TicklingFR.com stealing work

[kahoshiden]

So I was farting around searching for my name on Google and happened upon a thread here at TT that someone posted about missing my work. He stated that he had seen my work on all the normal areas outside my DA account that I know credit me for my work. There was one I was unfamiliar of though, Ticklingfr.com.... After sending him a message stating I'm still alive, contrary to the belief, I decided to look into this Ticklingfr.com.

After a second or two searching for it on Google, I came upon the site here.... http://www.ticklingfr.com/
I found it easier to navigate with Google's translator if anyone is interested in viewing the page. I looked in photos and clicked the drawings section. I found alot of my older work, about 50% of which had a "TicklingFR.com" water mar on the bottom right hand corner of the image (See attachment for example, and forgive the terrible looking art).

Now, this frustrated the hell out of me. How could a forum collect so many different pieces of art and photos and stamp their name on it when it is clearly not theirs? Right now I am leading a single strike force against this treachery. I need more ammo though, what can I do to make certain that my work will be taken down?

This is what I have done so far... I have laid claim that the work posted on their site is wrongly featured with misleading watermarks indicating ownership. I have posted links to all the images I could find on the site and asked them to take them down within two weeks. 24 hours after posting it, there were quite a few responses. Some fearing that it is spam, viruses, spyware, etc. Some considering how unjust the situation in, but there's only so much a free translator can actually decipher to the point of smooth readability. Hopefully moderators or owners of the site will realize that what I speak is fair and will take down the falsified art claims, or at least credit the rightful artists.

It's pretty sad too, there's alot of work up there. Some of it fairly new with the "TicklingFR.com" watermarks at the bottom right hand. Work from Jezzie, Cabbit Cat, Cheshire Cat, PsylisiaDragoon, Umojar, TheBandito, amongst others are getting "TicklingFR.com" watermarks slapped on them.

What do you all think about this?

 

[Journia]

I don't actually think the site is actually saying that this is their work. I believe, from my past few years of visiting the site, that its just a mark to say you got it from this site, and there might be more of what you like about this pic in other pics on the site itself.

Though I don't have the luxury of feeling like I've been stolen from eiher. But I think that's the purpose of the site's watermarking these piccies.

 

[the_jimmy_james]

But it's the fact that it seems they try to cover the original artist's identifying marks that makes it suspicious. Sure, they do it so people know where the image was downloaded, but it's done without crediting the original artist! That makes it even harder for them to get credit. There's also legal issues. If someone were to make a valid copyright complaint, they're a small-time artist with just their own resources. The site has revenue and probably financial backing.

They could successfully defend themselves just by having more money to throw at better attorneys. This would mean that someone essentially loses any chance to get what they're due for that work.

 

[melanie2]

Why not contact the site administrator and tell them of your situation..then if they still don't take your work down, threaten to unleash all those other artist's names you mentioned..say they will all go into that forum and demand either the art be taken down, or give the originator of the artwork recognition..

 

[Tantalyzer]

The key issue here for this type of work product is that the only way you can legally claim sole ownership and take action against any and all who use it or claim ownership without your permission is to copywrite it.

 

[kahoshiden]

It's all a very difficult situation because it's a french forum. They assume because a new member comes in posting links, that I am just a spybot or spamming. It's rediculious how they continue to question my integrity. None the less, I have given them 2 weeks to take down my work.

 

[kahoshiden]

Alright, so after a month of having to deal with paranoid french fucks, I finally got fed up and sent a message to a moderator and demanded my work taken down. He replied and stated that the work will be taken down and that I will be banned from the forum.

I really could give less of a shit about being banned, I am officially boycotting TicklingFR.com and am in the process of digging up anything I can use against them. I have seen comics from MTJ Publications, so I might still have some wind under my sails.

 

[intern3]

Sue that website for stealing your pics. They have no right to use them without your permission.

 

[Jawa]

Sue that website for stealing your pics. They have no right to use them without your permission.

Good of you to say so!

It would help Kaho's case though if people would be willing to testify. I saw some of Snailshell's work there, as well as some of Cheshire Cat's.

The more people that tell these French Fries that they're in the wrong, the better.

 

[Budweiserbob!]

Retaliate. Make a tickle comic about how much they suck and spread it around the Tickle community. 😛

 

[dalekfire]

Wait, so they told you they're taking down your art as requested...and banning you? That's a weird course of action. Unless they're not really going to take them down, and they're banning you 'cause they for whatever reason are hoping you can't figure that out by not having access to the site. If that's the case, those dudes aren't that bright. :lol

I'm in agreement with you, though, that watermarking an artist's work for whatever reason without permission is totally wrong. Even if the site's just trying to advertise, even if they keep your original watermark on there for all to see, the fact that they didn't ask for your permission, and that's unfair to you. My gosh, if we gotta cite every single damn quote and paraphrase while writing papers for college, I can't see how this can be remotely legal.

I know one thing. If I discovered a site posting stories I wrote without giving me due credit and outright claiming that it's theirs, I'd be pretty darn ticked off.

 

[jk666uk]

if they banned you from the site
just download this progan http://www.hide-my-ip.com/
and you can get back on ANY site your been banned from.
my ip say im in china now when really im from the UK lol

 

[kahoshiden]

LOL I don't know about that, that sounds like a suspicious site 😛

Speaking of sites LOL here is the link to the forum post. Notice my posts as "VengefulArtist". I posted all of my work I wanted taken down. Clicking about 95% of the links turn up dead. But I posted some that are straight links to their database, and low and behold, they're still assessable! Fucking assholes!

Maybe I will hide my IP just to tell them they fucked up.

I would advise any artist who is offended by their idiotic watermarks to seek out their work taken down.

New pics with their watermarks just for shits and giggles....

*edit* I sent a message to the admin who apparently took down my work to take down the WOW and the other videogame one. The comic in the attachments I found on their site. I would advise MTJ Publications to take action against TicklingFR.com.

 

[MistressValerie1]

Try sending an e-mail to [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected] with your copyright complaint, but note that French copyright law may be much less stringent than US law. Also, there is no guarantee that any of those addresses will work.

In any event, I do not advise downloading or using a proxy to evade a ban; the forum owner can simply ban the proxy, and you don't know how safe the download is.

 

[juggernaut]

From the few samples I see, their mark is in the same place on every shot despite the artist's sigs being in different locations. I don't see this as stealing the images, just a marker noting that someone visited and maybe grabbed the image from their site. Sites like collegehumor.com and holytaco.com who also put their own mark on pics don't personally take all their photos and vids, they just put themselves out there as a known location for getting good material.

I'm not the one with art in question, so if it bothers you... by all means... have it removed. Or you could take it as a compliment that you've been included [and assume that it's not the only site out there that you may be on]. I'd be ticked if I came across my work for sale or on a pay site, but just being scooped into a random collection of pics wouldn't bother me. Could even make someone search for more. But like I said at the beginning, it doesn't look like they're trying to cover artists' marks and that could possibly even be auto-generated when they prepare them for upload.

Just another perspective.

 

[kahoshiden]

All of my pictures have been taken down with much persistence and for some reason, they haven't banned me. Thanks for everyone's input and support.

 

[jk666uk]

In any event, I do not advise downloading or using a proxy to evade a ban; the forum owner can simply ban the proxy, and you don't know how safe the download is.

sorry but you no thats not true