What the Hell?!?!

[lola_hard]

These people are using my intellectual property for their own purposes without my consent.

Not only have they downloaded this video from my YouTube account with some kind of “video-grabbing” program, but they didn’t ask for my permission to upload it to their website, and gave their visitors an opportunity to download it! (I’d rather send those

Comments

[ionicaq]

Ooh, what you did was really nice! :) That sucks that they've stolen it! Ugh. :( I hope those assholes get what they deserve!

[lola_hard]

Of course, I mentioned Chapter Four of the Civil Code on copyright in that letter - but I don't know what to do if they don't answer me... I guess I'll have to find some information on the internet piracy somewhere, or something... This is a serious stuff. I don't like the fact that my property is being snatched from under my nose like this... *fuming*

[ionicaq]

I don't know anything about Russian law, but I think in the US they have 30 days after notification to comply or face legal action. Some lawyers in the US will give you a free consulation no idea if it works the same there, but if it does, maybe you can get a hold of a lawyer and ask them? This also makes me wonder how the acquired the other items on their website and if other people are aware of this...

[lola_hard]

Oh, thanks a lot for the advice, honey! I'll know what to do in the future if something like that happens.

Concerning this particular case, the website owners responded to my letter and said that their website is working via Youtube API, and they don't download the videos from YouTube, but "stream" them from the original source (if I get it right). But anyway, this leaves a question as to WHY there're no author's notes, or the link to the original file in my profile? Now THIS website preserves all the accompanying information, it really looks like it's API-working.

If personally asked, I'd say that such websites are absolutely NOT needed on the net. If someone wants to find something, they can go straight to YouTube and search for whatever they want themselves, without "the third party". The owners of the first website explained in their letter how I can disable the "embeding" function in the properties of my videos, which should make it impossible to put them to other pages. But man, this is just insane... *nervous laugh*

[ionicaq]

This is a total aside, and I'll come up with a real comment later, but: This morning there was a girl on the train talking on her cell phone and speaking what sounded like Russian (I've recently found out that I seem to live in "Little Russia") and it made me think of you. I don't know, it was completly random, but I just thought I'd share.

[lola_hard]

Oh, this is absolutely nice! :D I'm glad something reminds you of me :) And what do you mean "Little Russia"? Are there that many Russians in your town? That's interesting :)

[ionicaq]

Well, where I am now in Boston, one train stop away is a Russian doctor and three train stops (in the other direction) is a Russian grocer and a pharmacy (the sign for it says "Pharmacy Аптека") across the street. One night when I was on a train there was a man asking if he was on the right train to "Little Russia" and no one knew what he meant and it turned he was looking for the stop with the grocery store and pharmacy. Also there are a lot of Eastern-European people around (as I said to Diego, I hear a lot of people talking in languages that I would expect to be written in Cyrillic). Before I moved here the apartment at the end of the hall had a guy from Russia living in it, who complained that the winters here were colder than in Russia. ;)

I saw that girl again this morning not on my green line train, but on the red line (I have to switch trains to get to work) she even got off at the same stop that I did. It was so odd!