Hi Mark,
Good questions. (I am stretching my answers a bit and bouncing questions back to you
just to make an illustration. They are kind of rhetoric and not intended to put your
personal morals in question. They are directed to a "you" as in "anyone".)
> The images are not stored on any website bearing a Lycos
> name. This is in the source code. All thumbnails are
> retrieved from http://tn.alltheweb.com which is run by a
> company named FAST which is primarily based in Norway.
> If not, then why do some accuse Lycos of storing the
> images (making illegal copies) when they have not?
Because they were mistaken. Probably by the Lycos-banner-framing-headlines with links
to all other Lycos services at the top of the page. These, of course make a much
greater impression on the visitor. Which of course is why they are there.
> They do not sell banner advertising on the multimedia
> page. If you look, you will notice all advertising is
> for Lycos pages.
That's commercial advertising too. Lycos is a commercial enterprise, isn't it?
> What benefit is Lycos receiving from indexing your
> images?
Well, ask them :)! Do you think they are there for filantropic reasons or for making
money?
As a company providing net services they are building, establishing, developing
services that hopefully will bring the bosses big bucks, the employees enough money to
make them stay, and their shareholders the expected profit and then some.
It is a matter of increasing the value of their trade mark, and taking financial
advantage of all spin-off effects that comes with it. It's business, simply.
>Does this benefit overshadow the benefit general internet users receive from a
>comprehensive indexing of the web?
I don't know, and I guess it's a matter of opinion. But the heart of the matter here
is not the indexing, (nor the benefit for Lycos or for the user/viewer). It's the
display and alteration of copyrighted material without permission to do so from the
authors/creators of those works.
The question that you are not asking, more important and relevant to us as
copyrightholders to our works, would be: Does this benefit overshadow the need/right
for a copyrightholder to decide what use should be made of his work?
The ruling of the American judge in the case previously referred to seems to think so.
However I think the issue should be further tried than only in that case.
> I don't want to start flames with this but I have read
> people who claim Lycos is using the images to sell
> advertising space. Well from what I saw, no they aren't.
> Investigate more. Someone said they were upset Lycos is
> storing the images on their server. No they aren't. Read
> the source code.
Yes, we have investigated this a little bit further, as shown in a number of postings.
>Someone said they were upset with a change in format of their image. That is true but
>needed in the interests of standardization which is sorely lacking in the internet
>and specifically browsing (see incompatibilities amongst browsers).
>Standardization is a necessity for ease of use of the internet.
A lot of things would be easier (and cheaper) if, in the ideal world, everything was
standardized more. Houses would have to be built perfectly cubic, streets built only
in perfect angles, all cars in one size, all television program the same lenght, all
photographs prints in just one size, all magazines the same number of pages, all
salaries the same, all mail list messages exactly the same length, all novels 345
pages carrying the weight of exactly 560 grams, all songs no longer than 3:20 seconds
and not shorter than that, and finally those people taller than say 175 cms should get
(some of) their heads chopped off, the shorter ones would kind of get streched somehow
(the excessive weight of fat Americans would be used for cheap fuel), and finally no
internet pictures except in just this one size and proportions....:)
Should anyone who prefers to use the internet for storing and displaying images, texts
and music have to accept having their work treated in any manner that technology
allows it to be treated, just because it's on the net and you (or I or anybody) wants
to do it? We don't allow it in the "real" world, so why should we have to do it on the
net?
Why shouldn't the creator of a work have the final say in where and how it should be
presented?
> I've been using the internet since when all I had was
> gopher and elm and pine. Not as long as some but longer
> than most of the people I know. Time is my enemy.
> Indexers are my ally. I type in my criteria and get my
> results and search from there. I imagine more users are
> like myself and we appreciate anything that helps us to
> find what we want easier. If everyone who produced any
> content prevented anyone from linking/summarizing/indexing it than my internet time
> would suck. I'd waste most of it just trying to find the
> things I want to see.
Well, it seems to me that you think that only your own needs/interest is what matters,
doesn't it? :)
Do you mean that just because you are connected and really, really want to, everyone
else should be obliged to accomodate to your interests? Do you also think, that just
because it should save you a lot of time pursuing your interests, you should also be
allowed to walk into anybody's house near to you to collect the information someone
may have there? Or that anyone would be obliged to come out to you with the
information you ask them for? Show you their scrapbooks, photo albums, play you their
songs...
Tell me (seriously), why should I (as a creator of a work), at all care about what you
want, or if your internet time sucks?
All this being said, much in the interest of a discussion, I do not necessarily think
it be a bad think to be able to search and find images on the web. I only think it
should be at the author's/artist's own discretion whether any work of his/her should
be accessibe through these search functions. As things are now, I really don't have
much say, do I?
Lasse
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