ATTENTION: Uploading Animated GIFs of Plays, etc. In Signatures, etc.

[Ian]

The league is beginning to seriously crack down on their use, and I'm guessing the axe is going to continue to fall after seeing what's happened to SB Nation, Barstool Sports, Deadspin, etc. Don't get me wrong, I'm completely aware of the posting and use by others on Twitter, etc. and other sites, including other Patriots accounts/sites. If you're wondering why you've never seen me post them here on PatsFans.com, it's not because of any lack of ability on my part to do so. It's because I already knew it wasn't allowed having already dealt with a similar issue in the past that the league contacted me about and that's why you don't see logos, gifs, non-licensed photos, videos, etc.

After broaching the topic recently again this week with their legal department for clarification, I was specifically told that using them or capturing broadcast video of plays as either video or gifs, despite what people seem to believe, doesn't fall under "fair use". I won't get into specifics or elaborate further, but this is an issue they're obviously now pursuing and I know it won't be long before the dominoes continue to fall in that area and after hearing from a couple of people familiar with what's going on, I'd rather not be one of them - unless, of course, one of you are an excellent lawyer and are willing to take on a billion dollar corporation on my behalf for free because I have a daughter in college and zero $$ to deal with it

As a result, please review your avatars, signature files, etc. and transfer them to an image hosting site for the ability to be able to keep them and then remove and delete them from your signatures. And moving forward, don't upload them here as I'd rather not get a FEDEX from New York if I can avoid it.

 

[Nikolai]

Thanks for the heads up to give everyone time, but jeezus...the NFL is trying its damnedest to be as unlikeable as possible.

 

[Ian]

Thanks for the heads up to give everyone time, but jeezus...the NFL is trying its damnedest to be as unlikeable as possible.

I could tell you stories having been down that road and how frustrating it is...but I won't get into it. I'm kind of surprised at how long it went on and had a feeling this would happen eventually, and the bigger surprise is the fact MLB has been the more active of the two in recent years. But they're definitely on the lookout now and given the fact they've had no issue about sending me love letters in the past, I'd rather not get any more mail from them

 

[shmessy]

I could tell you stories having been down that road and how frustrating it is...but I won't get into it. I'm kind of surprised at how long it went on and had a feeling this would happen eventually, and the bigger surprise is the fact MLB has been the more active of the two in recent years. But they're definitely on the lookout now and given the fact they've had no issue about sending me love letters in the past, I'd rather not get any more mail from them

Are they signed by NFL Director of Operations Mike Kensil?

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I think this is something you should send out as an e-mail to all members (e.g., "READ THIS If you have a video/animation in your sig").

Also, a big part of the problem with copyrights has to do with ESPN's owner, Disney.

How Mickey Mouse Keeps Changing Copyright Law

 

[Ian]

Are they signed by NFL Director of Operations Mike Kensil?

LOL, it's been a while since I've gotten one, fortunately. But it's not his name on there. It comes from a legal team with about 30 lawyers in the letterhead.

 

[Nikolai]

I could tell you stories having been down that road and how frustrating it is...but I won't get into it. I'm kind of surprised at how long it went on and had a feeling this would happen eventually, and the bigger surprise is the fact MLB has been the more active of the two in recent years. But they're definitely on the lookout now and given the fact they've had no issue about sending me love letters in the past, I'd rather not get any more mail from them

It's just a very backward way of thinking by the NFL, not that that should shock anyone, but they're essentially killing free advertising, while demonstrating a complete lack of understanding about how social media works.

That MLB doesn't get it is no surprise, but if the NFL wants to go down the MLB's road....then Poison Ginger is the one to take them there.

 

[shmessy]

LOL, it's been a while since I've gotten one, fortunately. But it's not his name on there. It comes from a legal team with about 30 lawyers in the letterhead.

I can believe that!

 

[Deus Irae]

This is a gray area where the NFL is doing a lot of blustering about some things it knows it's right on, some things it knows it's wrong on, and some things it's not sure about either way.

You should, obviously, do as you feel comfortable, as you're the site owner, and the one who has to deal with those asshats. I can't imagine anyone will gripe too much about this.

 

[shmessy]

It's just a very backward way of thinking by the NFL, not that that should shock anyone, but they're essentially killing free advertising, while demonstrating a complete lack of understanding about how social media works.

That MLB doesn't get it is no surprise, but if the NFL wants to go down the MLB's road....then Poison Ginger is the one to take them there.

-Well ya know there were 31 million viewers on Yahoo watching that Buffalo-Jacksonville game!

-No NFL team requested the bug sweep of the lockerroom at Gillette! It was random procedure!

-One of the footballs was even at 10.1!

Yeah, Yeeeaaaahhhh, THAT'S the ticket!

 

[Ian]

It's just a very backward way of thinking by the NFL, not that that should shock anyone, but they're essentially killing free advertising, while demonstrating a complete lack of understanding about how social media works.

That MLB doesn't get it is no surprise, but if the NFL wants to go down the MLB's road....then Poison Ginger is the one to take them there.

They view it, I'm sure, as using their footage for self promotion on Twitter/Facebook and page views on your site that they're essentially not making money on. One thing that clued me in on that is the fact that they obviously want you to embed their tweets in blog posts, as each highlight video from the @nfl feed contains a quick preroll ad before the footage plays. They don't mind you promoting their videos, but they obviously want to make $$ if you do share them.

 

[raduray]

Can we link images/video clips from the web using your Image and Media tools?

 

[Nikolai]

They view it, I'm sure, as using their footage for self promotion on Twitter/Facebook and page views on your site that they're essentially not making money on. One thing that clued me in on that is the fact that they obviously want you to embed their tweets in blog posts, as each highlight video from the @nfl feed contains a quick preroll ad before the footage plays. They don't mind you promoting their videos, but they obviously want to make $$ if you do share them.

Oh, I'm sure that's what it is, but there's some evidence that when someone in their shoes tries to use the heavy hand to force a revenue stream on social media, it's a loser in the long run.

My suspicion is that you're going to see some sort of return to the pre-litigation norm before too long. They're just going to have to be more slick about how to capitalize on it, if they insist on doing so directly.

 

[shmessy]

Be careful, Ian, I read that this Clement guy they just got is good.

 

[TBR]

Is mine okay? I would hope so, but just want to make sure

 

[Ian]

Is mine okay? I would hope so, but just want to make sure

LOL, yours is a Madden highlight - I'm sure you're probably O.K.

 

[Ian]

Can we link images/video clips from the web using your Image and Media tools?

If they're posted elsewhere (YouTube.com, image hosting sites, etc.) you can link to them...I can't control the fact other hosting sites aren't watching that. They just can't be uploaded to my server but I don't have an issue with that.

 

[Wax Frog]

I'd rather not get a FEDEX from New York if I can avoid it.

Especially while the hateful human hemmorhoid is at the helm.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

At some point, they're just going to press to make it illegal to talk about the games too, and they're really trying hard to limit the fun for fans. Good job Goody.

I understand the position you're taking, it's the prudent one and the correct choice to make given the circumstances.

However, copyright law is filled with gray areas between copyright infringement and fair use. I'm not suggesting this site take the lead on it or anything, but it wouldn't surprise me to later find out that Goodell and the NFL, with their usual total lack of understanding of all things legal, were totally wrong.

Of course, by the time that legal issue is clarified, Goodell will have destroyed pretty much all interest in the league.

 

[Tony2046]

I'm sure they would be lenient on a Patsfans forum.