...I definitely gave him the benefit of the doubt when it came to it being an honest mistake of not knowing the rules....
Has he said at all that he didn't know what the rules were? And if so, why not? He's a big boy, the rules are very clearly written, there not in convoluted legalspeak or anything like that.
Furthermore, I would have thought that at some point in time some moral/ethical voice would have kicked in and got him to question whether or not it was a good idea to pilfer an image taken by another, tinker with it and then enter it as his.
Anyway this subject seems to have reached saturation point now. Let's let it rest.
I'd contend continuation of this breaking 10.
It is not anymore an accusation after it has been proven and DQd as the initial accusation has been proved ccorrect. So post DQ it is within the letter--albeit probably not the spirit--of the rules.
This kind of brutality is bad for the site and bad for membership. Keeping comments civil should be the responsibility of the SC, since obviously the members are unable to censor themselves.
At the end of the day, a photograph was stolen and represented as original work by someone who didn't take the original photo. If, say, I had taken the original image, and I saw it used like it was in the challenge on another site, say 1x for example, I think the anger would be justified. This isn't too much different.
I think its important to emphasise how serious this is and to not play it down.especially if, as it seems, it was an honest mistake. This stuff is serious.
But, the point has been made many times, so it is probably due a lock.
I think its important to emphasise how serious this is and to not play it down.especially if, as it seems, it was an honest mistake. This stuff is serious.
But, the point has been made many times, so it is probably due a lock.
I think it's important to emphasize that the site rules require a different way of dealing with this -- see the link to the Forum Rules I posted earlier.
It is (was) a "serious problem" but the site has a mechanism for dealing with such problems and this thread is explicitly not it.
Why shouldn't all of the flamers in this thread be subject to the same scrutiny, disrespect, and discipline as rule-breakers as the photographer of the DQ'd entry? You all broke a rule every bit as (or perhaps more) "important" to the site's functioning and well-being as the photographer ... an illegal photo affects only the standings of one contest, while your behavior affects the tenor of the whole site, and presents an uninviting and unwelcoming face to anyone considering joining.
