http://www.kitcar.com/consumeralert/home.html

KitKars.com/Jeff Collison

KitKars.com (no relation whatsoever to this website), run by one Jeff Collison, allegedly at the address of 19601 East Walnut Dr. South, City of Industry, California 91748, with yet another business address (RV rentals) in La Habra, California; The "Hostmaster" is listed as: DataPipe, 80 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, phone: (201) 792-1918; needless to say, I contacted DataPipe re the scenario described below:

One of our readers alerted me to this scenario: the KitKars.com website's home page boasts "We Specialize in building Factory Five Cobras." That same home page displays (at the time of this writing on Thursday, 24 October 2002) a big/beautiful broadside shot of a red & white (presumably Factory Five) Cobra parked alongside a lake. Nice photograph.

It oughta be. I shot that photograph (of a MidStates Cobra) in Ohio in 1991, and it has since that time been Crown's (federally) copyrighted property, covered in various copyrights in both our printed buyers guides and on our CobraCountry website. That photograph was copied illegally from the CobraCountry.com website... from a page that displays a clearly-posted and (trust me) unambiguous federal copyright notice.

If that federal copyright infringement isn't enough to command your attention, there's more: the caption beneath that photograph boasts: "The exquisitely-detailed red Cobra you see pictured above is my personal car... I drive it daily." Sigh. Do I discern a blatant falsehood here?

There are other images on Mr. Collison's site similarly copied from CobraCountry, notably a photo of a Unique Motorcars red Cobra burning rubber at a drag strip... again, copied from yet another page that clearly manifests CobraCountry's federal copyright notice.

I phoned Mr. Collison on Thursday, 24 October 2002; I advised said scofflaw that he was illegally using my copyrighted photos on his website... indeed including at the top of his home page... whereupon he first acknowledged that he used that photo "Because it looks just like my (Factory Five) Cobra." When I advised him that nonetheless, it's in flagrant violation of federal copyright law to use (without my permission and without copyright acknowledgement) copyrighted materials, and further, that his claim that "it is his personal car... that he drives daily" is certifiably false, he bristled and proceeded to raise his voice and object, shouting that he didn't deem copying a photo to be a federal case... whereupon I assured him that it is by definition a federal case. He protested angrily "Well then, why don't you file suit against me in federal court," followed up with a shout of "F--- you" and slammed the phone down in my ear.

Sigh. It's was entirely predictable that this copyright violator and falsehood fabricator would opt to display anger and indignation that anyone would dare to challenge his indefensible actions... it's in the DNA of folks who illegally copy and use copyrighted materials. Been there... been treated to this adolescent display of rage and false indignation before.

Curt Scott

Just because someone posts a picture of a car, that doesn't mean that they own the car, that they built the car, they drive the car, or that they know anything about the kit car business.

I'll tell you right now that there are SEVERAL pictures on that site that are in no way an FFR, which is what that builder says he builds. In fact, there are a number of pictures of non-FFR Cobras, including a Contemporary, a Unique, as well as the aforementioned Midstates. The "History" page is right off of the Shelby website - and isn't in any way complete. You want to know about the history of the Cobra, you need to talk to me!

Hope that helps out a bit.

Your pal,
Meat.

Take it easy and thanks for the reply I thought it had something to do with the owner of this site!!

Mikey

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