Thank you bbforks,
We see and realise the frustration from people who just want to get a manual but the issue we see is not just a legal one.
First, our problem is that some of the manufacturers consider their manuals as copyright and spend money on litigation to avoid anyone selling or copying their copyrighted material. If they find people doing this on platforms like ours and we condone it, we can be asked to give out the personal information of these people. We could also be asked to testify in these litigation cases.
Our current position in this issue may be different from the position of other platforms, but it is based on actual experience where we have been pressured to identify someone who was offering specific manufacturer manuals to anyone who wanted one through our forums.
We do not want to be pushed to do this. We prefer to protect our readers from the possibility of litigation.
The bottom line really is that ours are Discussion Forums. We do not allow advertising in the forum discussions, as these very valuable discussions between experts and users from all around the world could soon become just another advertising vehicle. Similarly, and apart from the other reasons mentioned here, our valuable technical discussions between experts currently enjoy connection, across geographical borders in technical discussion, question, advice, interjection and educational ways, and we do not wish them to be watered down to become just another trading place for manuals.
Our forums are not a commercial platform. People who want to do business through Forkliftaction can do this through our advertising channels. If they advertise in our advertising columns and positions, then they take full responsibility and can be traced back without our interference.
Thank you again bbforks, we always appreciate your comment, advice, support of our forums and your concern.