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Following up my recent post about this sorta stuff, I was alerted today to more stolen blog posts, and this time the pseudo-Blogger thief, one Rowdy Smith from a little town in Oklahoma, no longer used my name or linked to my blog. Now, this is after I had spent a week in email conversation with him showing him laws and the such and demanding that all material be taken down. Well, he lied, of course. As I said, he went further by copying my posts completely without attribution or the such. He believes that since it is on an RSS feed, it is open to anyone. He further believes that since he is a messenger from God, everything is his. Seriously, it is his words, not mine.
In this day and age when scholars are taking to the blogosphere for interaction and fleshing out of material, you need to be aware of a few things. First, my post from last week here. Then read the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and see here as well. Next, you can at the very least contact Google about your stolen work here and if the material is still live, here.
What really bugs me is that this guy is soliciting money from these sites. He is ripping stories, comments, and even “Do Not Copyright” posts off other bloggers, forums, and new sites. And he is asking for money in doing this!!!!
So, I’ve contacted his service providers and his hosting accounts as well as filled a DMCA letter with Google. This really bugs me. No problem with real, honest to goodness links and repostings, but in the vein in which he is doing so, he is profiting off of not only my paltry work, but the work of others.
I believe that intellectual property is among the most sacred of property.
Update: I contacted Ipage.com, one of the hosting providers. I had to file a DMCA letter with them, upon review, they email the offender a cease and desist letter. I congratulate them and thank them for their speedy reply. The offending post has not be removed yet, so we’ll see. He has 48 hours to do so, and the click is ticking.
Joel Landon Watts is a Masters of Theological Studies student with a focus in Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific ideals of the past century. Currently, he is a TA for Old Testament at United Theological Seminary under Dr. Vivian Johnson, Associate Professor of Old Testament. His first book, Rhetorical Strategies of the Evangelist: Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark, is expected to be published by Wipf and Stock early next year. He is currently co-editing a book on moving from Fear to Faith (Energion, 2013).
Intellectual property is among the most sacred of property? Is there even a Biblical acknowledgment of intellectual property, or the enforcement of laws regarding it?
The bible doesn’t mention the oxygen molecules or nuclear weapons and how to handle them either.
The bible rarely acknowledges most of the things we have going for us today.
Joel,
While that is fair, I think there’s a distinct difference between the content of your analogy and my argument. The scope of the Bible doesn’t seem to involve authoritative discussions on oxygen molecules or nuclear weapons. However, when we delve into sanctity and morality, it seems like our beliefs should have Biblical foundations.
While the Bible certainly does encourage us to respect property/contract law, I’m not aware of any implicit or explicit references to the existence or acknowledgment of intellectual property. My understanding was that such laws were strictly positive laws, without any sort of Biblical or Natural Law foundation. That being said, I may be mistaken, and am making the relatively weak claim of, “I do not know that support exists”, not that support does not exist.
There’s no accusation here, merely an inquiry. Thanks for your response!
I’m unsure that such a direct support is needed. The fact is, is that this my production, and I have claimed it. By that virtue, unless it is used within certain rules, it is theft. The laws of the land, if you will, are pretty clear on this matter, and the Scripture is in support of the laws of the land.
Joel,
Fair enough. I don’t mean to pull your post off topic or make the comments section into a personal dialogue, but it would seem that scripture does not deem the laws of the land sufficient. We have Biblical examples, from Daniel 6 to John the Baptist’s rebuking one of the Herods in Luke 3:19, though they could actively create the law. As Christians, should we not evangelize in countries where it is illegal to do so?
Sure, there’s probably no harm in Christians respecting intellectual property laws. That being said, to claim they’re among the most sacred seems to be a stronger claim.
No, no, Eluros, that’s what this is here for. That’s what I am here for.
We also have Romans 13 and the host of laws about respecting your neighbor and not stealing from them. Considering that intellectual rights would have been something unheard of in a time when people weren’t producing these things, we have to look at the examples of what the bible does say. Don’t steal. Plane enough.
You confused my intent of sacred. I believe that talents are God’s gift. So, if you are stealing God’s gift to another, isn’t that a sacred offense? Especially when you intend to sell it. You know, buy the truth and sell it not, sorta thing.
Joel,
Thanks for the affirmation that my response isn’t out of line. I’m quoting you down here, since the margins of the comments were getting pretty thin.
I agree with you that theft is both immoral and explicitly anti-Biblical. It’s not clear, however, that violating intellectual property rights is the same as stealing, for a host of reasons. I’m happy to provide an affirmative argument if that’s what you’re looking for, although since you seemed to presuppose that the violation of intellectual property rights is a form of stealing, I assume that you already have an argument/assessment you’re fond of.
Certainly, it seems legitimate to propose that stealing a sacred object is a sacred offense. That seems coherent to me. However, it seems like you’re equating one’s talents with the manifestation of one’s talents. I will gladly agree that talents are gifts from God. However, if I use a talent of painting to paint obscenities or heretical imagery, the obscenity/heretical image is certainly not sacred as a result of the talent’s sanctity. Similarly, possessing a God-given talent for writing is insufficient to claim that the writing itself is sacred.
If someone stole your talent, I would heartily concede that they committed a sacred offense. However, they did not steal your talent– they copied your work, and while I certainly think they should not have done so, I don’t know that I would be comfortable asserting either the presence of a theft or the violation of a sacred principle.
Yeah, the thread system is a compromise some like it longer, some shorter, but they do get thing regardless.
I would contend that the manifestation of the talent is equal to the talent itself, as the talent is worthless unless it is used. The same goes with work, which is why slavery as an economic system is immoral. Don’t get me wrong, I am not equating the theft of intellectual property with slavery, but as they both involve the theft of one’s productions, they are both immoral.
And you are correct, both of us will retreat to our own arguments. I understand yours, as I have dealt with it; however, I believe that the production of the person, whether in work, skill or intellectual property must be treated to the same protections as stealing the donkey, etc…
Joel,
Thanks for your response. I have a few questions that result from it.
1. If slavery, as an economic system, is immoral, why did Paul command Philemon to obey his master? If the master was acting immorally, why would Paul not instruct Philemon to rebuke his master or remain out of bondage? Is slavery as a system immoral, or the treatment of slaves by fallen individuals immoral?
2. If the act of copying is sufficient for theft, why is quoting not immoral? Attribution cannot be the issue, because that would constitute lying (not theft), and I can correctly attribute a copyrighted work but still infringe its copyright (for example, if I plagiarized your work but attributed it to you). I don’t think permission can be the issue, either, since I can quote you without permission (and against your will, as has happened to many people).
3. Why is thievery immoral? Exodus 22:1 implies that it’s because it deprives a person of what they are entitled to. Is it possible to steal something if the original owner still has the ability to use it in any matter they please? If not, how could the infringement of intellectual property laws constitute theft?
I certainly respect your position, but am concerned with some of the consequences of it. First, if the result of a talent is as sacred as the talent itself, then the Koran or even the Satanic Verses would be sacred, as they are the result of God-given talents (regardless of the heretical nature of their content). Second, if the production of a person must be considered as their property (which sounds a good bit like John Locke), then children should be considered the property of the parents. Third, per Ecclesiastes, there is nothing new under the sun. If you produce through reason and proceed to accidentally write what someone else has written (even if it is only the content of the ideas, not the order of the words), is the production of your reason (your argument) theft? If I independently came up with the Ontological Argument for God’s Existence without having read Anselm, would I be stealing, even if I did not know it at the time?
1.) Romans 13. And it wasn’t Philemon.
2.) Copying and Quoting are things different than plagiarizing. Further, the action of copying wholesale, even with attribution, against the other person’s will, amounts to theft.
3.) My intellectual property is here for my use and my use only, to engage and to grow. By him using it, illegally, he is depriving of my singular use for it. Therefore, since he is depriving me of my property and use, he is a thief.
I think you are kinda stretching your last argument. Holy Books are meant to be shared, as is their purpose. When you explicitly state that in order for one to use your work, they must follow guidelines, we are in a different territory. Further, again, you are arguing based on one understanding of the word sacred. Not sure I would continue with that line, but do so as you like.
You argument on children is equally stretched thin.
I’m not sure I would turn to Ecclesiastes for your help here, unless you want to take every bit of that book literal, and end up with a Deist position. Further, reproducing by accident another’s words is, again, different territory than actively engaging in theft of a product. Purposed reproduction of intellectual property, without the consent of the author or original source is theft.
I have to agree with Joel here.
It would be the same as if I went and copied and distributed Gordon Fee’s works or the Lord in the Rings series… without the authors permission…
I may be reading it wrong; but it seems to me that Joel is feeling like he has somewhat been spiritually raped and his boundaries stepped on … It’s one thing to engage with what someone has written,,,but he isn’t even doing that…
Nope, reading it right, Craig.
Joel; I noticed my own recent post was linked to the site your talking about… not only that; he has started a 2nd blog which is basically the same.
Perhaps he did this in anticipation of the first being shut down…I think the sheer number of posts he is generating will cause his project to implode anyway. I had trouble finding my post in the midst of the many others there and could only find it by following the ping back.
Craig, he has about three blogs which he ‘operates.’ As far as I can tell he has essentially set up an RSS converter which takes the blog post or news story and turns it into a post. As I have contacted Google and all of his hosting services, I suspect that he will soon be down and out anyway.
If you need the information, let me know, as you could file a DMCA letter with his hosting companies and they will make him take it down or they will shut down his sites. The best thing you can do is to find the links and keep them.
He has taken down my blog post. Finally.
Ok. The post I am referring to is the last one I posted here – linking it back to my blog. So far its been the only one…so I think he is still sourcing it from here…or was. .
The 8th commandment is about respect for personal property, correct?
thought so.
It sucks that you had to take it that far. But, kudos to you for doing so.