Aqua-Soft ForumsI'm not sure if this is the right forum to post this in, but I'm sure Stevie will move it to the right one 
Well check it out: http://rad-e8.com
He has taken down the previews and everything.
Sascha's pissed
Mods,
I would like to see this kept open as long as it doesnt turn into a flame war.
There are some things that need to be said on this issue, and there is a lesson to be learned here by all.
I was just about to say that it should be closed due to the eminent flaming...
well as long as the people on this board can remain mature about this and not lash out at anyone, it should be kept on.
I'm not going to bother typing up a whole slew of stuff, instead I provide a link
/speechless
When I read Ezralite's initials I choked...At least he isn't too angry and has continued progress on Minium. I just hope nobody else does any more potentially dangerous stuff...(I'm not blaming you Lou )
Christ...ripping an entire web site? I know it's an easy thing to do...I just didn't think anyone would have the nerve!
Ripping a web site and getting paid for it... now that's just low.
Not to mention, just plain lazy.
Topic moved.
Rips @ Unauthorized works.....why there? My opinion is similar to Photo's on macnn. Lou stole the idea. That's the fact. To me, he is burned.
Please don't flame. First read Sascha's post on his site, then read Lou's post on his site, then take a look at the discussion @macnn. If you feel that you still have something to add after this reading, feel free to do it. But please don't flame.
I am eagerly waiting for Lou to come here and tell us his statement about this.
I never knew that Lou did something like that. I am ashamed of him, he may have put a bad face on this community, at least in Sascha's eyes. It was not only Lou doing it but a host of others all taking the images into photoshop. Therfore, he is not the only one to blame, even if he is the one to blame. I hope everyone here learns a lesson.
The world is stoopid.
You guys seriously need to get off your high chair in the sky. I for one would be honored and happy if someone used my design to create variations of those icons. It's a mark of respect that that the icon you've created is so perfect. Sascha's just being silly in my opinion. I think yall should just chill and chug a couple of beers, Sascha included.
Well, the shamless ripping of his site is the bigger matter. That is just pathetic.
Ripping, whether of icons or websites, is despicable. End of story, in my opinion.
Ripping websites is also stupid, especially considering how painfully obvious these guys were.
-nightcrawler1089
Yet another example of people taking advantage. There are very few people who can offer the community the level of design and quality that Sascha prodcues - and it looks like he's gone.
How many times will this happen before people realise that you have to have respect for people and their work.
Minium was one of my most eagerly anticipated icon sets in a long while and because a few people couldnt wait a few months we are all going to miss out.
you're not going to miss out on the release... it's still going to happen, you're just not going to get the weekly previews.
Here Peter,
This is how it went.
I obviously have done my own MINIUM icons, you have seen them before. While modding a lot of what I have done before (yes, I still have the PSD files to prove it) I looked at the periodic table and picked the name Niobium because it sounded kinda cool. A lot of icons and graphical works are named from the Periodic Table of Elements, so I thought I'd give it a go. I created the icons myself, even if they were INFLUENCED and INSPIRED by Sascha's. That explains the name and actual creation.
Also, a rip, as far as I'm concerned, is a RELEASED work that was made by someone else that completely stole the entire project, and claimed it as his/her own. I didn't release it, it was made by me, and I changed the color, and I said that I would release it [but I would have to ask Sascha probably (check A-S and AE-S, I did say that I might have to ask for permission)].
About the previews, have you ever seen a company use their rivals style of advertising to get the audiences attention and to look at it? C'mon, everyone's seen it before. Haven't any of you seen a company use their rivals product against theirs for comparison's sake? Sure you have, don't deny it.
Not only all of that, but I attempted to contact Sascha, and others did for me as well, including StefanKa, since he knew him since they both live in Germany. Not only did I not get a reply to talk to him about the situation, but he never cared to contact me at all to talk about anything or try to resolve anything. He simply ranted on his website for 15 or so paragraphs and then he said (ironically) "I'm speechless".
The point is: I created the icons, whether or not you think they look the same or that I stole the idea. I was planning on asking his opinion on the whole thing. I never released them (with or without permission) and he never contacted me about the situation at all. Never.
As far as I'm concerned, people are going to believe Sascha's point of view no matter what. Not only is he older, but everyone knows his work, and no one is going to belive a 16 year old over him. Furthermore, remember when I used to go "omg, dude, you are ripping off of (so and so)"? I got flamed for it. Now two guys go running around in circles doing the same thing, and Sascha notices to (1) take down the previews and (2) publicly humiliate me (everyone knows who "L. M." is if they saw the previous posts).
I think there was a lot of misinterpretation, and I belive that honestly I did nothing wrong at all. I can show images of things if I please, no one ever said I was going to release those things anyway until someone asked, then I said I might (if I ever got his permission, as I said I probably would have to do anyway).
Belive whatever you want, but just know my point of view. Bottom line: I never released them.
// Lou
well...my definition of "ripper" is some one who previews/releases an icon set (or any other works of art) similar or cloned of an un-released/released work...
if you or anyone else could have cloned the set to a T and had kept it to them selves and then used those aquired talents to come up with a completely new style of their own that wouldn't be a "rip".
so technically.. you're kinda a ripper.. and being a ripper doesn't mean that you didn't recreate every pixel on your own.. it just means that you didn't use those aquired talents from cloning surpurb work to something that is your own unique style 
...
we still love ya lou... don't give up... Just go back to the drawing board.. as i did when xanthic forums tore me apart! :-/
I don't know Sascha and I've never seen his icons. I haven't seen any of the icons that are being discussed here. But while I was looking at his website, I found an interesting picture/wallpaper that Sascha has created.
Namely, this one: http://www.rad-e8.com/_files/dtp/eye.jpg
It looks A LOT like a wallpaper included with every version of XP (I forgot the name cuz its been a long time since I last used an XP).
Now, the way I see it, is that Sascha was influenced by the XP version of that wallpaper and created his own version of it. Should he now, be called a ripper?
Once again, I don't know what exactly is going on, and I don't pretend to solve any mistery or problem in this case. I'm just laying out a similarity I saw between one of his wallpapers and one other wallpaper that is widely known.
- Gene
Lou,
You have confirmed to me that you really have absolustely no clue. Even now you still insist you did nothing wrong. Even though you never mentioned sascha or asking permission once until everyone started questioning you. You mentioned a rlease date of halloween and in no way did you indicate that you were going to "ask permission first"
You can say that you created the icons yourself, but bottom line is there is no doubt that you had the minium image right on your screen as you worked. The placement of everything in your icons is 1:1 to the real minium. That does not happen by chance.
You are developing a fine history of running your mouth first and then backtracking later. I hope that at some point you realize that you simply need to think before doing something.
As for you being publicly humiliated? Buddy, I hate to break it to you but it didnt take sascha posting on his website for you to be humiliated. Youve been humiliated in my book ever since the first post about niobium.
You are beyond reasoning.. I dont think you can offer us an explanation other than coming out and saying "im sorry for being wrong" that will make this any better.
If indeed you were intending on asking Sascha's opinion on the matter than you should have stated so in your first post. Something like "here are some icons inspired by minium that I made. I am posting this preview to see if you like them and if you do I will ask Sascha, the author of the original icons if its okay for me to release them." Then I doubt any of this would have happened.
I really hope that someday you wisen up, stop whining and learn how to respect others.
good luck in the future.
bz
I have been reading up on the recent happenings both on aqua-soft and rad-e8, and it seems that everything is quickly growing out of hand. What’s done is done. Lou posted an image of some icons he made, and yes he copied the idea of the MINIUM set for his own icons, and yes that is considered ripping. However, I think that this should never have even been brought to the forums. Everyone has an email address, and we all know how to use the PM system, and those two systems should have been utilized by Lou and Sascha only (as Lou copied Sascha’s work, not every member of aqua-soft). Furthermore, while I understand Sascha’s frustration with being copied, posting the entire event, and posting blatant hints to Lou’s identity (initials LM and the name of the icon set), is immature and counter-productive, as the only result of the post was to give Lou many enemies (which nobody wants). It seems to me that what should happen next is to add an addition to the forum rules which define explicitly the definition of “ripping”, and for those who don’t know, the definition of copyright. The consequence of posting rips and unauthorized use of copyrighted information should be immediate deletion of the thread, and a warning to the user that posted it. Repeated offenses should result in suspension, and then ban. This way, the thread doesn’t turn into a flamewar (which it always will because everyone has to stick their noses in other people’s business), and the situation is left up to the admins and the offending user. All these threads are immature and pointless, and the only result is to hype everyone up, yet again. If we all mind our own business and respect one another, this forum can be a wonderful place to visit. If we use these forums to incite flamewars the result will be a loss of the forum for all, as we have seen before.
-kompile15
i dont under stand the website ripping thing, i clicked on the link but it looks totally different. some one clue me in.
Lou,You can say that you created the icons yourself, but bottom line is there is no doubt that you had the minium image right on your screen as you worked. The placement of everything in your icons is 1:1 to the real minium. That does not happen by chance.
Okay, that makes KoL a ripper. He released a VS almost exactly like Longhorn VS. Everybody who made an Aqua VS at A-S is a ripper too. Hell, I'm a ripper by copying Explorer Glass to create something I intend to release soon. Why are you picking on Lou here, when EVERYBODY that released a VS based on a previous theme from Apple, MS, etc.. is even worse because they released their themes? Why not just pick on me instead? Or KoL?
(No offense, KoL, I love your VSs, you were just the first person I thought of when it came to LH VSs. )
@grim53, they changed the site this morning