January 21, 2025: Help The Internet Archive Keep It Clean
For decades, the Internet Archive has performed a valuable service by preserving our history.
Recently, SJ Games ran into a situation where we could have had beef with the IA. We do not WANT beef with the IA. But we found literally hundreds of PDFs of our games – the same ones we sell – posted on the IA, many organized neatly by game system or "Steve Jackson Games."
Not a pretty sight!
Long story short, the IA depends on volunteers to do its work, and clearly some of those volunteers have run up the black flag and gone a-pirating. This is not the fault of the organization as a whole. But it makes them look bad!
The IA is cooperating with us fully in removing pirated material as we find it. But there are a few things you can do to help them keep it clean . . .
- If you run across copies of professionally-published game material there, especially in PDF, it's probably not legit. You cannot send the IA a DMCA takedown notice for someone else's work – don't try. Just advise the publisher, and if the material is problematic, the publisher can send a takedown notice.
- If you yourself are a publisher, take a few minutes to make the obvious searches – your company name, your big game titles - on the IA, just to make sure. (And if this is material you actually intend to give away, well, the IA is doing that, so thank them.)
- Whether you are a publisher or not, if you use and value the work the IA does, a contribution would not be out of line. Just saying!
– Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action
There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!
Recently, SJ Games ran into a situation where we could have had beef with the IA. We do not WANT beef with the IA. But we found literally hundreds of PDFs of our games – the same ones we sell – posted on the IA, many organized neatly by game system or "Steve Jackson Games."
Not a pretty sight!
Long story short, the IA depends on volunteers to do its work, and clearly some of those volunteers have run up the black flag and gone a-pirating. This is not the fault of the organization as a whole. But it makes them look bad!
The IA is cooperating with us fully in removing pirated material as we find it. But there are a few things you can do to help them keep it clean . . .
- If you run across copies of professionally-published game material there, especially in PDF, it's probably not legit. You cannot send the IA a DMCA takedown notice for someone else's work – don't try. Just advise the publisher, and if the material is problematic, the publisher can send a takedown notice.
- If you yourself are a publisher, take a few minutes to make the obvious searches – your company name, your big game titles - on the IA, just to make sure. (And if this is material you actually intend to give away, well, the IA is doing that, so thank them.)
- Whether you are a publisher or not, if you use and value the work the IA does, a contribution would not be out of line. Just saying!
– Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action
There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!
Published on January 21, 2025 02:10
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