Second in a series

[heidi]

Dear fandom_scruples:

Yes, obscenity is illegal. I'm glad you spent a lot of time researching that.

But let me repeat what I linked to before:

[The Supreme Court said] there are unresolved free speech concerns that prevent the law [COPA] from taking effect now.

I'm still not sure you know what an injunction is.

Comments

[cousncarla.livejournal.com]

I love how the little troll (name assigned by mpoetess) doesn't let you leave comments.

[abigail89.livejournal.com]

Go get 'em, Heidi!

[cleverthylacine]

Well, Heidi...that's a BIG word, you know.

[airemay.livejournal.com]

I still don't understand why they posted their latest entry. It doesn't really do anything for their cause. :/

[ladyguenivere.livejournal.com]

I'll have to make sure my tv is off on the 14th.
::rolls eyes::

I'm sure that will do a lot of good.

[emiliap.livejournal.com]

I really thought we were rid of them and their nonsense till I checked out the LJ today and saw their latest posts. *Sigh* What a headache.

Anyway, I'm wishing you the best of luck in dealing with all this chaos. *Fangirls you and your brilliance*

*Hugs*
~Kate

[soldierhope.livejournal.com]

I must admit while I didn't read the super long top post, the one right under says that the law they are talkin' about has to do with COMMERCIAL things.. like um.. makin' money. You aren't making money off your LJ are you? derr. didn't think so.. F_S so needs to get a grip..

[wishwords.livejournal.com]

So, so you know if rosenho is correct about it now fitting the legal label of 'extortion' and violating LJ's TOS?

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

I can't see that it would be a big problem to report it to LJ on those grounds, but I haven't been able to get to the lj tou on my sidekick, which is why I haven't replied to more people as of yet.

[ceilidh]

Unfortunately I don't think LJ is too inclined to do anything about it. -.-

[wishwords.livejournal.com]

If you decide you need it, I can copy and paste it to your comments or to my journal.

[dejaspirit.livejournal.com]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

*goes back to playing with Elise*

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Much better use of your time. I only saw it as timely as I did because I was at the gym waiting for raquetball coach-guy...

[awelkin.livejournal.com]

Well, here's a resource just in case the lawsuits start a-flyin'!

The American Civil Liberties Union might find all this VERY interesting.

http://www.aclu.org/FreeSpeech/FreeSpeechlist.cfm?c=267

Catherine

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

Have I told you recently I think you are TEH COOL?

Cos, I do.

*applauds*

[thunderemerald.livejournal.com]

Speaking of TEH COOL...

::worships your icon::

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Thanks eversomuch! Btw, you need to update your memories to add more of STEALING HARRY.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

I'm working on it! *weeps*

[shelaghc.livejournal.com]

Here's the place to report TOS violations.
However, the requirements for reporting involve the following:

If you're having problems with another user, or believe that someone is violating the Terms of Service, you can make a report to the LiveJournal Abuse Team.

Before you make a report, there are some things that you should do first. The very first thing to do is to read through the rest of the frequently asked questions in this section of the FAQ [http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqcat=abuse]. These FAQs will give you an idea of the kind of things that the Abuse team regularly deals with, and will help you to resolve situations on your own without involving the Abuse team.

After you've read through that, look through the Terms of Service [http://www.livejournal.com/legal/tos.bml] and see whether or not the situation is actually a violation of the Terms of Service.

If after you do that, you would still like to file a request and have the Abuse team make an investigation, you will need to have the following information:

* Your username
* The usernames of all other users involved
* URLs to SPECIFIC posts or comments where you feel that the ToS has been violated. The Abuse team WILL NOT investigate requests without this information. A link to a user's entire journal does not suffice as enough information to begin researching a situation.
* Any other proof that you would like to present.

Please note that the Abuse team will not consider comment notification e-mails, chat logs, system logs, or third party reports as evidence. Also note that the Abuse team doesn't accept requests on behalf of a third party. If your friend is being harassed, your friend will need to open a request under his or her own username.

Once you have gathered all the information you wish to present, visit http://www.livejournal.com/abuse/report.bml. This form will prompt you for all of the required information. If your issue is best handled by a FAQ, you will be directed to that FAQ, so that you get a response as quickly as possible. If your issue needs to be handled by a member of the Abuse team, your information will be forwarded to the Abuse queue, where it will be investigated in turn.

This is the only method for submitting an Abuse request; do not e-mail individual members of the Abuse team, and do not e-mail the account of the Abuse team community. Your report will not be read unless it is made using this form.

So they don't exactly make it simple, but considering LJ is mostly volunteer and there are caveats all over the place, at least they have something in place.

[galeotti.livejournal.com]

Since these people are just that intelligent, they should write a book.

How to be an Idiot
by fandom_scruples

Chapter 1: Try to Outwit the Fandom Lawyer

[tropes.livejournal.com]

Someone bought them a paid account. If you want to contact them directly, email fandom_scruples@livejournal.com

Neat trick, that.

[hermorrine.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. So does it automatically route to the email address they provided to sign up for the account or what?

[zorac.livejournal.com]

Yup, that's exactly what it does.

[tropes.livejournal.com]

Yoop.

:D

[kaylarudbek.livejournal.com]

I was talking about this tonight with a friend who was wondering if f_s is funded by people who write password-protection software. Their insistence that passwording is the One True Way seems a bit strange; it's not as if these things aren't labeled....

[angua9.livejournal.com]

Heidi,

It is my opinion that Fandom_Scruples is a sockpuppet by someone who couldn't care less about smut on the internet, but just wants to cause excitement and flaming in the fandom. That would explain why they are behaving in such a ridiculously offensive and counterproductive manner for their so-called "cause."

There are two ways I know of to track down sockpuppets. The best one is if they post on someone's journal or site where IP's are logged. Apparently, the person behind Fandom_Scruples has been too cagey to do that. Too bad.

The other is to track who first reported the sockpuppet to the fandom. The earliest reference to F_S that I can find was a Fandom Wank post (http://www.journalfen.net/community/fandom_wank/277857.html") by Sporkify (http://www.journalfen.net/users/sporkify/) less than four hours (by my computer's time logs) after Fandom_Scruples made his or her first post (http://www.livejournal.com/users/fandom_scruples/447.html).

If anyone knows who Sporkify is (I don't, but I'm sure others do), I would suggest asking him or her where they heard of Fandom_Scruples. I don't believe he or she was on the original "Gold List" of people unwillingly friended by Fandom_Scruples, so I would venture to guess that Sporkify either *is* Fandom_Scruples, or else he or she had Fandom_Scruples brought to their attention by the sockpuppeteer. Anyway, in only four hours, the chain couldn't have been TOO long.


Other than that, I'd say we should all report their ass to Live_Journal, and hope they'll be removed by popular demand.

[ceilidh]

Reporting them to LJ isn't going to do any good. Many people already have, and LJ Abuse says they can't take any action because they aren't naming real names or addresses.

[angua9.livejournal.com]

Well some of us -- Heidi for instance, I think -- have our real names as our fandom identities. And many of our real life identities are perfectly well known, either from Nimbus (the program is online) or from being in a newspaper article or radio interview (also online).

Many of my friends openly say their names and locations right in their LJ's, or have their real name in their e-mail address on their userinfo page. I'm sure some people on the "blacklist" do as well.

So I think that's a weak argument from LJ Abuse. But *shrug* It's their site.

[ceilidh]

Oh, I agree, I think it's a pitifully weak argument. But that's the line they're handing out.

[whispersinink.livejournal.com]

You linked to the first post, but I am unable to read it. I wonder if I am banned....

[klave.livejournal.com]

I don't like people like that. Puppets.

*agrees that you are, indeed, TEH COOL!!*


Klave

[erised1810.livejournal.com]

I'm not at all a law buff so I have no clue whether they'd be right or wrong (thoug hI trust yo ufar more with itthan whoever "They" are0. ThI agree. they seem to solely do this to start up some kidn of flamewar and other drama that I personally hope to be somehow able to somewhat pass by. though I will do m ybest i ndefendign an yand all authors effectedi n abbad way by the whoel scruff comign from this strange petty fight.
I do hope they aren't seriously takign this to court or some other authority. wow...tigns to get worked up about.

[ex-ajhalluk585.livejournal.com]

Whether or not they know what an injunction is, I will lay serious odds that the word "extraterritoriality" isn't one which they have any real grasp of.

So here's another bit of law for them to chew on:

[Theft Act 1968]

21.-(1) A person is guilty of blackmail if, with a view to gain for himself or another or with intent to cause loss to another, he makes any unwarranted demand with menaces; and for this purpose a demand with menaces is unwarranted unless the person making it does so in the belief-



(a) that he has reasonable grounds for making the demand; and



(b) that the use of the menaces is a proper means of reinforcing the demand.



(2) The nature of the act or omission demanded is immaterial, and it is also immaterial whether the menaces relate to action to be taken by the person making the demand.



(3) A person guilty of blackmail shall on conviction on indictment be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years.

The "demand" here is the demand that people do not put material which is legal in their own jurisdiction (and probably also within the US) onto web-pages or live journals within their control without taking additional safeguards to make them acceptable to fandom_scruples. The "menaces" is a threat to report them to US federal agencies.

It's at least as relevant to them as COPA is to me. And much more accurately applied.

[ficangel.livejournal.com]

The true beauty of Fandom Scruples is that they've placed a time limit on themselves-two weeks. Once the two weeks passes and absolutely nothing at all happens, their credibility will spiral right back into negative numbers. They won't even be able to hold onto a vague sense of unease any longer.

[sbbo.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Obscenity might be illegal, but I know a hell of a lot of NC-17 rated work that is both artistic, and consistent with literary merit.

So. There's that too.