Do Not Steal Layouts

For the record, WordPress does not condone site vandalism.

Question: Is it really vandalism when all you’ve done is change the javascript on *your* site? Discuss.

An interesting question, Kafkaesqui. It’s quite clear that the intent of modifying the javascript was to cause harm to another site.

So then is switching out a hot-linked image (a method practiced often) a form of defacement?

I don’t know.

You raised an interesting question. It’s complicated. I don’t have the breadth of experience to know all of the details, or have definitive answers for every situation.

If you don’t link anywhere to take content, then code can’t be altered …..

I say that if someone alters something that you are using without permission, then there’s nothing illegal about it. It’d be like my neighbors suing me for changing my cable setup which they’re tapped into, thereby breaking the stolen cable.

No, but rigging the cable to pump the Spice Channel when their kids turned on Disney Channel might be kinda wrong. Legal issues aside.

The difference is, this is a notice about him stealing a theme, not a huge picture of the goatse guy or something

hah, the goatse guy, now that would have been classic. How long before they notice, seems like its been a few hours…

[edit]
Although, since he did copy, he probably has no clue whats causing it, when he viewes source, it looks like what it should. DOPE!

Well, you might update the file to print the message in Spanish as well as English…

skippy, no sweat. I threw out the questions because I found this interesting as well. I tend to be against the pseudo-defacement method of getting back at people doing this sort of thing, but I’m not sure where the line in all this is effectively drawn. I think a good case can be made on both sides of the argument, therein my “discuss.”

Anyone stealing design AND bandwidth is just asking for it. Bigtime.

And, if the response is done in such a way that the ripper’s actual server and site is not touched in any way, shape or form, that is just poetic justice- though I might have gotten a bit more creative about what to show on the ripper’s page, maybe even disgustingly creative *evil grin* In fact, if anyone needs some rather unbelievable images for the purpose, contact me. Heh!

I don’t think dropping to immaturity would be the greatest thing ever, but its realy up to Shawn Grimes.

“It’s quite clear that the intent of modifying the javascript was to cause harm to another site”

How is this so? it’s _not_ clear to me at all that the intent was to cause harm to another site. You can do whatever you like on your own site, after all it is _your_ site. So why should anybody else using the code and your bandwidth be taken into consideration at all?

I don’t get where the ambiguity lies.