Forums and copyrights yadda yadda

**Big Dan** · Aug 7th, 2007, 2:56 am

Anyone else here run a forum?

In a far away land on another forum I frequent (non-webmaster), there's a thread going regarding posters who place "Copyright 2005-2009 by Username, unauthorized copying or distribution will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law" or some BS like that in their signature.

On this forum and a few others on the same topic, you see a few people running around with a similar signature. It's a good way to weed out the jerks, a signature like that automatically makes me not do business with them.

The members have been going back and fourth saying that you cannot copyright something which isn't yours in the first place. The words are yours but they arent' stored on your server, you don't own the website, therefore you have no recourse.

Now a few pages into the thread the owner replies and states that in the TOS which you have to agree to in order to register, it states that all posts and content are copyright by "Forum Name" and become property of said forum upon submission. As a side note, this forum is primarily comprised of small business owners most of who think they know it all and their posts are going to make you so much money they have to copyright it for future use.

The reason why I bring this up is as a forum owner it worries me. Even though my TOS states the posts become property of the forum as a whole and will only be removed for good reason.

If I or one of my forum staff piss off a member can they demand that all their posts be removed, and I have to comply?

If I don't comply can I be pursued for copyright infringement?

If I can be held liable who's laws take president the state where the poster resides, the state where I reside, or the state where the site is hosted?

For me it's not that big of deal, I personally think it's unenforceable. I own the website, you submitted your content on your own, no one was holding a gun to your head. You cannot suddenly pull a hissy fit and say no you cannot have my posts on your site. Just like a plumber cannot come pull a pipe out of your house if you didn't pay him.

What do you think? Can posters copyright individual posts on your forum? Do you allow it? How do you deal with disgruntled members who throw a hissy fit and all of a sudden want all their posts removed along with their account?

**dgridley** · Aug 7th, 2007, 3:17 am

I don't believe the posters have any rights as they subscribe to the forum TOS when they register so that supercedes their rights IMO... I'm with you in being leery of doing business with anal-centric potentially litiginous individuals... besides, in a forum of discussion, when someone replies, doesn't that give them an equal right to the discussion? And seeing as the discussion is being held in a clearly public manner, I feel a strong case could be made that they need a laxative. IMHO, that is.

**iowadawg** · Aug 7th, 2007, 8:25 pm

Now you have me checking for those anal retentive types!

I say tough if someone wants some post of his removed.
On a case by case basis of course.

**unr** · Aug 7th, 2007, 9:01 pm

That's ridiculous.

The fact that they agreed to the TOS when they registered COMPLETELY nullifies that idea.

and if they don't want their post, let them edit it.

Not like that's hard work or anything.

**Manish Pandey** · Aug 7th, 2007, 11:22 pm

Yep...as i already commented on some other post...you don't have the power to stop information flow on the internet!

**idkmybffjill** · Aug 19th, 2007, 10:37 pm

What a joke. They dont own the site.

**Nintendo** · Aug 20th, 2007, 12:38 am

Blah!! Who cares about forum copyright!! It'z not like da posts'll make you rich!! On my forums, I've had

© Copyright Video Game Chat 1492

for a LONG time!!! :twisted::twisted::twisted::twisted:

**BeatShot** · Aug 20th, 2007, 7:55 am

I've seen forums , where copyright guys deleted their account with all of the posts.
All topics get damaged , it seems like : people are quoting a ghost , talking with themselves. And so on. These guys are a real headache for a forum.

They can delete their posts themselves right ?

**Zap** · Aug 20th, 2007, 7:58 am

Originally Posted by BeatShot

I've seen forums , where copyright guys deleted their account with all of the posts.
All topics get damaged , it seems like : people are quoting a ghost , talking with themselves. And so on. These guys are a real headache for a forum.

They can delete their posts themselves right ?

Generally, No. Only an admin or mod can do it. They can't delete their own account, either.

**Big Dan** · Aug 20th, 2007, 10:15 am

I've complied before one guy got his panties all in a bunch because he got an infraction over being an arse. He wanted his account removed so I did so, but kept the posts. I think that's the best course of action all around.

**iowadawg** · Aug 20th, 2007, 10:26 am

There are people who post in forums that they are selling or giving away something that they can not.
The owners, creators, etc of the material will ask the forum owner to remove at once.

Just because you can post something, does not make it right.

**BeatShot** · Aug 20th, 2007, 5:43 pm

Originally Posted by Zap

Generally, No. Only an admin or mod can do it. They can't delete their own account, either.

So the admins deleted their posts...
bad, very bad thing for a community.

**grim** · Aug 20th, 2007, 5:47 pm

Originally Posted by BeatShot

So the admins deleted their posts...
bad, very bad thing for a community.

It depends on the forum, some forums do allow members to delete their own posts.

Here we for the most part do not, people can request and we might honor it depending on the situation. We however do not delete posts, we move them to an unviewable section of the forum.

This section as well as a few others get autopruned after a set amount of time.

**iowadawg** · Aug 20th, 2007, 5:59 pm

How can it be bad for a community to have some posts, and threads, deleted?
Have you yet figured out it may be for copyright reasons?
Or the original poster might want his post deleted for legitimate reasons?

How about spam?
You want to keep those also live?

And I like the idea of posts and threads going to a hidden part of this forum.
If only more forums did this.