Camp Chase Gazette and the Watchdog

[Guy Gane III]

Re: Ripped Off

My condolences concerning this event and I am glad to hear things are working out. I think we would all suffer if you stopped writing, glad to hear you won't give it up.


Cheers,

[RangerSWB]

Re: Ripped Off

Strength to your arm sir.

...any strange and much-talked-of event is always followed by imitation, the world being so well supplied with excitable people who only need a little stirring up to make them lose what is left of their heads and do mad things which they would not have thought of ordinarily. - Mark Twain

Ranger
27th VA, Co. D
Stonewall Brigade

[ElizabethClark]

Re: Ripped Off

Mr. Walters, don't forget to re-format your signature file by clicking on the USER CP link in the top navigation bar--your name is no longer showing up on your post signature (all were lost in the crash!)

[CWDfifteen]

Re: Ripped Off

Doesn't CWH copyright articles to CWH for one year and then the rights revert back to the author?

This does not sound shameful to me, it sounds illegal.
Curt
Not a Lawyer Mess

Curt, 100% of the rights are held by the author. We do ask for an agreement that the work not appear in another publication for 1 year, but even that is negotiable. We try to work with authors to come to agreements that are amenable to all parties. We try to be a resource for reenactors in every way we can, and that includes helping authors get their work before the public.

What CCG did was steal Kevin's words. CWH has no ownership of the words, only the artwork. We did hire an attorney and have him pursue a remedy on Kevin's behalf, but Civil War Historian itself has no case against CCG, as they didn't steal our page design.
Patrick Ertel
Publisher
Civil War Historian

[Silas]

Re: Ripped Off

Much time has passed since this came to light. What has CCG done for you to make amends?

[Spinster]

Re: Ripped Off

Now Silas, you know those sorts of wheels grind slowly.

At least on the 19th, Kevin reported that those people had actually showed up at the table to talk.

Which is some improvement over the situation at Perryville, when that issue of the CC was still being sold openly, and the CC had not even answered the letters the CWH had sent to them.

Got my popcorn, watching from the cheap seats,

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Ripped Off

We are continuing communications with CCG to resolve the matter, and I want to thank everyone who's written on the forums or to me via e-mail or forum PM to express support.

One minor correction to Patrick's note above: CWH gave the article its printed title of "Taking Hits..." (my original title and as it will appear in the CRRC 2nd Ed. was "'Howling Dervishes Dancing and Kicking Around in Our Ranks': The Behavior of Soldiers Wounded in Battle"--from a quote by Lt. John Mead Gould of the 10th Maine at the battle of Cedar Moutain in August 1862) and CCG used CWH's title for the piece, which is Case No. 1 as to where CCG or their "contributor" got the text of the article from.

Patrick is correct that CWH owns the artwork in CWH's fine layout on the article and that CCG used different illustrations and a different layout.

[Toney]

Re: Ripped Off

Kevin,

CCG has done it again with the use of pictures in an article on scabbards. In this article the author has borrowed pictures from Robert Reilly’s book on bayonet scabbards. I really can not wait until my subscription is up.

Joe Toney

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Ripped Off

Sometimes it may appear that hobbyist magazines that appeal to a fairly small audience are little more than extravagant newsletters instead of a magazine like, say, "Newsweek". That could possibly lead to a reduced journalistic standard, whether it's relative to plagarism of articles or unauthorized use of images, or use of pennames and unsigned articles (no byline), or articles that end mid-sentence.

Of course, any magazine sold for money on magazine racks should, I believe, hold itself to higher standards.

[Gary of CA]

Re: Ripped Off

Kevin,

I'm shocked to hear that this has happened and wish you the best of luck in recovering any damages against the individual who plagarized your work. Writer agreements usually have the "author" acknowledge that the work is original and that they bear responsibility for it as well as to defend the publication.

Gary

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Ripped Off

Gary,

Indeed they do, but in the numerous articles I have submitted to CCG and CWH over the years, as well as some I sent to "Civil War News" in the past, did not have any type of publisher/author agreement, either in writing or even verbal.

[Charles Heath]

Re: Ripped Off

Folks,

This saga has yet another chapter. :angry_smi

The latest turn of events leaves me nearly speechless. While many of you will view that as a good thing, some others will learn a little more in the next few days that will leave you just as amazed, shocked, stunned, and ready to round up a posse.

Please consider a few actions on your part that may reinforce a message that evidently needs to be reinforced in a big way.

Advertising

Regular Advertisers - Seriously consider taking your hobby related advertising elsewhere. A CW product or services vendor has several other options with publications from other firms these days.

Classified Advertisers - Ditto for the above. You too have options.

Event Listers - Don't even bother to send in the little event blurb for "The Battle of Something Local" this time around, not that this end of the hobby uses that feature very often.

Readers

Subscribers - When the subscription runs out, let it run out. Let the subscriptions expire for one, two, and perhaps all three of the publications essentially by the same firm.

Sutler Row Purchasers - If you buy one or all of these publications at events, then consider buying something else.

Sutler Row Coordinators - As bad as your event may need the revenue from Skinner Row, think twice about letting these people set up their booths at your event.

Writers (if any)

Article Contributors - Not that many of these exist anymore, but you too have options for publication elsewhere.

Why be an enabler?

It is often said controversy sells paper. In most cases people would be encouraged to write letters to the editor to voice their concerns and stir up a great big fun read. Don't write a dang line to the editor. Not one. That would provide fodder for column inches, and if you want to really send a message, then a magazine with few advertisers, few column inches of filler to fit between the practically nonexistent ads, and few purchasers won't be around too long.

This boggles the mind.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Ripped Off

The balls of the same publication and its contributor(s) (do they have more than one?) to go to the well a second and third time is simply unbelievable.

We are assembling our documentation and preparing the necessary notices to initiate action on the new problems. Honestly, each issue of this magazine becomes more interesting than the previous one.

I won't say anything else on it at this time until my comrade who was also injured along with me in the latest round can prepare the first draft of the notices and consult with our attorneys.

[Spinster]

Re: Ripped Off

:confused_

The nearest thing to a gap-jawed open-mouthed icon that we have.

[tjpedersen]

Re: Ripped Off

Well, here they go again. Opened up the November/December CCG (it lapses in February), read an article about army mules and I got this feeling of de ja vu. Pulled out my copy of Hardtack and Coffee and sure enough, paragraphs copied word for word from the chapter on the army mule. Heck, just read the first sentence in the article and look at the first sentence in the chapter from the book.