# Stealing from the SDMB? Metatus.com **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 28, 2002, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000 "2002-08-28T22:08:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/41 "2002-08-29T10:44:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jinwicked \* > \*\*Perhaps they have some kind of script running that’s just automatically grabbing and mirroring the content. > > Unless their ISP or hosting is physically here, it may be difficult to take legal action against them. \*\* That’s why God made mercenaries, guys. Have Gunther and some of his ‘boys’ pay a visit. That should get some results. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/42 "2002-08-29T10:45:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Smeghead \* > \*\*Mods - would you get pissed off if I started a thread about how much Metatus sucks, just to see if it showed up over there? > > Wait - I mean, another thread. Besides this one. Aw, crap. Never mind. \*\* Nah, not worth it. Looks like they stole a couple of columns, but the message board is independant anyway. Not that it’s a particularly amusing one, mind you. Let our legal eagles deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![Hemlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Hemlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hemlock)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/43 "2002-08-29T11:27:10Z")
Metatus is (AFAIK) based here in HK. They started up around the time the main English language message board here ([icered.com](http://icered.com)) re-launched themselves, with a highly user-unfriendly interface (why didn’t they use vBulletin? I don’t know). Icered also expelled some spammers at that time, or something like that, and Metatus sprang up. In both boards (should you check them out - I wouldn’t bother), you’ll find the bulk of posters have English as a second language and little of interest to say. Anyone who needs to cut and paste other boards’ threads deserve sympathy. How sad can you get? BTW, piracy and other forms of copying are standard here. You can hardly buy a legit piece of software or DVD, let alone designer label bags and all that junk. (Largely the fault of the marketing people who overhype and overprice the stuff to start with, but the principle of intellectual property suffers.) Remember - Immitation is the sincerest form of flattery! ---
**Author:** ![Venoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c4cdca/32.png) [@Venoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Venoma)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/44 "2002-08-29T11:55:18Z")
Just looking at the majority of thread titles wanes any desire I would have to open them - I think we’re spoiled 🙂 Perhaps their own userbase wasn’t keeping up the motto of “I.I.I.” and they were desperate for all three? Hee hee. How pathetic. ---
**Author:** ![RickQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@RickQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickQ)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/45 "2002-08-29T12:16:21Z")
Interesting to note that they only have one Admin, no moderators and several of the forums are completely unmoderated. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/46 "2002-08-29T12:33:27Z")
I’m still not entirely sure whether it’s just a case of some of the members here posting on more than one board, but it seems like there are rather too many such posts for that to be the case. As far as I can tell, there’s no validation of user names over there, in fact it seems that there’s not even an obligation to supply one when posting; the opportunities for abuse (particularly sock puppetry and ghosting) are wide open. Is there anyone reading this thread who **has** posted their own OP over there too? (Mods: would it be OK if we compiled (in this thread)a list of SDMB user names who have had OPs duplicated, then maybe _they_ can confirm/deny…)? ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/47 "2002-08-29T12:55:48Z")
There’s a thread about it now over there [http://www.metatus.com/forum/eng/viewtopic.php?t=1572](http://www.metatus.com/forum/eng/viewtopic.php?t=1572) ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/48 "2002-08-29T13:01:43Z")
Maybe this thread should be removed to try and stop any “nastiness”? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/49 "2002-08-29T13:29:39Z")
I do not wish to presume to speak for the powers that be here at the SDMB, but I believe that it would be wise to **strongly caution against** any action that might result in ‘board war’ (spamming their board, posting insulting material, links to the SDMB etc). Don’t do it, please. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/50 "2002-08-29T13:44:58Z")
Something’s just occurred to me: why should we really give a monkey’s? It’s not like anyone’s losing any money because of it, and that message board is a pile of pants anyway. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/51 "2002-08-29T14:19:13Z")
[Why are Jews so Hated?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=129996&highlight=Jews) [Duplicate thread on MeatTits](http://www.metatus.com/forum/eng/viewtopic.php?t=1170) [Things you Hate that Everybody Else likes](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=124988&highlight=showtunes) [Duplicate](http://www.metatus.com/forum/eng/viewtopic.php?t=480) [Favorite Examples of Poor Reasoning](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=120967&highlight=Favorite+Examples+of+Poor+Reasoning) [Duplicate](http://www.metatus.com/forum/eng/viewtopic.php?t=21) They’re everywhere. All of them posted a day or two after their debut here. What really galls me is that they’re stealing the _replies_ too. MonkeyLickers. :mad: And **jjiimm** , I can’t speak for anyone else, but if it had been one of _my_ OP’s, I’d give a **HUGE** monkey. Plagarism sucks. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/52 "2002-08-29T14:21:19Z")
I guess I care because it’s kinda slimy, someone’s passing off our brilliant repartee 😉 as their own. But **Tuba** referred this one up the ladder yesterday, and the _CR_ and their legal beagles really are the best ones to deal with it. Let’s just leave it be. ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/53 "2002-08-29T14:22:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*Something’s just occurred to me: why should we really give a monkey’s? It’s not like anyone’s losing any money because of it, and that message board is a pile of pants anyway. \*\* The thing that really torqued my gourd was the fact that he spammed me, several times. I made a nice (really) post over there in the appropriate forum asking about the spamming. Their board has an automatic script that changes the word “spam” in a post to “enlighten”. After my modified post was up for about thirty seconds, it was deleted and I was banned. That got my curiosity up even more, so I used a different IP address block and started checking out the site a little more closely (Yeah, I know I was banned, but I was just looking with no intent on posting). That’s when I saw the SDMB copies and decided right then and there to post it on the SDMB, and let the wrath of the mighty Chicago Reader rain down upon them 🙂 I haven’t gone to the trouble of checking it out again. Are there any SMDB posts left over there, or did they manage to delete them all? ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/54 "2002-08-29T14:25:46Z")
Oops, **Belladonna** answered that right when I asked it. ---
**Author:** ![wayward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a87d85/32.png) [@wayward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wayward)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/55 "2002-08-29T15:07:00Z")
I like how one of their forums is called _Unique_ Cafe. Nice touch. ---
**Author:** ![wayward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a87d85/32.png) [@wayward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wayward)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/56 "2002-08-29T15:54:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yojimbo \* > \*\*There’s a thread about it now over there > > [http://www.metatus.com/forum/eng/viewtopic.php?t=1572](http://www.metatus.com/forum/eng/viewtopic.php?t=1572) \*\* Not any more there ain’t. Curiouser and curiouser… ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/57 "2002-08-29T16:25:57Z")
I posted about S.P.A.M. and got banned (presumably by IP). It did indeed turn the word “SPAM” into “enlighten”. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/58 "2002-08-29T16:29:22Z")
Without meaning to sound like too much of a crawly bumlick, that site is a shining example of why strict rules and moderators are so necessary. ---
**Author:** ![dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorkusmalorkusmafia/32/7266_2.png) [@dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorkusmalorkusmafia)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/59 "2002-08-29T16:30:00Z")
LOL Yojimbo, that thread has mysteriously disappeared. I personally like to know where all my postings go to rather than having them show up somewhere else. However, I couldn’t find me over there so it wasn’t that bad. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2002, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000/60 "2002-08-29T17:11:43Z")
This is unreal… Do a search over there for “opal”. You’ll find (at present) three different threads (though they’re all the same; apparently it was so good that they stole it three times) containing a “Hi Opal!” in a list in the OP. I wonder how they’ll explain that… And in a bizarre twist, [they swiped OpalCat’s “Your Favorite Fonts” OP](http://www.metatus.com/forum/eng/viewtopic.php?t=497). Why did they steal this? Is it really that hard to write your own list of fonts? This boggles the mind… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-from-the-sdmb-metatus-com/126000.md?page=4)