FXC
|
This article does not cite its references or sources. You can help WikiFur by adding references. For specifics, check the edit history and talk page. Consult the Furry Book of Style for editing help. |
|
This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to WikiFur style and standards. For specifics, check the edit history and talk page. Consult the Furry Book of Style for editing help. |
FXC (also known as F-X-C,) stands for Furry X-Change, a now defunct group which claimed to be one of the most prolific (and possibly largest) file-sharing networks for furry art online between 2003 and 2006.
Originating from an IRC channel (#furryxdcc on the Rizon server), FXC briefly extended its activities to a now inoperative bittorrent website (www.f-x-c.net) run by Sibe. By the end of 2004, Sibe, under legal duress, had voluntarily transferred ownership of #furryxdcc to another party, which claimed to be less hostile--and more pro-artist--than its older incarnation. Sibe was later temporarily banned from the group in 2005 after he initiated surreptitious attempt to reclaim ownership of the IRC channel against the wishes of the new owner. Due to diminished interest from group management and the rise of more accessible forms of browser-based media distribution, the group became effectively inoperative by the end of 2007.
The legacy of the group marginally persists through the presence of the prefix "FXC" (usually seen as [fxc]pack_name.extension ) in the filenames of compressed .zip, .rar, or .sit packages of furry media that remain on many P2P networks. These letters indicate their origin as being originally compiled by one of the group's many members and/or servers. FXC also spawned a few other file-sharing furry archives who utilized similar monikers, with the most notable being FXA ('Furry X-Change Archive').
The group also included a few furry artists of its own who largely prefered to remain incognito.
Controversy[edit]
Even with attempts to appear "more pro-artist," FXC was publicly labeled by many furs as "just another furry warez group," solely dedicated to acquiring, scanning and distributing the latest on commercial furry content, be it comics, retail CDs and/or portfolios from almost any artist in the fandom. Indeed, some users on websites dedicated to posting fur-related content frequently posted FXC releases they had uploaded to the German file hosting website RapidShare. Nevertheless, the members of FXC have claimed to report and remove their own content from other sources.
Many of the new packages released by the group were done so after a two month delay to encourage eager furs to buy the product from the artist in order to see it sooner. Although there have been claims that the distribution of furry art in general aids artist sales via the introduction of new furs to established artists and experienced furs to up-and-coming talent, the ultimate impact of piracy on the furry fandom remains highly controversial.