What Right Does Copyright Give?

I'm sure you've seen it. It's actually quite prevalent on the Internet. To what am I referring? Copyright infringement. This dreadful situation runs rampant, especially so in the digital art community, leaving a fetid stench on all it touches. The email came through the group chat list at 8:00PM sharp. A very simple email really. One member sharing her hurt over finding her graphics offered for download on someone's website.

The email was complete with the URL of the offender. Of course, as is the norm in most Internet communities, all members of the chat list immediately clicked on the link offered in the email and visited the site of the horrible person who had the gall to hurt one of their friends. Within the span of 30 minutes, the guest-book of this website owner was overflowing with new entries screaming "copyright infringement".

Upon close inspection of this website, I found that not just one, but several of our members' graphics were being offered for download. Let me clarify this statement, if I may. One page of this site displayed "doll bases" that the site owner had found in her travels on the Internet. Along with the graphic was a link to the site of the graphic creator. Above these graphics was a statement that said that the site owner had not created the bases, but had found them on sites that were a "must see". The site owner also stated her desire to eventually learn to make graphics like the ones she found on these "must see" sites.

This terrible copyright violator also gave her email address on her site. This information was quickly relayed through the use of the chat list. Within minutes, emails began to flood the violator's in-box. Emails calling her vile names, demanding she remove the copyrighted materials immediately, suggesting she delete her website and stay off the Internet.

The email I chose to send this person went something like this:

Hi,
My name is Luminesque, and I wanted to write you a quick note about your website. First off, let me say that you have done a really great job setting it all up! Now, I know you've probably been bombarded with emails from a group I belong to regarding the doll bases you've displayed on your page. My email, hopefully, won't be of a similar tone. I know all 3 ladies whose graphics you've chosen to display, and they are wonderful artists. They are also wonderful ladies and I'm sure they are flattered that you chose to give links to their sites. Unfortunately, you have violated their terms of use by offering their graphics for download on your site. A much better way to show how much you like those bases might be to create a doll from them and use that to link to their site. I noticed that you showed a desire to learn to create them yourself. I can direct you to some great tutorials on that if you'd like. In any case, just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed my visit to your site.
Hugs,
Lumi

I actually think that I overstepped my bounds by mentioning that she had violated the terms of use, but figured she might appreciate a gentle notification of this instead of the emails I could picture her rapidly deleting.

In response, I received the following:

Hi Luminesque,
Thank you for being so nice in your email. Everyone else is mad and yelling at me. Can you tell your friends that I am sorry? I didn't even know what terms of use were until I got your email. I would like to learn to make dolls. Can you teach me? I like your site too. Would you be my sister site?

Just before receiving the above message, yet another email was sent through the chat list. This email included a picture of the monster that dared steal the work of members of our group. The attachment depicted a pigtailed little girl missing one of her top teeth.

I cried as I sat at my computer imagining my own daughter receiving emails similar to the ones that had been flying through the chat list. I then began asking a simple question. What right does copyright give? I asked this question of the group I belonged to, which started another series of email bombardment, but that, my friends, is a subject for another day.