- App
- WoltLab Suite Gallery
Recently it came to my attention that the "Watermark" function of the current Gallery App (version 3.1) is improperly designed, to wit:
1. Watermarking of images is a controlled feature in the ACP of the forum by the Admin of that forum:
a) Meaning that, whatever settings the Admin makes with regard to using a Watermark - Text OR Image - it is also applied to the Forum Member's forum - see #2
2. Visitors and/or Forum Members do not have independent control of the Gallery Watermark feature:
a) This means that whatever the forum administration elects to use in the way of issuing or dedicating a "watermark" upon his/her images, that "watermark" will also be the same watermark for the images the Forum Member decides to add to Gallery (Albums) regarding his/her
image uploads to his/her Gallery (Albums).
Number 2 and 2a above represent several problems - especially with respect to:
1. Disregarding the independent control of the "Watermark Feature" for the forum member
2. Raises possible and/or probable legal issues between the Forum Administrator and his Forum Members (with regard to "shared" watermarking)
3. Raises the distinct possibility of copyright infringement issues - which can in turn lead to lawsuits and other legal complications - both for the Administrator and for the Admin's Forum Members - which has the potential of involving 3rd parties as well, depending upon what and where
the uploaded images to Gallery (Albums) originates from.
SOLUTION FOR THE ABOVE:
1. Re-Design Gallery, principally the "WATERMARK" feature.
a) Re-design so as to make the watermark feature an independent function for BOTH the Administrator and the Administrator's Forum Members
RE-DESIGN REQUIREMENTS and SOLVING RE-DESIGN DIFFICULTIES
1. Experienced Forum Software Developers - having worked with creating and finalizing many complicated Apps and Plugins previously -
should have no problem in making this re-design of the watermark Feature of Gallery.
BENEFITS:
1. Several obvious benefits should be immediately apparent:
a) Adverting lawsuits - which can be down-right nasty and terribly expensive!
b) Giving Forum Members control over their own projects, uploads, etc., e.g., the forum member may not always be "right",
but he/she comes "first"
c) Engineering an App which pleases both the purchaser (Admin) AND the Forum Member - this in turn enhances the reputation of the App Developer, which in turn leads to more sales and increased recognition for having "tread" previously unknown "waters"
ADDITIONAL COMMENT:
I have an upcoming appointment with my attorney (on an entirely unrelated matter).
This subject as presented here will be brought up during that meeting; whatever information/advice is given to me at that time,
I will come back here and add an "addendum",
DJ