CDNN copyright violation and fraud

[echeng 0]

Bonnie has just posted information about Manthiri.com and CDNN:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18619

[craig 0]

Bonnie sure has a nice publicity photo on that site. It beats Eric's hands down.

 

At least they credited Alex for having pioneered the use of telephoto lenses underwater ;-)

[underwatercolours 0]

Bonnie sure has a nice publicity photo on that site. It beats Eric's hands down.

 

Hey, I worked hard for that! After shutting them down several times on copyright infringement and getting their hosting companies to boot them off their servers, I really thought they might dream up with something more original and creative. Its kind of fun to taunt them to see what they come up with next. So Eric's going to have to piss them off a few more times if he want my spot on that list.

[MikeVeitch 0]

oh yes, that is a stunning one Bonnie!

 

hahaha

[mondo 1]

Seeing that photo, and reading some of the descriptions of the photogs on the list, surely there is defamation going on. Its borderline, but the site is tasteless and well done all for trying to get the message out.....

[Lisa_King 0]

Have you seen the underwater photographer ratings on ScubaLinx? Not only are the ratings totally arbitrary, but anecdotal evidence suggests that they use these rating systems (this particular one, and others) as a weapon against people who they don't like, or people who pull advertising from their websites. I am rated a whopping 1.43 out of 10, and they grabbed an entertaining photo of me that they do not have permission to use (which paints me in a negative light).

 

Ken Knezick and some others are taking action against the parent company, which owns Cyberdiver, ScubaLinx, ScubaPoll, and a total of 45 related domains. All of them are hosted here:

 

The Planet Internet Services, Inc.

1333 Stemmons Freeway, Suite #110

Dallas, TX 75207

http://www.theplanet.com/

1-800-377-6103

 

If you have been a target of Cyber Diver and want to do something about it, please contact me, or Ken Knezick.

 

UPDATE:

 

Check out http://divepoll.com, which posts news exposing CDNN for their fraudulent actions.

 

I thought you said in one of your postings that the law states you cant do anything about people putting bad things about you on the net? Its horrible when someone makes up stuff and puts it on about you isnt it. tut. So what do YOU think the best way to get out of it is?

[echeng 0]

Lisa - Welcome to Wetpixel.

 

You have misunderstood the point of this topic, which is about CDNN's copyright violations and blackmailing tactics.

 

I don't care if people write bad things about be on the web.

 

(also, I wrote nothing similar to what are are claiming).

[underwatercolours 0]

I do not at all mind being on that list. I've never been a big fan of negative publicity, but hey...it does work once you get past the initial anger! Its free advertising!

 

If the idiot who runs Scubapoll had any idea of how many images I've sold because of traffic they drive to my site, they wouldn't have me on that list at all. I guess people wonder how bad I can be to deserve such a bad rating. So they check me out, like what they see, and buy from me. I've picked up a lot of website business too and have made some pretty interesting friends in all this. Putting my anti-cyber diver page on my website was the best thing I ever did. I get emails from all over the world from other people who are being blackmailed by CDNN. Us "victims" have to stick together!

 

I've also learned a ton about copyright because of them and as a result have collected big bucks in settlements from other infringers. Its kind of funny that the result of what CDNN is trying to do to me (ruin my business, reputation, or whatever???) has actually had the opposite affect. Thank you Cyber Diver!

 

The thing that scares me is what this nut case might do next to someone he hates. The words in that letter he wrote to Manthiri are coming from a very deranged individual who is already waaaaay off the deep end. I hope he doesn't show up at a trade show with a gun. I really think the FBI should get involved, if they're not already.

[Lisa_King 0]

Lisa - Welcome to Wetpixel.

 

You have misunderstood the point of this topic, which is about CDNN's copyright violations and blackmailing tactics.

 

I don't care if people write bad things about be on the web.

 

(also, I wrote nothing similar to what are are claiming).

 

Hi. thanks for the welcome.

No im not saying you wrote nothing bad about someone. Im being serious, Its horrible when someone disses someone. I am serious when I ask what can you do about it? The interent seems to be used as a tool for revenge more and more these days and its getting out of control. Can't you report them? Is there a governing board?

[echeng 0]

Someone just forwarded me a lovely post on CDNN:

http://www.scuba-forum.com/forums/shark/sh...eeding_152.html

[loftus 42]

Someone just forwarded me a lovely post on CDNN:

http://www.scuba-forum.com/forums/shark/sh...eeding_152.html

Wow!

[TheRealDrew 0]

Someone just forwarded me a lovely post on CDNN:

http://www.scuba-forum.com/forums/shark/sh...eeding_152.html

 

 

Unreal. Do not know what to say, was going to post over there, but why bother. It sucks when people do things like that, and I am sure you have learned to take some of it in stride, but sorry someone has done that to you.

[underwatercolours 0]

If that isn't a classic case of wet pickle envy, I don't know what is!

[seagrant 4]

Eric, well it just shows how much of an important and positive force you have become in the underwater photography and related worlds to be so publicly slandered in such a cowardly fashion. No name either, just initials as the "byline". How sad some (luckily small) percentage of the internet has reduced itself down to slander "anonymously" by person(s) too cowardly to even identify themselves - but such posters are all too ready to identify you by full first and last names.

 

And checkout their rules here - the post is in full and absolute violation of rules 4 & 5 here:

 

http://www.scuba-forum.com/rules/rules.html[/url]]

SCUBA FORUM RULES

 

4. SCUBA FORUM forbids posting profanity and indecent material.

 

5. SCUBA FORUM forbids posting harassment, threats and personal insults.

 

The focus is on nurturing well-written, intelligent analysis, thoughtful commentary and spirited, civil debate as opposed to generating hundreds of thousands of often trivial and meaningless posts that reduce the forums to lowest common denominator chit-chat.

 

Eric Cheng is one of the most positive forces in underwater conservation today and posts like this should not be allowed on responsible forums so consider the source....

 

Carol

Edited April 14, 2008 by seagrant

[dhaas 36]

Anyone with a brain can read CDNN for 30 seconds and figure out it's all ghost writers, crooks who hide behind invented names, etc.

 

If I thought it was worth my time I'd sign on and post to KJ to meet me in Riviera Beach at JASA's parking lot. But he's likely an internet bragging wuss and wouldn't show anyway....

 

The best use of any diving computer guru's time would be to figure out how to crash or delete CDNN from the web entirely.

 

dhaas

[underwatercolours 0]

OMG!...rules? Its apparent that not everyone here is aware that CDNN is run by ONE PERSON, not a staff of writers and contributors as he attempts to make it appear. Nobody in their right mind would post anything on that website! The words in that post about Eric are the words of the sociopath that runs that website, who is obviously obsessively jealous of Wetpixel's success, not the words of a real person by the name of KJ - Divemaster / Engineer. Those are not real people! Its not a real forum! Any link for posting to his "forum" is just an email that gets sent to the website owner. It is he who posts this crap, not real individuals! There is no authentication or verification of anything.

 

Do you know of ANY legitimate news organization who has gone to such great lengths to hide their real identity? Not even the National Enquirer or The Star.

 

Everything on his website is the rambling of James Hart, the website owner. He just lifts stuff off of other websites, rearranges it to read the way he likes, and republishes it on his own site. We believe he lives in Japan, making him out of the reach of our legal system (at least until he attempts to come back to the US).

 

PEOPLE...NONE OF THIS IS REAL!

 

Please don't support his illegal and unethical websites by linking to them (this helps him in the search engines) or legitimating him by thinking that its anything else but an attempt to manipulate the dive industry.

[Lndr 0]

Someone just forwarded me a lovely post on CDNN:

wow

that post is just so wrong!

 

i can't believe someone would write like that and expect it to win people over to their "side" of any argument

[dhaas 36]

I'm so glad my friend Bonnie doesn't get upset about such things (tee hee

 

Seriously CDNN is an example of what is wrong with the internet and can't be reined in......

 

If everyone here (meaning real divers, photographers, etc.) emailed all their diving friends the truth (cut and paste in Bonnie's text) maybe no one would go there and it would kill it.

 

I'm going to....

 

dhaas

[underwatercolours 0]

I'm so glad my friend Bonnie doesn't get upset about such things (tee hee

 

Seriously CDNN is an example of what is wrong with the internet and can't be reined in......

 

If everyone here (meaning real divers, photographers, etc.) emailed all their diving friends the truth (cut and paste in Bonnie's text) maybe no one would go there and it would kill it.

 

I'm going to....

 

dhaas

 

Ha! You're just lucky you're my friend Dave or I might just send an anonymous email to them. Of course now that we've admitted to being friends (yikes! both me and Eric too) you may be in the running for that bottom spot on the world's worst underwater photographer list. They can say anything they want about me, but it really pisses me off when they attack my friends.

[Steve Williams 0]

Hi Bonnie,

 

Thanks for trying to keep the netspace clean! I have been a secret admirer of your style for a while and I noticed your going to give a talk at the next LAUPS meeting: (Los Angeles Underwater Photographic Society) to give a presentation at their meeting on Wednesday, April 16 at 7:00 p.m, . It's shown on one of your sites to be at the L.A. County Museum of Natural History. Is this still going to happen? If so I suggest the Wetpixel guys put it on the front page so more folks can hear about it. You shouldn't keep this kind a thing a secret. The LAUPS is a very prestigious organization and you should be congratulated.

 

Steve

Edited April 15, 2008 by williamshs

[underwatercolours 0]

Hi Bonnie,

 

Thanks for trying to keep the netspace clean! I have been a secret admirer of your style for a while and I noticed your going to give a talk at the next LAUPS meeting: (Los Angeles Underwater Photographic Society) to give a presentation at their meeting on Wednesday, April 16 at 7:00 p.m, tomorrow . It's shown on one of your sites to be at the L.A. County Museum of Natural History. Is this still going to happen? If so I suggest the Wetpixel guys put it on the front page so more folks can hear about it. You shouldn't keep this kind a thing a secret. The LAUPS is a very prestigious organization and you should be congratulated.

 

Steve

 

Gosh, now I'm blushing! Yes, the presentation is Wednesday evening. I'll post something in the general chat area too. Thanks for the suggestion and nice words.

[dhaas 36]

Bonnie,

 

I wouldn't sweat any bad comments on a piece of crap like CDNN.......Who cares.....

 

As far as Bonnie's upcoming presentation for LAUPS, YES, more info for those in that neck of the woods should be posted! She has some killer shows developed (I've seen on her Mac while on trips) and it will be an enjoyable and educational experience for those who can go.

 

Speaking of those who go to event, I can't believe how little images of people at events, parties, speaking doo-dahs etc. are posted. Those of us who live across the country always like seeing our fellow Wetpillellites in person

 

So someone at LAUPS pleae take a camera and shoot a few snaps of Bonnie at her show.

 

Later!

 

dhaas

[red3 0]

Does anyone else get a mental image of this CDNN guy like this: Dark Basement in mommys house, 300+ Lbs, Lazy-boy growing out of his back, grease stained wife beater, sticky towels and a large stack of porn involving barnyard animals....Or is it just me?

[james 0]

Red3: if you've got something to contribute to this thread that's great. However your post adds nothing constructive and brings Wetpixel down to the same level as the CDNN site. Please edit your post to better reflect that.

 

James Wiseman

[underwatercolours 0]

Apparently divepoll.com has tracked down the business license that James C. Hart (aka: cyber diver news network) applied for in the state of Washington when he started using the name UES Global Publishing. They've posted links to the sources also.