I've had a response to my email....I shan't post it publicly [that's not appropriate as it's a private email], however the gist of the communication is that the situation will be resolved appropriately....;)

I get the same result...gallery offline. Thanks, frankief and Jafo!  

WooHoo! I must be getting good cuz I've been ripped again! Seriously thank you Frankief for the detective work and thank you Jafo for handling the situation so quickly...I wish I knew which walls of mine were ripped!!

The good ones I suspect. hehe

Just for general info, I did register at the site so that I could access the list of registered users so I might acertain who was doing the uploading of the WC stuff. I certainly appreciate the quick response and the swift justice for all of us who were involved.

Two of them were "Fuzz" and "mind".

thanks Carguy

Mine?

The only one I remember was "Skulls and Roses"

Just an update....the site's still off-line.

Wonder how long it was up.

We have an undercover agent, here! Someone put her in charge of CRU! (Counter-Rip Unit)

To Frackin funny!

Back on topic for a moment: mrs starkers received an email from the ColorOasis admin apologising for posting some of her works without first seeking permission.

He/she also sought permission to continue hosting those works and extended an invitation for her to post future works herself.

Dunno if anyone else has been contacted as yet, but it would seem the owner did not intend to rip anyone's work and would like to continue hosting with the respective artists consent.

Certainly shows a lack of mens rea, or the will to correct things.

Did the site admin also advance a plan for sharing the solicited donations from the Homepage where they were solicited?

Maybe the person running the site didn't understand how to go about doing things correctly.

I say let's extend the same good will reciprocally....If the artists are compensated. Fair's fair.

The site's Gallery is still offline, but a new link referring to WC Members has been added. This seems to consist of an apology cum explaination, with a list of the WC members whose work was in the gallery. The gist is that the site was a hobby and personally financed (with the aid it seems of a very professional donation facility accepting credit card paypal secure banking which is still active). One to keep an eye on folks.

Hey you guys! I got a great idea!!!! You all know me...so I'll be more than happy to host a site that has a "donation" button on it.....Uh,,,,,I mean links back to where you already have it hosted. So come on everyone....send me all those great walls, screenshots, icons...pics of the family...the dog...the cat...hell, send me anything. I can wait to start making money....wait wait....I mean hosting your work! No really....I mean after all....where else can you po...st. HEY! Wait a darn frakin minute! Ok ok....I get it now...you guys are pulling my leg...where's the cameras? This is one of the dumb reality shows huh!?

Giz, yer a funny bastage.

Well yes, that was what the site owner indicated in the email to mrs starkers... and with all the freeware, open-source stuff floating around the internet these days it could get confusing for the inexperienced/naive.

The thing is, the owner/admin was highly apologetic and couldn't say sorry enough for the 'inadvertant' indiscretion... and given he/she has closed the gallery page and will not reopen it with works that do not have hosting permission, perhaps benefit of the doubt could be applied here.

According to the email mrs starkers received, the owner/admin is attempting to contact the other artists whose works were hosted to seek permissions, so it would seem he/she is trying to do the right thing since being made aware of the error.

Apparently, the ColorOasis site is a one-man/woman operation that was set up to host items for family and friends, etc,  so any donations received will likely be used to cover site expenses/running costs, rather than profit.  The thing is, in these hard economic times, when people are tightening their belts, it is unlikely that any substantial donations would be received, and thus, sharing any excess (if any) would result in the contributing artists getting but a few cents each here and there.

Nice apology, but I don't think I will allow free access to my work for a site that accepts donations. He said he considers himself an artist, does anyone know if he had any of "his own work" on the site?  I may be a redneck, but I ain't stoopid!!!    

Well that's your perogative to say yay or nay, but I'm curious.  What's the difference between a site that accepts donations and one that accepts subscriptions, if/when it goes to site maintenance/running costs, etc???

And no, I'm not nit picking here... but I am thinking 'exposure' (of the decent, not indecent kind ). 

Of course the details would have to be worked out/investigated, but uploading there with a link to your WC page would give exposure to other works not hosted at ColorOasis.

Just a thought.

Not, but he didn't ask for prior permission, and if he gets donations for showing my work, I would expect a cut. The difference here at WC is that I agreed to the free posting of my work. It appears to me that this guy plans to make money from my work. WC makes it's money elsewhere and allows me to share here. Plus gives me free skins every so often.

Just an opinion. A redneck one...lol.            

It's all about whether the wall owner has chosen to provide/upload his work to a site which requests donations...or not.

If you CHOOSE to allow your works to contribute to the profit/money collection of another that is and can only be YOUR choice.

Sites such as this one which hosted artwork without consent are doubly in the wrong for both doing so in the first place AND then subsequently profiting from so doing.

I'm all for helping my fellow man....but not someone who engages in unlawful action, whether aware, or not....;)

funny? Ive yet to be contacted

WC has been driven with the full intention of pulling its own weight when it comes to the money (through master skins and subscriptions). The fact that it fails to do it doesn't remove the intention. I doubt the donation button on that other site makes enough to cover its costs either (which means the money comes from elsewhere there too).

Oh, I don't intend trying to justify the actions of the naughty site. I just noted flawed reasoning and thought I'd point it out.

Artists and Wincustomize

ColorOasis.com

This is me the owner,operator of ColorOasis, I'm truely sorry to all of you for my ignorance, I love all of your works and was uploading, and posting them there myself, I didn't really think about the copyright thingy, I figured that if I could download them here, free to download, they are free to share by posting them at my personal website. I've looked thru this forum, and if I could share with you the donate money, which I've never recieved any since I added it there, I would, more less I placed it there to get donates to help keep the site running, and I can easliy remove it, if it makes any differents for any of you to reconsider registering and sharing at CO.com, I would really like you all to accept my apology. With posting the artists name in the description, was because they are your works, and wanted people to know that, I would like you all to feel free to post your images there for sharing with who ever would happen to come by the site, which is mostly me anyway, LOL, but if you wish not to that would be fine to. So I'll keep and eye on this forum and if you want the images removed either email me or post it here, and it'll be done ASAP. I will keep the site down untill then, and I can easliy add a link to wincutomize as to bring more traffic to here, either to view your personal gallery, or to view all over. Here is the list again of artists on the site and if any of you want to look at the site with what is on there, I can start it back up for your personal viewing. So let me know. Some of you have replied to my email or my website post as follows, and I look forward to see your new works. And THANK You all either way. CjMcC(Admin) ColorOasis.com [email protected] Again I'm truely Sorry.

Frankief------------------->

Cavan1---------------------> Remove

Ton-K300------------------->

Mkberry-------------------->

SkinHit-------------------->

Neweradesigns-------------->

2BoXXi--------------------->

Brickhead------------------> Remove

Chase Bronson-------------->

Teddybearcholla------------>

Eddyhaze------------------->

Sed------------------------> Stay

Bboyjay3------------------->

Lenox47-------------------->

Hallv5--------------------->

Narbytrout----------------->

Planetmaster--------------->

AtomicJoker---------------->

1MrPaul1------------------->

G3mpi3--------------------->

Tailsgirl------------------>

Annbee--------------------->

Kittycat670---------------->

Ausvet---------------------> Stay

Kavel_WB------------------->

Vozil---------------------->

Puterdudejim--------------->

Mrs Starkers---------------> Stay

Devjit--------------------->

Sydneysiders---------------> Stay(acceptions)

Offica WOD----------------->