Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 7:58 pm
Hey guys,
Saw this posted on another site about cover theft, asked Bazzah and he said I could post it, thought you guys who care would like to know about it:
Saw this posted on another site about cover theft, asked Bazzah and he said I could post it, thought you guys who care would like to know about it:
QUOTE
I had debated about saying something about this situation shortly after I became a moderator here at ******. As some of you know, I have had a “hard-nosed approach†against theft from the first time one of my friends had a cover stolen. After becoming a moderator, I immersed myself deeply in the seedier side of the Cover Community. Going deeper than most felt necessary (even now, no matter how hard I try, I can't wash all the filth off of me), however I took it as a personal affront if a cover was stolen from our Community (or a thief tried to get Gallery access) and that is what drove me to that brink of insanity.
I always thought about this quote:
I always thought about this quote:
QUOTE
Evil triumphs when good men do nothing[/quote]
And no matter how hard the staff worked at keeping the work safe, stolen covers kept showing up on different websites. And then I realized, you cant keep a Members' work safe if they are not exclusive to one site. The more sites someone is on, the greater the odds of theft (it is the nature of the beast). I thought about this and discussed it with the rest of the staff who also were frustrated that their hardest efforts were not enough also. We decided to reach out to other sites. We know there is bad blood and different definitions of theft throughout the community, however there are certain circumstances where a thief is a thief and "Quality" Cover Sites will all be able to agree on this. So with the staff's support, sleepyhead reached out and we had a working relationship with another site to root out a specific thief. I was passed the baton because I had accumulated the evidence and using a transfer of information we were able to get the thief banned from 3 sites. Three turned into 4 and before you knew it, we had a strong alliance of sites and all these sites were able to ban a group of thieves that had previously gone unnoticed. Comparing information between us made that possible. And yet that is still not enough. Our group of sites were able to add this new level of security, but it was still not enough.
There are Cover Sites out there that don't care. I am not talking about those low-resolution free sites, I am talking about high-resolution sites that we all respected at one time. Many of you are members of these sites. Fuzion as well as the sites working together have seen our Members Covers stolen and proved it was not from our sites, however when we try to get the thieves banned from the other sites it falls on deaf ears.
It is not my place nor that of any staff member from any of these sites to name names (of the good sites or the bad), so I will not be disclosing the sites who are working together or the ones that have slipped into the abyss. It is not the right thing to do, nor do we want to start a war.
So to this end, I go back to the quote:
And no matter how hard the staff worked at keeping the work safe, stolen covers kept showing up on different websites. And then I realized, you cant keep a Members' work safe if they are not exclusive to one site. The more sites someone is on, the greater the odds of theft (it is the nature of the beast). I thought about this and discussed it with the rest of the staff who also were frustrated that their hardest efforts were not enough also. We decided to reach out to other sites. We know there is bad blood and different definitions of theft throughout the community, however there are certain circumstances where a thief is a thief and "Quality" Cover Sites will all be able to agree on this. So with the staff's support, sleepyhead reached out and we had a working relationship with another site to root out a specific thief. I was passed the baton because I had accumulated the evidence and using a transfer of information we were able to get the thief banned from 3 sites. Three turned into 4 and before you knew it, we had a strong alliance of sites and all these sites were able to ban a group of thieves that had previously gone unnoticed. Comparing information between us made that possible. And yet that is still not enough. Our group of sites were able to add this new level of security, but it was still not enough.
There are Cover Sites out there that don't care. I am not talking about those low-resolution free sites, I am talking about high-resolution sites that we all respected at one time. Many of you are members of these sites. Fuzion as well as the sites working together have seen our Members Covers stolen and proved it was not from our sites, however when we try to get the thieves banned from the other sites it falls on deaf ears.
It is not my place nor that of any staff member from any of these sites to name names (of the good sites or the bad), so I will not be disclosing the sites who are working together or the ones that have slipped into the abyss. It is not the right thing to do, nor do we want to start a war.
So to this end, I go back to the quote:
QUOTE
Evil triumphs when good men do nothing[/quote]
I will not do nothing
Any member who PMs me will get a list of the username and IP addresses of all the identified thieves. I urge you to check every Cover site you are a member of for these names. I urge you to contact the Admin of every site you are a Member of with this list and demand they ban these IPs and users or you will remove your work from their site. The good sites will say it is already done and if not done already, they will do it. The bad ones will not do it and maybe ban you for making trouble (but do you really want to be a Member of a site that is a safe haven for thieves).
The group of good sites are breaking their collected asses to keep you work safe. That is what we are doing, that is our way of "not doing nothing"[/quote]
Now I do not have the list mentioned above, but if you like I can get it. Or Bazzah may have that list since I know they are working together in this.
I will not do nothing
Any member who PMs me will get a list of the username and IP addresses of all the identified thieves. I urge you to check every Cover site you are a member of for these names. I urge you to contact the Admin of every site you are a Member of with this list and demand they ban these IPs and users or you will remove your work from their site. The good sites will say it is already done and if not done already, they will do it. The bad ones will not do it and maybe ban you for making trouble (but do you really want to be a Member of a site that is a safe haven for thieves).
The group of good sites are breaking their collected asses to keep you work safe. That is what we are doing, that is our way of "not doing nothing"[/quote]
Now I do not have the list mentioned above, but if you like I can get it. Or Bazzah may have that list since I know they are working together in this.
Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 10:23 pm
Hi Guys. I see my post has made it to this site also. I am not a staff member here, but I am a Subscriber. And because I am a member, I will also offer that list to any other member here that PMs me and requests it.
Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 10:44 pm
Great job BBSB mate! And cheers to Baz and everyone putting effort in banning the thiefs. 
Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 10:59 pm
Thanks Sens mate, I appreciate it. But it's not about the "pats on the back". The staff of the good sites bust their butts keeping the work safe, but it is not enough. Artists have to say to their site owners "This far and no farther. Here is a list of thieves, ban them or I will leave". That is the only way to keep your artwork safe
Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 11:27 pm
Thanks guys for all your hard work. You need to know that it is appreciated 
Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 5:34 am
Nice to know you have our backs BB
Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 6:29 pm
There are a couple of sites that I think and hope are safe, but there is one certain site that I have found a cover of mine on, of course I didn't post it, but when asking the admins to remove it, they said that isn't there policy to do that, once it uploaded they wouldn't remove it, but they where willing to change the name so I received the credits for it.
It wasn't my ideal situation, I would have rather had the cover removed.
It's nice to see that if this list does indeed exist that the low life scum that are responsible for the thief's are banned, thanks for the hard effort you have put into this BBSB
It wasn't my ideal situation, I would have rather had the cover removed.
It's nice to see that if this list does indeed exist that the low life scum that are responsible for the thief's are banned, thanks for the hard effort you have put into this BBSB
Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 6:44 pm
Rock on BB
Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 6:30 pm
Thanks tmscrapbook, JollyRoger, Darksaber, and starblazer. This was a combined effort of myself, baz, and other staff members of sites you all belong to.
There are other sites out there that you may be members of that harbor thieves, and the list is a way for you to be pro-active in helping to keep your work safe. If these people (on the list) have access to your covers and labels, then they are not safe, and you should demand that the staff keep them safe.
You have no worries here, at the sites I am a mod at, and a couple of others (as we constantly police and compare notes), but if you present the list to the admin of a site these people are members of and they refuse to ban them, then you should not post your work there.
To quote The Green Lantern
There are other sites out there that you may be members of that harbor thieves, and the list is a way for you to be pro-active in helping to keep your work safe. If these people (on the list) have access to your covers and labels, then they are not safe, and you should demand that the staff keep them safe.
You have no worries here, at the sites I am a mod at, and a couple of others (as we constantly police and compare notes), but if you present the list to the admin of a site these people are members of and they refuse to ban them, then you should not post your work there.
To quote The Green Lantern
QUOTE
"In brightest day, In darkest night, no evil will escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power! Green Lantern's light."[/quote]
I realized after I wrote this that it sounds like only a couple of people are working behind the scenes. All the Staff members of the Good Sites I spoke of in my original statement work hard to keep these sites thief free. Myself, baz, and a few others (from the other sites) are the point people who compare notes, but there is a big support system of Staff Members who help us compile the information and root out those thieves. So I thank these people who keep the Cover and Label "streets" crime free.
I realized after I wrote this that it sounds like only a couple of people are working behind the scenes. All the Staff members of the Good Sites I spoke of in my original statement work hard to keep these sites thief free. Myself, baz, and a few others (from the other sites) are the point people who compare notes, but there is a big support system of Staff Members who help us compile the information and root out those thieves. So I thank these people who keep the Cover and Label "streets" crime free.