With regards to:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... AMEWN%3AIT
O.K., Gang ...
... The last thing I want to do here is start a Flame War, rain on ANYONE'S parade, or whiz on the flames of everyones' desire for more teardrop knowledge. But the fact is, there are some SERIOUS issues regarding copyright at stake with this (and other) teardrop and vintage trailer "plans packages".
For some reason, many people assume that if it's on Ebay (or some other online auction and/or sales site), that it's O.K. to purchase, and that the seller is legit and has the right to sell. Unfortunately, and especially in this case, that is NOT always true.
The short and sour of this is that this particular seller plagiarized and pirated the entire efforts of another individual (and not me - THIS time!), without even bothering to edit. Irregardless that most of the info presented is in what has been loosely tagged "public domain" (at least, to this point), they did NOT do the research, obtain the original documents, scan and clean, and prepare/create the files - they simply obtained a CD from the legitimate seller and are burning and marketing direct copies of that CD. THAT, friends, is plagiarism, and is against the law. Additionally, this CD contains currently copyrighted material for which this seller has NOT obtained permission to copy and distribute, which is also against the law.
There are many more details surrounding this and other auction/sales, but suffice it to say, we are persuing action to try to put a stop to this kind of piracy. NOT to suppress the gathering and distribution of teardrop history and information, but to assure that it is done in an honorable and proper manner, respective of all applicable laws and the hard working individuals who have labored long to find and procure this information.
There are some very unscrupulous characters in this world, whose only interest is to line their pockets (to coin a phrase) or disrupt the pleasant goings-on of a particular community and/or interest group. If you want to know who the legitimate purveyors of teardrop trailer information are, check my site or drop me and e-mail - I don't charge to list the plans/info on our Teardrop Plans Directory (so I have nothing to gain from this), and if the plans/CD/info you are inquiring about are/is not listed there, I'll tell you why.
For some reason only slightly beyond clarification, I feel compelled to remind and/or reassure you folks that our entire intent for starting Tales & Trails over 10 years ago, and puting
www.teardrops.net online 6 years ago this November, was and continues to be to spread the word, the fun, the enthusiasm, and the information about teardrop camping trailers to as many folks as would listen. True, some of what we do has been structured to reimburse us (however minutely) for SOME of the effort we put forth to that end. But if ANYONE thinks we have prospered appreciably (beyond our wealth of friends and memories) as a result, all you have to do is call and let us show you 'round our humble abode and tell you a story or two. To quote myself from the Nov./Dec. 1998 issue of Tales & Trails: "Trust us. Whatever we do, wherever we go, we'll do our damnedest to represent the world of teardroppers and teardrops with dignity and integrity!"
'Nuf said.
CHEERS!
Grant
by Tear Dreamer » Fri Aug 27, 2004 12:29 am 
