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Response from Space : )I received a message from The Space Craft in response to my many, many postings about downloading original work without the creator being mentioned. I am glad to say The Space Craft is actually manned. : ) The issue is a complicated one and has many sides. I don't know if anything will be changed, but I do feel I've "had my say" and that they have listened. The Space CraftHeidi asked for it so here it is! If you want to "support me" in this campaign, go to
The Space Craft.... http://thespacecraft.spaces.live.com Then find the July 20th post titled:
Just released: Three months of new updates to Windows Live Spaces There are 112 comments but only the first 7 or so are mine. Maybe other people commenting about keeping a person's name with their creation AND not giving the public the right to modify and use in anyway they see fit would carry some weight. Actually just commenting that you'd like some Space Craft feed back on the1stephzen's comments would probably do just as well. WHO KNOWS ... Maybe that's why my new title is WHO KNOWS? PS: I don't need a trackback to this. I was trying to do a trackback for the entry on The Space Craft. What To Do...In a QuandaryIt is becoming increasing obvious that Spaces Live (The Space Craft) is not going to respond to my questions or concerns about the download button. I also realize no one else seems to be concerned about this. The button encourages downloads giving no credit to the creator and strongly carries the message - anything online (especially an image) is free to take and use in any way whatsoever. I also believe this will contribute to an erosion of copyright law. Even if they remove the download button, at this point I've read the agreement, and I don't agree with it. My quandry is I don't want to quit blogging but to continue means no lyrics and no original graphics; the name of my blog is WORDS AND GRAPHICS from the1stephzen. How many of you who regularly visit this blog come hoping I'll have new lyrics or new "art"? I know that some of you especially love the lyrics. In my profile, which I deleted, I commented that my blog was a place to share my creations. To me this was like having a book published. People could read it and enjoy the illustrations, but people were not given premission to take what they wanted and use it how they pleased - with or without giving credit to the creator. I understood that Spaces Live could use it; I assumed with my name. I probably will rename my blog and try blogging like most people do - just comments about life in general or my life. I am just not sure how long that will hold my interest. Call me selfish, but just as I said in my old profile, the blog was my way of sharing my creations, and I got tremendous pleasure from that. I am one of those artists who loves an audience. Stay tuned...I am sure I will find a direction for this blog; I just don't know what it will be. It won't be Words and Graphics from the1stephzen. The Principle This is not about my words and graphics; it is about the principle that Spaces Live is encouraging download of graphics with absolutely no restrictions. Spaces' rules say the works still belong to the person who submitted them but that the creator agrees to let the public use them in whatever way they want (which would include using them for profit) and that the public can modify them with or without acknowledging the creator. I don't want my lyrics modified with or without my name. A modified lyric with my name would be worse to me than an unmodified one without my name. If users had not agreed to it, all of the above would be clear violations of existing copyright laws. As a songwriter, I am aware and somewhat knowledgeable of copyright issues. I don't want to participate in something that I think is leading to an erosion of the now existing copyright laws.
I realize it is very unlikely that anyone will download graphics or lyrics for anything but their own personal pleasure. Once again, this is not about my words and my graphics, it is about something I agreed to by clicking a button that I, in fact, do not agree with. I think Spaces' new download button carries the message that everything on our blogs is public domain to be used in whatever way anyone wants, with or without the creator's name. I can not agree to that.
Now...about continuing the blog with restrictions on who can view it - some of the pleasures for me have been getting new viewpoints from people I don't know and expanding my cirlce of friends. I have never been fond of closed groups. At this point, I don't want a restricted blog. Maybe I will change my mind later. I am not deleting the blog - just making a statement.
I appreciate that my blog has been appreciated. Although I am on facebook and My Space, facebook is for my students and My Space isn't in a format I like. Again, it is for students to see pictures of themselves, etc. Anyway, it probably has the same "rules". I don't upload my lyrics or my graphics to either one.
My name on Yahoo and Windows Live messenger is the1stephzen with yahoo.com coming after it. I am still available to anyone who wants to get in touch with me.
I am still waiting for a response from Spaces Live. My Blog and Usage Issues
Please read earlier posts. Perhaps this will teach me to read contracts more closely. The below is what I (and all of you) agreed to. My decision is very clear cut. I do not want my works (graphics, photos, sketches, or words) used without my name associated, and unless I misunderstand, the use of my name is optional to the public. Also, I do not want them modified by others. I watched a program about copyright and the internet last night which was very interesting. Providing or contributing "ease" to materials not owned by the site was the main issue. I have always known anyone could copy but I did not realize all the permissions I was giving to the public. It's the same as saying my works are public domain. I am glad the download button was added because it brought to my attention something I had not read closely enough. Probably I wil keep an "empty" blog except for my protests to Windows Live. I have posted several times at the Spacecraft and have received no comment. I want my account to stay open until my comments are replied to. I love you all. I am sort of glad I didn't read the contract closer...because I have enjoyed meeting all of you so much. My blog will be here for awhile so you can make comments or ask how to keep touch. the1stephzen 8. Your Materials. You may be able to submit materials for use in connection with the service. Except for material that we license to you, we do not claim ownership of the materials you post or otherwise provide to us related to the service (called a “submission”). However, by posting or otherwise providing your submission, you are granting to the public free permission to: · use, copy, distribute, display, publish and modify your submission, each in connection with the service; · publish your name in connection with your submission; and · grant these permissions to other persons. This section only applies to legally permissible content and only to the extent that use and publishing of the legally permissible content does not breach the law. We will not pay you for your submission. We may refuse to publish, and may remove your submission from the service at any time. For every submission you make, you must have all rights necessary for you to grant the permissions in this section.
More About Ownership Of Intellectual and Creative PropertyThis entry stared as a response to a comment, but then I decided it needed to be an entry, not a comment.
No, I don't mind others having anything on my blog...but I do want the work associated with me. I do not want to encourage the erosion of ownership of intellectual and creative works. Again...I guess it is the old songwriter in me. I know people downloaded and copied my songs, but they were not encouraged to do so. Never was there an implication that downloading and copying was "okay". That battle has been fought long and hard, and as to this point in time, creators still have the rights to their creations. If they choose to give them away they can do so...but even then the work is not considered written by anonymous. I know everything on my blog is public. That is why I have a blog. I don't want a restricted one. What I do want is my graphics and photos up WITHOUT encouragement for others to download them without a mention that the works are original. I've known anyone could right click and copy and save to their own computers....but they were not invited to do so in a way that makes it seem downloading another's work with no acknowledgement to the creator or stipulation of how the work may be used is an accepted and encouraged practice. I just figured anyone who went to the trouble of right clicking and saving with no encouragement or invitation to download knew they were copying someone else's stuff.
If you are a painter, would it really be okay if you saw your paintings on the web with someone else's name as creator? I doubled checked on the photo of one of a paintings from someone's blog that I downloaded by clicking the download button. Then I checked every property of the downladed image. It is simple titled "Untitled Photo" without any indication where I downloaded it or whose it was originally. The date given is the date it was modified...not the date of the creation. At no point in the download was I advised or reminded that the work was created by the person whose blog it was. I guess photos of paintings are photos of and not the origianl work, but with a computer graphic the download is exactly the original.
What I put on the blog is there to be shared. I know anyone can copy them and I don't mind. However, I do mind that Spaces is encouraging downloads with no reminder that the work is "original" and the property of the creator. By doing so, they are giving the message that everything on the internet is public domain. To me that's the same as the government or whoever putting a sign outside of a painter's studio that says, "Free paintings....no signature, no need to acknowledge the creator. Just take them and do with them as you will."
Maybe it is the old songwriter coming out in me, but I do believe in the right of the creator to have his or her name on their work. I don't even mind that my stuff gets downloaded - but I don't like the download link which I think is carrying the message that everything on the internet is free domain and available to anyone for whatever use with no credit given to the creator. That's what I am concerned about...not that my work gets downloaded. I don't believe that creative works are public domain, and the download link carries the implication that whatever is there is free to everyone with no obligation to connect what is downloaded with the creator.
This is not about downloads from my blog. It is about the right for a creative work to be as viewed as intellectual and/or creative property of the creator. I do not believe everything on the internet is public domain. I do believe that Spaces Live is giving the implication that ownership does not exist by providing a download button with no comment anywhere that the work is the property of the creator. As I said, songwriters have fought and are still fighting this battle.
Words and GRAPHICS???Okay, I am really upset about this download link so conveniently above my photos and graphics. To me it is like a flashing sign...saying...I AM FREE>>>TAKE ME>>>USE ME ANYWAY YOU WANT. I downloaded a photo of one of Stephen's paintings (The Painting Studio) just to make sure I knew what I was talking about. Sure enough - I downloaded to my computer with no indication that the image belonged to Stephen. I know that at any time in the past anyone could right click and save and copy any of our images....but they weren't invited to do so and there was no indication that this was okay. If the words DOWNLOAD and a link are there, people will assume what we have is public domain.. free to anyone. At least that's how I see it. I have taken all of my albums off my space.
I don't know what I am going to do about this. One of the main pleasures of my blog..to me...was sharing my graphics with my blog friends and if I don't feel free to do that, how can I call my space Words and Graphics From the1stephzen?
This may be the end of my blog space. I don't know. |
Also, WHO KNOWS how to do trackbacks. I tried copying the url and it did not work.
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