Pinewood derby Ripoff Site

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MaxV
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Pinewood derby Ripoff Site

Post by MaxV »

Beware - there is a new site selling a speed tip booklet at:

http://www.pinewoodcarsecrets.com/index.htm

The site is located in Africa. It is using several stolen copyrighted photos on the site, and the booklet is a compilation of my booklet (Speed to the Finish) and a few other booklets. Please pass this along to your pinewood derby friends and ask them not to purchase from this site.
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gpraceman
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Re: Pinewood derby Ripoff Site

Post by gpraceman »

MaxV wrote:The site is located in Africa. It is using several stolen copyrighted photos on the site, and the booklet is a compilation of my booklet (Speed to the Finish) and a few other booklets. Please pass this along to your pinewood derby friends and ask them not to purchase from this site.
Thanks for reporting that site. I guess it was only a matter of time before this sport grew popular enough for the scam artists to start coming out of the woodwork (pun intended). I've seen some ripoffs on eBay, but this goes far beyond that. I do recognize several images from your site, Cory Young's site and others.

Can you tell about the booklet from the info on that site, or did you get a hold of the booklet?

With warnings I have heard from my credit card processor about scam artists in the East European countries, Russia and Africa, I would not recommend anyone purchasing anything from these countries. Who knows what they would do once they got a hold of your credit card number.
Randy Lisano
Romans 5:8

Awana Grand Prix and Pinewood Derby racing - Where a child, an adult and a small block of wood combine for a lot of fun and memories.
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Stan Pope
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Re: Pinewood derby Ripoff Site

Post by Stan Pope »

Many instances of online infringement (in this case both the web page and the e-book) can be handled first through the individual and then through his ISP. These are "low cost" alternatives to formal legal action.

This approach appears to apply since WHOIS shows registrar as

Current Registrar: TUCOWS INC.
IP Address: 208.179.130.244 (ARIN & RIPE IP search)
IP Location: US(UNITED STATES)-CALIFORNIA-REDONDO BEACH
and more detail:
Registrant:
ICNM
PO Box 99217
Garsfontein-east
Pretoria, NA 0060
ZA

Domain name: PINEWOODCARSECRETS.COM

Administrative Contact:
Henning, Francois francois@icnm.co.za
PO Box 99217
Garsfontein-east
Pretoria, NA 0060
ZA
+27.129984272
Technical Contact:
Administration, Domain billing@hostica.com
2309 Torrance Blvd. #200
Torrance, CA 90501
US
+1.3102120190 Fax: +1.3102120191

So, if the direct approach fails, action via the CA contact should yield results.

It has been a while since I cited all the appropriate regs, but The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 in US (if it is still good?) http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf should be useful basis. (This is not a legal opinion... I'm not a lawyer! But the approach has been generally successful for me.)

--- I edited this to fix the name of the law and to supply the url. ---
Stan
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nosam116
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Re: Pinewood derby Ripoff Site

Post by nosam116 »

The information available by users of the forum are just outstandings.
Thanks
Each day is a good race day!
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Stan Pope
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Re: Pinewood derby Ripoff Site

Post by Stan Pope »

It appears that efforts may have been successful ... the site at http://www.pinewoodcarsecrets.com/index.htm has removed the material that I could identify as "probably offending." Cory's beautiful graphic is no longer on the site masthead. Nor is the booklet with Cory's graphic on the front and whatever is inside it being touted.

Good work, guys!
Stan
"If it's not for the boys, it's for the birds!"
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Cory
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Re: Pinewood derby Ripoff Site

Post by Cory »

Stan Pope wrote:It appears that efforts may have been successful ... the site at http://www.pinewoodcarsecrets.com/index.htm has removed the material that I could identify as "probably offending." Cory's beautiful graphic is no longer on the site masthead. Nor is the booklet with Cory's graphic on the front and whatever is inside it being touted.

Good work, guys!
Actually, MaxV just found more possibly illegal content , this time not hanging off what is now a mostly-legal main page, and at least as serious as what had been found previously. That copyright holder has also been notified.

Stan, I agree, though, so far the gentlemen has been pretty responsive.

Thanks go to MaxV for his vigilance and expertise in this matter.
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dave4him
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Re: Pinewood derby Ripoff Site

Post by dave4him »

This 'scam' site is, it seems, unraveling. Since they've been caught stealing copyrighted material, the site is completely changed. To enter the site now, you have to submit your email, :arrow: which I'm sure they will sell. :x I started to submit a bogus email, just to get back in, but chose to stay out. "You don't have take the lid off a sewer to know what's in there" :shock: Even the policy links are all dead links - 404 errors.

May they, (the site), die a peaceful, but necessary death. :|

And the people behind it, well, they just need the Lord :!:
David L. Barnes
"Reaching boys and girls with the Gospel of Christ, to train them to serve Him"
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Stan Pope
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Re: Pinewood derby Ripoff Site

Post by Stan Pope »

As far as I can tell, there is no "in" on the iste. A newsletter sign-up page and an acknowledgement page. All of the links are dead ... were they "borrowed text" also? Is there more?

I entered with a throwaway email addy, of course.
Stan
"If it's not for the boys, it's for the birds!"
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colopwdfan
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Re: Pinewood derby Ripoff Site

Post by colopwdfan »

THIS SITE IS BACK UP AND RUNNING!!!
John Row
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