AfterDawn: News

Warner wants to shutdown Mygazines over copyright infringement

Mygazines.com, which launched only last month, and is still currently in beta, has drawn the ire of at least one media company, Time Warner which says it is already looking into ways to get the site shut down.

The site, whose tag line is "upload. share. archive." is a place where users can upload and share digital copies of magazines while others can read, comment and even create their own "custom" magazines using their favorite parts of other magazines.



The site is entirely free and does not even include advertisements meaning the owners are not making a profit on the sharing of copyrighted content.

Time Warner, owner of Time and many other high profile magazines, does not like seeing their magazines posted for free, especially with the ad pages stripped out. Because the site actively encourages its users to share copyrighted materials, it can be held liable in the US but therein lies Time's problem.

Mygazines is registered in Anguilla and hosted by the infamous host PRQ of Sweden. PRQ is owned by the founders of the The Pirate Bay, the public torrent tracker that remains in full strength despite years of American companies trying to get it shut down.

Has Mygazines found its way around the jurisdiction of U.S. copyright law? For the most part it seems it has and even if the company is sued in the US, there is no way that anyone would show up to court.

The only way the magazine publishers can get the site shut down is to get Sweden to intervene of have VeriSign, which maintains the master .com database to get the site shut down.

For now though, Time's latest announcement and the subsequent news will surely bring more users to the site which already counts 16,000 active users.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Aug 2008 16:58

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• 19 comments

• Run4two

  Thanks for the article. Cool website that I never would of known about and now will frequent.

  17.8.2008 18:02 #1

• mostopher

  Originally posted by Run4two: Thanks for the article. Cool website that I never would of known about and now will frequent.I concur! I've lost count of how many "useful" webites I've found after some corporate eijit talks about them!

  17.8.2008 18:05 #2

• piloting1

  Thanks for the info. it is a pretty cool site.

  17.8.2008 18:21 #3

• ZippyDSM

  its nice to see content that's already made a profit be shared for free as it should be. ^^

  17.8.2008 20:26 #4

• DRokKer

  great stuff. im all for this.

  17.8.2008 21:16 #5

• DRokKer

  Originally posted by DRokKer: great stuff. im all for this.
  EDIT: looked at a random magazine, all i saw as I flicked through the pages was, double a4 adverts for tag,channel,dior ect. very chic im sure.
  is this a response to time Warner complaining? if so id like to register my complaint. I was expecting to see articles. from real journalists about stuff that they think I didn't know about. then have them subliminally sell their ideas to me and be told that its the thing everyone's into ect. if im not into their way of thinking then........ I need hanging from the nearest lamp post.
  who's fu**ed up here myzine or time Warner? ill let Howard Beale explain...
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_qgVn-Op7Q&NR=1
  
  but no i was wrong all i got was airbrushed pictures of fantasy humans.
  pfffft go figure!

  17.8.2008 21:49 #6

• varnull

  cor strewth!!... town and country.. real dentists waiting room stuff there. I was forced to look at "Wood" magazine, just for the "huh huh huh huh" factor of the title.. It's a one track geek fest with some wonderful articles like the imaginatively titled “ Wise Buys: Bandsaw Fences” and other real gems.. errrrr.. wood stuff...
  
  Not bad, but I don't find much interest in the general glossies anyway.. everything is too expensive and I don't think the writers actually live in the real world. They seem to inhabit the place where your bra hasn't gone grey with being washed 3000 times and your kitchen floor is always shiny... hehehehehe
  

  
  
  Free open source software = made by end users who want an application to work. An engineer with a single tool in his toolbox is an idiot, not an engineer

  17.8.2008 22:10 #7

• SProdigy

  Time Warner has their head up their arse. We know this. Future Media's Maximum PC magazine has years of PDF archives on their website for FREE.
  
  Why? Because after the current issue is no longer, um, current, what's the use? There may be a relevant article that pertains to 1% of the readers that will look for a back issue to find it, and the only other means other than the internet, would be to find it at the local library, which is, um, free.
  
  So WTF Time Warner? I can only see a real complaint if the current issues stumble out there. Get with the rest of the world. Even though they have different wings, this is the same conglomerate that wants to ruin Guitar Hero and Rock Band with large royalties, is testing caps on broadband bandwidth, toots their horn that anti-piracy measures is what made The Dark Knight a success, and the crooks that put the nail in the coffin for HD-DVD by taking a huge Sony payout. So Time Warner, what's next?

  17.8.2008 22:38 #8

• susieqbbb

  Problem shut them down go ahead but they will just be up and running under another name
  
  You are getting mad that people are actually reading your magazines and you are not making a profeit off of it well that is because no one is going to pay 9.99 for a magazine that sucks to begin with and yet you haven't gone after ebook torrents that are distributing your garbage on a daily bases.

  18.8.2008 02:19 #9

• OneMember

  Yes, thank you Time Warner for letting us know about that site =)

  18.8.2008 05:24 #10

• SProdigy

  Originally posted by susieqbbb: no one is going to pay 9.99 for a magazine that sucks to begin withAnd $5-$10 magazines at B&N you can pick up a yearly subscription for $12.

  18.8.2008 09:46 #11

• atomicxl

  Originally posted by susieqbbb: Problem shut them down go ahead but they will just be up and running under another name
  
  You are getting mad that people are actually reading your magazines and you are not making a profeit off of it well that is because no one is going to pay 9.99 for a magazine that sucks to begin with and yet you haven't gone after ebook torrents that are distributing your garbage on a daily bases.#1 Time is like $3.99
  #2 Its a good magazine
  #3 If it truly sucks why waste time reading it whether offline or online.
  
  I think the site should be shut down or they should at least remove copyrighted material. I don't get whats so hard about not stealing or why people in the last 10 years have come to the idea that they should never have to pay for anything.
  
  If you think Time isn't worth reading, don't read it. If you like it, buy the magazine. $4 is not expensive for a magazine, neither is 99 cents too much for a song, or $9.99 too much for a cd. If you think the product sucks, don't buy it. Don't read/listen to it every day, argue in forums about how great it is and then turn around and say its actually crap and thats why you don't buy it. Something doesn't add up.

  18.8.2008 11:45 #12

• SProdigy

  Quote:Originally posted by susieqbbb: Problem shut them down go ahead but they will just be up and running under another name
  
  You are getting mad that people are actually reading your magazines and you are not making a profeit off of it well that is because no one is going to pay 9.99 for a magazine that sucks to begin with and yet you haven't gone after ebook torrents that are distributing your garbage on a daily bases.#1 Time is like $3.99
  #2 Its a good magazine
  #3 If it truly sucks why waste time reading it whether offline or online.
  
  I think the site should be shut down or they should at least remove copyrighted material. I don't get whats so hard about not stealing or why people in the last 10 years have come to the idea that they should never have to pay for anything.
  
  If you think Time isn't worth reading, don't read it. If you like it, buy the magazine. $4 is not expensive for a magazine, neither is 99 cents too much for a song, or $9.99 too much for a cd. If you think the product sucks, don't buy it. Don't read/listen to it every day, argue in forums about how great it is and then turn around and say its actually crap and thats why you don't buy it. Something doesn't add up.While I do agree Time is a good magazine, $4 EVERY week adds up over time. Most people get suckered on these subscriptions, while I think I got Time for free or a very deep discount, delivered to my door all the time. Not to mention a lot of the "female reading" like Cosmo, still sells for $5 or more, and it's the size of a phone book, 2/3 of it paid for by advertisements. It's a ripoff.
  
  Take down the current stuff. Archive the old stuff. Sounds like a fair middleground to me.

  18.8.2008 12:48 #13

• georgeluv

  Burn Baby Burn!!!
  
  Burn the dog-eat-dog social failure known as capitalism to the ground and piss on its ashes!
  
  if only they could get thier streaming video site to work, when that happens be prepared to see the US threaten Sweden into submission.

  18.8.2008 13:29 #14

• atomicxl

  Quote:Quote:Originally posted by susieqbbb: Problem shut them down go ahead but they will just be up and running under another name
  
  You are getting mad that people are actually reading your magazines and you are not making a profeit off of it well that is because no one is going to pay 9.99 for a magazine that sucks to begin with and yet you haven't gone after ebook torrents that are distributing your garbage on a daily bases.#1 Time is like $3.99
  #2 Its a good magazine
  #3 If it truly sucks why waste time reading it whether offline or online.
  
  I think the site should be shut down or they should at least remove copyrighted material. I don't get whats so hard about not stealing or why people in the last 10 years have come to the idea that they should never have to pay for anything.
  
  If you think Time isn't worth reading, don't read it. If you like it, buy the magazine. $4 is not expensive for a magazine, neither is 99 cents too much for a song, or $9.99 too much for a cd. If you think the product sucks, don't buy it. Don't read/listen to it every day, argue in forums about how great it is and then turn around and say its actually crap and thats why you don't buy it. Something doesn't add up.While I do agree Time is a good magazine, $4 EVERY week adds up over time. Most people get suckered on these subscriptions, while I think I got Time for free or a very deep discount, delivered to my door all the time. Not to mention a lot of the "female reading" like Cosmo, still sells for $5 or more, and it's the size of a phone book, 2/3 of it paid for by advertisements. It's a ripoff.
  
  Take down the current stuff. Archive the old stuff. Sounds like a fair middleground to me.Time owns the content. I hate the idea that content owners have to work out a "middleground" with crooks and thieves. The same crooks who allege to be fans or to respect the work. And what type of middle ground would this be? Theres no middle ground. Middle ground would be like that site saying they'll pay Time to host articles or saying they'll only post articles approved by Time... not Time totally bowing down to their demands. Thats not a middle ground nor is it a compromise.
  
  Also, why is it so "evil" for people who spend money to create and publish content to want to control how the stuff they worked hard for and paid for is used.
  
  Time isn't some uber-conservative puppet of the right wing. I'm not sure why they are getting so much hate on Afterdawn. You'd think this article was about Fox News calling some web company terrorists for hosting their magazines.

  18.8.2008 16:44 #15

• SProdigy

  AOL Time Warner is the conglomerate and a part of the RIAA and MPAA. I have no idea why anyone would dislike them *snickers*.
  
  Dude, all I'm trying to say is, if I don't want to buy the magazine, I can just take a 2 minute stroll down to the library and pick up ANY issue they have cataloged there. Hell, even some newspapers and magazines are on microfilm, which is an archived format, and you can print that out at will. What Mygazines is doing is not much different than bringing that concept into the digital age.
  
  And before I get hated on for saying the above, yes, I do believe they own the content and should do whatever they want with it, but at some point, these companies need to wake up and smell the roses: print media is dying a slow death.

  18.8.2008 18:17 #16

• cousinkix

  OK, lets ban those public libraries! The masses can borrow most of TIME-WARNER's books, magazines CDs and videos for FREE at a government owned facility. Time to file copyright lawsuits against thousands of city and county library boards and demand royalties from them too. Borrowing these Free-Bees generates no revenue for the authors and publishers either.
  
  Ted-Turner masquerades as an evironmentalist in the Al Gore tradion; but this hypocrite is still tied to a system of killing trees, making paper and printing old fashioned books. And you would think that he might be a pioneer in hosting books and magazines on line. WRONG again. His millions of $$$ in TIME-WARNER stock talks and consistency walks the plank...

  18.8.2008 21:05 #17

• Blackjax

  Not mentioning names here so those who defend so vehemently read on.
  
  
  The reason this company gets soooo much hate is a culmination of everything they have done, see sprodigy's earlier post please. If it weren't for people already buying their magazines, books, movies, and music do you honestly think they would continue in that business?
  
  As for people posting current issues I concur that that should not be done but as for old issues..... well if those were to be controlled until the end of time (as said company wants it) then they better break out with the lawsuits against all public libraries, dentist and doctors offices (coming soon to a courtroom near you). Posting articles to the web just makes it easier to find a particular article(s) and may in fact help to increase the circulation of some magazines (why does PCMAG do this?). Most of the CEO's of these companies need to have an operation to have their head removed from their rear and get with the times. I am all for a company making a profit but there is a point when it becomes glutenous. For an example see the profits from the oil companies...
  
  EPIPHANY!!!!!!!!
  
  I figured it out! All the media companies are jealous of the oil companies! Now if they can just figure out a way to make all vehicles run on low octane music, books and movies they would have it made!

  19.8.2008 05:07 #18

• NHS2008

  I am gonna help out SOMEONE!
  Who would like me to post a Tut on how to D/l Full mags from that site?

  23.8.2008 10:06 #19