After much discussion, zion, Moth3r, and I have fleshed out an expanded and clarified set of guidelines for the growing fan edit and preservation community on this forum. The intention of these guidelines is to foster creativity among the community while minimizing inappropriate behavior that could result in legal action against the site or its members.
In order to help make the rules clear, we should first distinguish between fan edits and preservation efforts. A fan edit is a fan-made cut of an existing film. You may find fan edits for films currently available at retail, and you may find fan edits of films long out of production. As far as this community is concerned, you should own the official retail release of a fan edit’s source material if it is possible to do so. Content producers deserve to be compensated, so if you don’t own the retail release (if available), you have no business possessing a fan edit.
A preservation effort is an attempt to procure the best sources available for films not yet on DVD and convert them into viable, non-official releases to tide the public over until an official release is made. Preservation efforts should always be considered a temporary measure to be replaced with an official release when the studio catches up with demand; they are not a permanent part of your media library.
By participating in this forum (posting or lurking), you agree to the terms set forth in these guidelines.
1. No discussions about financial transactions except for the buying, selling, or trading of official retail media. All FS/FT/WTB posts belong in the selling forum.
2. No profiting from any activities related to fan edits or preservation efforts. Those found selling their fan edits or preservation projects here or elsewhere will be banned.
3. No discussions regarding traditional “warez”, such as bootlegs of current or recent theatrical releases, screeners, pre-retail/retail DVDs, and cracked computer software.
4. No direct links to media downloads of copyrighted materials (VOBs, WMV, QuickTime, torrent files, NZB files, ED2K links, etc.) with the exception of short clips to demonstrate quality or content. No direct links to pages containing such files.
5. The source of all materials used in fan edits and preservation efforts must be cited, including retail releases, laserdisc transfers, special features, menus, covers, and artwork.
6. Before obtaining any fan edits, you must be in ownership of the official retail release.
Any private messages or e-mails soliciting the sale of fan edits, preservation efforts, or bootlegs should be reported to the mods immediately. Both buyers and sellers of such material will be banned.
If you want to post something and you’re unsure if it conflicts with these guidelines, please consult the moderators (Jay, zion, or Moth3r) before posting.
Thanks for all your efforts thus far in making this community a hub of creativity and film preservation.
Edit: The current Fan Edit / Preservation Forum Rules and FAQ thread can be found in the Announcements section of the site - along with Forum Rules, FAQs, updates, and other information.