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IFI's facebook page states that a banned member filed a DMCA request which shut down the site.  If you have time for an interesting read, head over to their Facebook page.

ciladog said

Mark said
IFI's facebook page states that a banned member filed a DMCA request which shut down the site.  If you have time for an interesting read, head over to their Facebook page.

 

No need to do that as all of my content has been removed.  I have been unfriended.

A few years ago, Grant allowed me to use your website to state my case when something similar came up with IFI.  Because he did that, there was a resolution.  I miss him as I am sure all of you do.

I'm not going to rant or badmouth IFI here but I wanted to get out some facts if the admin. will allow it.  If not just delete the post.

 I am convinced and believe that I was banned from the site (without any explanation) because of a vendetta with one of the moderators who also has a user account.  For over a month, I tried to communicate with the site owner, the administrator, and their lawyer to resolve the issue.  Every attempt was ignored.

I was advised to file a DMCA takedown notice with the IP of the website.  The basis of the notice was that IFI did not have a license to store or display my content without my consent.  Their TOS did not speak to the issue of copyright license except to say that you had to own the copyright to upload it. 

Only after I filed the Notice did IFI publish a TOS that addressed copyright license.  They filed a counter notice and then removed the website from their IP server.  The DMAC notice only pertains to the IP the notice was sent to.  IFI can upload their website to any server they choose and the notice is null.  They are keeping the site offline for fundraising purposes.

 

Thank you for giving us an update, it is nice to hear the other side of this.

Some time ago I had similar experience with the moderator in question and have not been back there since. It has been a few years, seems like most everyone else that used to post good content is not there anymore either. I read on their FB page that they have turned into the “look at my anvil, and see what I made from RR spike site” A few others said they were severely restricting their posts or will no longer post due to the bad moderator, which is sad. I just look in every now and then.

I just wanted you to know your not the only one who got the wrath of that moderator.

Rob

Bruce,

I agree completely. Maybe a good topic for a poll? Is that possible on the new format?

Rob

Ok, I give up - So who is the mod. in question, has anybody any info on who has taken them on?

Ian

Bruce, lol, you know I love controversy!  But, I also like to believe that I am a reasonable person.  Let's say, hypothetically, that I am a construction company, and build a mall.  I bring in subcontractors, who build the foundation, lay the bricks, plumb all the buildings, wire them for juice, put a roof on the structure, etc. etc.  Let's say I have a dispute with the subcontractor who poured the foundation.  Does he have the right to remove the foundation, allowing the entire structure to collapse?  Especially since that subcontractor SIGNED a contract with me!  IFI has a terms of service agreement for all of its members who sign up to that forum, which basically amounts to a CONTRACT!  If you read that contract, IFI has LICENSE to do whatever it wants with your COPYRIGHTED material, and every member of that site agreed with those terms.

I too have had disagreements with moderators on that site.  HOWEVER, the site owner has always adjudicated these conflicts in a manner that I have to admit is fair and square.  The colloquialism "don't start no mess, won't be no mess" seems applicable here.  I have also discovered that all the moderators, without exception, can be talked to in a reasonable manner there.  Their management style actually works for me: put out the conflagration NOW, and we can discuss this logically later.

On a more humorous note, Bruce, have you ever seen Ciladog's Video on Youtube in which he forges a ram's-head?  Take particular note of the fact that he is a thumbs-upper, just like me!

stewartthesmith said
Bruce, lol, you know I love controversy!  But, I also like to believe that I am a reasonable person.  Let's say, hypothetically, that I am a construction company, and build a mall.  I bring in subcontractors, who build the foundation, lay the bricks, plumb all the buildings, wire them for juice, put a roof on the structure, etc. etc.  Let's say I have a dispute with the subcontractor who poured the foundation.  Does he have the right to remove the foundation, allowing the entire structure to collapse?  Especially since that subcontractor SIGNED a contract with me!  IFI has a terms of service agreement for all of its members who sign up to that forum, which basically amounts to a CONTRACT!  If you read that contract, IFI has LICENSE to do whatever it wants with your COPYRIGHTED material, and every member of that site agreed with those terms.

I too have had disagreements with moderators on that site.  HOWEVER, the site owner has always adjudicated these conflicts in a manner that I have to admit is fair and square.  The colloquialism "don't start no mess, won't be no mess" seems applicable here.  I have also discovered that all the moderators, without exception, can be talked to in a reasonable manner there.  Their management style actually works for me: put out the conflagration NOW, and we can discuss this logically later.

On a more humorous note, Bruce, have you ever seen Ciladog's Video on Youtube in which he forges a ram's-head?  Take particular note of the fact that he is a thumbs-upper, just like me!

In the first place IFI did not have a TOS that spoke to copyright licenses before I filed the takedown notice.  If they had, this would not be happening.  The TOS that you will see when the site comes back online was just added.

I know you have been a member for quite a long time.  And in that time you have been able to manage your attachments through your profile and manage attachments.  You can delete any attachment you choose.  That means that IFI claims no license on those attachments.  Do you think it is ok for them to confiscate my images because they ban me? 

stewartthesmith said
Bruce, lol, you know I love controversy!  But, I also like to believe that I am a reasonable person.  Let's say, hypothetically, that I am a construction company, and build a mall.  I bring in subcontractors, who build the foundation, lay the bricks, plumb all the buildings, wire them for juice, put a roof on the structure, etc. etc.  Let's say I have a dispute with the subcontractor who poured the foundation.  Does he have the right to remove the foundation, allowing the entire structure to collapse?  Especially since that subcontractor SIGNED a contract with me!  IFI has a terms of service agreement for all of its members who sign up to that forum, which basically amounts to a CONTRACT!  If you read that contract, IFI has LICENSE to do whatever it wants with your COPYRIGHTED material, and every member of that site agreed with those terms.

I too have had disagreements with moderators on that site.  HOWEVER, the site owner has always adjudicated these conflicts in a manner that I have to admit is fair and square.  The colloquialism "don't start no mess, won't be no mess" seems applicable here.  I have also discovered that all the moderators, without exception, can be talked to in a reasonable manner there.  Their management style actually works for me: put out the conflagration NOW, and we can discuss this logically later.

On a more humorous note, Bruce, have you ever seen Ciladog's Video on Youtube in which he forges a ram's-head?  Take particular note of the fact that he is a thumbs-upper, just like me!

As far as the between dust up between CD & IFI  is concerned I don't give a spit. I know nothing of the nuts and bolts of what's going on and I don't care. Whatever I post is history to me and so be it. In my opinion there's bad blood between CD & Steve and this is the result. To bad it's affected so many people but it probably could have been avoided.

As far as CD's thumb index concerned, anyone who holds a chisel in his hand while striking it with a power hammer will put his thumb just about anywhere.....lol

Lee Cordochorea said
I'm going way out on a limb here and tossing my two cents into this stinky pot...

 

1) IFI is nobody's living room, nobody's general contractor, and the content is not a physical object of any sort. The content is this brand new (from a legal history standpoint) thing called "intellectual property." I strongly suggest we leave it to the lawyers. I mean, seriously, would you want a lawyer with no smithing experience helping you forge some upset corners or in your shop?

 

2) I am also an IBEW electrician. I therefore know about the results of a certain survey. We are statistically apt to think rather more highly of ourselves than we should. Specifically, 75% of IBEW electricians surveyed think they are in the top 20% of our craft, and 50% think they are in the top 10%.

 

3) Saying "golly, I'm glad you asked that question, here is a link to my answer to it" is vastly different than saying "you dumb jerk, why didn't you read my manifesto? and NO I won't give you the link."

 

There. I've said my piece. Please remember that I am statistically apt to think more highly of myself than I should.

 

Oh, and I'm "Thingmaker3" on IFI.

Let me introduce you to something taught in university english classes, a phenomenon called analogy.  IFI IS a general contractor, disseminating blacksmithing information, "brick by brick", as if in a "foundation".  One cannot arbitrarily remove "bricks" from an informational foundation without the structure collapsing.  I have close to two thouand, five hundred posts on that site.  If I have a hissy-fit and want all my informational contributions back, is that fair or even marginally reasonable?  YOU TELL ME!

What would happen, not only to IFI, but similar sites including THIS ONE, if every time someone had a "toothache" or an "upset stomach", they decided to take their football and go home(sorry for the mixed metaphor, folks, lol)!  Nobody would win!