Okay, what I’m about to say does not reflect the views of the other staff at MK Online, nor is it meant to be a mean-spirited jab at other site webmasters. That said…
We at MK Online have had a policy on the site for a few years that I’m sure several of the members never quite understood. This policy is referred to as the “no scan” policy. In effect, we don’t allow scans from magazine articles to posted in news articles or on the forum. Not only is it a breach of the magazines’ copyright to post the scans, it’s also a show of respect to the magazines to not post them. (Posting scans deprives them of sales.)
A couple of weeks back, a magazine called Game Informer released an issue with a preview of the next game in the MK series, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. A few sites decided to post scans of the magazine. We held back and just reported what we saw. To the average user, it probably looked like we dropped the ball on it. We held back for what we felt was a good reason, and I even warned one of the webmasters to tread very lightly. For the record, Game Informer was one of those mags whose threats had lead us to implement the “no-scan policy”.
I just found out tonight that, well… as of the time I write this, two of the most prominent sites hosting the scans have had their webhosting accounts suspended. I don’t know if the scans were the reason, but it seems most likely, as I see no other common denominator between the sites.
All I have to say is this: let this be a lesson to everyone. Try and respect other people’s copyrights. Not only does it put them on better terms with you… it avoids a potential smackdown later on down the road.