I have been away for a week and without much internet access so I have missed all this. I have some emails about it too but I have not had a chance to catch up yet. I am deeply saddened and dismayed by the situation.
Right now I am too tired to take it all in as I only got 3 hours sleep last night due to a delayed flight and then working all day today. Will read it all again tomorrow.

I have had a bit more time to think about this now but can not really add much to what has already been said.

I may be missing something but I am still a bit puzzled as to the nature of the perpetrator. Is it someone who is in the balloon twisting world and is just unscrupulous, or are they not connected with balloons and are just out to make a fast buck on the back of the technology that allows the easy copying of of PDF's. In other words, are they doing this in other fields apart from balloon twisting?
Naming and shaming may affect someone in the former category (though I doubt it as they clearly have no shame) but it probably would not make an iota of difference in the latter. They will just move on and cheat and thieve somewhere else.


I think it was fuzzy that suggested putting an identifier on the PDF files to dissuade copying.
I really don't think this would help much as
A) It would not be practical/too time consuming to individually mark each of the files with the buyers name (May not be their real name anyway) I already watermark all my photos that I put on the web as I got fed up seeing them appear on web sites without my consent. It is a real pain to do.
B)Some of the titles offered, are as far as I know, not sent as files but are only in CDROM hard copy. These must have been copied then formatted to a size where they could be emailed. It would certainly be impossible to put identifiers on all these too.

I think I am right in saying that we all put a copyright notice on our work, It may remind the vast honest majority not to copy but with the few rats out there, we may as well not bother. They know that there is not a lot we can do. We are individuals with a passion for what we do, not vast companies with access to the best lawyers to sue the pants off them.

I for one, will continue to produce CDRoms as I enjoy it. The money that is generated from the instructions is handy but if worked out in proportion to the amount of time it takes to produce them, from a purely financial view, it would make no sense at all to do it.
Most people are basically honest and appreciate the work that goes in. Like Bonnie, I expect and accept that people may share some the designs with their friends. I have no problem with this. Hopefully they will go on to buy a CD or 2 of their own!

Gosh,.....even my name is on the list.
I must say, I'm a bit prout to see my name between all the "great balloontwister names". But I don't like it in this way. I think I sold 15 DVD's at the most! Who did this? How is this posible???

Petra

For $100.00 USD we can find out. We are guaranteed a name. I think we ante up and find out who it is.... and I think if they surrender first it will be better for them than if we pay the money and then find out.

What do you think?

Patricia