Mr. Hendrie
Copyright law protects my subscribers as consumers. And it protects me, the copyright holder…. The reason why the internet has so much pirated material from so many different artists is because people have not taken the time to use the law. The copyright holder in many instances is bewildered by the numbers of times his work is stolen. He gives up because the process appears to be either too expensive or too complex. Sometimes he is faced with harrassment by the bootlegger or people accessing the pirated material. He’s painted as trivial or “mean.” As if in all the world, somehow, the internet is a “safe” zone for thievery. It’s not. If you have material you’ve taken the time to protect with a trademark, copyright or both and you see it being shared freely without your permission via the web you need to act. When enough people begin to stand up and protect what is theirs this problem will begin to abate. In many cases these web thieves feel entitled and the measures you take can lead all the way up to and include filing a lawsuit or multiple lawsuits. But the law provides for you recovering attorneys fees and court costs at the expense of the defense. Start rolling back this unfortunate trend. Remember that in most cases, web piracy is practiced by people woefully ignorant of the law. In the end, you protect yourself and others who may someday find themselves the victims of this crime
