This sounds like  good idea! Protected and still able to create stuff for it.

I agree!

Many sites such as this, don't actually host the downloads, they post the links to the downloads to sites such as rapidshare, mediafire, etc.

They have a depositfiles link for the Prowler skin.  The DMCA can be sent to - http://depositfiles.com/en/abuse_copyr.html

Obviously some sites are DMCA friendly, and some are not.  All you can do is try.

I would love to be able to encrypt my skins. I would even pay a small yearly fee, to do so. Something to think about Stardock...

This will always be a never ending battle. Half the planet cares about the artist, the other half doesn't (They just think of them selves).

Some will even buy the skin and give it away free, just to make friends, in the community their in. For ever "one" iI stop, there's 20 more I don't know about. It's an endless job.

As for the encrypted images, I agree, if you want to make skins, there is no problem requesting the images from the author. Plain and simple.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

I hope it doesn't go the MyColors route. In case folks have forgotten, it's impossible to get MyColors and Windowblinds to work together correctly. Also, MyColors and WB don't update well together on Impulse.

Sorry if this throws a wet blanket.

Perhaps I'm wrong and this problem has been solved (in secret).

Me thinks, if they won't play nice, then don't play nice either.  In other words, if they won't remove the rips,  send 'em a trojan that brings their site down like a house of cards on a rickety table... as WG suggested... hack the bastards.

Yeah, I know... stooping to their level, blah, blah, blah, but wtf are you supposed to do when they have no respect.  Seems to me, the time has passed for turning the other cheek and all that crap... so dispense with the niceties and off with the gloves.

How many Masters will give up graphics to anyone wanting to make a skin, even just for personal use only?

Most of them are quite reasonable and know the people who make the matching skins.

See....that's why 'we' like the idea of declaring 'criminality' for IP...same as all those 'accepted' crimes that people are happy to see governments/Law/Police act upon.

There's nothing 'civil' in IP theft and Piracy.

And it's not 'just' corporations [greedy or otherwise] that are hurt/affected by such sites.

Instead...it's people you know/respect/like.

Government instigated/endorsed trade sanctions against countries/entities that ignore the issue or flatly refuse to pursue the crooks taking sanctuary within their borders/sphere of control.

Legal recourse...not DOS attacks.

More power [kudos] to those countries who DO chase them....

yep

so when can we have the encoding thing done? Is Neil going to work on it for us? I dont mind paying a small fee either, like Ross suggested....

I know this is gonna sound gay, but this is an awsome step forward for wincustomize if this coding goes ahead.

It sounds good BUT the hackers will still find it and just remove them.

the none hackers would be caught but, then the none hackres that know how to hide

their IP addres wouldn't...

and we know the Pirates are here..

Just follow my lead and Make crapy stuff that no one wants to download.  Anti-Pirated .....

Oh, wait that would only work if you don't have the talent to make good skins WP, etc..

Some tips that might help

if your skin, WP, Etc. is on a Pirate site before it is uploaded here or on your other site(s) it's a good call that someone(s) that was helping you with it

(testing, making other skins, etc. off it) would be a Pirate of interest.

Upload your Art to one site at a time wait 2 to 5 days and check the Pirated site too see if it is there... if one is there day one and lets just say you sold 3

you know it has to be one of those 3.

it's just a thought.. I know it's out there, but is it..

ROFLMAO!!!    I'm going to be chuckling about this for the next few days...thanks DC, I needed a laugh.

I know how to 'sign' a skin/image to identify it again.

The 'pain in the bum' bit is that each reworkable distributed skin needs to be 'treated' individually....and the Skinner would have to keep a database record of who got which 'version'.

If the skin IS distributed the very real potential to track its source/origin might just be enough 'deterent' to stem the tide.