Piracy?

[Pueros]

It seems that 'The Lycian Prince', of which I am the author, has appeared without my permission, & in a very promotional manner, at

http://autoloukos.tripod.com/

I post to eunuch.org & ancgs only, although I have given the odd individual permission to post elsewhere as long as it was with with prior approval, but none has been requested.

Does anyone know anything about this site?

I want my tales to be readily available, but also want to promote free sites as I'm very much opposed to pay-to-read sites!

PUEROS

[Paolo]

If this is a "pay to read" site, then I would email the webmaster. If he does not reply prompty, I would begin looking for other facets of the site, like a bulletin board, upon which to complain. Loudly. Much the same happened with Immortal Castrati to me, however, it was a free site and all of the hyperlinks nested in the text were preserved, and I found that I liked the site where it was reposted. No harm was done there. THIS is a different matter, however. I would bitch loudly at everyone I could find on that site. Reposting without permission is rude; reposting to a pay site is criminal, I'd think.

I've also contacted Tripod/Lycos at abuse, to try and get his email or some way of contact only ... and got an autoreply:

Maybe the word EUNUCH all over my complaint will get some attention. heh?

THIS IS AN AUTO-ACKNOWLEDGEMENT - PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL.

You have reached the Lycos Abuse Team. We have received your email and will be reviewing it shortly. Please be advised that due to the volume of emails we receive, this may be the only email you receive from us regarding this matter.

If this matter is urgent, please visit us online at:

http://reportabuse.lycos.com

For support questions, please go to http://help.lycos.com

Thank you.

[Paolo]

Paolo you are wrong on several counts.

1- Copyright is NOT concerned with money but with control. The legal aspect are the same whether or not it is a pay site.

2- Harm has/is been done in every repost. Suppose that some steals on old story and reposts it. That can cause a contract to be terminated and a loss of income.

3- Being abusive or rude is not helpful in dealing with legal matters and is usually counterproductive.

4- If this <<

Maybe the word EUNUCH all over my complaint will get some attention. heh?

>> has any effect it is most likely to be to accelerate a finger to the delete key.

Ahem ... hmm ... well ...

1. Copyright has EVERYTHING to do with money. As a professional photographer, my copyright IS my income. I make nothing if someone takes my image to Wal-Mart and makes 100 copies of it on those odious Kodak Picture Manglers. And if copyright had nothing to do with money, Napster would never have been picked on in the first place.

2. So how is a loss of income not related to money then? I thought it was about control. I also beg to differ in harm being done in a repost per say. Once I talked to the people who copied my story and found my links and email intact, I actually made a few new online friends over it. You should try that sometime.

3. Being nice will get you NOWHERE in today's world.

4. Obviously you didn't see the humor in this line. Putting 'Eunuch Archive' in my signature is SUPPOSED to attract attention. Now let's talk about DELETE keys for a bit ...

[Paolo]

Bboy says - THIS POOR GUY KEPT ALL OF THE LINKS INTACT AND IS JUST TRYING TO SHARE SOME OF HIS FAVORITE STORIES. IT'S SAD THAT THIS IS NOT VIEWED AS A COMPLIMENT!

To which I reply: Yes, he did keep the links intact, as did the person(s) who reposted mine. THAT was what took some of the sting, for me, out of it. I also feel, however, that a bit of couthe could have been involved beforehand, as in asking permission to do so. Perhaps with a compliment, even. Or do I expect too much? I should probably have mentioned earlier that I didn't write to Tripod ranting and screaming; I wouldn't have written at all if he'd had an email link where I could have written directly to him. I just wanted to get his attention.



And on the other thoughts, yes, I personally expect some "dot com" company that takes in zillions of dollars a minute to be fully staffed 24/7 with a raft of sexy-voiced operators who will also answer my emails promptly with nude photos attached.

[Paolo]

Y,

I would like to speak with you in email or PM about this entire thread at your convenience, because personally, I would like to understand a bit more as to why your posts about it keep pissing me off the way they do.

[Bboy]

In favor of saying this:

You guys post here because you want to contribute something to the community - the Archive has always been free and will continue to be so.

Your stories are important and really mean something to the readers - your fans.

Yes, people ought to ask permission before reposting.

No, you shouldn't NUKE the person for doing so - understanding that it is usually done out of sincere love for you and your work.

[Pueros]

Thanks for all your replies.

My original angry post was a knee-jerk reaction to the discovery, thinking that the site concerned might be a pay one and after consuming a nice bottle of wine with my dinner!

In the sober light of day, I should perhaps be flattered but I also wish that the person concerned had asked permission & did not provide a photo of his own visualisation of Anthonius as I have my own for all characters.

I shall personally let things be, especially as, apart from the photo, I like the presentation.

However, I know that the site has infuriated other writers, some of whom intend to try to close it down.

PUEROS

[Pueros]

I have now obtained a direct apology from the webmaster concerned, belatedly seeking permission to post 'Lycian Prince' & stating that he would remove the tale if I preferred.

Given that he is basically a fan, the site being dedicated to his favourite stories, and that relevant acknowledgements and links have been made, I have agreed, subject to him seeking permission for future postings of other tales, with the same considerations being given to the other writers.

This particular matter is therefore closed as far as I'm concerned.

Sorry about the rumpus created!

PUEROS

[SquirmEWorm (imported)]

Then all's well that end's well, isn't it?

[Pueros]

It may well be the end of this particular episode but I think that it illustrates the wider potential for pay sites to pinch freely available stories to sell to gullible net users, or for other free sites to do so to boost their own portfolios without proper recognition/acknowledgement.

These are the evils that my original post was intended to raise, least for my own sake as such activity desecrates the work of this marvellous site!

PUEROS