Paramount legal is going for the jugular...

[iceforest]

Someone sent me this today via email.

Apparently Paramount has closed down some guy's movie site.

This is what he wrote:

An Angry Open Letter To Paramount

Last night at around Midnight EST. Paramount filed a complaint with The Movie Blog's hosting company about an alleged copyright violation. This complaint resulted in The Movie Blog being taken down for 7-8 hours this morning.

It should be noted that we at The Movie Blog did not receive a single request from Paramount to remove the image in question.

Following reading Paramount's complaint, I was outraged. I wrote the following letter to them which I share with you now. Needless to say, you'll never see another piece of Transformers the Movie news or talk on this site.

Am I over reacting a little in this matter? Perhaps I am. Fair enough. But this has really pissed me off. Here is the letter I sent them:

Greetings. This is John Campea, Founder and Editor of The Movie Blog - www.themovieblog.com

The Movie Blog is not one of the larger sites on the internet, right now we only have just over a million readers per month. For almost a year on both our site and on our Podcast (which won Podcast of the Year handed out at the SXSW festival this year) we have almost daily been hyping, talking about, and gushing over your Transformers the Movie project.

We've done nothing but tell the world how we think it's the best movie coming down the pipe. We constantly talk about how we think Michael Bay is the best man for the job. On and on we go crazy about the Transformers.

That is over. No more.

Last week I received a request from two of your representatives asking that I remove a picture of the character "Bumblebee" from our website. I responded by asking if you were SURE you wanted us to take it down since it seemed to be generating so much positive publicity and buzz for your project. Your representatives both said "yes". So, without delay I took the picture down. I can understand this. The Bumblebee picture gave away a character secret.

However, this morning I awoke to find that my website had been taken offline because YOU PEOPLE had filed a copyright complaint with my hosting service. The copyright complaint wasn't for any scene of filming. It was a candid picture of 4 actors standing around off camera posing for a picture together. That's all it was. There was no notice of copyright on the image, and being just a posed picture of 4 actors who were all already announced as being in the picture, I had no way of knowing you would have any problem with this image being online. And WHY did I have no idea you would have a problem with it???

Because not once did you ask me to take it down. Not one easy email to say you didn't want it online. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN 10x EASIER FOR YOU JUST SEND ME A 2 LINE EMAIL LETTING ME KNOW YOU WOULD PREFER THAT IMAGE NOT BE ONLINE than the 4 paragraph legal letter sent to my hosting company.

This has caused me a world of inconvenience and headache and disappointed me tremendously.

Is this how you treat your fans? Is this how you treat the people who are out here heaping loads upon loads of free positive fanboyish publicity and hype on your movie?!?! I am nothing short of disgusted by how you have chosen to deal with this.

You shut my site down. A fan who has been trying his best to make Transformers the most talked about film in production. A fan who has been praising your project almost daily. A fan who already once took down an image that you wanted down with just a simple request. And this is how you treat your fans? Shutting them down without so much as a 2 line email request or to at least let us know you were upset with something.

Fine. If this is how you treat people... then that is how you shall be treated. From now on The Movie Blog will not mention, reference or talk about anything to do with your movie or your project. Heavens forbid that I may say something that you don't like and wake up to find my site taken down again.

The Movie Blog is nothing. A small tiny site by most standards with only a million readers. I'm sure this won't effect you at all. But seriously folks... just a little common decency is all you needed to show. Just a simple 2 line email to ask "hey, can you take this down". That's all. I already proved I respond to your requests. I had no idea this particular image was a problem for you.

But instead you decided to "Show me who's boss" and shut my site down.

Well you did it. You really showed me who's boss. Do you feel all big and tough now? So well done. You lost a fan, and you lost a whole years worth of free positive hype and publicity. I hope it was worth it to you.

As an aside, I'm being quite reserved about my feelings on this. If you are at all interested in the full extent of our anger over this, just have one of your people listen to our Podcast Friday night.

John Campea
Editor of The Movie Blog
www.themovieblog.com
john@themovieblog.com

Perhaps my letter to Paramount came across a little like a temper tantrum. As I said earlier, perhaps I'm over reacting a little. But I've got to tell ya folks... in the almost 3 years that I've been doing The Movie Blog, nothing has made me this angry. I am very disappointed with Paramount, and disgusted beyond words.

Some will think I'm just being a suck. Fair enough. But to quote the immortal Boby Brown: That's my prerogative.

original link

[Angelophile]

Dear Welsh people

You're screwed.

Regards

Angelophile

[Primus102]

Wow...

[Borelli]

Originally posted by Angelophile
Dear Welsh people

You're screwed.

Regards

Angelophile

LOL

[Cyber Bishop]

Damn..

[Mister Gone]

I smell death

[black lion]

this is the site i usually would visit and post in, i'd argue with him about silly stuff here and there.. but wow, i wonder if during the making of the first spidey film, was everything this tight-lipped...

[Maynard]

Originally posted by Mister Gone
I smell death

Seems to be originating from somewhere in Wales!

Like the new avatar.

[JesterJJZ]

Originally posted by Angelophile
Dear Welsh people

You're screwed.

Regards

Angelophile

He He He.....

[Mama's Tits Sucker]

Originally posted by iceforest
Someone sent me this today via email.

Apparently Paramount has closed down some guy's movie site.

This is what he wrote:



original link

He was taken down at the drop of a hat.

That's how Paramount works. Our site still exists.

Surely this is beginning to allow you to believe us when we say we have permission to exist? Or at least doubt that we're in so much trouble?

[Mighty Maximal]

Has Don been messing about with Your User ID.

Oh and Don't pick on the Noodle Miners - they are to easy of a target. and to be honest they came out of the whole thing much better than Don did in most of the opinions I read elsewhere it's Don who's looked down on now not the Welsh.

[kary]

Sounds like Corporate bullying once again. Talk about lame.

[Mister Gone]

Originally posted by Maynard
Seems to be originating from somewhere in Wales!

Like the new avatar.

Thanks, but I have a sneaking suspicion that our Welsh brethren over on the site-that-shall-not-be-named, are adept at covering their tales legally or they would have been trounced by now as (I'm not gonna put the user ID here cause I'm sure it's been muddled with, nice Winry av though) pointed out

[Mama's Tits Sucker]

Originally posted by Mighty Maximal
Has Don been messing about with Your User ID.

Yah, he did. Hence the retaliatory sig comment. *Grins innocently*

Very proud that people are seeing our point. Thanks all, you rock. ^_____^

[speccy4i]

Originally posted by Mighty Maximal
Oh and Don't pick on the Noodle Miners - they are to easy of a target.

Yeah, isn't it.

I love the Welsh, well, Charlotte Church, but the point still stands, all Welsh have large bouncy jugs and we should love them for it.

[SAJse]

Maybe they should just close the entire intehweb down. That way there's be no leaked pictures from movies such as Transformers, Spiderman, Superman etc. and everyone would be happy happy joy joy.

Well everyone at Paramount at least.

[Grimbot]

Originally posted by SAJse
Maybe they should just close the entire intehweb down. That way there's be no leaked pictures from movies such as Transformers, Spiderman, Superman etc. and everyone would be happy happy joy joy.

Well everyone at Paramount at least.

I have a better idea:

Shoot anyone with a photo cammera or a cellphone at the set.

[Arantine]

Originally posted by Angelophile
Dear Welsh people

You're screwed.

Regards

Angelophile

Well, Don did warn them that Paramount legal can strike without much of a warning and when requests to remove stuff have already been complied.

Originally posted by Mama's Tits Sucker
He was taken down at the drop of a hat.

That's how Paramount works. Our site still exists.

Surely this is beginning to allow you to believe us when we say we have permission to exist? Or at least doubt that we're in so much trouble?

Or maybe you guys are just further down Paramount legal’s hit list?

[Mister Gone]

Originally posted by Arantine
Well, Don did warn them that Paramount legal can strike without much of a warning and when requests to remove stuff have already been complied.

Or maybe you guys are just further down Paramount legal’s hit list?

No I am actually inclined to agree with um MTS on this one. The lawyers would be pretty swift to pull the intestines out of his anus if they were going to at all

[DumBot]

Ive been to wales aand its a nice place, the people there are friendly as anywhere else. I dont see any reason for nation bashing over one site. IMO

[Mama's Tits Sucker]

Originally posted by Arantine
Well, Don did warn them that Paramount legal can strike without much of a warning and when requests to remove stuff have already been complied.

Or maybe you guys are just further down Paramount legal’s hit list?

Nah- with Don personally after us wanting a lawsuit, as well us stealing Paramount's money, stealimg images, pretending to be the main site and all that jazz, we're probably pretty high up. ^_~

Though we're fine, honestly. Feel sorry for this bloke though. Never went to his site, though I can understand his frustration.

Why hasn't it happened to Seibs? They have leaked mobile pics and stuff...

[Odysseus Prime]

Originally posted by DumBot
Ive been to wales aand its a nice place, the people there are friendly as anywhere else. I dont see any reason for nation bashing over one site. IMO

For the same reason people say all Americans are fat and stupid, all Brits have crooked, yellow teeth, etc. Because it's fun to stereotype!

[Mister Gone]

Originally posted by Odysseus Prime
For the same reason people say all Americans are fat and stupid, all Brits have crooked, yellow teeth, etc. Because it's fun to stereotype!

Like all Pennsylvainians have tiny weewees and like to drink Sharps and eat fish poop......... oh wait...... that's um..........

[speccy4i]

Originally posted by DumBot
Ive been to wales aand its a nice place, the people there are friendly as anywhere else. I dont see any reason for nation bashing over one site. IMO

Except for the yanks...

Can I say that or will Paramount get their ninjas onto me?

[Odysseus Prime]

Originally posted by Mister Gone
Like all Pennsylvainians have tiny weewees and like to drink Sharps and eat fish poop......... oh wait...... that's um..........