What is the different between a fan site and a commericial site? I wanted to make a web site about some of my favorite television shows and put some ads on it. will my site will be a considered a fan site because I am promoting the show and saying that I like it or will it be a commericial site? whats the difference by definition? thanks for the help!
Technically, a commercial website is any website that has commercial mechanisms on it. Ads are commercial mechanisms. Therefore, if you put ads on your website, like Ad Sense, you are engaging in commerce and have a commercial website.
Yeah, I agree, but most fansites out there have AdSense so it is very common to have them and still not consider yourself commercial.
Yeah, you're right. Have you noticed how most of "celebrity fan sites" have adsense to help them run those, though? They're still "fan sites"
EDS sent me a legal letter the other day cuz I ran 2 of their commercials on my joke site. I had to remove them from the site or else they'd fine a DMCA. Some companies are probably more strict than others.
Are not TV shows that show celeb videos etc, that run commercials also commercial by nature? Why the double standard? Or maybe we need to make nasty commentary like the TV shows in order to call it "reporting" instead of a fan club?
I don't think you mean the commercial breaks right? Those are paid advertisements. There's no double standard. Some people cave, because they don't know the law and can't afford a legal battle. Others cave simply because it's not worth the time. Others fight, because they know the law and the issue at hand is a major factor in their business. If you had a commercial on your website and commented about it, you could be legally right, even if you were a commercial website. A company sending you a C&D letter is simply designed to scare the little guy into thinking he or she is wrong and will lose everything.