quote:

When you are talking about "free" content being stolen on the Internet, as an author (with no aspirations to make millions off of anything I have ever written), I'd ask you to look at it another way.

If you had a free web site for several years and found out other people were stealing your content and making a profit off of it, would you say "more power to them -- the spreading of my content is good" even though people were being forced to pay for something that should have been free?

If you had written articles or text would you be happy if it were re-purposed anywhere and everwhere, without your ok? Including your name/email address? Is it even ok if someone publishes it on a web site with content you found offensive, against your own personal principles, or even illegal in nature? Would you be ok with your material, AND your name being in their publication?

What if you wrote a story and someone else took the liberty to illustrate it, and added illustrations that you found against your moral principles. Readers would assume you were also responsible for the art, perhaps, because your name was on the work itself. Would that be ok?

What if you wrote something specifically for ADULTS and someone "borrowed it" and placed it on an Internet site geared toward teens. Would that be ok?

When people toss around the "information should be free" argument and tell me I should be *happy* when my content is lifted and placed all over the net, they often assume it's all about money. I have NO intent of writing or compiling a book or making a living off of my writing. My writing isn't close to good enough to be worth the time to edit for that purpose. However, I have a right to choose where my content appears, and where my name appears. And for my writing to remain in its original form, the way I intended it.

Akasha

quote:

ORIGINAL: cloudboy

quote:

When you are talking about "free" content being stolen on the Internet, as an author (with no aspirations to make millions off of anything I have ever written), I'd ask you to look at it another way.

If you had a free web site for several years and found out other people were stealing your content and making a profit off of it, would you say "more power to them -- the spreading of my content is good" even though people were being forced to pay for something that should have been free?

If you had written articles or text would you be happy if it were re-purposed anywhere and everwhere, without your ok? Including your name/email address? Is it even ok if someone publishes it on a web site with content you found offensive, against your own personal principles, or even illegal in nature? Would you be ok with your material, AND your name being in their publication?

What if you wrote a story and someone else took the liberty to illustrate it, and added illustrations that you found against your moral principles. Readers would assume you were also responsible for the art, perhaps, because your name was on the work itself. Would that be ok?

What if you wrote something specifically for ADULTS and someone "borrowed it" and placed it on an Internet site geared toward teens. Would that be ok?

When people toss around the "information should be free" argument and tell me I should be *happy* when my content is lifted and placed all over the net, they often assume it's all about money. I have NO intent of writing or compiling a book or making a living off of my writing. My writing isn't close to good enough to be worth the time to edit for that purpose. However, I have a right to choose where my content appears, and where my name appears. And for my writing to remain in its original form, the way I intended it.

Akasha

Nice rant, but not altogether related to what I said. You're a sharp women, and its strange to see you posing here as a victim. I've published fiction too on the net, and its out there and its gone from my control as far as I'm concerned. I had no reasonable expectation "copyright protection" where I published it. Anyone could copy it and keep if for themselves. Good for them. Anyone could do anything they wanted with it, good for them. They could even pass it off as theirs (kinda sad) or sell it for their own gain (how about that.) As far as I'm concerned, I gave it away.

If I had other thoughts, I would have put two cents worth of thought into getting my work copyrighted or published in a place where people couldn't read and copy it upon a whim. Like I said, "There's nothing more cretin than someone misapplying "high and important" principles to inappropriate contexts. " You can rail all you want, but the net is the net ----- its one of the most public domains ever created --- I don't see how you can put your stuff out there in open access format and at the same time reasonably expect to maintain a proprietary and pecuniary interest it. Put another way, you cannot do a communist deed and turn around expect a capitalist return. It doesn't work that way. Its another universe out there.

If you wanted copyright protection, its up to you to be proactive about it. When you put stuff out into the public, especially the internet public, if its good, its going to get around, period. My good work, I've kept that to myself. I do feel some propriety interest in it, but stuff I write on a message board, stuff I put in my public profile, the stuff I publish in wide open access sites ----- sorry, but I have the sense to know--- that's stricly public access do-what-you-want with it territory. Its wild, anarchical freedom, and I love it. Bring it on, pass it around, have fun, stick your ego in a closet, we're all gonna die anyway ----- GO BABY GO!! The very beauty of it is that YOU CANNOT STOP IT.

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ORIGINAL: AAkasha

I guess it has something to do with the way the Internet has changed, and people should have recognized that. Around 1995 - 1998 it wasn't a big issue, and then people decided that if something was on the Internet, it was "fair use" -- so it's been an uphill battle since then. If I was starting *today* sharing content on the net, sure, I would do it very differently than I did back then. My site is now a pay site. I have changed a lot of things to protect my content.

And I am proactive about it. I have legal battles that are ongoing. There are a few that I will pursue even though I may lose money when all is said and done, because people set up crappy little corporations to hide behind and file bankruptcy to escape damages; that doesn't mean I won't pursue it legally.

It's also always the people who don't have anything worth stealing that are very gung-ho about the "open access" of the Internet, also. Sadly it's that "BRING IT ON, PASS IT AROUND!" attitude that will keep a lot of good content off the Internet. Maybe you are too new to the net to remember how much good, free, available content was accessible until a few years ago.

Akasha

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ORIGINAL: cloudboy

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ORIGINAL: AAkasha

I guess it has something to do with the way the Internet has changed, and people should have recognized that. Around 1995 - 1998 it wasn't a big issue, and then people decided that if something was on the Internet, it was "fair use" -- so it's been an uphill battle since then. If I was starting *today* sharing content on the net, sure, I would do it very differently than I did back then. My site is now a pay site. I have changed a lot of things to protect my content.

And I am proactive about it. I have legal battles that are ongoing. There are a few that I will pursue even though I may lose money when all is said and done, because people set up crappy little corporations to hide behind and file bankruptcy to escape damages; that doesn't mean I won't pursue it legally.

It's also always the people who don't have anything worth stealing that are very gung-ho about the "open access" of the Internet, also. Sadly it's that "BRING IT ON, PASS IT AROUND!" attitude that will keep a lot of good content off the Internet. Maybe you are too new to the net to remember how much good, free, available content was accessible until a few years ago.

Akasha

The internet is what it is, regardless of what we think or want. I like the fact that is largely unregulated. I think there is better content on the web now than in 1996, so I can't be lumped into the "things have gotten worse camp." In terms of values, I can only speak for myself. I would not take your stories and appropriate them for my own gains, but I might copy them down onto my computer and share them with my friends.

As I see it, your name has gotten around ----- so you've benefited too, from the wild, wild internet. Its not all downside for you.

You're a bright bulb and a refreshing voice. I'm always glad to spar with you, even if we're not always on the same side.

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ORIGINAL: AAkasha

My "name getting around" via the net and how things have exploded isn't a good thing -- what has that gotten me? I'm not into my web activities to make money and never saw it as a money making venture.

All things considered, I would trade today's "Akasha'sWeb" readership with the 1997-1998 readership in a heartbeat. I received a lot of really interesting emails (and less "do me" fantasy emails) and met a lot more interesting people. It was more like a community. I used to be able to meet people from my site after exchanging a few emails/phone calls or by knowing that they knew someone (it was a pretty small community, all things considered, so it was more networked). Nowadays you need to do a background check on someone to know whether or not you can meet them.

Back then I could pick up my own mail at my PO Box. Now, are you kidding me? The "explosion" of the net has brought with it hoardes of weirdos and wackos and having a popular Internet site makes me a target, nothing more.

I would also trade the current "collarme/bondage.com" forums with the 1995-1996 usenet/alt.sex.femdom (pre-spam) in a heartbeat also. The information was richer and on topic and there wasn't as much drama and roleplaying.

I will clarify that I am talking about my own *personal* woes with the net and its growth; I am very happy (outside the world of kink) with the overall growth of the Internet and its usefullness. But as far as what it means for my site? I had to either make it a pay site or take it down, that's the choice I had going into year 10.

Akasha

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ORIGINAL: cloudboy

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ORIGINAL: AAkasha

My "name getting around" via the net and how things have exploded isn't a good thing -- what has that gotten me? I'm not into my web activities to make money and never saw it as a money making venture.

All things considered, I would trade today's "Akasha'sWeb" readership with the 1997-1998 readership in a heartbeat. I received a lot of really interesting emails (and less "do me" fantasy emails) and met a lot more interesting people. It was more like a community. I used to be able to meet people from my site after exchanging a few emails/phone calls or by knowing that they knew someone (it was a pretty small community, all things considered, so it was more networked). Nowadays you need to do a background check on someone to know whether or not you can meet them.

Back then I could pick up my own mail at my PO Box. Now, are you kidding me? The "explosion" of the net has brought with it hoardes of weirdos and wackos and having a popular Internet site makes me a target, nothing more.

I would also trade the current "collarme/bondage.com" forums with the 1995-1996 usenet/alt.sex.femdom (pre-spam) in a heartbeat also. The information was richer and on topic and there wasn't as much drama and roleplaying.

I will clarify that I am talking about my own *personal* woes with the net and its growth; I am very happy (outside the world of kink) with the overall growth of the Internet and its usefullness. But as far as what it means for my site? I had to either make it a pay site or take it down, that's the choice I had going into year 10.

Akasha

I'm sorry, I never looked at your situation as a quality v. quantity proposition. I surely know and can appreciate the difference. I guess this is what makes you different, and I must admit, I just assumed "added traffic" to you web site was a 'good' and 'profitable' thing. I, of course, haven't had to deal with the problems of fame --- I'm more the anti-famous type. Nonetheless, I have no doubt it was a different community back in the mid nineties and you miss the gold old days. (This reminds me of the film ALMOST FAMOUS, which was also about the end of "the good old days.")

"I'm not into my web activities to make money and never saw it as a money making venture."

Well, you have to pay the bills somehow --- and if you've turned your passion into a business --- the money factor can't help but creep into the whole equation. Anyway, I do feel I am talking to a little bit of living history, and that is pretty cool.

On a sidenote, my Mistress is a big fan of yours, and she rec'd I read one of your stories around the time we first met. She considered you to be an authentic writer of BDSM erotica, as opposed just a male fantasy projection artist. It was about a woman wanting her sub to wear a gag through the night.

I might also say, you deal skillfully with your detractors and hagglers.