Norton Blocking Legitimate Content

Using folders named banner

[thecoalman]

Norton spam blocker is blocking legitimate content from my site. I have a folder named banners that have images which are used for page titles. Apparently it doesn't like the word banner, anyway of getting around it without having to change my source code and upload my entire site.

[keyplyr]

I was unaware of that. Just tested and it's true, Norton blocks all files in directory named /banner.

[deejay]

The following is a list of files/directories etc blocked by Norton (current as at two months ago when I reviewed a machine running Norton). The dimensions (eg, 300x250) refer to image sizes regularly used for advertising - don't use these sizes for your images or they'll be blocked, whether ads or not.

ads.go2net.com
.atdmt.com
&ad=
&merchant_
125x125
160x600
180x150
234x60
240x400
250x250
300x250
336x280
468x60
88x31
120x90
120x60
120x240
.tribalfusion.com
?banner=
ar.atwola.com
.ad.
.ads/
.ads.
.net-on.com
.webconnect.net
1-2-free.com
199.172.144.25/2
/199.78.52.
%23CLink
%2Fads%2E
%3Fad%2E
a32.g.a.yimg.com/7
?acb=acb
/accipiter/adserver
actionsplash.com/
&ad_
/ad-
/ad/
_ad.
/ad.
?ad.
?ad.cgi
-ad.cgi
ad.doubleclick.net/
/ad.html
?ad=
adbanner
adbot.
/adbot.
adbot.com
adbucks.com/
adcenter.in2.com
AdClick
/adclient.
/adcontent.
/ad_control
/adcouncil/
adcount.hollywood.com
/addhit.cfm
ad-flow.com
/adforce/
/adgifs/
/adgraph/
AdID=
AI=
/ad_image
/adimage
/adimg/
/adinfo
/adjuggler
?adlink
adlink.de/
adlink.htm
adlink.preferences.com
/adlog.
/adman.
adman.medius.net
admaximize.com/
/adnet/
/adnet.
adoptimizer
/adpics/
/adpopup
/adproof/
adredir.asp
/adredirect
_ads/
-ads/
/ads-
/ads/
/ads.
ads.adsmart.net
ads.clickagents.com
ads.imagine-inc.com
ads.imdb.com
ads.infospace.com
ads.lycosasia.com.sg/RealMedia/ads/
ads.narrowline.com
ads.realmedia.com
ads.softbank.net
ads.usatoday.com
ads.washingtonpost.com
ads.web21.com
/adsales
/adsamples/
?adserv
/adserv
/adserve
/adserver/
adserver.
adserver.
/Ads/Media/
/adspace
/adsrc
/AdsRotator.asp
/AdSwap.dll
ads0
ads1
ads2
ads3
ads4
ads5
ads6
ads7
ads8
ads9
/ad_track/
ad-up.com
/adv/
?adv=
/advert/
/advertentie
/advertise/
advertisements
/advertiser/
/advertisers/
/advertising/
advertising.com
/adverts/
/adview.
adware.hu
/AdWindowRotator.asp/
affiliatetarget.com/
ajrotator
alladvantage.com/go.asp?refid=
allclicks.com/
allpolitics.com/ads/
allpolitics.com/ads/
andovernews.com/banner
andovernews.com/pagecount.gif
angelfire.com/sys/popup
badservant.guj.de
/banner/
/banner.
&banner=
/banner=
bannerad
banner_ad
/bannerads/
/banner-ads/
bannerads.
bannerbrokers.com/
bannerexchange.com
/bannergifs/
/bannerimages/
/banner_images/
bannerland.de/
bannermall.com/
bannerpool.com/
bannerpower.com
/banners/
bannerspace.com/
bannerswap.com
bfast.com/booklink
BF_Home_AD
/by.banclk?
cash.com/
cash4banner.com
cash4banner.de
/cgi/banner
/cgi/banner.cgi
/cgi-bin/accipiter
/cgi-bin/ad/
/cgi-bin/ad.cgi
/cgi-bin/ad_center/
/cgi-bin/adjuggler
/cgi-bin/ads/
/cgi-bin/ads.cgi
/cgi-bin/ads.new
/cgi-bin/ads.pl
/cgi-bin/adserver.cgi
/cgi-bin/click.cgi
/cgi-bin/clickthru
/cgi-bin/clink?
/cgi-bin/pageview/pvcount
/cgi-bin/splitinfinity.cgi
/cgi-bin/top.cgi
/cgi-bin/topvlog.cgi
click.linksynergy
click1.wisewire.com
click100.genesis.com
click2.wisewire.com
click2net.com
click2paid.com
clickagents.com/cgibin/
clickbroker.com
clickbrokers.com
clickfinders.com/
clickhouse.com
clickit.go2net.com
/clickover.
clicks.equantum.com
clickslink.com/
clickthrough.ca/
clicktrade.com/
#CLink
clk_thru^
commission-junction.com
commonwealth.riddler.com
cornflakes.pathfinder.com
count4all.com
counters.honesty.com
crosswalk.com/click.ng/transactionID=
ctc.com/
/cyberfirst
dimeclicks.com/
dimeperclick.com/
dirtycash.com
discountclick.com
ds.cybereps.com
exchange-it.com/click.go?
fastclick.net/w/click.here
findcommerce.com/tracking
flycast.com
focalink.com
/follow_ad?
/generate_ad.
GeoAD?
/gifs/actionbanners/
globaltrack.com
globaltrak.net
/graphics/advert
hightrafficads.com
hitbox.com
hitexchange.net/
home.keyciti.com/addd2000/ok.shtml
/htmlad/
humanclick.com/
hyperbanner.net/
hypercount.com/
iadnet.com/
/image.ng
images/mainad
imgis.com
impartner.de/cgi-bin/
infoback.net
infoseek.com/redirect
java.yahoo.com/a/1-/flash
java.yahoo.com/a/1-/java
java.yahoo.com/a/a-/flash
java.yahoo.com/a/a-/java
/jbanner/
justwebads.com/
linkexchange.com
/liveads/
marketing.com
maxcash.cgi?
maximumcash.com/
mediahits.com/click.fcg
mediaserv.247media.com
megacash.de
mirror.qkimg.net
money4exit.de
movielink.com/media/imagelinks/MF.ad
movielink.com/media/imagelinks/MF.sponsor
ms-links.com/cgi-bin/
netads.hotwired.com
netbanner.com/cgi-bin/
/nph-bounce?
/nph-load?
/nph-redir?
nrsite.com
pagecount.com
/pagecount.gif
pathfinder.com/r0/marketing
pathfinder.com/sponsors
pegasoweb.com
pennyweb.com
/place-ads/
postmasterbannernet.com
progcgi/ads
/promos/
/promote/
/promotions/
qksrv.net
/rankem.cgi?action=
rd.yahoo.com/M=2
rd.yahoo.com/M=3
rd.yahoo.com/M=4
rd.yahoo.com/M=5
rd.yahoo.com/M=6
register-it.netscape.com/
/resource/advert/
rightstats.com
rmbclick.com/
/RotateAds/
safe-audit.com
/servfu.pl?
/servlet/AdletCounter
sextracker.com/
showad.asp
/showad.cgi?
smartclicks.com
spezialreporte.de/
spinbox.
/sponsor/
/sponsor.
/sponsors/
/sponsors.
sponsorweb.de/
spylog.com/
submit-it.com/images
telecom-pros.com/images
texchange.com/cgi-bin/
textlinks.com/
/topsites/rankem.cgi
tracker.clicktrade.com
/track/track.dll
tradedoubler.com
ukaffiliates2.com
ukbanners.com/
us.a1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/a
us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/a
valueclick.com
valuesponsor.com
/videobanners/
/viewad/
/viewbanner.php3
vk4Voam2y
vwWzJwWLv9m2Cr
websitesponsors.com/
websponsors.com/cgi-bin/
webunion.com/cgi-localbin/click.cgi?
ww3.cybercity.com.tw/adexe/
www.247media.com.tw
www.admax.com/
www.admax.com.tw/
www.ads.
www.anonymizer.com/cm/door.cgi?
www.asiad.net/
www.banner.com.tw/
www.bannerwomen.com
www.clickadhere.com/
www.clickxchange.com/fr.phtml
www.cyberone.com.tw
www.epaper.com.tw/cgi-bin/adm/ad_red
www.halee.com/advert/
www.link4link.com/cgi-bin/
www.marketspace
www.modchip.com/clickcgi/click.cgi?
www.netvigator.com.tw/popad/
www.nj.com/adverts
www.nrsite.com
www.search.com/Banners
www.warehouse.com/netbuyer/ticker/
www.whispa.com/tracking/
www.wishing.com/webaudit/
yahoo.com/adv/
yahoo.com/CategoryID=0
yimg.com/images/compliance/
zi.r.tv.com
zmedia.com
_banner.
/advertpro

[buckworks]

Vandals.

[deejay]

Vandals.

Now that's what I call succinct. *laughing*

[Powdork]

Don't you guys feel as though you have been violated. If you are serving third party advertising, you can't really claim copyright infringement, but when they block something because of the directory name, they are altering the copyrighted content of your site without your permission. That is illegal in the country in which sissytec resides.

[Rosalind]

I'm tempted to put all my images in a folder named "banners" now.

[john_k]

...you can't really claim copyright infringement...

You don't think that copying all of your page content, verbatim, and then redisplaying it, all for commercial gain/profit, is not a violation of your copyrights?

[Powdork]

Please reread what I said. If it is yours, you can claim copyright infringement. You can't claim copyright infringement if they change a banner belonging to someone else that you hotlink to because you don't own the copyright. They are, however, interfering with a legal contract.

[john_k]

Please reread what I said. If it is yours, you can claim copyright infringement. You can't claim copyright infringement if they change a banner belonging to someone else that you hotlink to because you don't own the copyright. They are, however, interfering with a legal contract.

But it is my position that the entire page display is protected by my copyrights (I am not a lawyer). The ad positioning is part of my intellectual work. Ad blocking software effectively copies the meat of the page (the content), makes no material contributions or alterations to my work, and then delivers it to the end user for their (the ad blocking software vendor) profit.

[john_k]

Let me add in a hypothetical case:

If someone set up a website that simply retrieved pages from YOUR website, replaced any ads with their own, and then delivered it to the browser, would you think that was copyright infringement? I would.

So why is Norton (or any other ad-blocking software) different? The fact that the end consumer sanctions it doesn't make it any less of an infringement.

[thecoalman]

The worst part of this whole scenario is that I didn't become aware of this until the other day. I was at my brothers house and went to show him a site I was working on. Having Norton installed all images in the banner folder were blocked. I actually thought someone was messing with my site uintil I was able to get to another computer. They were replaced by some kind of script... Norton's explanation is the script was to prevent errors.

Frankly I would agree that this is copyright infringement. They afe removing and altering my pages, most users of there software are not going to be aware of this. Fortunatley the images were not entirley needed, the user may be a little confused as to where they are.....no title.