Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?Form.ShowMessage=1379854

Great idea. Sharen

great sounding idea but it won't keep them off the pics for long, if you know where to look you can still get the pics & most of these thieves are very inventive. There's gotta be a way to stop the browsers from keeping copies of files we access, I wonder if there's a way to encrypt the pics so that only the browsers can access/display them.

c1rcle, would be interesting if you put your response in the original thread, where it will be read by Renderosity administrators. Thanks for doing so:-) Guitta

on my way there to do so now :)

Wow someone opened a can of worms here eh? It is nice to know that there are steps being attempted to keep multi ID users from stealing other artist work and calling it their own and I have seen this done many time at Renderosity recently especially. To be frank Renderosity should consider a new approach to eliminate non accountability. If you have an ISP then you more than likely have an email from that ISP and there is no need to use a 3rd person type email like...let, see YAHOO. It is possible to get Yahoo accounts from all over the globe and literally be 100's of IDs here at Rendersoity. This give an unfair advantage to voting and commenting as I watch the same spelling errors make comment after comment and then get an unusual amount of voting. It is so obvious it makes me sick. I think a verifiable email is needed and the user can choose if they would like others to view it. But if there is ever a problem with the individual it can be tracked easily and action can be taken. I think Drac made the comment that it is up to the artist to take action and that is the common attitude of thieves and cheats that use alias type IDs and emails. Sure come and get me because you don't know who I am. That makes a whole lot of sense. I find there are many software companies have forums that require you to log in using your product id number and I think that is about as tight as you can get it because the product had to downloaded to an ISP and or be sent somewhere that is traceable. Believe me I myself have been attacked by these thieves and cheats and it is not a fun thing to have to go through. When I find the kid I will prosecute to the fullest degree of the law and then some believe me. BTW I will find him or die trying. Thanks for reading, `shoop

An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Martin Luther King.

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/polls.ez

Well... I already commented this in the original post (and I must say it was not positive). Actually, the general reaction is so strongly negative that a poll is going on until monday. I haven't seen it advertised anywhere else that the original post, but it is so important that as many people who feel concerned by this decision should at least know this is going on. So... please vote

• agiel - www.linfa.net

Also posted on relevant thread. It seems to me that there is far too much negative flak regarding Renderositys attempt to protect their members artwork. Whether you agree or disagree with the move at least give them credit for a well intentioned move and save the flak for those that steal others work for financial gain. I know of a case on another forum I am a member of, where a packaging design company had taken an image without the artists knowledge and it was used as packaging for a well known hardware companies item, without their knowledge either. I am sure that even the most generous artist would find it unacceptable for a commercial enterprise to be using their work in that way. Lets try to be grateful for Renderositys efforts, not resort to deriding good intentions even if there are many ways to circumvent it. Dave

I am grateful that Renderosity's staff is thinking about protecting artists rights. No question about that. I just wish it was done in a way that does not disrupt regular use of the site or just not done at all. Just think a minute about what the problem really is : people are downloading images and selling them as their own. No matter how you protect your pictures, once they are online, they are open to misuse by unscrupulous people. Just like your car is open to people stealing it when you park it anywhere. Or anything else that can be stolen. The problem is not with images being available (that is part of how the web is built. period). The problem is with being able to prevent people from claiming images as their own and selling them. Unfortunately, the only efficient way to prevent misuse of your images is to not post them at all. And once images are reported being sold without your consent, there are laws on your side to help you with that type of situation.

• agiel - www.linfa.net

Mikeangelo...I think the strong reaction was because Renderosity went ahead and did it first without asking. They didn't even put up a poll until they read the protests.

I would agree agiel, but it isn't just on the net that artwork is stolen. For some years I modelled and cast my own miniature figurines which I sold mail order, even in that line of work there were people out there that would take moulds from others figures and sell them on as theirs. If you never put anything on the net but just sold framed prints, then there would be nothing to stop somebody buying one scanning it in and producing copies. Agreed you will never totally stop piracy, even big companies can't, but my point was to acknowledge a well intentioned gesture by Renderosity. Dave