Saturday, January 10, 2009

I am member of a website called Polyvore. It might be shut down, and this is something I wrote to include with my signature on an online petition:
Polyvore has become something of an online home to me. I go there to release feelings and express myself. Polyvore cannot be taken away from me, and I know that Polyvore serves an important purpose to hundreds of other people as well as myself. Polyvore is not, to me, a place to play. When I go to Polyvore, I see it as somewhere to create something beautiful. Don't take away the chance for so many amazing things to be introduced to our world. What good will come of it? Polyvore creates a place of solace to me, where I don't have to worry about anything other than whether to put a necklace here or there on my computer screen. I treasure that feeling. Feedback on Polyvore means a lot. Being able to get it means more.
On Polyvore, we are not claiming copyrighted artwork to be our own. We are interpreting it in our own way, and, combined with the other things we use, almost making it our own. If someone is saying something is theirs, Polyvore can punish them. Don't punish a community of creative people for the acts of a handful of others.
Obviously, a lot of people care about Polyvore. Would you rather hurt them, or ban a few people from using Polyvore because of copyright infringement?
Think about it, please.




I have to credit Zacarata on Polyvore (http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/profile?id=188291) for the picture above.

5 comments:

  1. We know why you love the site and we do understand that. Polyvore however has a duty to educate its users regarding copyright. As this is definitely not working for droves of artists who, for a number of reasons, do not want their work represented on this site or perhaps might have said yes had they been asked permission, Polyvore needs to be more proactive regarding the issue of copyright and just whose images make it onto this site through the clipper.

    Some have proposed an opt in feature. As it is right now it is a loosely based opt out (even though many artists have had to contact Polyvore more than once with cease and desists, and as I have stated before cease and desists do not expire.) This "system" is not working.

    Artists have the final say over the use of their images. It is a guaranteed right by federal law. We shouldn't have to continue to police a site after a cease and desist has been issued. Polyvore feels they have no responsibility in this matter and hide behind the DMCA. Polyvore isn't leaving us much of an option at this point.

    It is truly unfortunate for all, artists and users of Polyvore alike, that it has come down to this. But we have a right and a duty to protect our intellectual property.

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  2. :D These people who want to shut us down (yes, I said "us" because Polyvore is a part of ALL of us) should have thought this through more carefully. They're complaining about A)People using their pictures and B)People swearing.

    But they don't want people to use their pictures, but they want the people violating the Terms of Use for using inappropriate language to be gone. But did no one else notice that THEY are violating the terms of use? They're mad that people are using their own personal copyrighted photos, but Polyvore clearly states that once a member uploads a personal picture, it's open for public use.

    But if these jerk-faces want to shut /US/ down because /THEY/ don't like the website, why don't they just LEAVE???

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  3. "but Polyvore clearly states that once a member uploads a personal picture, it's open for public use."

    ***

    Megan, do tell. Got a link?

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  4. Well, Aja, what if Polyvore stated more clearly in an item's description that it is copyrighted, and users who continued to use the item were banned? Would this meet your needs and wants and those of the other unhappy artists, etc.? Hope this doesn't sound rude, it isn't mean to.

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