AlienSoup get "cloned"?

Did you guys get copied? Someone posted about their new site on another forum and wanted others to check it out. Many of us recognized the design, as the one originally made for "AlienSoup".

The site he was showing off: http://www.spiritual-connections.com/ was a copy of your skin (view the source code...there are still directs w/ the 'aliensoup' url). Now in the thread that this is being discussed, it was acknowledged that it is indeed possible, that the owner of that site may be friends w/ the coder of the design, or bought the skin, or knows someone here at AlienSoup.

As a coder myself however, I know how sucky it is to be ripped off of exclusive code and designs. If his site is legit, my apologies for being a "tattle-tale". However, there are just too many "red flags" about his site (see his copyright notice, table, source code, etc...) that it warranted at the very least, a heads-up. I know I'd want someone to inform me if someone cloned one of my copyrighted skins or materials.

 

Thanks for the report. I highly doubt that the exact skin and layout is for sale. If this is the case, I'm sure Alien will have the lawyers contact that site real soon now.

Unfortunately, being a top quality site like AlienSoup means others are bound to rip off their design. This isn't the first time it's happened, but I do hope it's the last.

 

That's so bizarre!

 

It isn't for sale, no. Not too bad a job on the rip though.

 

I am the owner of Spiritual Connections. I already sent the owners of AlienSoup an email about this issue. The AlienSoup template was selling on another webpage. I bought it there. For a strange reason this webpage is down, now anyway I paid with paypal and still have the email about it.

If AlienSoup wants me to remove the template then I will do it anyway I still hope that I didn't buy a hacked template. I am running an official version of vBulletin so there is no reason for me to use illegal things at my forum.

Until I sort out this issue with AlienSoup I would be happy if you stop to come on my forum and post abusive threads about me.

 

wow
whoever ripped it didnt even remove the affiliate sites from the bottom.

 

No problem. I will stop what I'm doing and head over there to post abuse immediately....

 

Well, I just asked for it. As I said Owners of AlienSoup is already informed by me.

Btw this issue was just found out because I published my page for a review at vbulletin.org. If I really believed that I am using an illegal hack I never would post my page on a public forum like vbulletin.org and asked for comments about it.

 

And yet now that it's been made abundantly clear that you are using an illegal rip, you still haven't taken it down yet.

 

Ok again, I sent an email to hidden and informed him about this matter. Besides of that i asked if I can keep the template if I am making a few changes for example copyrights of AlienSoup links to AlienSoup and so on. Also I made the offer to pay for the template. I didn't get any response from the official side yet and until that I will keep this template but of coruse I will make a thread about it at my forum and inform my users that I am running an illegal rip and that it si related to AlienSoup.

I am serious looking to sort out this matter in a peaceful way. I am upset about myself that I paid money for a rip. Do you realy believe that I would post and discuss with you here if I don't take care about this?

 

IMHO, I believe he bought a ripped skin, thinking it was legit. He also, has obviously attempted to make contact w/ the webmater here to rectifiy the issue. Having the skin on his site for the next day or so until he and the actual owner discuss the issue, isn't a big deal IMO.

I think he is handling it well, and is sincere about wanting to make things legit.

 

Hello

hi,

what kru is saying is absolutley true, i have known him for over 3 years as we playd an mmorpg together, then became very good friends and i now am co admin at that forum, he bought the ripped skin via paypal and did not even know that your forum existed.

this issue will get sorted out by the people involved in it, and the posters here are not involved in it, please dont post abuse or whatever about us as we are all nice people.

please let this problem be sorted by kru, myself, and the aliensoup team, and stop all of the argueing about something that dosent affect yourselves in posting.

nice forum and ty as i always need tech help hehe

i hope this site becomes friends with ours and maybe even affiliates.

sorry again, and plz dont flame us

 

Bottom line is that the stolen skin is still currently in use. What's up with that? What does it take to convince him that the site was ripped? And I followed kru's instructions regarding posting about said issue on his site, although I was not in anyway abusive, and now all I get is:

"Sorry. The administrator has banned your IP address. To contact the administrator click here" - when I go back to the site.

So I guess it's cool to take from others but not so cool when someone posts about it on your site. This is especially puzzling since kru specifically asked for discussion on his forum about it. Very strange place over there indeed.

And then, after I changed my ip address, I searched to forums on that site and find no mention of this issue at all. Not one thread, as far as I can tell, even after it was posted that there would be a thread relating to this issue. Sure, youe can say it isn't any of our business except Alien's, but Aliensoup is a bit more of a family than other forums and it is all of our business to look out for it. For the record, I only made one, non-abusive, post on that site and my ip was immediately banned and the post deleted and I shant be posting there again.

 

Hey, KRU !

Until this skin is in use - You are thief.

Stop using it - this is the only way to resolve this conflict. :nod:

 

I think that AlienSoup can be proud to have members like you and I mean that serious and in a nice way. You are doing a lot to support them.

Anyway it is matter of the owner of AlienSoup and me, now. I offered to buy the template from them so I am not a thief. Besides of that I already bought the template from another page as I mentioned before. Well, I know that it was a rip, now.

I know that AlienSoup got my email so they already informed about everything. My page isn't very populaer it is a guild page related to the game Legend of Mir. I just have a few users and low traffic. I don't use it in a commercial way. Owners of AlienSoup know this. Nobody of them called me a thief. If they accept my offer to pay for the skin and of course with making changes like the copyrights and other links related to AlienSoup everything will fine for both sides. If not I will remove template immediatley without anymore discussions.

jourgenson: You are the only one that I banned from my forum because that it wasn't necessary to post that I stole from AlienSoup. I already explained here that I bought the template and that I thought that it was ok. Saying that I stole from AlienSoup means that I am a thief and that is abusive because I am not.

All my members were informing about this thread by me and aboput the current situation.

Before you continue with flaming me you should wait for an official responce from the side of the AlienSoup Owners.

 

Kru> I applaud your approach to this matter, as you clearly take it seriously. It is unfortunate that you have been duped and purchased this thinking it was legitimate.
However, and this is not meant as a flame, it shows very bad form to find out you are using something without the copyright holders' permission, and continue to use it. I think it would be a gesture of good faith, in both legal and etiquette terms, to remove the copyrighted materials from your site until such time as you receive permission from the copyright holder.
I honestly don't understand your logic that you know you bought a rip, you know it's stolen, and you know that you don't have permission to use it, yet you still do.

Color me even more skeptical by the fact that, despite your claims to the contrary, I have found no mention of this thread on your site, nor any mention to your members about this issue. As you've seen, we're reasonable people here, but we know dishonest behavior when we see it.

Needless to say, these matters will be addressed by Alien, and no doubt, by his legal representation shortly thereafter.

Joel> While I appreciate your relationship with Kru in this matter, and your desire to convey that he believed he was purchasing legitimate goods, he now understands that was not the case, and yet he continues to violate the copyrights of Alien Soup. He may have entered into this issue with good intentions, but his actions thus far have directly countered those intentions, and actions speak louder than words. It's clear he is in the wrong, he admits he is in the wrong, and yet, he continues to act in the wrong.

As co-admin of this site, I agree that it should, and will, be handled by the relevant parties. I fail to see how you fit in as part of that group.

And please don't purport to tell the long-standing members of Alien Soup, who have worked quite hard to see this community become what it has, and all of whom have a well-earned interest in not seeing the hard work of the owner of this community be stolen by someone who has no consideration for matters of ownership and copyright, that this is something that "doesn't affect them". We have all formed deep bonds with each other through years of conversation and discussion, and we all have a relationship with the person who is responsible for bringing us all together. I know I speak for many of us here at Alien Soup when I say that we consider Alien a very close friend and important part of our daily lives, and none of us likes seeing his work, money, and effort be taken advantage of by someone.

The Alien Soup community is, in many ways, a family, and frankly, I find it insulting that someone outside this family would be so presumptious as to assume that this matter doesn't affect us.

 

First of all you specifically asked for posts on your site on this topic, you may benn been joking around but you did write it nonetheless. Second, the template was obviously ripped from this site which does essentially mean it was stolen and this has been made abundantly clear to all. Then you keep the template without any mention on your site of the current issues. I can't find one thread or mention of it anywhere. It even still has your copyright on it. Then you come the this forum and try to tell us what to do? Not cool, man. I don't know what you define as flaming but one post on your site about an actual problem with said site is not flaming. I actually couldn't car less if you ban me or anyone else form your site, but to simply delete all posts regarding the origin of the site is just not how things should be done.

I certainly don't speak for Alien or anyone but myself, and whatever his decision is is totally cool with me and I would support it %100, but at this point it is my opinion that this s-c site is completely in the wrong, and I don't really care how the mistake came to be. I would suggest that there should be only 2 choices for a situation like this: 1) taking the site down or changing it in the immediate future until such time as a communication with owners of this site does take place or 2) some sort of succinct mention on the main page of the other site explaining at least some of the situation. Maybe others see different options, I'm just throwing out how I see it. I'm actually a bit offended at being told I was flaming. I have been a bite sarcastic and whatnot, but I did not intend to flame anyone, except possible the site, which certainly deserves a bit of ribbing.

That being said, it is 2:30 am and I am in a bit of a strange mood in general. I mean no personal offense to anyone. It's basically not cool to use someone's work without their knowledge, and if all it results in is a bit of publlic discourse then sobeit.

I do understand that this was an honest mistake, at least it seems that way. If I specifically called you or anyone a thief or used stolen regarding anyone but the currently unnamed ripper or the actual template itself then I humbly apologize. I meant only to refer to the template as stolen.

sorry for the ramblingness of the post, I have been up for far too long....

 

Obviously I did not see Dan's post while I was writing mine. He is far more eloquent than I and has basically written exactly what I would have liked to have, had i been able expressed myself a bit better at the moment. Thanks, Dan.

 

I already started to build up a new template yesterday and I hope it is up tomorrow. As I said my members was informed by me. You can believe me or not but if I would be a thief I would run away and hide and wouldn't offer a payment. I didn't get another response from the official side of AlienSoup anyway I will change my template just for the simply reason that the AlienSoup community is worry about it. This is my last post here the rest I will sort out with AlienSoup Owners by email.

I wish you all a good time here and keep up this great work as a community.

 

Hello.

I'll make this brief, as I've been in the middle of a move to a new home and haven't had time away from packing to spend alot of time here recently. This skin/style is not for sale. Alien Soup has been up for 4 1/2 years and has never offered any of it's 5 designs for sale. Whoever you paypal'd is in for some major legal trouble if I find out who it is (and an award is available, in fact). We know every person who has been involved with the creation of this website from vision to reality and can back up the design with legal paperwork and statements from those involved.

3 of our 5 designs have been ripped over the past few years by some people in Asia and Europe, by those who think it's some sort of art. Or they have excuses such as 'our country is too poor and we can't afford such nice skins so i wanted to help them' and feel it's fine. I assure you, the real gifted artists and hackers/programmers laugh at the 'scene' these people have created.. It's the the most pathetic thing in recent years, very sad.

Onward.. We welcome your open discussion with us within this thread, and would appreciate your immediate removal of our skin/style ASAP. Now, if you wish to contact us relating to the legal action we can take (either seperately or together) against this PayPal member please contact me at [email protected] ([email protected] is currently non-functional) and we'll work out something to both our benefits. We've had legal action taken against half a dozen individuals who have tried this who belong to countries who have specific treaties with the government of the United States in this area and I assure you it's been fruitful. Of course this action does not work out completely in all cases, but we're always willing to try and have the capacity to do so.

Good luck with your website, and thank you very much for the kind words you have given our place. Perhaps we'll work out some sort of affiliation in the near future...