Football Fixture List may be free for forums like ours to post up soon.

Believe it or not for years forums like ours have not been allowed to post up football fixture lists because they are copyright protected.

If we wanted to post one up we would have to pay something like £2,000 to do so.

This situation as now been challenged by the European courts and in a nutshell they say the lists are not indeed copyright at all.

The British courts have to sort of ratify this decision - but copyright experts seem to think our courts will do so as the European Court have not left them much room to do otherwise.

Full story here if anyone is interested -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17218968

No wonder Bolton Banter charges 2k a year to run. I never knew why!

It's probably cost us just less than a £100 for everything - from set up costs to registering the domain, paying for the server, the lot.

Sites that are seeking payments are quite frankly having a laugh imo - particularly ones that have got advertisements and sponsorships too!

If someone thinks they are helping out their favourite forum by putting their hand in their pocket to help out with the running costs, then they are simply being played as mugs.

One site is run by a computer expert and an investment banker and they have the begging bowl out to their loyal members - how they can rip their internet mates off is quite simply beyond my comprehension.

Another site is charging its members for functions that are free on every other site - and people are happily paying for them - incredible - it must be true that 'there is a mug born every minute!'.

It would trouble me taking money from someone for nothing - doesn't seem to bother others though.