Terms of Use
- Unauthorized Image Scanning
It has come to our attention that various internet robots are crawling the websites of small business owners, as well as the general public. During this crawling, our limited bandwidth is being adversely affected, and we are offered nothing of value in return for this activity.
- Banned/Prohibited Bots/Companies
As this activity is not isolated to a single offensive robot, we are continuing to maintain an awareness of the perpetrators as needed to protect our copyrights and our limited and costly bandwidth. Therefore, the following companies and any direct or indirect agent, thereof, are hereby prohibited from accessing our networks, as well as any other agents or companies who engage in similar activity:
See the following sections for more explicit notices concerning prohibited access of our network of websites.
- Legal Notices
- Permission for any copyright-scanning or image-scanning robot program to access this site is explicitly denied. All other robots which scan content for the purpose of any form of law enforcement, criminal or civil, are also denied permission to access this site at any time; and
- Use of any our original copy, photo, audio, or video recording for any propose by any entity which is a current or past plaintiff in a copyright infringement case is hereby prohibited;
- Banned Bots/Companies listed above, are explicitly prohibited from using any image that originated on our network of websites, for any propose. We release images for not-for-profit use by the general public, their use for extortion by any external party claiming copyright against a third party downloader from THEIR site shall be treated as a copyright violation, subject to prosecution and liquidated damages of not less than $25,000.
4. Concerning Demands for Damages
We regard the above Banned Bots/Companies as organized crime entities engaged in extortion. As such, in the event any demand for damages is received from these and other similar organizations, the demand SHALL BE REFUSED. Furthermore, if any threats of legal action are received from any such organizations, or any other copyright holder engaging in extortion by demanding “damages” prior to sending DCMA takedown notifications. We will:
- Refuse to pay the funds demanded;
- Seek liquidated damages in the amount of $25,000 per violation of our Terms of Use concerning image-scanning robots.
