This user stole my PS and DS Forum

[ben4847]

you should've copyrighted that shit.

it is copyrighted automatically under US law. sue his a$$ off.

[kwais]

Yeah, seriously. Here is what you should do:

1. E-mail a TLS moderator and ask how to proceed.
2. Contact LSAC and tell them what happened. Attach copies of the e-mails from the guy/girl who stole it.

Then, I would e-mail/call the admissions offices for each school you applied to and do the same thing.

Also, if you wanted to, you could probably take legal action.

Are you just pulling ideas out of your ass?

Do NOT contact admissions and say, "Hey I couldn't edit my own personal statements so I sent them to some stranger on an internet forum without investigating who the fuck he was and he stole them."

right, because admissions people don't think that people seek feedback and editing help. I've talked to the admissions people at my school and they are...wait for it... people. Be honest with them

[emkay625]

Yeah, seriously. Here is what you should do:

1. E-mail a TLS moderator and ask how to proceed.
2. Contact LSAC and tell them what happened. Attach copies of the e-mails from the guy/girl who stole it.

Then, I would e-mail/call the admissions offices for each school you applied to and do the same thing.

Also, if you wanted to, you could probably take legal action.

Are you just pulling ideas out of your ass?

Do NOT contact admissions and say, "Hey I couldn't edit my own personal statements so I sent them to some stranger on an internet forum without investigating who the fuck he was and he stole them."

1. Yes. It's Thanksgiving and I'm bored.
2. doesn't that seem better than just submitting and crossing your fingers that you didn't apply to the same school?

Or, OP, you could just rewrite.

[DocHawkeye]

you should've copyrighted that shit.

I'm not a lawyer but isn't copyright passively vested in the creator? Registration of that copyright is something of a different matter.

Dude, I was kidding.

Studying for finals has killed my ability to anything but spot legal issues. I hope my sense of humor will return next month.

[outsidethescope]

Be honest with them

Any school that doesn't appreciate honesty doesn't deserve your business.

I agree with contacting LSAC. This sounds too much like blackmail to just let it go.

[gaud]

they are...wait for it... people.

wait what!? they're people?

lol

[071816]

you should've copyrighted that shit.

I'm not a lawyer but isn't copyright passively vested in the creator? Registration of that copyright is something of a different matter.

Dude, I was kidding.

Studying for finals has killed my ability to anything but spot legal issues. I hope my sense of humor will return next month.

lol I feel ya. I'm a 1L who hasn't taken copyright so I'm pretty ignorant about it.

[gtown2010]

OP, you still haven't mentioned why you suspect that your PS/DS were stolen ..

[emkay625]

Also, if you wanted to, you could probably take legal action.

Under what theory?

No clue.

Anybody who's currently a law student, any ideas?

[gaud]

OP, you still haven't mentioned why you suspect that your PS/DS were stolen ..

He's been emailing me after I said that I knew what he was up to. He said, "do what you want because you don't know my real name. I can use what I want."

[ben4847]

Also, if you wanted to, you could probably take legal action.

Under what theory?

No clue.

Anybody who's currently a law student, any ideas?

yes. I am. But this is not legal advice because I am not a lawyer.
If he reproduced it in any form without your consent, it is blatant copyright violation under the copyright statue. there are statutory penalties.
Copyright protection subsists, in accordance with this title, in original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device. Works of authorship include the following categories:(1) literary works; 17 U.S.C.A. § 102 (West)

Subject to sections 107 through 122, the owner of copyright under this title has the exclusive rights to do and to authorize any of the following:(1) to reproduce the copyrighted work in copies or phonorecords;(2) to prepare derivative works based upon the copyrighted work;(3) to distribute copies or phonorecords of the copyrighted work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending; 17 U.S.C.A. § 106 (West)

(a) Anyone who violates any of the exclusive rights of the copyright owner as provided by sections 106 through 122 or of the author as provided in section 106A(a), or who imports copies or phonorecords into the United States in violation of section 602, is an infringer of the copyright or right of the author, as the case may be. 17 U.S.C.A. § 501 (West)

(b) The legal or beneficial owner of an exclusive right under a copyright is entitled, subject to the requirements of section 411, to institute an action for any infringement of that particular right committed while he or she is the owner of it. 17 U.S.C.A. § 501 (West)

(a) In General.--Except as otherwise provided by this title, an infringer of copyright is liable for either--(1) the copyright owner's actual damages and any additional profits of the infringer, as provided by subsection (b); or(2) statutory damages, as provided by subsection (c). 17 U.S.C.A. § 504 (West)

(c) Statutory Damages.--(1) Except as provided by clause (2) of this subsection, the copyright owner may elect, at any time before final judgment is rendered, to recover, instead of actual damages and profits, an award of statutory damages for all infringements involved in the action, with respect to any one work, for which any one infringer is liable individually, or for which any two or more infringers are liable jointly and severally, in a sum of not less than $750 or more than $30,000 as the court considers just. For the purposes of this subsection, all the parts of a compilation or derivative work constitute one work.(2) In a case where the copyright owner sustains the burden of proving, and the court finds, that infringement was committed willfully, the court in its discretion may increase the award of statutory damages to a sum of not more than $150,000. In a case where the infringer sustains the burden of proving, and the court finds, that such infringer was not aware and had no reason to believe that his or her acts constituted an infringement of copyright, the court in its discretion may reduce the award of statutory damages to a sum of not less than $200. The court shall remit statutory damages in any case where an infringer believed and had reasonable grounds for believing that his or her use of the copyrighted work was a fair use under section 107, if the infringer was: (i) an employee or agent of a nonprofit educational institution, library, or archives acting within the scope of his or her employment who, or such institution, library, or archives itself, which infringed by reproducing the work in copies or phonorecords; or (ii) a public broadcasting entity which or a person who, as a regular part of the nonprofit activities of a public broadcasting entity (as defined in section 118(f)) infringed by performing a published nondramatic literary work or by reproducing a transmission program embodying a performance of such a work. 17 U.S.C.A. § 504 (West)

that good enough?

[emkay625]

A search for the user yielded this in his post history:

What are my chances at:
Cardozo
Fordam
Miami U
Brooklyn
U. of Florida
Emory

And a question about whether schools "would know" if he/she checked PR without being PR. seems a sketchy fellow.

Yeah... after reading through his posts he seems to be a shady character.

[ilovesf]

^ you have too much time.

[emkay625]

^ you have too much time.

Yeah. You're right.

I'm at my in-laws. Everyone else is outside putting up christmas lights. I've been assigned to stay inside and make sure the puppies (there are two here) don't eat anything. They're both currently sleeping.

Also, to be fair, he only had 7 posts.

[TrojanHopeful]

^ you have too much time.

Yeah. You're right.

I'm at my in-laws. Everyone else is outside putting up christmas lights. I've been assigned to stay inside and make sure the puppies (there are two here) don't eat anything. They're both currently sleeping.

Also, to be fair, he only had 7 posts.

I think the reference was to ben4847's post.

[MrPapagiorgio]

Also, if you wanted to, you could probably take legal action.

Under what theory?

No clue.

Anybody who's currently a law student, any ideas?

Are you being facetious?

[ilovesf]

^ you have too much time.

Yeah. You're right.

I'm at my in-laws. Everyone else is outside putting up christmas lights. I've been assigned to stay inside and make sure the puppies (there are two here) don't eat anything. They're both currently sleeping.

Also, to be fair, he only had 7 posts.

I think the reference was to ben4847's post.

it was. for some reason tls didn't notify me that someone posted between his post and my comment.

[MrKappus]

Legal action for copyright infringement for a 2-page PS? Anyone who tells you to do this is an idiot. Rewrite and be more discerning next time.

[bitterpessimist]

Cool story bro

[emkay625]

Also, if you wanted to, you could probably take legal action.

Under what theory?

No clue.

Anybody who's currently a law student, any ideas?

Are you being facetious?

A little.

More curious to see what would happen....

[chup]

Do I really have to point out that a federal lawsuit isn't the best course of action here? Jesus.

[Bildungsroman]

Legal action for copyright infringement for a 2-page PS? Anyone who tells you to do this is an idiot. Rewrite and be more discerning next time.

Seriously.

[soj]

Legal action for copyright infringement for a 2-page PS? Anyone who tells you to do this is an idiot. Rewrite and be more discerning next time.

And maybe write something unique and personal so it's not so easy to steal.

[emkay625]

OP are you a quick writer? How long would a rewrite take?

[Bildungsroman]

OP are you a quick writer? How long would a rewrite take?

You can write a decent PS in literally two hours. If you can't go from nothing to polished PS in a weekend then you're doing something wrong.