User:Couchsurfer

Wuh Oh! Special Irony: SOPA Authors and Supporters Steal Content

(Yes, dear editors, please clean-up this content. I know I suck Cox Internet, I can't get the uploader to work without a MIME error) As reported by author Jamie Lee Curtis Taete, I can haz irony? Pulled from: http://www.vice.com/read/pipa-supporters-copyright-violations

ROY BLUNT PIPA co-sponsor Roy Blunt's Twitter page shows that he stole the background image. http://assets.vice.com/content-images/contentimage/no-slug/2491f9b114558c68357f839b72662232.jpg (Sorry, the wiki is not letting me upload the images, I'm working on it. Please do halp if you can.)

The background image is by photographer Walter Rowland. Says Rowland: "Wow, I'm so surprised to see that someone would do this. Especially a senator! It's even more of a violation because I'm actually in the photo so it's as if I'm supporting his beliefs. Yes, that's one of my husband's photos who is actually a semi-professional photographer, and no, they weren't given permission."

Roy has since changed the background on his Twitter in an attempt to cover his tracks.

CLAIRE McCASKILL This is PIPA supporter and Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill's Twitter page as it appears on 1/20/2012: http://assets.vice.com/content-images/contentimage/no-slug/e92ef1f7e5e17c9076c54fcbc1402e4d.jpg

The background image she stole was from Flickr user J. Stephen Conn, who said: "I do not recall giving the senator permission to use this photo on her Twitter account. I have put the photo in the Creative Commons, which means anyone may use it for non-commercial purposes, however, proper attribution of the photo should be given because it is NOT in the public domain." See: http://assets.vice.com/content-images/contentimage/no-slug/e92ef1f7e5e17c9076c54fcbc1402e4d.jpg

DENNIS ROSS The homepage of Florida congressman/SOPA co-sponsor/probable PIPA supporter Dennis Ross' website features stolen content: http://assets.vice.com/content-images/contentimage/no-slug/f50486781f0a8b53d2e2133084bcf6ee.jpg

His page features the appropriately titled illustration "Overweight Government Pig" by cartoonist John S. Pritchett. You'll notice that Dennis cropped out the part where it says "© John Pritchett". See: http://assets.vice.com/content-images/contentimage/no-slug/2fd4cf9203c2082fe5b2e312148f9ac1.jpg

John, the artist, stated: "To my knowledge, I did not license the usage of my "Overweight Govt. Pig" illustration to Dennis Ross."

Wuh oh!

SHERROD BROWN

And finally, we have Ohio senator and PIPA co-sponsor Sherrod Brown. Who, is using an image lifted from Google Maps on his official senate site: http://assets.vice.com/content-images/contentimage/no-slug/5fe0a59107264cc1f38f488ec91e251f.jpg

According to the Google Maps content rules and guidelines page, you are only allowed to use content from Google Maps if you credit Google, and "Make attribution readable to the average reader or viewer." At the time of writing, Sherrod's site does not credit Google Maps.