Well, I told you I was on a mission. Now that mission has required me to do something I have not done in nearly 30 years of online presence. I outed my real name and address to Amazon.
Seems, I have to give them my name, address, my claim to the story and an affirmation, under penalty of perjury that I am the copyright holder and that the use on their site is in violation of my rights.
Off hand, I would guess that might be another reason folks feel safe in steeling stuff that is only protected by a online handle as a name.
Guess what, Helena Darlington, you thieving >expletive deleted<, I'm still pissed and I am retired and widowed and freakin' alone! The only thing outing can do to me is mess with my volunteer work! The only one to be hurt is ME and YOU CAN'T!
You STOLE from me and you are STEALING from others by charging for something they should just get for FREE!
As this issue has shown up on FM message board, Sir Lee has also identified the un-author's other thefts. As expected, those authors are ones who have not been active online for quite sometime. So, the un-author felt safe.
WELL, GUESS WHAT AGAIN! I'M STILL HERE AND ACTIVE! AND THAT IS MY STORY AND I WANT IT BACK AND FREE!
Don't mess with the fangs and claws! They don't come out often, but they still freakin' work!
Hissy Growling HUGS to all.
Tiggs
Comments
GET 'EM!
GET 'EM TIGGER! Give 'em Hell!
quidquid sum ego, et omnia mea semper; Ego me.
alecia Snowfall
Like the hippos of Africa,
Like the hippos of Africa, you may look cute and cuddly but you are dangerous to mess with!
Tigger, show them your claws and rip that thief a new one!
I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime
MS Frankenstein
I found one of my stories, sexed up a bit, but they didn't change the title on a pay porno site around 2008. I complained and it disappeared, but there is no telling where they put it next.
A Bit Perplexed
I am not exactly sure what stories and/or people that you refer to. I take it that a story which you have posted online has been co-opted and published by someone else on Amazon, which requires you to either out yourself to regain control of your own work or else to remain silent and allow the piracy to go uncontested.
My main questions are about Amazon's role in this.
Is not your own identity kept confidential if you contest it with Amazon?
Can Amazon recoup money it paid in commissions to a pirate and see that you receive them?
Will Amazon pursue legal action against the copyright violator?
Will your personal name become public knowledge?
My understanding is that an attorney can shield you from public disclosure as long as the intent is to maintain a nom de plume rather than to criminally deceive.
waif
Be kind to those who are unkind, tolerant toward those who treat you with intolerance, loving to those who withhold their love, and always smile through the pains of life.
I would suggest that one of
I would suggest that one of the demands made to Amazon is to produce the name and address of the person posting the stories. This is _exactly_ what the RIAA and related companies do, and for less legitimate reasons. Then you can file in court, quite possibly small claims court, against the forger.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
And just like magic
Helena Darlington is gone from Amazon. Sir Lee identified three of the other four stories and someone posted comments referencing the original material. I don't know if Amazon pulled the profile after all the complaints or if she did it herself, but the profile and all the stories are no longer available.
Waves hand
I posted "reviews." Well, all the reviews really said was that the stories were stolen, and where they had been posted earlier. I was surprised that Amazon actually posted them.
I have CALLED Amazon and made them aware of this thief.
GO GET 'EM TIGGER!!
I gave amazon the stories posted by Helena Darlington along with the stories REAL names and the authors of the original stories, using the author's nom-de-plumes. I also told Amazon WHERE those stories were originallly posted.
I am just as angry about this situation as the actual authors are. If they can have this happen to them, it can just as easily happen to me and I know how angry _I_ would become. My phone call may not do much good, but then again, it just might.
Catherine Linda Michel
As a T-woman, I do have a Y chromosome... it's just in cursive, pink script.
Ethics and morals.......
Are unfortunately something that has to be taught early on in childhood, and apparently this is yet another example of poor parenting. My oldest son is a high school teacher and continually astonishes me with his tales of parents who have absolutely no interest in teaching their children anything other than indifference and sloth.
Oh, and apparently how to buy and smoke pot is another popular life lesson among parents these days.
Of course, this is nothing new - my own father used to drag me to the bar when I was a child. He apparently thought there was nothing wrong with sitting me on a bar stool with a coke while he swilled scotch. On the other hand, he definitely wouldn't have put up with my failing at school, or cheating, or anything he considered dishonorable. The man was an abusive drunken lout, but he did teach me right from wrong, and he and the rest of his family instilled in me a strong sense of honor and duty. Their acid test for morality was honor - anything that tarnished your personal honor, the family honor, or failed to meet the expected duty of taking care of those dependent on you or the family, that was simply unacceptable.
As many bad memories as I have from my childhood and teen years, I will readily admit that he and the rest of the family instilled that in me, and I owe them a note of thanks for teaching me the meaning of honor and duty, and the need for service.
D. Eden
Dum Vivimus, Vivamus
Honor.
You hit the nail on the head there. there seems to be a lack of self respect or honor in what kids are learning now. my family was by no means "well off" when I was growing up, and would have probably qualified for public assistance of some sort. We did have a small farm and used the limited income from that to keep going. I can remember the contempt my parents had for families that made more than they did, that got a check from the Government. Or the ones that would not even look for a job.
We now have entire generations of kids that think it's normal to receive government assistance, and that working "is for suckas".
I don't think there is anything at all wrong for someone to get a helping hand when you need it, but there is a pervasive attitude among parts of our culture now that thinks if you can get away with it, it's just fine.
Eh, not so much
The complaint is a perennial, a constant in intergenerational assessment. The truth is probably that it is the violators, the one's who depart from the norm that attract the attention of their elders. Watch for counter-evidence, you will surely find it. Maybe not enough to keep you from worrying but that is probably a good thing too. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
outted
Tigger,
I wish I could say, "Tigger my friend," but only being your fan for years, hardly constitutes a friendship. However that being said, I feel like I know you after all these years. You have been active online a lot longer than I have and you and I are well into senior citizen range.
I don't know about you, but as I get older I become less concerned about who knows of my trans nature and bolder about expressing it. As you pointed out, you are pretty much an entity unto yourself. Even though it goes against everything we've lived our lives protecting, perhaps in today's social climate, it's time to throw caution to the wind and simply say, "I'm trans and I'm proud of it," and let the chips fall where they may.
I'd say, pursue this as far as you're able. Good luck and God bless you.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann
What the thieves don't realise ...
... at least as far as TG fiction goes, the readers are a relatively small community and some of us have been enjoying it for as long as the www has been around. Moreover, we have long albeit sometimes hazy memories, and we can often pick up a sense of familiarity even if we can't quite remember where we read it before.
About a year ago I read an Amazon story (actually just the preview) which rang a bell. I found the story in my own archive and posted a 1 star review revealing the original author (or their nom-de-plume) and where it could be read for free. The story disappeared.
So keep those claws and teeth sharp Tigger and make the delightful Ms Darlington rue the day she messed with you.
Robi