GW Files DMCA Complaint to Google – Faeit212 Down!

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Games Workshop has filed a DMCA (Copyright) Complaint to Google about prominent Warhammer 40K Blogs that published leaked White Dwarf pictures – most notably nafta.blogspost.com (also known as Faeit212) and, it appears, Belloflostsouls.net (?).

Have a read of this:


#1 – Games Workshop’s DMCA to Google

April 22, 2013

Sender Information:
Games Workshop Limited
Sent by: [Private]
Games Workshop Limited
GB

Recipient Information:
[Private]
Google, Inc. [Blogger]
Mountain View, CA, 94043, USA

 

Sent via: online form: Form
Re: Infringement Notification via Blogger Complaint

Google Form: copyright DMCA Complaint of alleged copyright infringement

1. Complainant’s Information
Name:
Company name: Games Workshop Limited
Full legal name of the copyright holder: Games Workshop Limited
Country of residence: GB

2. Your copyrighted work
Location of copyrighted work (where your authorized work is located):

The copyrighted work is the contents of the
unreleased ‘White Dwarf’ magazine (ISSN: 0265-8712) produced by Games
Workshop Limited and due for release on 27th April 2013.

Description of the copyrighted work:

The magazine content and images are
protected by copyright and Games Workshop Limited does not give permission
for it to be displayed on the Faeit212 Blog. The blog is displaying
photographic copies of the pages of the magazine. The 19 photos of magazine
pages in the body of the blog post infringe.

As copyright owner, Games Workshop also has the rights to first release of
the material to the public. These rights are being infringed by the
Faeit212 blog entry identified, belonging to user ‘Natfka’.

Due to the confidential nature of the work being infringed and its current
status as unreleased, we kindly request you remove this material from your
service as swiftly as possible.

3. Allegedly Infringing Material:
URL of the allegedly infringing material in our search results:

(1.)

http://natfka.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/lots-of-new-pics-for-high-elves.html

 

Sworn Statements
I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials described above as allegedly infringing is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law. [checked]

I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed. [checked]

Signed on this date of:
Signature
[Private]


#2 – Thoughts

Well, it seems the blogging party of posting White Dwarf scans is quickly coming to an end. The music has stopped and the lights are about to go out.

Though my humble Miniatures Wargaming Blog here is nowhere near as popular as Nafta, you might have noticed that I unpublished my own recent post with the leaked High Elves pictures.

Better save than sorry!

Also, one word of advice to anyone thinking of starting a blog… be the master of your own (digital) castle. Never blog on blogger.com, tumblr.com, wordpress.com or whatever they are called.

If you do, you’ll always be a slave to their whims and conditions.

Get a basic hosting deal from services like Hostgator or Blue Host, install your own software, and rule your own domain! Seriously! It only costs a few dollars a month. If you put in the sweat of writing regular blog posts, that should be worth it for you!

Blogging on my blog wouldn’t save me from Games Workshop’s copyright wrath, should they decide to go after me. But at least they would have to write their letters to me, personally, and wouldn’t be able to pull the plug from afar.

Z.

Update:
I am still unsure about BOLS. However, Apocalypse40K also got served [DMCA Complaint]
Update 2:
A YouTube update from Faeit212. I must say, he has some serious Zen. I’d be fuming at the mouth, yet he’s only concerned with not letting his readers down for the Eldar release!

Zweischneid

Zweischneid

I am Zweischneid. Wargame Addict. Hopeless painter and founder of Pins of War. I hope you enjoyed this article. Don't forget to share your favourite miniature pictures and wargaming videos at www.pinsofwar.net.
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  • http://twitter.com/belverker belverker

    I’m actually surprised it lasted so long…and before people get up in arms their request is quite reasonable and well within their rights (unlike some other actions they have taken)

    • http://www.facebook.com/MJames70 Michael Dudek

      Indeed…posting a rumor is one thing. But full page scans of a magazine in the quantity that Faeit has been is quite another. Before all the GW haters start whining that ‘It’s just free advertising for them!!!’, it is GWs decision when and how their products get shown, and no one elses. This far exceeded any ‘Fair Use’ for the purposes of review, or anything like that.

      Others will say, ‘GW should fix their problem with leakers!’ And they should. But just because someone leaked something does not make it fair game. GW has done many poor public relations moves in the last few years. But this is not one of them. It’s a clear copyright violation, and something at least Faeit has been warned about several times in the past.

  • Anggul

    It’s probably within their rights.

    That doesn’t make it any less stupid and bad for their business though.

    • http://pinsofwar.net/ Zweischneid

      Perhaps.

      Than again, it seems GW’s been sending Nafta these letters for a while now.

      January 2013 – http://www.chillingeffects.org/dmca512c/notice.cgi?NoticeID=786609
      October 2012 – http://www.chillingeffects.org/dmca512c/notice.cgi?NoticeID=668987

      Right or wrong, it shouldn’t have been a surprise to Faeit212 I suppose. He kept on doing his thing knowing GW was after him.

      • http://www.squaretablegaming.com/ Mendelor

        Well the issue would be that those went to Google and not Natfka. If google did not forward them being shut down would be a complete blindside

        • http://pinsofwar.net/ Zweischneid

          Dunno. I never had a blogspot blog (much less one that got DMCAs). I cannot imagine the owner of a blog would not be informed by Google if they receive letters like that.

          I know i once reserved a domain name (at hostgator) with “ebay” in the title. I hadn’t even set up a site. Immediately got a long, pre-formulated Email from eBay legal on “cybersquatting” domain names including registered brands.

          Admittedly, it was me who got the lawyer-mail, because it was (or would have been) self-hosted. But it only took them like 30 minutes to contact me.

    • Knight_of_Infinite_Resignation

      just because something is legal doesn’t mean it sensible. Think of how many GW fans have posted on that site, and how many check it for news. These aren’t just players, but GW’s biggest fans. And now GW does the one thing calculated to piss them off. Well done GW.

  • Sejanus

    It’s funny how everyone knows whats good for GW business except GW. Wake up kids, most of you have no knowledge nor experience of business of that scale. Maybe, just maybe, the most successful wargaming company in the world knows what they are doing.