HUNDRED YEARS, folks, and if you think that it's not enforceable, consider the Hill sister's little ditty, 'Happy Birthday'...
Most people would scoff this by saying that their little pissant fansite is beneath the notice of the Media Giants, but I think that's being overly optimistic - even foolish. While they don't bother with you NOW, you have to realize that it's probably because they have no idea you're even out there. And if they HAD an idea, then leaning on you is pretty tough to do. This program makes it EASY, and then it's a matter of time before you get a C&D - assuming your server/host doesn't yank the site en totum as a precaution.
I hate to ring the knell of doom, folks, but Big Brother's not just watching, he's coming AFTER you...
You're welcome... See you SOON.