Re: Private PA Posts
I've been in the whole "copyrighted posts" situation before (or rather, a pal of mine who ran a large messageboard where posts from another messageboard were posted frequently).
It's all bull. With a side of whining.
The only people who can sue absolutewrite for posting messages from the PA messageboard is PA (or rather, the person who owns the PA messageboard). Seeing as how the posts quoted here are displayed publicly on the PA messageboard, and often linked to from here, PA would have a hard time suing anyone for anything. Copying ten, or even a hundred, posts out of thousands is not a copy-right violation. Absolutewrite is not making any money by copying the posts, nor are they costing PA any money (unless you count the authors who do not sign on with them because of what they've read here, thereby avoiding being scammed by PA, which of course leaves PA without thousands of dollars. But they're a TRADITIONAL publisher, so they don't depend on their own euthors to buy their books, right?) PA has also deleted plenty of the threads quoted in this thread (quickly, someone tell the people who posted in those threads to SUE! PA deleted their property!), so they'd have a hell of a time proving that the threads were of any importance or use to them.
Aside from that, any PA author claiming that their reputation has been damaged by anything posted here would have to prove it. If, for example, Bob Bobson writes "Women are inferior and I dislike all female editors" on the PA messageboard and that post is posted here, resulting in a large number of female editors refusing to read anything Bob Bobson sumbits to them--he only has himself to blame. He would also have to prove that his reputation has suffered due to postings at absolutewrite, not just because he's an insufferable git.
I doubt PA would waste time and money on pursuing such an uncertain and potentially damaging case for the sake of a few of their authors. Apparently they can't even be bothered to speak to their authors civilly, or promote them--so why would they do anything about a few posts being quoted here?
Add to that the disclaimer placed on this messageboard, along with the fact that this is part of ezboard. The worst PA can do is get this board closed, or warned.