Starz clamps down

This was inevitable.

Starz has asked all websites (places like AUSXIP) to stop posting screengrabs from "Spartacus: Blood and Sand." The reason for this is quite simple, people (not AUSXIP) were abusing their "media access" to preview episodes before they were released and were subsequently downloading the episodes and reposting them to the torrents.

To make the situation worse, some people were even posting screengrabs and creating artwork from the unreleased episodes.

"Spartacus: B & S" is a property that contains a high level of nudity and sex. Starz is within their reason to "control" and "clamp" down on those that bit the hand that fed them.

Universal was kind to the fans to allow them to post images, videos, artwork, fan fiction, etc from "Xena" and "Hercules." They even said at the time that they recognized the benefit in allowing fans their "creative" juices to flow onto the internet.

Starz is not so generous it seems. And quite frankly, I agree with them on some levels.

The reason for Starz's response is simple: They want to limit the control of how "Spartacus: B & S" is used on the internet. Is that possible, I don't know. Its hard to keep control on the internet and the content that appears on it.

As a person who is a member of the media, I have found that people who abuse such previleges and screeners, access to the photos, etc. make it harder on those who do not abuse our special privilege.

To those individuals who saw fit to ruin it for the rest of us, thank you. I'll FedEx a lump of coal to your stocking at Christmast time.