” . . . [A]lmost any original expression that is fixed in tangible form is protected as soon as the file is saved to disk. This web page was protected as soon as I stopped typing and saved the .html file. As you can see, most of the items that you are likely to encounter on the ‘net are eligible for copyright protection, including the text of web pages, ASCII-text documents, contents of email and Usenet messages, sound files, graphic files, executable computer programmes, and computer-programme listings.”
— The Copyright Website

This is my online community; and, I am making both bloggers and commentarians aware of the facts concerning their intellectual-property rights transparent to protect all of us. I am the messenger, not the lawmaker. Put yourself on both sides of this argument and you will see why these laws exist, I believe; and, not too put too fine a point on it; but, ignorance of the law is not an excuse that will save your butt.

Consider this a PSA from your friendly local professional commentarian (who learned this lesson during the writing of a book that cost a young man his life).

My feeling is that death threats should be posted unadulterated and in full or not at all. There’s little point in displaying ignorant violent ranting other than to encourgage more of the same, among friends or enemies. The wider your readership, the more you have to remind people that the solution to abuse is not more abuse.

Speaking as a mail administrator and one who has fought spam for over a decade, I’m much more interested in the message metadata than the contents of the threat because in the vast majority of cases, it’s trivial to determine a message’s true point of origin.

Sending death threats in any form are illegal so it’s difficult for me to muster any sympathy for people who lose their jobs or otherwise suffer over making them. There’s no excuse for sending them and just because they’re sent via email or posted as comments doesn’t change the seriousness of the act. Actions have consequences and if you want to make the death threats stop, strip away the thin veneer of anonymity that electronic communication provides and place the cost of the threat squarely on the back of the sender. One way to do that is to do the detective work and report the sender to their employer or provider, another is to delegate that out by posting the entire threat.

Is it fair that Melanie Kroll lost her job over a message her husband sent via her work account, unbeknownst to her? Provided her employer’s IT department was doing its job (providing clear technical guidance and policy) – yes. The bigger issue is why the ever-violent bully Bill Donohue and his secular, rabble-rousing Catholic League suffers no consequences for inciting this behavior. And not to leave Myers out – he’s well within his right to be as much of an offensive jackass as the next guy. The critical difference is that Myers isn’t threatening anyone.

http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/transub.htm

If you communicate with me that communication is now mine to do with what I please.

Interesting subject you have here. I don’t know how powerful blog can be.. fired someone who (his husband) make a hateful e-mail.. AMG.

However I hate a certain person or people, however they had make me upset or humiliate me.. I don’t fond to make death threats. I only use common curses such as idiot and dumb, and usually added with why. I hasn’t make someone send me death threats either, haha.

Back to the topic, blogs are simply online journals, that should be keep noted to companies and ‘real life people’. It’s kinda ridiculous to fire or ban someone because blog. About the silly editor, he is a stressed out racist.