A question about copyright

[tcutler]

Why can websites such as softcoreheaven.blogspot.com and especially commerical websites such as erotic4u.com give away or sell excerpts and complete movies without getting sued for copyright infringement? Just curious...

[Mars Needs Women!]

I don't know that they can. They probably just haven't been caught and pursued in court yet.

[bakerboy]

It is plain stealing but many do it, so that makes it OK  The studios, the music publishers and the authorities are now trying to change it. In Sweden the biggest outfit Pirate Bay got convicted, in France the Gov. is cracking down with a new "three strikes" law, in UK a new law is being prepared and in Germany the ISPs have recently been forced by the courts to reveal IPs of individuals who upload or download pirated material to the police. It will not be long before even the FBI comes calling at people homes. They are using the same software used to track down pedophiles. However in the US there are still a few court challenges pending so it may be a while before the cops come knocking as the do in Germany.

[grandfaloon]

Softcore Heaven links to films and clips which are publicly available on the internet. I neither charge for this nor do I accept donations. As a fan of softcore myself, I hope to raise and/or sustain interest in the genre. I want softcore to survive and to flourish.

In these times of readily-available in-your-face porn, it won't be easy. Softcore needs to keep its loyal audience while at the same time cultivating a new following.

I began the site because I wanted to share. I wanted others to experience what I had come to love. And I wanted the overall demand for softcore films to increase, in the hope that it will be profitable for studios to produce more (and better!) softcore in the future.

Of course, I could have created a website where I simply discussed the benefits of softcore. But in order to make a difference and to reach out to more people, I decided to make clips and films available.

Am I stealing from the filmmakers by making clips and films available? Yes. Would some of those who now download from Softcore Heaven or similar sites have bought the film otherwise? Yes, I believe so. Does the existence of my site mean people will never again pay for softcore films? I don't think so.

Studios and producers need to find ways to make their products more easily available to fans. Example: I always include a link to an outside vendor who sells DVD's in each of my posts. But often the film is not available or even out of print! What about those that don't have PPV or cable and want to sample a show? As it stands now, they have no option but to come to sites like mine to find what they are looking for.

Anyway, I'm no genius and I don't have the answers. I feel that I've achieved my original goal for starting Softcore Heaven. It's great to see that there is still a lot of interest in the genre. I thought it was dying, but now I know that there are many others out there like me who have no appetite for XXX. Yes, Softcore Heaven has gone about as far as it can go, and soon now I'll step back and let others take the lead with their own sites.

My hope is that studios and producers are aware of us - the millions who say no thanks to hardcore - and will continue investing time and money in projects to fill our demand. We want the T&A, but we want it in a way that leaves something to the imagination. Will that happen?

We will see.

So tcutler, thanks for reminding me of the hazards in spreading the gospel of softcore.

[Mars Needs Women!]

The industry's lack of interest in putting out product on dvd has led to many, many sites and forums where you can download clips -- most for free. They obviously don't feel there is enough interest in dvd to generate enough sales for them to turn a profit. I am one of those people who likes having my favorite films as part of my dvd collection and I appreciate having a site where I can preview scenes. It's just frustrating that so many good softcore films are out of print or never made it to dvd.

[OldSchool]

Like GF said softcoreheaven may be exempt from copyright because he is not profiting from it. E4U? I know it is loved here on the board, but maybe we should keep it on the down low because they probably are at least stretching legality a bit. You'll only have a problem if the company wants to go after you. Some guard their product zealously(a company in Florida comes to mind ). Others maybe don't feel policing the entire web is worth their while.

[John Quinn]

As a producer, director, writer and copyright holder of soft core films and TV series I find it very distressing that sites feel they can download and share clips with others.  The worst cast is when complete films or episodes are stolen off various broadcasts or copied from DVD's.  Sites that don't charge for their services are so far skirting the laws but sites that charge memberships or charge for the downloads are illegal.  It does cut into the revenue that the legal owners could possibly make from the film or series.  Actors, writers, producers, composers all suffer when their work is pirated. 

I'd be more than happy to give clips to various sites that I felt were benefiting the genre or complimenting our work.  One site in particular is extremely detrimental.  I am doing everything in my legal power to get my copyrighted material off of that site.  It would be much wiser for that site to comply with my request to remove my material.  If however the site doesn't comply I will form an allegiance with other producers and get the site shut down. The laws are finally turning around and protecting the rights of copyright holders. 

[celandina]

Interesting ! 24 mil slap for Rapidshare

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/06/24/rapidshare_gema/

[hotrock]

Ouch -- and that's pounds sterling, not $$.