Viewing Thread:
"Tom Calahan is a lier and a cheat"

Ok, so I did some work for Tom Calahan, a member of these forums and owner of www.viewandplay.co.uk the thread is here and I’d like some of you to read it:

http://ukchatforums.reserve.co.uk/ display_messages.php?threadid=29919 &forumid=206 [DELETE THE SPACES!!]


What it said in the first post was:

“All you need to do is design a logo that fits in with the rest of the place. Flash5 and anything else can be used, just TRY and keep it's size down a bit as the page will take forever to load.”



So I designed my logo, and won. Tom then said:

I think Andi's logo already feels like it's at home. Nice one dude. Like I said with Rob, whoever wins I'll give you a DVD up to £20 outta me own money.
(http://ukchatforums.reserve.co.uk/ display_messages.php?forumid=206&threadid=29919 &offset=20¤tsort=desc) [DELETE THE SPACES!!]

Now I receive this e-mail from him:

The logo didn't meet the required specifications as after much thought, we came to the conclusion that it was 1mm too wide therefore, invalid. Please kindly take your logo and firmly lodge it up your ar*e.



So, what do you vote I do? I’m in the process of posting this on all the forums I know he uses, and I’ll e-mail a copy to SR. I’m also currently writing an e-mail to his hosts to see if they’ll do anything, for I don’t like to be messed around..


Oh and Tom, I have numerous screenshots to prove your site used my logo, so don’t get any bright ideas.

Mr. Nice Guy wrote:
> At the end of the day;there is sod all you can do. I
> didn't sign anythign. I never gave my word. I never
> promised. You persistanly e-mailed me, again and
> again and again with abusive language which I just grew
> to ignore until you just carried on and on. I ain't
> taking that and if you don't like if, tough. Cos, I
> sure as hell don't care.

That is an awfull attitude to take. Maybe in the legal sense you don't have any obligation (though I would say you do), but I thought this forum was built upon people trusting each other and having sensible debates and stuff. Many people who visit this forum are spending time and effort helping others when they probably have their own deadlines to meet, I give my help advice for free on this forum, something which I (and I'm sure some other regulars) am paid a fair amount to do in my daily job.

Your reputation lies in tatters and I doubt that anyone reading this will be inclined to take you or your website seriously. I certainly don't anymore.

This kind of thing will make me think twice about offering any form of help in the future.

Tyla wrote:
> Registering to the forums... No Data Protection Act coverage here... DO NOT GIVE HIM YOU DETAILS, what he is doing is now illegal under the 2001 Data Protection Act!!

Quote:
"While this information will not be disclosed to any third party without your consent the webmaster, administrator and moderators cannot be held responsible for any hacking attempt that may lead to the data being compromised."

This basically means that Mr Calahan can hand out anyones details if he so chooses, which under the new terms of the DPA is illegal and leaves him open for legal proceeding...

If any of you want to know what's been said about you in the forums or what he has been using your information for, all youhave to do is submit a request for this information to him and legally he has to supply all information containing you details, from emails to records, within 40 days! Faliure to do so will leave him open to procecution and the shutting down of his site...

A lesson to you Mr Calahan... Learn your legal stuff first, asit's obvious from your site that you have no idea what your doing or the likely implications these will have on you...

If anyone wants to know more, post here and I will give you more...

Tyla...
(Website Designer/Usability Guru and Internet Legal Buff!!)

Tyla wrote:
> Another interesting point about View and Play... The icons used in the
> RH menu where taken from Gameplay.com. A company who owns the copyright on
> these... I will be emailing them later... Will be back with an update:-)

And one more...

Registering to the forums... No Data Protection Act coverage here... DO NOT GIVE HIM YOU DETAILS, what he is doing is now illegal under the 2001 Data Protection Act!!

Also... I've just had a friend read through the legal section, and again, this is not legitimate nor would it protect anyone... so people... tear this site apart!! This guy know Jack and is about to make a right@rse of himself about it...

So lets see... I have to email:

The Data Protection Register
Gameplay.com
And his ISP!!

Turbonutter wrote:
> Do as Tyla says, take him to the cleaners! (Do you have
> cleaners in Manchester?) Bleh, just beat him up. You'll like that.

Another interesting point about View and Play... The icons used in the RH menu where taken from Gameplay.com. A company who owns the copyright on these... I will be emailing them later... Will be back with an update:-)

Oooh, this is very exciting.

Andi, I said he'd never give you that prize. This topic came quite quickly actually. Damn, I should have opened a book.

Hey ho.

Do as Tyla says, take him to the cleaners! (Do you have cleaners in Manchester?) Bleh, just beat him up. You'll like that.

:-D

If he's still using your Logo, then you can whoop his @rse as long as you possess the original files. You own the intellectual rights to that design and technically the copyright.

Also...

An agreement can be anything from verbal to formally written. If you have proof to show that he "agreed" to use your logo and supply the said DVD, he has made a legally binding agreement with you with which, if you had the funds, again, you could whoop his @rse in a small claims court!!

I've had clients do this to me before, and loose, you just have to be persistant and be shure that you didn't do anything to provoke the situation.

Oddly enough, this is one reason I never enter these stupid compo's to design stuff for other people...

There be a lesson to be learnt here...

Tom, I'm gonna give you another chance mate, as your hosting company have just e-mailed me to let me know they're looking into it.

Mr. Nice Guy wrote:
> At the end of the day;there is sod all you can do. I didn't sign anythign. I
> never gave my word. I never promised.

That may be true, but it also doesn't do much for your reputation.

Is it just coincidence that I can't get to your forums at the moment?

I'm disappointed, Tom.

Don't laugh at me. Those words made me want to cry.