Hey Jason, how are you going to proceed in this matter? Is your lawyer going to sue the site owners?

BTw, did you copyright those images? This is very important.

I know Mike (mhoultom) of ravensrealm.com is a very upstanding guy and wouldn't intentionally rip anyone off. I'm sure he will respond positively to your request. Hope things work out for you in protecting your interests!

just answering your original question...

RULE 3.1 applies to vbulletin property or code/files submitted by a member as OWN when it belongs to another.

It does not take into account actions done by a member outside of vbulletin.org.

I would think this but since I was listed as an example site on the actual hack this is how it happened. Not that they accidently surfed my site and then copied the rank images. One of the infringers stated that a vb.org member sold him the images in a package, hence the medium was through vb.org. I have also posted the question to the vb.com piracy staff and got an initial reply already.

Copyright is automatic when you create something, it doesnt need anything else to be done to guarantee it. The site name and the rest of it is also Trademarked with an official mark from the USPTO however.

Source: http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Jan/1/241476.html

He emailed me back but they are still up there as of the time of this writing. He told me somone on vb.org sold them to him for $10 so I am holping he has the name. I have no reason to doubt anyone yet.

well, it's kinda hard for a small image like that, but you to put "transparent copyright" over the pictures where you can, it might limit some.

sorry for the trouble :), we should have state the copyright from begining.

Trackpads, Yes I did purchase what appears to by your images. And for that I am sorry, They will be removed. Again, I had no idea that they were yours.

Please give me to the end of the day.

-gone


Posting this in my shoutbox - before we had the time to discuss this issue is pretty ++++ed up
I did remove these images and the awards mod from my site at your request. Without asking you to "prove" in any way, shape or form that you actually are the creator of these images. I did not "steal" anything.

mholtum, an emotional response is to be expected; as a professional photographer who takes pictures of nude women, I often have to deal with people ripping off my work and even now finding someone using my work (or claiming it as their own) provokes anger.

Not your fault but not only were the images copied on some of the sites but the entire award text that was written for the awards! Copyright doesnt have to be stated on every single image but like all sites I have it on every single page in the footer. I credit others when I have recieved their permission and never, ever remove a hack authors or anyones cp unless I have paid for it.

Again many thanks.

Probably, but trading off my atwork was unprofessional as well. You spend 5 or 6 hours slaving over photoshop for something special on your site and I doubt you will enjoy it when it is ripped off.

Thanks again for taking them down,

-Jason

Yes but when someone is threatening action with a lawyer here and then accusing me of stealing, which I didnt do, that is what is called slander.

I am not the one that did that. I too am a victim here.. Would you consider allowing me to use these images? I would of course give you credit and a link in my footer.

Regardless of what you though you were doing you are now the owner of a business, as such you ahve legal responsibility over your site and what you do with it. So in effect, yes you were.

Now you have been very honorable and forthright and I appreciate it. However. like I said, name the person one vb.org that sold them to you and I will take it from there. I understand how you must feel about it.