How to deal with content thiefs?

[Gobala Krishnan]

Hi, I am new here....

Would anyone know how to deal with content thiefs. If i find my site content used by someone else w/o permission, and altered to make it look like he wrote it himself..

What can i do about it? Is there some kind of body i can report to?

[A8ch]

Hello Gobala,

Welcome to the forum.

Your query about content thieves highlights a problem that most Internet marketers will encounter at least once in their career.

The Internet is a microcosm that reflects the good, the bad and the ugly that exists in the real world, and because it is shrouded in anonymity, thieves and unscrupulous competitors find it an appealling environment to satisfy their baser instincts.

The overwhelming volume of pages on The Web may work in your favor, as far as the odds of your site being targeted is concerned, but that's no guarantee, especially if you've established some degree of prominence in your marketing community.

The sad truth is, there is nothing you can do to absolutely prevent content theft. For the sincere and legitimate marketer, the most prudent measures you can take are:

1. Be aware that your intellectual property can be ripped-off
2. Register your copyright work
2. Utilize as many other safeguards as you may have at your disposal
3. Be aggressive in your pursuit of any culprits you discover

Some Webmasters use various gimmicks to disable the right-click mouse function and prevent viewers from accessing the source code. That annoyance can usually be overcome in seconds, and is no more effective than placing a Beware of the Dog sign on your front lawn, when you don't even own a dog. It's all bark and no bite. Pardon the pun.

Plus, the visual nature of The Web makes it impossible to prevent anyone from simply copying your content in writing and publishing it elsewhere. Fortunately, the vast majority of Web users are honest and the few who steal seldom enjoy any lasting benefits.

I have been a victim of content theft on two occasions in the past three years. In both cases more than 60% of my material was being used verbatim. I tracked down the owners of the sites, sent off a strongly worded e-mail informing them they were using copyrighted material on their site without unauthorization.

I added that I was ready, willing and able to prove my case in a court of law if necessary. They could, however, avoid the expense and inconvenience of legal action, if they took the page down or removed my content within 24 hours.

In both instances, they complied immediately.

Here's a simple way to find out if your content has been hijacked.

1. Copy a brief section of text from your site (about a dozen words)
2. Paste it into the search box of your favorite search engine
3. Enclose the string in quotation marks
4. Click "search"

This will return pages, in addition to yours, with that particular sequence of words.

If you can prove you suffered financial loss as a result of stolen copyrighted content, call your attorney and she'll advise you.

You can learn more about copyright law and registration by visiting the U.S.Copyright Office at http://www.copyright.gov.

All the best,

Hermas

[Vishal P. Rao]

Excellent advice Hermas.

In addition to sending the concerned party an email, CC the email to their web hosting provider too. Web hosting providers usually do not like to get entangled in such issues and as a result may force the party to take necessary actions.

I had experienced similar problem where the webmaster was publishing articles without hyperlinking the urls. After sending repeated threatening emails to him as well as his web host, the matter was resolved.

Best wishes,

Vishal

[Gobala Krishnan]

Thanks Hermas & Vishal.

Sometimes these "anonymous" webmasters leave no contact details at all. That's the annoying part...

[A8ch]