Stolen .swf files and other, not sure where to post

[autumn_whispers2me]

Hi: Sorry to barge in but I have an ongoing issue with intellectual property theft and need some help. Nothing found on the internet has helped so far, and you guys have assisted me with building my Flash movies and I hope you may know what my next step should be. Here's the problem:

I belong to another non-web design board, and one of the members there, though I didn't realize this at first, has been harvesting images and sound files from other web sites... including mine. And I mean harvesting beyond what some 13yr old kid might do to make his/her own site. This is a grown man in his 40's, and he's not taking the "free to the public" images, but logo images, sound files (even ones I paid for), and .swf files.

He has "bragged" about a program he's purchased that decompiles flash movies and he uses that program to extract the sounds, which he places on his site for others to take. I've had numerous arguments with him about taking my images, sound files, etc., and I noticed on his site today (the idiot sent me a link, of all things) that he's taken one of my .swf files and put it on his site. He doesn't have Flash and wont even buy a $10 hosting package to put his site on.

I have made movies for this guy in hopes he would leave my own work alone, but the harvesting continues.

What I need to know is how I go about taking care of this problem? I don't know what else to do and I'm so tired of my work being taken and used this way.

Oh, and my site has a 'Legalities' section that clearly states that no images on my site are free for the taking, and I list the link for the section of my site that has free images. There's even a section in honor of the artists who created the sound files (especially the Flash music). Some of these files I got for free and made Flash sound files or movies out of, while others I paid for the right to use.

I'm at my wits end. Sorry if this post is in an incorrect forum, but I wasn't sure exactly where to post my question.

[dojo]

There is SWF Decompiler if I'm not wrong. Maybe he's using it. You could make the site load as a pup up ... you know without the usual tool bar and stuff. If I remember well SWF decompiler can't save the flash this way.
Hope that helps ...

[autumn_whispers2me]

Yes, he has a flash decompiler. As for taking my swf file, I'm sure he did that by going into his internet cache. He renamed it, but the file is definitely mine.

[Webforumz Staff]

Unfortunately there is no way to protect against a Flash debugger. By it's very nature, it circumvents any protection that Macromedia makes to protect the files. One of Flash's biggest strengths is that it can create a lot of what you see as it runs, but this requires specific descriptions of how to do this. If Flash itself has to get access to this information, then anyone else can too.

The question is, what is he going to do with your stuff and do you really care? At the end of the day, you're not losing any money and to be honest, no decent web design company is going to lose any either as what they create for their clients will be a bespoke product. Sure, someone can copy it and for years now web designers have marvelled at how people go to extreme lengths to copy well designed website out there, but the general concensus is that people who do this, quite frankly suck.

Legally, if you have a notice on your website and the content you have was created by yourself, then all of this could stand up in court but, let's face it, would it really be worth the time and effort involved?

Personally, if someone went to all the trouble to spend time decompiling my site and putting it all onto the web for everyone to see, I wouldn't mind at all. Someone else can pass of my work as theirs, but if they do then they're not as skilled as me as I created it in the first place. To be honest, I would probably feel pleased that my work was good enough for someone to go to all that trouble anyway. Clearly this guy has nothing better to do and that should tell you far more about him than....pretty much anything else :wink:.

Seriously though, I wouldn't worry about it unless he's sending you general abuse. If it were on these forums then I would classify what he's doing as abuse. He's purposely decomposing your files for no reason (it appears) other than to smite you. Why do that? He must simply lead a pretty sad life.

If however, he is just taking SWF files and putting those straight on his site (as opposed to the parts of the SWF that you get when you decompile them) then I can think of ways around that... Ask me if that is the case and I can help you safeguard your other movies.

[autumn_whispers2me]

Thanks, Sirkent, and I can definitely see your point. But this latest thing with the .swf file is only a drop in the bucket. For months now I've had to repeatedly write him and tell him to remove images, etc. from his site that were mine. He even took my freakin' logo. Can you believe that? And he's not taking my stuff and re-assembling it on his domain... he's putting them on his site for other people to take! In other words his site's whole purpose, it's theme, is to give away free web graphics and sound files. In other words, it's not like he's taking my stuff and making it his own---he's dumping it onto his site and saying "Free to all!" That's what ticks me off the most, really. But I've made that guy flash movies to use on his site, and he still doesn't stop.

Everyone who knows he's doing this knows he sends me emails announcing his "updates" to his site, and most of the time that means I follow the link and find something else he's taken. And I have the right-click disable script on my pages (except the ones with free images), copyright notice on every page, and even a "legalities" section. UGH! It's infuriating. :mad:

[Webforumz Staff]

Well, then I would simply suggest that you rise above it and leave him to it. He's wasting his time and energy on something quite pitiful. Simply set up a filter in your e-mail program to delete those messages immediately... I know I would :wink:.

[Smokie]

Contact his hosting company or whoever he uses to host his "free for all" site and explain the situation to them, also attempt to contact the other people he is stealing from and ask them to also contact his host and they may take his site offline as it may be a breach of their terms and conditions which *may* say they do not allow the hosting of copyrighted materials.

[autumn_whispers2me]

Smokie, I contacted his hosting company and although they say I can remain anonymous they want me to specify files which they will specify to him. Rather a contradiction really, and he will know who it is when the files are specified. I'm talking to my hosting company about finding out how to get his IP address so I can ban it from both my domains.

Sirkent: I'm a writer and I have two sons who write their own music, so intellectual property theft is a very big deal to me. Whether it's images, music, or whatever it needs to be stopped when possible. For example, take an image off www.msn.com and place it on your web site and watch how fast the axe falls when they find out you've taken it. Or take a photographer's work and do the same thing. It's not just about 'web images' to a lot of us, but about something we've created as artists of one form or another. I don't mean to lecture, but intellectual property theft is no different than what someone does if they come into your home and steals. As for blocking his emails---other than going to his site on a regular basis, which I don't do, that's usually how I find out what he's taken. But I do appreciate your take on the situation.. it's just that my work isn't something I take lightly.