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Posted 25 August 2006 - 08:34 AM
Apparently some people have it in their mind that not only is hotlinking images from other sites and stealing bandwidth acceptable, but they have the right to sue if you remove the hotlinked images from your server.
Email from hotlinker screenshot - clicky
Hotlinker threatens lawsuit
warning to all you who oppose bandwidth theft
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#2
Sam 
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Posted 25 August 2006 - 08:49 AM
It's unbelievable that, as you say, someone could find it acceptable to hotlink the images and then have the audacity to complain to you about the way you run your site. I assume you were aware of his hotlinking and changed the url details. And good on you. Have you replied to his mail yet or do you wish him to stew a little longer? 
When I first set-up online I asked the editor of a news site I frequented if I could use his images (edited and on my server) until I found a reliable source of my own. His answer was quite simply yes - because I asked. Infact, he proceeded to phone me up and tell me how to get images of my own through press sites. So it shows that a little courtesy can go a long way.
When I first set-up online I asked the editor of a news site I frequented if I could use his images (edited and on my server) until I found a reliable source of my own. His answer was quite simply yes - because I asked. Infact, he proceeded to phone me up and tell me how to get images of my own through press sites. So it shows that a little courtesy can go a long way.
#3
Sebastian Mares
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Posted 25 August 2006 - 08:49 AM
This made my day!
There are 10 types of people in this world: those who understand binary, and those who don't.
#4
Keven Fox
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Posted 25 August 2006 - 10:39 AM
OMG you've GOT to be kidding lol
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#7
SmashinGarcia
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Posted 25 August 2006 - 03:57 PM
Wow...
Just respond to him saying he was using your bandwidth and you contacted your lawyer about it and his hosting company to have his site terminated. Just to scare the little twit around.
Just respond to him saying he was using your bandwidth and you contacted your lawyer about it and his hosting company to have his site terminated. Just to scare the little twit around.
Being a Community Dev just means I contribute to the IPB Community. My posts do not represent IPS in any way.
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#8
//Nathan
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Posted 25 August 2006 - 08:29 PM
On the other hand, he sounds like he doesn't know a whole lot.
Could always educate him, briefly explain how stealing your bandwidth hurts you, and how as an alternative he could host them himself, and if the images are straining his own bandwidth too much, suggest a compressor.
Of course, that's just being nice about it. Honestly he's got nothing firm to stand on. No lawyer would consider taking his... could you even call it a case? He's blowing hot air.
In this age with services like ImageShack, unauthorised hotlinking is not acceptable. Why not just transload it to ImageShack, and use their bandwidth. That's why they're there. I used to hotlink, but only because I didn't understand the consequences. Now I simply use ImageShack - everyone's happy. (Unless the image is copyrighted, but that's a whole other issue.)
Could always educate him, briefly explain how stealing your bandwidth hurts you, and how as an alternative he could host them himself, and if the images are straining his own bandwidth too much, suggest a compressor.
Of course, that's just being nice about it. Honestly he's got nothing firm to stand on. No lawyer would consider taking his... could you even call it a case? He's blowing hot air.
In this age with services like ImageShack, unauthorised hotlinking is not acceptable. Why not just transload it to ImageShack, and use their bandwidth. That's why they're there. I used to hotlink, but only because I didn't understand the consequences. Now I simply use ImageShack - everyone's happy. (Unless the image is copyrighted, but that's a whole other issue.)
#9
Brendon Koz
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Posted 25 August 2006 - 08:39 PM
You guys do realize that the image in question is linked to from a digg mirror, right? 
I doubt it was DXL specifically who had this problem. Regardless, I think this guy's a riot.
I doubt it was DXL specifically who had this problem. Regardless, I think this guy's a riot.
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They say, "Practice makes perfect," yet they also say, "Nobody's perfect"... I don't get it.
#10
SmashinGarcia
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Posted 25 August 2006 - 11:24 PM
QUOTE(malikyte @ Aug 25 2006, 04:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
You guys do realize that the image in question is linked to from a digg mirror, right?
I doubt it was DXL specifically who had this problem. Regardless, I think this guy's a riot.
I doubt it was DXL specifically who had this problem. Regardless, I think this guy's a riot.
Doh, thanks for clearing that up malikyte.
Being a Community Dev just means I contribute to the IPB Community. My posts do not represent IPS in any way.
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#11
Quillz
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Posted 26 August 2006 - 04:31 AM
Tell him/her that you are not going to restore the images. Then when he/she sues, let him/her plead their case in court, and watch them lose and have to pay their own fees as well as yours.
#12
DXL
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Posted 26 August 2006 - 01:04 PM
QUOTE(malikyte @ Aug 25 2006, 01:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
You guys do realize that the image in question is linked to from a digg mirror, right?
I doubt it was DXL specifically who had this problem. Regardless, I think this guy's a riot.
I doubt it was DXL specifically who had this problem. Regardless, I think this guy's a riot.
Yep, wasn't me.
If it was me, I wouldn't have removed the images. I would have updated my pages with new images with new file names, and then just swapped out the old images for photos with questionable content. Now THAT, I do get angry emails about.
#15
Ross Lam.
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Posted 26 August 2006 - 09:23 PM
That is hilarious!!!
My name is Ross. I am the boss. I am the boss. I am I am I am I AM!!
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The All Mod GMC!
Unofficial Game Maker Community
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#16
RawkBob
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Posted 27 August 2006 - 04:25 PM
reminds me of an email i got last week...
And the reply by one of the people who contribute to my site:
QUOTE
Name: Kyle
Email: xxxxxxx@hotmail.com
Message:-
you guys put a link to ur site on my myspace somehow. i did not ask for it to be put on there, and i dont know how u did that without knowing my password. when i go to remove the link and picture, the next time i log into my page, it reappears. and why would u do this to someone who has never been to ur site before? please take off the link to ur site.
Email: xxxxxxx@hotmail.com
Message:-
you guys put a link to ur site on my myspace somehow. i did not ask for it to be put on there, and i dont know how u did that without knowing my password. when i go to remove the link and picture, the next time i log into my page, it reappears. and why would u do this to someone who has never been to ur site before? please take off the link to ur site.
And the reply by one of the people who contribute to my site:
QUOTE
Well, Kyle, what you're trying to do is to link to a picture on the
rawkstar.net server, namely
http://www.rawkstar....elin-boxset.jpg - A cover
picture of Led Zeppelin's boxset.
We do not allow offsite links to our pictures, and all such attempts are
automatically blocked and, you guessed it, redirected to our banner.
If you don't wish to have our banner on your myspace profile, we suggest
you REMOVE the link pointing to
http://www.rawkstar....elin-boxset.jpg from your
profile's html.
Please enjoy our website, and if you wish to link to any of our pictures,
save yourself the trouble and look elsewhere.
rawkstar.net server, namely
http://www.rawkstar....elin-boxset.jpg - A cover
picture of Led Zeppelin's boxset.
We do not allow offsite links to our pictures, and all such attempts are
automatically blocked and, you guessed it, redirected to our banner.
If you don't wish to have our banner on your myspace profile, we suggest
you REMOVE the link pointing to
http://www.rawkstar....elin-boxset.jpg from your
profile's html.
Please enjoy our website, and if you wish to link to any of our pictures,
save yourself the trouble and look elsewhere.
#17
Brendon Koz
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Posted 27 August 2006 - 04:31 PM
Y'know, I think when I go into work tomorrow I'm going to add my images folder to the robots.txt file for things to deny listing of...I think it would solve a lot of similar problems. I'd have to presume that the majority of these people are using an image search of a search engine. The robots.txt file would, I think, take care of the majority of these problems.
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They say, "Practice makes perfect," yet they also say, "Nobody's perfect"... I don't get it.
#18
//Nathan
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Posted 29 August 2006 - 04:17 AM
When I had a message board, I could go into cPanel and block hotlinking altogether. Can't anybody with a dot-com do this? And if so, why don't they? If you don't want hotlinking, turn it off. Or is it not that simple?
#19
Michael Merritt
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Posted 29 August 2006 - 05:59 AM
Most people don't know how, or don't view it as that big of a deal. It becomes one when you are limited on bandwidth, especially if your site is popular.
#20
//Nathan
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Posted 29 August 2006 - 09:41 PM
Well, wouldn't one, at that point, turn hotlinking off? That's what I don't get.
I see both sides of the proverbial fence. On one side there's the webmasters who only have so much bandwidth. On the other side, everyone else. And every now and then you come across a site with one of those no-right-click scripts. They're so against hotlinking that they fight stupid little battles with their viewers, when simpler solutions exist. 1) Turn off hotlinking. 2) Invite the viewer to save the image to their computer, and then upload it to ImageShack or a similar service. Problem solved, everyone's happy. Sometimes open communication and simple solutions are the ones that work the best.
I see both sides of the proverbial fence. On one side there's the webmasters who only have so much bandwidth. On the other side, everyone else. And every now and then you come across a site with one of those no-right-click scripts. They're so against hotlinking that they fight stupid little battles with their viewers, when simpler solutions exist. 1) Turn off hotlinking. 2) Invite the viewer to save the image to their computer, and then upload it to ImageShack or a similar service. Problem solved, everyone's happy. Sometimes open communication and simple solutions are the ones that work the best.