WWE cracks down on fan sites

[krease 0]

According to some of the emails sent out by WWE, fan sites are not allowed to use:

1. Video files

2. Audio files

3. Magazine scans or scans of any WWE photos

4. Screen captures

5. Photos taken by fans at live events

 

WWE is now beginning to crack down on various fan sites...some sites that are mentioning the crackdown as a reason behind content removal include:undertaker-wwe.com, Taker's Lair, and Moontribes.

 

What I wonder is if forums like TSM will "receive notice" of these rules, trying to force us not to use their images in our sigs and stuff, and what kind of logic they used to determine why they're trying to stop what essentially amounts to free PR and advertising...

[Guest wootman]

Ahhh, that sucks, especially since Moontribes looked at him and WWE fondly and positively. Looking at the sites, the only site to get the e-mail was moontribes and the others just followed that site's lead, although I doubt WWE would ever find them.

 

I think what trigged the e-mail is that Moontribes would always post videos of what the Undertaker did on Smackdown and they had a little archive of videos. That's probably the key factor. I don't think they mind pictures being posted all too much, otherwise they would go after 100's of wrestling sites and they just don't bother too. But whatever you do, just do not post or sell any WWE videos. That will get WWE to go after you. Especially since WWE is now trying to make money off of WWE.com with that Jukebox thing (especially since they have tons of Undertaker matches) and with WWE 24/7. I don't think pictures take away from their business really, but videos can and so thus these threats will be made.

 

So if you run a site, whatever you do, just do not post or sell any videos and you should be fine.

[tekcop 0]

 

This has nothing to do with this thread. I just like this picture.

[Guest The Fuckin Show]

Moontribes was a well knowen site, I must say it was very good. I think the sites what post to much media will get shut down quicker like Moontribes. Well

Moontribes is sitll around with less videos and no photos.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

What I wonder is if forums like TSM will "receive notice" of these rules, trying to force us not to use their images in our sigs and stuff

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Eh, none of the images are hosted on TSM's server.

[Guest The Fuckin Show]

Weforums.com has been off & on the whole of last week. Everyone knows they have tons of media which could be the reason it has been down alot. Guess wwe is cracking onto every top site.

[razazteca 0]

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm Batman

[iliketurtles 0]

That's awesome. I love how they spend all their time worrying on everything other than their wrestling product itself. You'd think they'd want people to post WWE pictures if it's non-profit. It's just funny they promote how the WWE is Pro-America and all that stuff about freedom and yet fans can't bring what signs they want (within the bounds of what is right and wrong) to shows, and now they can have fan sites.

[Downhome 0]

I wonder what this means for ObsessedWithWrestling...

[Adam 0]

That's pointless. Corporate assholes flexing their muscle.

[Jericholic82 0]

I can see the point of videos and such, but fan photos? arent they the same people who encourage us to take pics at events? and it's nto liek any of these sites are making money off of this.

 

Wrestlecrap be warned!

 

 

 

and if someone raided these forums there would be more than wwe people, as most of us use tv shows and music pics and all types of crap on here.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

WWE = The Gastopo

[Guest The Fuckin Show]

WWE cracked down most efeds and shut them down before. If WWE want to kill forums then just make a forum on wwe.com and im sure everyone will join but no the wrestlers dont want to read about fans bitching about them. They only want to read good stuff about them.

 

A forum on wwe.com? Sounds good and im sure wwe.com could get more hits.

[Guest Fook_Theta]

They cannot do shit about some of that. Screen captures are legal. I think audio is also legal.

[Guest Askewniverse]

WWE = The Gastopo

Gastopo sounds like some kind of antacid. I've heard a lot of people say that WWE makes them sick, but you're the first to say they relieve pain.

 

If you meant gestapo, that's a different story.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

You guys are looking at it all wrong.

 

The WWE only wants the best for its fans. They don't want poor quality video, audio, or pictures floating around the internet because their fans deserve a high quality product. And if high quality comes at a cost, why not? We'd be supporting the wrestlers who sweat, bleed, tear muscles and break bones in the ring so we can get the unique blend of sports and entertainment that only the WWE provides.

[Astro7x 0]

They cannot do shit about some of that.  Screen captures are legal.  I think audio is also legal.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

In broadcasting, the courts ruled that you can use a 7 point some odd second sound clip over the air from a copyrighted source. This is how DJs are able to get away with quick clips on the air. Since royalty laws also apply to internet broadcasting, I would think the same 7 second rule would apply to the online world as well.

 

Google is unable to provide me with a cite though, but my broadcasting history class notes do... just take my word on this one.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Simply put, whether it's technically "legal" or not, the WWE legal team can easily put the pressure on and make you go bankrupt by tying you up in court. But, if you're loaded and have the WWF's lawyers, I will gladly support you

 

RRR: Was amazed people were so angry at the WWF for suing the WWE for copyright and trademark infringement when the WWE was 100x's worse and it was to their own fans.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

- Photos taken by fans at live events

 

See..I dont get how they can say that as long as they allow fans to take cameras to arenas.

 

Video and Audio files usually will come from some sort of copyrighted material so thats understandable. Screencaps and magazine scans are pretty much the same as well.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

But... they don't get any money from the fan photos. Who cares if the fan actually paid for a ticket, *I* didn't pay for the ticket and I can STEAL WWE's images and use them however I please for FREE. That picture of Chris Benoit doing a flying headbut? I could use that as my wallpaper and Chris Benoit won't get a damn cent, even though he is RISKING HIS LIFE in the ring for our entertainment. Meanwhile, if I were to buy a Chris Benoit wallpaper from WWE.com, the money will go to the people who bleed, sweat, and risk their lives in the ring... don't you think they deserve it?

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

I could use that as my wallpaper and Chris Benoit won't get a damn cent, even though he is RISKING HIS LIFE in the ring for our entertainment.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

He's already getting paid a million dollars - why does he suddenly give a fuck what wallpaper you use?

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Consider the numbers.

 

Benoit gets paid, maybe, $200,000 a year as a downside. PPV's, House Shows, Merch, Licensing... bump it up to $400,000 (WM offers a nice raise). Now take away travel expenses (let's say $300 a week for hotels, 500 for car rentals -assuming he splits the fees with other wrestlers- and 1200 for misc., that's about $2000 a week for about 50 weeks a year. That's $100,000 gone. Then there's his house and home expenses, and his family and a certain standard of living they are accustomed to. NOT TO MENTION that the guys career won't go past 40. Which means about 20 more years left (let's assume the avg. lifespan of a prof wrestler is 60) with a lot less income.

 

Now, let's say there are 100,000 Chris Benoit fans out there (or 10,000 hardcore fans that have 10 images of him on their computer). It looks like the avg. price of a WWE photo is about 3 bucks. That's $300,000!!! PER YEAR! That's 1.5 million dollars after just 5 years! That is money that could be used for Benoits retirement fund, or to put his kids through college and give them the education he could never have because he wanted to be a wrestler so bad -he wanted to entertain YOU the selfish bitch-fan- that he started RISKING HIS LIFE IN THAT RING at a way-too-early age. You can't even pay three fucking dollars after all he has done for US... you don't have any respect for his sacrifice you fucking THIEF; jesus christ why don't you just rob a bank or steal from an old lady... oh wait, I forgot, you spend all your time in your parents basement stealing from a fine, upstanding company like the WWE - who only want to protect YOU from shoddy, sub-par, images/video/audio and only want to give YOU the best possible product because they believe their fans deserve the best - and then bash them when they have the GALL to ask for some compensation in return for their wrestlers hard efforts in that ring.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

All the ChrisBenoit fans will just have to stalk him and take pictures when he's at home, the mall, in his car, in the bathroom..

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

Rudo - the kickboxing guys in your sig called.

 

You owe them 16 months of residuals.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

This is advertising for them.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

This is advertising for them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

And how is that different from displaying an image of Chris Benoit?

[Gary Floyd 0]

WWE: We love our fans, unless they have access to the Internet.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

There's a line.

 

And this line divides a company that has exposure and is currently exposed with a company that isn't exposed.

 

For example....

 

You called it "kickboxing". It is not. It is PRIDE fighting, aka Mixed Martial Arts. The fighter in question is Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Had this been a picture of Chris Benoit, the mistake would never have occured because the WWE is past the line of exposure while PRIDE is, clearly, not.

 

Right now, you -and perhaps many others reading this- have just been exposed to PRIDE through my advertisement, while a Chris Benoit picture wouldn't have really done anything other than provide a nice visual. Who knows, perhaps someone seeing my avatar and sig would become interested in Shogun and PRIDE and buy their next PPV (July 1st, more advertising). That's money in their pockets that wouldn't have been there had I not provided (free) advertisement. Meanwhile, no one would have bought any Benoit or WWE product as a result of an image I got from a (free) website.

 

Now, imagine there were no free Benoit pics on-line, as the WWE would like it; then the demand for Benoit pics would vastly increase since the supply would be decreased (the most basic economic principle) and more people would be willing to pay for pictures, which would be money in the WWE's pockets. Now, on this basis of reasoning, the more (free) pics out there, the less money in the WWE pockets. In one instance (my advertising) the company would gain from the exposure, and in the other they would lose. That's the difference.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

You called it "kickboxing".  It is not.  It is PRIDE fighting, aka Mixed Martial Arts.  The fighter in question is Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.  Had this been a picture of Chris Benoit, the mistake would never have occured because the WWE is past the line of exposure while PRIDE is, clearly, not.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That's because this is a wrestling forum.

 

If you post a picture of Benoit on a PRIDE forum, I'm sure many of them wouldn't know who he is.

[snuffbox 0]

Rudo, you've lost your mind.