Graphics Ripping Fiasco

In light of the recent graphics section fiasco I want there to be a clarification in the rules about ripping.

This is the vaguely written thread on ripping: http://sythe.org/showthread.php?t=1021235


If you are a member of any graphics community you know that there are a lot of things that is ripping, and especially if that community has an active market that is more than just swapping sigs between the members.

Ripping can be many things including:

-Using non-commercial fonts in commercial products
-Using renders that are not yours, and are not explicitly stated to be for commercial use
-Extracting pieces from PSDs/PSD packs that are only Learning Rights
-Using PSDs that are not your own for displacement maps
-Using any image not labeled for stock use (IE. Getting images from DA labeled as art.)

There is so much more that is ripping but these are just a few of the main points that need to be covered in the thread.

There are points I know that will be argued:

- Font maker inactive? The simple answer is to not use the font, it isn't difficult to make your own similar font.

- How to enforce this? This is the job of the graphics moderators; it should have always been and being lax on a community leads to bad practices. If you go another market than here a lot of the things sold here would be immediately taken down - and I am not excluding myself on this.

- Why is this important? Because there needs to be a defined meaning/rules that need to exist. A vague description can be manipulated. When dealing with copyright infringement there are huge ramifications.


If you are an artist of any sort think of it like this: Do you want someone stealing your hard work?


Thanks,
Nero