b3ta.com board
You are not logged in. Login or Signup
Home » Messageboard » XXX » Message 7788948 (Thread)

# o hai web-sleuths. mini-challenge ahoy.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
this is john giacobbi, listed as both the managing director and president of web sheriff. he's the clown who sent all of us nasty messages, but i think he may be in a bit of trouble himself. it appears (i did some quick poking about, someone here please do some more) that web sheriff are just a consulting and promotions firm and are not staffed by lawyers. if this is the case and they've sent out emails and letters while pretending to be actual certified lawyers, they are the ones in a heap of trouble (at least here in canada). i've sent photobucket notice of this, too. they've closed off bits of their website very recently, which is always suspicious.

i found a blog (yes, i know. not the ideal source) which investigated them and turned up some interesting stuff here. if you're further interested, read the exchange between web sheriff and pirate bay.

anyway, since the prince challenge is dead, let's see what you can do with john giacobbi. the 'spam' message is on his shirt, by the way - i didn't add it.
(I helped save b3ta! postbear has metal knees, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:18, archived)
# I liked this.
I really hope this isn't the case as it just reflects worse on rob for caving into these people.
(I helped save b3ta! hanke murphy, I'm a mess, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:22, archived)
# what rob does is his business. he may have reacted quickly for reasons unknown to us.
i just think that we have the right and obligation to ensure that those who enforce the law are held responsible to doing so fairly, equitable and legally. these webdicks appear to be pretending some and overstepping the boundaries of what is legal, so i have no option but to challenge them.
(I helped save b3ta! postbear has metal knees, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:27, archived)
# And I bet pretending to be a lwayer in the US is just as serious
with all the oaths and "I'm an officer of the court" business, it's got to be something you don't do.
(I helped save b3ta! hanke murphy, I'm a mess, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:30, archived)
# i would think it's serious everywhere, but i'm no law person.
i did call my lawyer today, though. she was amused as hell but i could answer only 10% of her questions.
(I helped save b3ta! postbear has metal knees, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:35, archived)
# nah
it's not like it was that big of a deal... it was just a compo

If I were him, I'd also have quickly said I couldn't be arsed to deal with it
(I helped save b3ta! Sexy Picard 2000, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:35, archived)
# really?
things like this automatically get my back up. send me a nasty letter with a threat and fully expect you'll have to put a gun to my head to make me do what you want.

and, given the situation here (plainfaced parody), web sheriff can blow me.
(I helped save b3ta! postbear has metal knees, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:38, archived)
# I agree that it's annoy but
it wasn't lost on me that Rob ended the compo on the day that the compo would normally have ended anyway (Wednesday). The "apology" is just something that'll be on the front page. It's not like anyone here actually feel sorry.
(I helped save b3ta! Ratsta, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:57, archived)
# i 5% suspect it's a prank on rob's part. sort of.
i feel sorry for people who think that their faces and sillyass symbols are in any way their property. it shows such a myopic, conservative worldview that indicates just how base and shallow their values are.
(I helped save b3ta! postbear has metal knees, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 6:05, archived)
# Well that
and he wants his live performances to be something you can't get anywhere else: you get to actually see what the living embodiment of sexual trauma looks like.

www.b3ta.com/board/7786365

I don't know how renting his movie(s) fits into this "ingenious" new business model, but needless to say he's lost the last screw. He really thinks he can get something off the internet.
(I helped save b3ta! hanke murphy, I'm a mess, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 6:11, archived)
# i'm reminded of a silly incident from the past....
when i was in university, vhs (remember those) rental shops started being a big deal. there was a city coucillor where i lived who started to crow about poor movie studios and theatres who were losing billions of dollars to the rental shops and libraries who offered the films for a few dollars or for free.

some few hundred people very publicly pointed out to him that used bookshops and libraries had been selling and loaning out books for many, many years and the publishing industry hadn't collapsed, so he shut the hell up.

technology changes, business models must adapt. that's a simple fact of life and prince and sony and web sheriff can learn or die.
(I helped save b3ta! postbear has metal knees, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 6:21, archived)
# The compo seemed to be set up to challenge Princes abuse of his of the rights he claims for himself
and why let this doofus erode our rights to make the kind of pictures that make this board tic?

It seems like a shift in position. It didn't feel like "hey let's ring Prince's doorbell and run away because he really hates that" it felt more like "Prince that's just silly you think you own your image. We're going to do the opposite of what you want us to and fuck you if you don't like it."
(I helped save b3ta! hanke murphy, I'm a mess, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:40, archived)
# yeah, but Rob's not staunchly principled, from what I can tell
or at least he chooses his battles.

he generally gets an idea and runs with it, then when it starts to get tedious, he lets it go...

I think it's understandable given that this was a fight he didn't have to pick in the first place. We made our point, got a couple articles written about us, and that's about all we should expect, I think...

b3ta hardly has the reputation to be ideological standard-bearers, at least not with any real success
(I helped save b3ta! Sexy Picard 2000, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:45, archived)
# He's entitled to do what he wants
but really he didn't need to bow his head this time. From what I can tell the British media likes him at least a little bit and Prince is just being insane and to boot the company they're sending us scary letters through has no teeth.

And for fucks sake I thought "we love the web" meant something.

And also what keeps all those other celebrities we wind up from just doing the same damn thing and just making this a website of creative commons kitten pictures and scribbly animations of nondescript blobs?
(I helped save b3ta! hanke murphy, I'm a mess, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 6:00, archived)
# You're making him sound like some kind of unprincipled cunt.
The guy runs a fun messageboard for the general public. He could just as easily choose not to and his life would probably be a lot simpler.

There is no fucking way in hell that I'm going to criticise him for not defending my "rights" to parody. I know I sure wouldn't defend his or yours.
(I helped save b3ta! Ratsta, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 6:00, archived)
# what?
i'd defend your rights, and i expect you to defend mine. that's the way society works, or we all have to succumb to the biggest current bullies.
(I helped save b3ta! postbear has metal knees, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 6:02, archived)
# If I was the host of this here b3ta thingy...
I would do my best to ensure freedom of expression, an environment of fun etc etc, but I wouldn't put my liberty, wallet, marriage or mortgage on the line in order to ensure your ability to publish CDCs on images of celeb du jour. Rob's given us a fabbo place to play hookey and I feel that aside from some moderation to keep the louts away, his "responsibility" ends there.

If Rob doesn't want to deal with the nausea of legal suits caused by the actions of a bunch of people he doesn't know, then that's fine with me!

If people really want to do things that place them knowingly in a line of fire, that's their problem and they can/should find another forum in which to get shot.
(I helped save b3ta! Ratsta, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 6:56, archived)
# This ^
(I helped save b3ta! kinks rock over London, rock on Chicago, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 7:35, archived)
# This ^
what's the point in dealing with all that crap just for a bit of a laugh :) I'd have totally done the same too
(I helped save b3ta! Xkimo was at work on, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:42, archived)
# the compo was for a week only, after that people would've been getting their teeth into a new image challenge
but no, they couldn't just let it rest without incedent, they had to get it cancelled on the last day and cause a big rukus - now EVERYONE'S going to know they (prince & the so-called sheriff's) are complete twunts, acting as if they're running to teacher because they don't like what someone said about them
so long as Rob doesn't outright ban any prince related japery, b3tan's are probably going to strech this out for *months*, it's also probably going to seep into several more news websites, and blogs/forums - more and more people are going to find out what a twat prince is being

I think the only way fans etc. would have a prince amnesty (remove all material) is if prince himslf went into hiding for the rest of his life or disappeared completely off the plane
(I helped save b3ta! Haku Orange Whip? Orange Whip? Three Orange Whips., Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:49, archived)
# YES
(I helped save b3ta! Tahkcalb ω∞ for sigs, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:54, archived)
# Web Sheriff & that guy reminds me of that kid in school who goes
"Uuummm, I'm telling teacher"
(I helped save b3ta! Haku Orange Whip? Orange Whip? Three Orange Whips., Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:24, archived)
# NARC!
(I helped save b3ta! postbear has metal knees, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:27, archived)
# CRAND
(I helped save b3ta! Bloop Fri 16 Jul, 22:10, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:33, archived)
# CRAND: THE NEW SNARN?
YOU DECIDE!
(I helped save b3ta! postbear has metal knees, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:58, archived)
# Hello John
(I helped save b3ta! Bloop Fri 16 Jul, 22:10, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:36, archived)
# hi! i'm a dick!
(I helped save b3ta! postbear has metal knees, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:39, archived)
# Hello Dick!
Do you have a *rince Albert?
(I helped save b3ta! Ratsta, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 6:58, archived)
# Technorati tags have a few dozen items going back less than a year.
Some other small bits. But all less than one year and
related to this small subset(midget shit, surly!?![hehe]).
(I helped save b3ta! Tahkcalb ω∞ for sigs, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:45, archived)
# yep. and arctic monkeys and the shins.
the artists' merit isn't a concern of mine (though the fact that web sheriff has a village people mp3 on their website is hilarious), just the fact that they are being dicks, probably with no legal standing.
(I helped save b3ta! postbear has metal knees, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:52, archived)
# They have surely bitten in now.
It will be interesting to see what bites back.
/popcorn-blog blog
(I helped save b3ta! Tahkcalb ω∞ for sigs, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:57, archived)
# i have no resources so i'm a good person for them to sue.
let fatfaced wopacobbi and his pet pop monkey come for me.
(I helped save b3ta! postbear has metal knees, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 6:00, archived)
# Or "Bums back" in your case.
Hahaha!
*wants videos of it*

Suit: "You post under the alias postbear?
pb[leans forward]: "My post is in, more often than not."
Suit[blushing]: "I ah, ah..."
(I helped save b3ta! Tahkcalb ω∞ for sigs, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 6:07, archived)
# heh. bring them on!
just having the jury have to review my crappy pics would be a chuckle.
(I helped save b3ta! postbear has metal knees, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 6:10, archived)
# OH MY, YES.
(I helped save b3ta! gronkpan @vomitinglarry.bsky.social, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:47, archived)
# you look like a lawyer.
get on the case, dewd.
(I helped save b3ta! postbear has metal knees, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 5:53, archived)
# lawyers dont have SHIT on gronkpan!
/fact.
(I helped save b3ta! Sir Pigeon Nipples Did you sit in some sugar?, Thu 15 Nov 2007, 6:16, archived)