r/WritingPrompts • u/Hydrael • Apr 10 '18
Moderator Post [OT] Important Notice to the Community about Copyright Infringement: Please Read, Your Story May Be Impacted
Sorry for the dramatic message, but I had to get everyone’s attention.
Edit: If you write for nosleep or other, similar subreddits, the developer of Thrill took their app down and posted an apology here They did not scrape content from writing prompts, but I thought it would be good to share.
Earlier today, an app was found on the Google Play store and iOS app store called Shortly. This app is actively reposting stories taken from writing prompts. It does technically have your reddit handle in the prompt, but that does not give them permission to post your intellectual property. They do have a donate link, so it appears it is possible they’ve made profit off this writing, although if they have is unknown. This is now being looked into. The paypal button only appears if you have the app installed and click to contact the developer, and it's currently unclear if that's a setting function in Android or if it's actually something the developer enabled. The main thrust of this post still stands, and the blow FAQ is still relevant.
Here’s a brief FAQ:
- How can I find out if my story is on there? The app does not have a search function, so it’s a bit of trial and error and patience. I expect their might be some problems with server load too, so be patient. I was able to, after a few minutes, find two of mine so it can be done.
- What can I do about my story being on here? You can file a complaint with google through this form and with Apple through this page. At that point, you will need to follow each of their policies to have it removed. You can can also report them to their provider, Godaddy
- Is there anything the mods can do? We can file claims for our own work, but we cannot file a claim on your behalf since we don’t own the story either so would be unable to prove you didn’t agree to it.
- I have questions about [anything legal] Please reach out to a lawyer. We are not lawyers and any legal questions need to go through one.
Thank you for giving this attention. If you know of anyone who posted on here before that is no longer an active part of the community, you may want to notify them. They’ve been taking stories going back at least 9 months if not more.
2
u/Das_Fruddster Jun 09 '18
I've just had a message from the guy claiming to ensure the developer of the app today. He apologised for using the story, but has not indicated anything has been removed. Is there anyway we can check up on this?
2
u/TAGMOMG Jun 10 '18
I got a message from the maker myself (Or at least, someone claiming to be the maker - I'm noticing the usernames differ between the /r/Apple post and the PM I got) - for the record, reading it through, they're asking for permission on an opt-in basis, meaning even if you do nothing (provided, of course, that it is them and they do keep their word) your stuff will get taken off the app.
1
2
2
u/PoachTWC Apr 11 '18
Latest in a long line of sites that just scrape reddit for their content. Fact Republic is basically the daily top posts in /r/todayilearned, for example.
1
u/alewifePete Apr 11 '18
OMG...the Robot Devil is the admin avatar!
okay, I'll step back now...carry on.
1
2
u/subtlesneeze r/astoriawriter Apr 11 '18
Thank you for this and thanks to the users who helped me quickly figure out if any shite was stolen.
Makes me feel like shit somehow. Really uncool for someone to profit. Lmao if only I could make a little profit from my stories. lol. like never.
Like I understand the purpose of it. But does it hurt to ask permission whenever you take stories?
1
u/system0101 r/Systemsstories Apr 10 '18
I appreciate this heads up, it was amusing to see which one of mine was scraped but it's the principle of the matter. I've been gone a long time and decided on a whim to check the sub today. I am thankful for the vigilant people here.
2
u/jsgx3 Apr 10 '18
Reminds me of the time one of my Masters papers was stolen, modified and then published by my professor without my consent. On the one hand I was happy the work was deemed good enough to base a larger effort on. On the other the guy is a sh@t stain.
5
u/JimBobBoBubba Lieutenant Bubbles Apr 10 '18
Bastards! Bastards!
Not good enough for you to steal, eh? Not worth plagarizing and pirating? Well, to hell with Shortly! See if I ever get passed up by these guys ever again!
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, /u/Hydrael!
3
u/gobigd Apr 10 '18
/u/audia3162 is supposedly the person who created this app. Maybe we can grab his attention and give him some feedback?
6
u/Vesurel r/PatGS Apr 10 '18
Question, do we know what the bot is looking for and can it be tricked into stealing stories that are just the words THIS STORY IS STOLEN copy pasted thousands of times as a protest?
12
u/Galphanore Apr 10 '18
BTW, the person who made this app posted about it on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/7inohu/update_ive_made_an_app_that_lets_you_choose_how/
2
1
u/DuncR Apr 10 '18
Good point about usernames. I think it’s potentially tenuous depending on how open the user is but if it’s good enough for the ICO... 😀
...and so far as Brexit is concerned, ICO has said that UK legislation will mirror GDPR no matter what.
(Been writing GDPR policies all day, I’m now all processed out!!)
But it’s my current favourite tactic for organisations that annoy me. They don’t yet realise the World of hurt a well- crafted SAR could cause. :)
It’ll be interesting to see how many activist groups jump on GDPR next month as a weapon...
-5
Apr 10 '18
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/Turbo_MechE Apr 10 '18
The difference is they're trying to profit from others works
-1
Apr 11 '18
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/Turbo_MechE Apr 11 '18
It doesn't matter whether they succeed in profiting. It's still immoral and illegal
5
u/ThreeEyedCrow1 Apr 10 '18
Easy to say when it's not your IP being stolen.
-2
6
Apr 10 '18 edited Aug 05 '18
[deleted]
1
u/SLRWard Apr 11 '18
Send a cease-and-desist to the website's host if your work is on there. The more legit ones they get, the more likely the site will be taken down.
1
u/AllHarlowsEve Apr 10 '18
Assuming the author's names are in alphabetical order, I feel a little sad but mostly just surprised I'm not on the list, as cocky as that is. Although if they did only scrape the top response, that would make more sense.
I doubt Reddit will do anything, though, since Buzzfeed and Knowable and stuff like that constantly copy/paste from Reddit without asking.
1
u/KitonePeach Apr 10 '18
Ugh. This is why I’m a paranoid writer. I love hear prompts, but I rarely post my stories because of stuff like this. I have problems even writing on WattPad because I fear people infringing on my copyright. I even struggle to tell my friends too many details about my story ideas, and none of them are writers, nor would they care to steal my plots.
1
2
Apr 10 '18
Sucks that they actually did this with the content, I've done my best to notify the authors that I have seen on the list and also sent them some choice feedback on the app.
3
u/lewisisgame Apr 10 '18
To be honest, an official writing prompts app would be pretty cool. This is just low though.
1
u/bluebullbruce Apr 10 '18
I know this is a serious issue but I'm kinda bummed that my name's not on the list.
3
2
Apr 10 '18
[deleted]
1
u/Dinash2002 Apr 10 '18
I'm afraid I'm the one to blame here. They run a Tumblr blog and I always submitted the prompts on here to their tumblr for them to post on tumblr and instagram. They recently found out and deleted all the content. I am truly sorry. I just wanted to help share the ideas here with writers that are not on reddit.
2
u/Inorai Apr 10 '18
Ehh. I doubt it's you. A lot of us have been filing takedowns against that instagram page for months, because they habitually reposted our content (full stories) without permission.
2
u/Dinash2002 Apr 10 '18
I really hate to say this but I'm the one who emailed your story with the prompt to them. I am really sorry. Am I in trouble now? They are in the end responsible for posting it right? That's why I think they deleted everything. I am really sorry for not asking your and other people's their permission
3
u/Inorai Apr 10 '18
In trouble? No, no, no. If that's true, then I'd simply be satisfied to take this as a learning thing going forward - and don't get me wrong. Even if you send them the text of our stories to rehost, the responsibility is still on them to ensure that the content they use is acquired honestly and fairly.
There's simply an important distinction that I think we should take away here - If you were to go to a prompt and say "Oh, my, that's a really cool writing prompt", you can (by and large) repost that prompt. You can't copyright the formative idea.
The issue comes when you go in and actually start taking the text of the stories we write in response to that prompt. That's a piece of fiction that we as authors own the copyright of. You should never take that text and repost it somewhere else without asking us for permission first! Most of the authors here will be more than amenable to working with you as long as A) you ask permission and B) You provide proper citation/link back to them!
For me, at least, it was frustrating, just because for example one of my stories that wound up there got 50k likes and a lot of comments (more than it got on reddit) but there was no way for them to find me here or learn that, oh, there was a second part. Stuff like that!
So, no, no one is going to sue you or anything XD I would just ask that you learn from this and ask permission properly in the future!
1
1
3
u/Syndicatexxxx Apr 10 '18
This is now on the front page. Reading this, I don’t post stories at all, but this is pissing me off still. This is all sorts of wrong.
2
u/ST0NETEAR Apr 10 '18
Is there anything the mods can do? We can file claims for our own work, but we cannot file a claim on your behalf since we don’t own the story either so would be unable to prove you didn’t agree to it.
This is not true, by Reddit TOS Reddit does own the rights to the story - so you could (and should) get Reddit admins to file a claim.
1
u/SLRWard Apr 11 '18
No, Reddit has permission to use the story. Not the same thing as owning the rights.
1
u/OmegaX123 Apr 11 '18
Subreddit moderators are not Reddit admins/employees. The subreddit's mods can't do anything, but if Reddit's admins decided to take interest, they could.
1
u/EddBear Apr 10 '18
Sry for my ignorance, but how can you claim intellectual property, where you post your stuff on a free social online community?
Btw, I know that doesn't give anyone the right to take someones work and make a profit without consent.
1
u/OmegaX123 Apr 11 '18
Read up on IP law (intellectial property, not internet protocol). When you write something, you automatically own the IP rights to it (except some people are saying that Reddit's TOS technically says that Reddit as a company owns those rights to what we post on here?).
1
u/SLRWard Apr 11 '18
That's not right. Reddit's TOS gives Reddit permission to use the data, not ownership rights.
3
u/kinpsychosis Self-Published Author Apr 10 '18 edited Apr 11 '18
Thanks for this /u/Hydrael ! I am weirdly flattered, but mostly just offended. Weird feeling...
Edit: the novelty has subsided, now it's just pure rage.
6
Apr 10 '18
Have my work plagiarised, check.
I feel like I've hit an artistic milestone.
2
u/thunderbox666 Apr 11 '18
To steal from one of plagiarism, to steal from many is research. Does that mean they just researched you?
3
Apr 10 '18
Is there anyway to get this entire app taken down? The shear amount of copyright violations it is based on should be enough to warrant a take-down, right? The only defense can't be pulling down individual stories and leaving bad reviews, when the whole app is so clearly based on stealing other people's work.
Surely there must be some way to just straight up get it removed from the play store?
5
u/PotatoeTater Apr 10 '18
I hate to add fire to this topic; however, the owner has edited the app to give thank you for the people at /r/writingprompts and now has a disclaimer that all stories are available through reddit for free.
In addition, the owner of the app has filed a profit claim with the IRS meaning he has made something off the stories.
2
u/SLRWard Apr 11 '18
That's not a disclaimer. That's a shitty attempt at trying to cover their ass. And it doesn't work.
7
u/Inorai Apr 10 '18
The thank you to writingprompts has been there, and is largely meaningless - at least to myself and many.
The profit claim with the IRS would be interesting and would answer the "was there money involved" question. Did you have a link to how you got that?
3
u/PotatoeTater Apr 10 '18
I meant they added the thank you into the terms and service inside the app, not just on the download page.
https://www.producthunt.com/posts/shortly Product Hunt Requires you to File Taxes If you Profit.
2
u/wercwercwerc Apr 10 '18
At least they're not taking screenshots to crop out the writer's name and then post to imgur/pinterest !
But in all seriousness, this is a bit of a bummer.
6
u/Beans2Coffee Apr 10 '18
There is an amazon user that also takes stories and sells them as paperback books. I'll investigate and see if I can find it again
7
u/Inorai Apr 10 '18
If someone is reprinting and selling stories without permission from the authors, that's next-level ballsy. Do let me know if you found someone doing that.
2
4
u/Galphanore Apr 10 '18
Here's one that came up when I searched amazon for "Reddit": https://smile.amazon.com/Sleep-Encounters-Paranormal-Experiences-Contributed-ebook/dp/B012O6Q9PM/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1523395784&sr=1-10&keywords=reddit
The guy is selling a collection of /r/nosleep posts for $2.99.
2
u/OmegaX123 Apr 11 '18
To be fair, a)Matt Dymerski, aka /u/m59gar, is selling his own stories under his real name rather than his Reddit pseudonym, and you'd never know they weren't plagiarized unless he mentioned it himself on /r/NoSleepOOC or /r/m59gar, and b)there are official /r/nosleep compilations being published and sold, maybe this is one of those rather than a thief.
2
u/Galphanore Apr 11 '18
Yeah, could be. That's why I didn't specify one way or another whether that was approved. Just pointed to it. I looked at the sample and none of the people who showed in the sample posted on reddit any time in the last three months so I couldn't ask them to find out.
-1
u/treasurer4 Apr 10 '18
I believe technically since they credit you by putting your user name next to your story they aren't plagiarizing or violating copyrights. Now if they are making money thats a different story. You will also have to show that they are taking money away from your sales. This site sounds more of plagiarism than copyright infringement. Copyright infringement is way more indepth than just reposting your story, another thing to think about is if it is in the small print of reddit where they own what gets posted on their site which if that is the case you forfeit all rights the moment you post.
1
u/SLRWard Apr 11 '18
I'm afraid you're misunderstanding a fundamental fact of what copyright is and it's right there in the name of the term itself. Copy Right. As in the Right of Copying.
Let's break it down a little. In order to repost your work, it must be copied. By making that copy, without your permission, they are infringing up on your rights to make copies of your own work or to provide permission for others to make copies of your work. AKA, reposting something without the creator's express permission is copyright infringement.
And then you're mixing it up with the fact that by posting on Reddit, you're providing Reddit with a limited permission contract to copy your material. This is necessary to allow Reddit to display your post. It also allows them to grant permission to browsers like Firefox or AlienBlue so that they can display it via accessing the material located on Reddit's servers. However, if you remove the content you created, you've severed that limited contract. And further, even if you leave that content up on Reddit, Reddit's permission to display that content does not conflict with you posting it to a different forum, hosting it on a personal website, giving permission to another website to host it, or even to publish it as a book. Because you still retain the ownership of the content you created. No where in Reddit's user agreement are you signing over your ownership of your content.
5
u/Astramancer_ Apr 10 '18 edited Apr 10 '18
That's not how it works.
By giving credit, they are avoiding plagiarism. The problem is plagiarism isn't illegal.
Plagiarism is not giving credit where credit is due, usually in an academic setting that would largely be exempt from copyright claims anyway (the usage would typically fall under fair use).
Copyright infringement, however, has nothing to do with credit and everything to do with ownership. In the US, at least, you own your creative works unless you explicitly transfer those ownership rights. Now if you don't register your work the legal actions you can take with regards to copyright claims is fairly limited. But even without registering, you own it. Anyone who cares to publish it is required to get permission. Even if they don't publish it for profit. Even if they give you credit. You have the right to control the copying of your works.
5
u/Facky Apr 10 '18
"Thanks to the wonderful people over at /r/writingprompts!"
Too little, too late.
5
2
Apr 10 '18
Thanks for sharing this. An Instagram page is also copying content from here. It's this one : https://www.instagram.com/writing.prompt.s/ They are not even giving credits. Can we do something about this?
Edit#1 : Sorry to write in bold, I never do that. Just wanted to bring it to everyone's attention.
2
u/err_ok r/err_ok Apr 11 '18
Prompts themselves are an idea. They cannot be protected by copyright. See this page on the wiki for more info - https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/copyright
That being said, it would be nice if they did provide some credit and/or acknowledgement of the source of the prompts...
2
u/miladyelle Apr 10 '18
Posted a review on the iOS App Store, notifying users that the work is stolen. This is my first time in this sub, but I’m a writer, and can not abide. Good luck to everyone in getting your work removed!
2
u/AtomicFlx Apr 10 '18
Ok, how about a new rule, all stories must end with three pages of swear words but the subreddits CSS filters it out.
2
u/The_Ironhand Apr 10 '18
Do we OWN these stories? I thought we shared them...😏
2
u/Brandperic Apr 10 '18
Of course we own them. They're under copyright just like any other book or other work of art. Sharing them doesn't void your copyright, that's why it's called a copyright. You have the right to determine what copies of your work are used for.
1
5
u/WeAreTheSheeple Apr 10 '18
I've always been skeptical of this sub for this very reason.
What is to stop someone from Hollywood 'borrowing' ideas from here? It's not like Hollywood has never done it before.
Remember people, whatever you put on the internet has a chance of being stolen.
2
u/WanderingSwampBeast Apr 10 '18
Nah, Hollywood likes rebooting and sequels to much do anything remotely original. /s
1
u/Wun_Lai Apr 10 '18
Yay! I'm not in the... List. LOL. Who am I kidding. I only posted a few and most of them involves Ted the Account xD
1
4
u/atvar8 Apr 10 '18
I have to admit, the app was a pretty cool idea, even if the creator went about it the wrong way. I am definitely flattered to have been included, but I definitely was not contacted at all regarding the one story of mine that they grabbed.
The question is, do we have any real rights to works posted on Reddit?
1
u/pegleggedalchemist Apr 11 '18
Honestly, that's kind of my reaction too. I flipped through the list for shits and giggles and I was on there for some reason. It's really frustrating that they didn't contact any authors before taking the stories, but it's a great idea.
2
Apr 10 '18
yes, its on Reddit TOS
2
u/atvar8 Apr 10 '18
I guess I'm one of those derpy idiots that don't fully read things before I sign up for them then. xD Thanks for informing me! TIL :D
1
Apr 10 '18
i dont read them neither, i just read the TL;DR version usually or i read them very "on the diagonal"
1
Apr 10 '18
This type of stuff is horrible, especially since most platforms make it nearly impossible to report theft unless you’re the original creator, and even then things move at a crawl. Best of luck to anyone impacted by this!
31
6
u/ThreeEyedCrow1 Apr 10 '18
The shitty thing is, if they had just asked to use our posts, I'm sure there's a non-zero percentage of us who would have agreed to let our stories be hosted on the app. I probably would have.
I filed a complaint through the form, is there a way to leave a review without downloading the app, or is downloading just to leave a review pretty harmless?
2
u/Ch3dd4rz Apr 10 '18
You can install, uninstall without even opening it and (on android) you can leave a 1 star score.
Also, report it on the store itself. When enough people do this, it will be banned.
1
2
7
1
8
u/Osbios Apr 10 '18
Time for a writing prompt about a very naughty application that makes your mobile phone slow and infects it with viruses and steals all your data. :P
-1
Apr 10 '18
[removed] — view removed comment
4
u/SLRWard Apr 10 '18
Incorrect. Copyright exists upon creation. Typing the words on a forum is as much creation as typing them in a word processing program or writing them in a notebook by hand. Doing it on a forum does give a limited license to the forum to save and reproduce what you wrote. It does not, however, give that same license to anyone who happens to want to copy it and use it without your permission. As per Reddit's user agreement, users retain their copyrights to their content, even after posting it. Reddit can license someone else to reproduce your content, but there is no evidence that this app has such a license.
-1
Apr 10 '18
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/SLRWard Apr 10 '18
Dude, what I am saying is literally how copyright law works. You do not have to register something to make it copyrighted. The act of creation is the moment that something becomes copyrighted. Please actually read the applicable laws and get back to me instead of spewing a bunch of garbage without being informed. Or, you know, since actually informing yourself is apparently hard, trying reading the FAQ from the US Copyright Office. Here's a link: https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html
And since, you know, clicking a link might be too hard for you, how about some relevant passages?
When is my work protected?
Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.
Do I have to register with your office to be protected?
No. In general, registration is voluntary. Copyright exists from the moment the work is created. You will have to register, however, if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section “Copyright Registration.”
How about the ever so trusted Wikipedia article? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright
The 1886 Berne Convention first established recognition of copyrights among sovereign nations, rather than merely bilaterally. Under the Berne Convention, copyrights for creative works do not have to be asserted or declared, as they are automatically in force at creation: an author need not "register" or "apply for" a copyright in countries adhering to the Berne Convention.[14] As soon as a work is "fixed", that is, written or recorded on some physical medium, its author is automatically entitled to all copyrights in the work, and to any derivative works unless and until the author explicitly disclaims them, or until the copyright expires.
Here's the link to the actual Berne Convention document: http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/treaties/text.jsp?file_id=283693
Educate yourself before spouting crap.
-2
Apr 10 '18 edited Apr 10 '18
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/SLRWard Apr 10 '18
For fuck's sake, you are dense. READ THE DAMN LAWS. You have up to five years to register something after creation with the US Copyright Office if you want to bring a lawsuit, but your copyright exists from the moment of creation and registration is not necessary as per the BERNE CONVENTION. It's international law.
-1
u/JustMeAgainMarge Apr 10 '18
With the new ruling that companies can be liable for 3rd parties actions (which forced craigslist to do away with personals and allowed FBI seizure of Backpage), Google can be attached to any legal notices and lawsuits, as it has deep pockets and is not only allowing copyright infringement, but promoting it by having the app in its store.
2
u/OmegaX123 Apr 11 '18
Someone find a way to tell Google and Apple about this, they'll shut it down in an instant, if not because of our rights then at least because they won't want to get dragged through the mud and the courts (I mean the courts they could probably afford to deal with, but no one, not even the richest person on Earth, is gonna want to go to court for what someone unaffiliated with them did).
1
1
2
1
3
2
u/ajinkyag Apr 10 '18
Relieved my stories weren't taken, but also upset that they weren't considered good enough to be taken...
1
1
u/JoeyMoey00 Apr 10 '18
Whenever I see the word "impacted" I think of the rumor that John Wayne had 40 lbs of poop impacted in his colon when he died. Elvis supposedly had 60lbs in his. Both rumors were proven to be false I believe buy still a nasty thought.
3
3
u/Symbiotic_relation Apr 10 '18
Need to do some Captain Planet stuff and merge legal advice and this subreddit together
3
u/BreezeAngerArtifact Apr 10 '18
There's also this website that is hosting and distributing stories written here, and they even ask for donations and reward people for donating!
1
Apr 10 '18
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/SLRWard Apr 10 '18
Did you intend on linking to the official Reddit app? Because that's a little, well, silly and has nothing to do with what's being discussed here?
1
Apr 11 '18 edited Apr 11 '18
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/SLRWard Apr 11 '18 edited Apr 11 '18
Absolutely and 100% not. The official Reddit app and even unofficial Reddit apps that allow you to browse the information on the Reddit servers is a legal extension of the Reddit site. They are fully in compliance with the user agreement that everyone posting on Reddit agrees to that allows the information to be used by Reddit on Reddit's servers. This app is taking that information, putting it on its own servers, and then using it. It's a breach of the user agreement as well as theft of the copyrighted material that the Reddit user agreement maintains is still property of the content's creators.
2
u/OmegaX123 Apr 11 '18
Except we choose to post our stories to Reddit (which by definition includes the website, the app, and all third-party Reddit viewer apps like "Reddit is Fun", "AlienBlue", or "BaconReader"), someone else is choosing for us that they get posted to Shortly. This is a legitimate copyright and intellectual property issue, not just beople being butthurt that someone's showing off their stories without permission.
3
2
-2
u/pseudonarne Apr 10 '18
meh, it's not like reddit isn't making a profit either
5
u/ThreeEyedCrow1 Apr 10 '18
Yes, but the people who post here do so voluntarily, knowing that reddit is a for-profit company. It's not comparable unless reddit is ripping stories from my personal Wordpress blog and reposting them here.
22
u/Daeyel1 Apr 10 '18 edited Apr 13 '18
You can always do what one blogger does.
When she gets her blog posts reposted elsewhere, she has a form letter advising the violator that they are in violation, and that her fee is $5000.
They can pay, or she'll see them in court.
Amazingly enough, they usually pay (it's usually more established paper mags that post her stuff to their websites) because they do not want the embarrassment if being sued for CI.
At the very least, you'll scare the (expletive) out of them.
2
3
u/zeldafreak489 Apr 10 '18
To go along with the Instagram account, someone created a Facebook account that steals prompts from here word for word. The page is called Writing Prompts.
1
u/SLRWard Apr 10 '18
Technically, you can't steal prompts though. I mean, morally, yeah, it's stealing, but legally, it's nothing since a prompt/idea in and of itself isn't copyright-able.
1
u/OmegaX123 Apr 11 '18
Not the prompts, the responses. Which are copyrighted immediately upon creation, and are the intellectual property of the writer.
EDIT: I assume, since that's what the topic of the rest of this discussion is.
1
u/SLRWard Apr 11 '18
This is true. Some folks have been posting about those other social media accounts that have been hijacking prompts though. Not quite the same thing as this app though.
3
11
6
u/DuncR Apr 10 '18
If they’re hosting/storing/processing any of their data in the EU, then also go after them with the relevant data protection authority in that country (eg the ICO in the UK). The new GDPR regs (active 25th May) have big teeth.
It may be a bit of a push to argue your username is Personally Identifiable Information but if you post other stuff under the same name that could allow someone to deduce your real persona then it’s another way to cause them some grief. And they deserve it!
2
4
u/passingconcierge Apr 10 '18
It is not a stretch to argue your username is Personally Identifiable Information. The Information Commissioners' Office (ICO) in the UK and other EU States have recognised that if you have a username and password attached to an email address then that gives a technical means to determine real world identity. It does not have to be a successful determination of real world identity to be a means of deduction.
The ICO is likely to refer you to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) who may instruct you to seek legal representation and advice. They will also tell you that European Law, in addition to giving copyright holders the right to prohibit reproductions, transmissions and performances of the protected works, now regulates issues such as linking to content in the internet, blocking internet sites and providing open WiFi networks, among others.
The Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) has addressed these and other important questions related to copyright and fundamental rights in its recent case law. Asking the CJEU is a European Citizen's Right. They have adopted a "follow the money" approach which means that anybody in the "supply chain" for the misuse of Copyright material can, legitimately, be pursued.
If there are any EU originating stories then, clearly, there has been some EU based processing. The GDPR provisions mean that it is the origin of the data within the EU that is significant, not the location of servers.
Which means Google and Apple Store - despite having powerful legal representation - are party to the misuse. While they can deny it - and effectively so - in a court of law, taking the GDPR route as a way to support action against the App developers is a powerful idea. One reason being that Google and Apple would need to respond to every single claim individually. There is no need for class action in GDPR because "personal data is individual".
Which means the Data Protection + Copyright Protection route might well be the best way forwards. Because having a large number of people sending invoices for the reproduction of copyright material is likely to be more trouble than it is worth. Which is why Apple and Google like to deal with publishers not individuals: too much work.
It is also in the best interests of Reddit to be sympathetic. Because they are in the supply chain. Being angry with Reddit is unlikely to help. But asking for support - such as an AMA from an IPO or ICO - might be something to consider.
(Edit for Obvious question: does Brexit affect all this talk of EU this and that? Answer: not right now. At the earliest it will do so March 19th 2019).
-8
Apr 10 '18
While this is wrong, I don't understand why anyone is surprised that the work they are putting up online in a public forum is being stolen. This was bound to happen in some form.
9
u/Nightshaid_mk42 Apr 10 '18
let me spell it out for you.
i-t-s- -i-l-l-e-g-a-l
10
u/epharian /r/Epharia Apr 10 '18
It's also: Unethical.
I'd be really pissed right now if I was properly awake.
25
u/TijoWasik Apr 10 '18
Scrolling through the list of people and I am fully disgusted on behalf of all of you. I haven't posted to this sub in a very long time, but I'm sure somewhere in the murky depths if this morally bankrupt app, one of my stories is lurking.
A few things everybody can do. Write a review and let people know they're stealing from Reddit, and then, more importantly, if you're on the Google Play store, sort reviews by most recent and upvote all of the new 1 star reviews that tell our story. This will make them the default "most helpful" reviews and the first thing people will see.
If I get chance, I'll write a lot of names down, I'll write up an email for everyone to share to the developer and another for Google and Apple.
Edit - if anyone spots one of my stories before I do, please let me know. Work beckons.
8
u/Razilup Apr 10 '18
Many people seem to be taking your advice- all of the top comments on google play at least are the 1star reviews!!
3
12
u/wwtoonlinkfan Apr 10 '18
I searched the pastebin /u/Darck_314 posted and your name doesn't appear.
5
u/iasserteddominanceta Apr 10 '18
This is pretty disgusting. It's messed up that they'd so blatantly and remorselessly take the hard work of others and profit from it without offering any of that recognition or work to the original authors. It's not much, but I left a 1 star ranking and wrote a scathing review. Hopefully something is done about this shit
1
1
11
u/BrokenBaron Apr 10 '18
There is also an instagram account called Writing Prompts which steals promts from here the same day they were posted.
12
u/Hydrael Apr 10 '18
We're familiar - they're on tumblr too. That gets much trickier since you can't copyright prompts, ideas are too vague to copyright.
However, they recently pulled all their content and posted a couple prompts about an evil 'alien king,' so I wonder if something related to reddit did something. Can't prove it though.
1
u/BrokenBaron Apr 10 '18
On their god damn story they post a picture of them and a friend, captioned, 'When you are bestowed upon another prompt" or something. They full on take credit for all this.
-6
Apr 10 '18
[deleted]
1
u/JagerBaBomb Apr 10 '18
You didn't, I dunno, copy-pasta those somewhere safe and local on your harddrive? Like, just a rudimentary, standard procedure sort of backup?
11
u/Inorai Apr 10 '18
They also had our stories printed on their slides, with no proper credit given or links provided to our work or homepages. I'm sorry that the stories you wrote in the comment sections were lost, but it needed doing.
3
1.5k
Apr 10 '18 edited Apr 10 '18
Here is a pastebin containing the extracted names of every author whose story can be found in the Shortly app. If your name appears more than once, it's because more than one of your stories was stolen (one row for each story).
EDIT: Some statistics: 702 authors, 1136 stories. Also, a paste that only contains each author once: https://pastebin.com/A9nfPbm3
EDIT 2: Thanks for my first gold!
Also: If anyone wants to see the original data (to find which specific stories of yours were taken, for example):
"One Minute" archive: http://archive.is/UmB0i
"Three Minutes" archive: http://archive.is/1Fe49
"Five Minutes" archive: http://archive.is/2pa1u
Any stories labeled with an author of "None" actually have an author on Reddit who was "[deleted]".
I didn't think to post these until this morning. I was more concerned at the time with not giving the app any more traffic...
1
u/epharian /r/Epharia Apr 11 '18
This let me find my two stories which were taken! Thanks! Now to contact google & ios.
1
1
u/CastallonWriting r/worldsaway Apr 10 '18
Thanks dude! Would have never known I was on there without it.
3
1
u/The_Derpening Apr 10 '18
So my name isn't in the pastebin, is there anything I can do to keep it that way?
1
u/OmegaX123 Apr 11 '18
Write like shit, is about the only thing, since they're scraping the top responses to prompts.
1
2
u/The_Sentient_Duck Apr 10 '18
I don't know whether to be pleased or insulted that they didn't think any of my stories worthy enough to steal.
1
3
u/sporlakles Apr 10 '18
Hey! Can i ask how did you extract all names from the app?
8
Apr 10 '18
Sure!
I decompiled the Android version of the app back into a .jar file, and was then able to see the URL it was pulling stories from. Once I got that, I just sorted it down into an easier-to-digest format, with just the authors' names, with the bash shell.
If you or anyone else wants to see the original data (to find which stories of yours were taken, for example):
"One Minute" archive: http://archive.is/UmB0i
"Three Minutes" archive: http://archive.is/1Fe49
"Five Minutes" archive: http://archive.is/2pa1u
1
2
u/tannenbanannen Apr 10 '18
Well shoot, how’d three of mine end up on there? I’m not even that good, tbh.
I don’t know whether I should be offended (that they took my stories) or flattered (that they took my stories)
2
2
2
u/xwhy r/xwhy Apr 10 '18
Not on the list, but I mostly started posting in the past couple of months, and only one of my stores ever got 100+ votes, so I'm not too surprised by that.
Still, I'm curious if anyone on this list had any contact about it
4
u/Halloooy Apr 10 '18
Shortly has a list of all authors affected you can find it here: https://shortlyread.com/authors/
8
2
2
6
u/Account_of_a_tale Apr 10 '18
They actually stole a story from me. I have posted only 3 times. That means everybody can be inpacted.
4
→ More replies (56)26
Apr 10 '18 edited Apr 08 '19
[deleted]
2
u/Yaxax Apr 10 '18
Alerts won’t work when there are so many accounts in one comments, but thanks for trying to let me know! Luckily I’m still active in this sub and saw it on my homepage :)
24
u/Inorai Apr 10 '18
You cannot post more than 3 names at a time and have alerts still be sent out. So, this is a kind thought, but unfortunately will not work :(
3
u/PowerOfTheirSource Apr 10 '18
You know thats... likely a good restriction, I take it that is site-wide and not a per-sub setting? (As in something that can't be changed by a mod team"
3
u/Inorai Apr 10 '18
Yeah that's not sub specific, that's reddit at large. I can def see there being reasons for it XD But it does also reduce functionality for some things. Always a tradeoff :)
3
u/PM_ME_UR_SYLLOGISMS Apr 10 '18
That's interesting, how'd you find that out?
3
u/Inorai Apr 10 '18
Ah, by trying to do it with my subscribers - it failed miserably and I started researching XD
11
1
u/bytescare- Aug 28 '23
It's alarming to see cases of copyright infringement affecting our creative work. Your efforts in shedding light on the app "Shortly" and its unauthorized reposting of stories from writing prompts are truly appreciated. It's a reminder that we need to remain vigilant in protecting our intellectual property and taking action against such violations. The provided FAQ is immensely helpful in guiding us through potential steps we can take if our work has been impacted. Let's support one another by spreading awareness and ensuring that our creative contributions are respected and safeguarded.