When I released PerforMixer I included a EULA (End User License Agreement) that specifically prohibits distribution by download sites unless I specify in – writing -permission.

Such permission was given to Download.com and therefore their subsidiaries.

It was not given to any other site(s).

That didn’t stop the Internet trash – download sites – from slapping it up on their sleazy sites though – did it? Regular, polite, entreaties to take down the product listing were ignored by most. Forcing me to submit a PAD file to them that was not what one would call “valid”.

At that point most dropped the listing – either that or their visitor goes into an endless browser window loop when downloading and playing hell with their add income in theory. Some however simply delinked to the PAD file.

Scum.

But this doesn’t come close to SoftSea – apparently the crème of the crud.

SoftSea decided they’d be “original” and rather than copy the Download.com text for the listing, like the other unimaginative excuses for homo sapiens, SoftSea instead ripped the content off my home page. Proving to me that the site is run by human garbage of the worst kind – Intellectual Property thieves.

Familiar Territory

This may sound familiar? Brandon Staggs posted about exactly this on his blog last year – you can read about it by Clicking Here

In that instance it was SoftPedia doing it – in this instance for my own product it’s SoftSea – apparently the two S’s are an acronyms for Scum and Scum.

But this didn’t satisfy these pieces of internet H1N1 Nope. They then took the screenshot of the program and stamped their watermark over the top of it indicating ownership!

The shot above is their site. The add for a competing multimedia company to the left (for whom I have no issue with at all, it’s not their fault) inserted compliments of the download sites reason for existence – Google – is bad enough. But to stamp their bloody name on it is a disgrace!

But it’s the text that’s really go me. See the screenshots below this one and compare for yourself. You can click the images to zoom in and compare…

Word for word. Now – this is blatant theft. They are literally taking without permission a page that clearly denotes it’s copyright at the bottom of every page in the footer – not that it’s a legal requirement mind, copyright is in force at the moment of creation, but for clarity it’s there – and thrown it on their garbage site and them placed a bloody copyright message on it pertaining to them.

That’s two violations of the Berne Convention on Copyright. Taking IP without permission and claiming ownership of it via a copyright notice is a separate offence.

Not to mention watermarking the bloody screenshot.

I’ve written to them three times and asked for removal, pointed out the violation and have been polite on each occasion. They’ve ignored these contacts. To add another insult to injury they outranked me on Google for my own product name last week – even though my site name is the product name PerforMixer is PerforMixer.com simply because Google was reshuffling ranking based on IP. Moving my hosting to the USA had an immediate effect on that – 24 hours in fact – but they are now at position two. I’m working on that as I write this. Another set of screenshots. The first taken last week on Friday. The second taken today.

The “People” Who Run SoftSea Are Clearly Garbage

This, folks, has been my contention on this blog since I began it in March 2008. These sites will damage you – they exist to damage you. They are run by pure filth!

With Google messing about with Geo Location of DNS IP addresses, and listing accordingly, this will have a massive impact on a hell of a lot of Micro ISV’s and their rankings. Particularly so if you’re hosting outside of the USA.

I cordially – no I enthusiastically invite SoftShite AKA SoftSea to go after me on this name calling. Instead of being secret scumbags hiding behind email addresses that probably go into black holes – get on over here and test this in a court of law, grow a pair. I welcome the opportunity!

But you won’t – will you? Nope, trash never do. That’s why they steal.

That’s OK. There are other options.

Even though I’m not the only person who’s woken up to this – I mourn that 98% of Micro ISV’s continue to support scum like this through submissions. That a whole industry exits to assist in this submission.

That “experts” still advise people to submit to these HTML sewers.

That Micro ISV’s actually go as far as to defend these shysters.

I mourn because by doing that they are acting bloody stupid – and they aren’t stupid, just blind.

Sorry, the writing has been on the wall for a long time now. There are plenty of warnings out there – not just me. But evidence of your own eyes tells you more than I or anybody else can.

Now, if you ignore what you see for yourself – then I guess we deserve to submit to the crud that are download sites. That sites like SoftSea will continue to do as they please.

We become Sheeple, following along and led by sites like SoftSea who abuse us.

Can you imagine what they think of you?

If you think I’m being hard here – believe me my estimation on this is mild compared to the utter contempt the download sites have for our industry.

Scott Kane

Quote of the day:

“Thieves respect property. They merely wish the property to become their property that they may more perfectly respect it.” Chesterton, Gilbert K.

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