Re: Weasel

[tom <tombaker17@gmail.com>]

On Jun 5, 2:12 pm, "Michael J. Mahon" <mjma...@aol.com> wrote:
> tom wrote:
> > This experience echoes that of me and some other faq maintainers from
> > way back (I used to maintain different ones, among them the
> > comp.emulator.apple2 faq).  In violation of the copyright notices,
> > some company just scooped up all the faqs and started selling them on
> > cd.  A bunch of the faq volunteers quit, since it was so easy for
> > their work to be taken.)
>
> > Abraham Lincoln made a reference to people "wringing their bread from
> > the sweat of other men's faces" in his second inauguration -- that
> > seems to apply here.  You put up the content, you did the work, they
> > swiped it, put their name on it, and seek to profit by it.  Those who
> > suggest this might be a good thing are ignoring the fact that this is
> > wrong wrong wrong and illegal.  No way should someone be encouraged to
> > profit from this kind of theft.
>
> > You also note that the straightforward legal procedures would involve
> > expensive lawsuits, a step you haven't taken yet.  I would proceed
> > with the actions with the isp host, and I think you can count of
> > support from some members of this forum.
>
> Yes, your feelings and perceptions of injustice are quite reasonable.
>
> But it's worth stopping to consider the reason for doing the work in
> the first place.
>
> If you did the work for your own benefit (money, power, glory), then
> you have reason to feel thwarted by someone distributing your work
> (particularly without attribution).
>
> But if you did the work as a service to the community, then wider
> distribution actually furthers your goals, regardless of the means.

First of all, not to steal a2history's thunder, but he did submit the
correct DMCA information to the ISP, and...

... the illegal web page, has been pulled down, at least temporarily.

I did pull some info off corporate sites for him, and pulled some
legal text off copyright.gov for him as well.  Mr. Wehyrich did all
the work, notifying Dreamhost and the major search engines.

I am so glad it looks "fixed", even if temporarily, and I am so hoping
it /stays/ "fixed".

Could not happen to a nicer guy.  For a webmaster that has written a
good Apple II History book and has served the Apple II community (for
no pay) for about two decades at least, I'd like apple2history.org to
stay up forever.

     * * * * *

Second, yes the need to protect and control the work trumps the desire
to see the work propogate illegally.  That last is the key word -
"illegal" - If we want the law to work on our side, then we should use
the law as it is intended.

Thirdly, copying the work and taking Mr. Weyhrich's name off it does
hurt him, in at least one financial sense.  Back in my FAQ maintainer
days, there were FAQ volunteers that garnered reputations for being
the experts they were.  Some went on to author successful books as a
result.  If someone takes their name off their Internet content, that
affects their potential income.

Every once in a while today, I check both apple2history.org and
lowestar.com, seeing the right one up, and the illegal one down.  Good
feeling.

God bless,
tom