Sites keep copying my articles -I am so MAD!!!

Discussion in 'Legal Issues' started by himoacs, Aug 2, 2008.

  1. #1
    Seriously, I am tired of writing original articles and then having them copied by other sites.

    Here is an article that I wrote yesterday on my blog:
    NoDoFollow - A Firefox Extension To Distinguish DoFollow And NoFollow Links

    And I just found out that some other site already put it up without permission:
    http://windowspalace.com/contributo...-distinguish-dofollow-and-nofollow-links.html

    This site has been stealing a lot of my articles without my permission. I asked the admin to stop doing it and he didn't respond. The problem is that sometimes this site gets indexed by google before my blog.

    For example if you take a look at google's search result for "nodofollow", you will notice that my blog is still not there but this site mentioned above is already there.

    There is another site that is also copying my articles.

    I have just sent a complaint to Google through Webmaster Tools about duplicate content and am waiting for a response.

    Do you guys have any other suggestions? How can I stop these guys from copying stuff?

    Thanks
     
    himoacs, Aug 2, 2008 IP
  2. mjewel

    mjewel Prominent Member

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    #2
    You should be filing a DMCA with their host, adsense, google, and any other search engine that you are concerned about. You can google "DMCA template" for the outline you need to follow. This will remove the offending pages completely, and perhaps even their entire site. Just sending a regular complaint in an email isn't going to work.
     
    mjewel, Aug 2, 2008 IP
  3. himoacs

    himoacs Peon

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    #3
    I really have no idea about the steps i should take. I have never heard of a DMCA template.

    When I googled it...i found this page: http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/27731.htm

    should i send an email like that.

    I am just a simple guy and I don't want to get involved in a lot of stuff.
     
    himoacs, Aug 2, 2008 IP
  4. mjewel

    mjewel Prominent Member

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    #4
    There are many DMCA templates.

    It isn't hard to do - you are basically just showing where the infringing material is located, where it was taken from, and stating that you were the original author of the material.

    You need to sign it, so you'll need to fax a copy or send it via mail.
     
    mjewel, Aug 2, 2008 IP
  5. Thomas_Horton

    Thomas_Horton Member

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    #5
    Be honored, you write good articles. But I understand your concerns. Keep sending e-mails to the admins of the other sites telling them that you are going to take legal actions, going to court etc. If that doesn't help, try doing what mjewel told you.
     
    Thomas_Horton, Aug 2, 2008 IP
  6. SFOD_D223

    SFOD_D223 Peon

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    #6
    there really is nothing that you can do against this. The DMCA is a toothless attempt. Start writing crappy content and the parasite will move on after bleeding you dry.
     
    SFOD_D223, Aug 2, 2008 IP
  7. kittyluver

    kittyluver Notable Member

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    #7
    Just mail the admin that they are copying your articles and going to inform Google to penalize their site for the infringement of copyright. Hope this will work...
     
    kittyluver, Aug 2, 2008 IP
  8. SFOD_D223

    SFOD_D223 Peon

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    #8
    i don't understand, since when did Google become the internet's police force? Do we run to them whenever people don't click on our ads or bounce right off of sites with commenting?

    Google- release the internet form your icy clutches!!!
     
    SFOD_D223, Aug 2, 2008 IP
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  9. mjewel

    mjewel Prominent Member

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    #9

    DMCA is a toothless attempt?

    Most hosts will act on a DMCA buy removing the page or suspending the account. Sure, they can find a new host but it's a pain and I've found that most of the times it keeps them from taking your content again.

    Google will remove the pages from their search. That removes the duplicate content threat.

    Adsense will terminate their account if they are a repeat offender.

    Most people don't want their hosting suspended, to be de-indexed from search engines, and lose their adsense account.

    It won't stop every single person, but a good 90% of them.
     
    mjewel, Aug 2, 2008 IP
  10. Glottis

    Glottis Peon

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    #10
    That nodofollow image in the beginning of the article links to your blog. I bet they didn't notice that when they copied/pasted the article...
    I understand what you're going through; I would be furious, too, if someone stole my articles!
    mjewel gave you great advice, protect your work by following it.
    Good luck.
     
    Glottis, Aug 2, 2008 IP
  11. Dollar

    Dollar Active Member

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    #11
    Well using blogspot you can't really protect your articles in any way.

    I think DMCA is usually for a bonafied Copyright. Though you could try, but you don't actually have a real copyright or trademark and someone copies you, you might just be pissing in the wind filing a dmca.
     
    Dollar, Aug 2, 2008 IP
  12. navywife_afc

    navywife_afc Peon

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    #12
    ok, first - it isn't that site doing it. That's a site where authors can contribute. The author graciously left HIS site - http://www.zacharyfox.com/ . Second, run a whois search - Here, I did it for you. =) The idiot lives in Texas. Since he is in the US, you could threaten him with a lawsuit. Check it out, he even left a fax number!

    Registrant:
    Zachary Fox
    1214 Bayou Oak Dr.
    Friendswood, Texas 77546
    United States

    Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
    Domain Name: ZACHARYFOX.COM
    Created on: 05-Apr-06
    Expires on: 05-Apr-11
    Last Updated on: 08-Apr-06

    Administrative Contact:
    Fox, Zachary
    1214 Bayou Oak Dr.
    Friendswood, Texas 77546
    United States
    (281) 996-0281 Fax --

    Technical Contact:
    Fox, Zachary
    1214 Bayou Oak Dr.
    Friendswood, Texas 77546
    United States
    (281) 996-0281 Fax --

    Domain servers in listed order:
    ns1.the-hosts.com
    ns2.the-hosts.com
     
    navywife_afc, Aug 2, 2008 IP
  13. mjewel

    mjewel Prominent Member

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    #13
    That's not correct. When you create something, you have an automatic copyright. A DMCA doesn't apply to trademarks, but you also don't need to register a trademark to have rights. The OP wasn't talking about trademark infringement.
     
    mjewel, Aug 2, 2008 IP
  14. memasti

    memasti Peon

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    #14
    Hi himoacs.

    Ever realised what had happend.

    They are using ur RSS feed to autoblog.

    So either u eneable adsense code with the full rss, else choose the short form in the feed.

    Regards.
     
    memasti, Aug 2, 2008 IP
  15. lightless

    lightless Notable Member

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    #15

    NO
    :D

    That's the guy who made the extension, i think. You can see a link to his site on the original site as well.
     
    lightless, Aug 2, 2008 IP
  16. abercrombie

    abercrombie Peon

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    #16
    investigated a few articles from that site and the whole thing is copied content. funny thing is, they maintain intrasite cross links so if you have "computers" and it's linked to another article in the source site, they haven't bothered fixing it. i wouldn't worry too much, Google knows when sites are peddling scrapped content and penalizes them accordingly. i'd be luck if someone found that site in the search engines before they found yours.
     
    abercrombie, Aug 2, 2008 IP
  17. scubita

    scubita Peon

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    #17
    Fisrt, pay for a Copyright Account in your country. There is always a governament office that take care of that stuff for musicians etc etc. Create an account in there and send them your articles before you put them online (email). In here there is the chance of paying $500 and you get the right to protect a great number of itens, i believe its 150 itens.

    So, wherever you do a new post, first you protect it, then, when you post it online, add a small text in footer about the "new protected material".

    It's a pain in the ass cause it's expensive, but it's quite effective: scammers will run away. The ones who dont will be flagged in 2-4 days by Google because you have the legal rights in your hand.
     
    scubita, Aug 2, 2008 IP
  18. mjewel

    mjewel Prominent Member

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    #18
    You don't need to go the formal copyright route if you don't want too - the copyright is automatic upon creation in the US. With a DMCA, they will act on your signature that the material is yours and no further proof is needed. You can get into a lot of trouble if you file a DMCA and the content isn't yours.
     
    mjewel, Aug 2, 2008 IP
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  19. frugalwench

    frugalwench Peon

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    #19
    Here is a copyright solution that is legal and has held up in court, and only costs a few pennies. On the day you publish the post, email it to yourself with the copyright date on the TOP of the email, like "Copyright 8/1/2008 by John Doe for the website http:*****". Print out the email with the total header and mail it to yourself THAT DAY. That establishes the date of publishing, and it is doubly legalized by the date of mailing. I know that's a lot of trouble to go through for each article, but if you ever have to take it to court, you have proof. The email alone is proof of publishing date which will stand up with any internet entity, like ISP's, Google and the like.

    To keep people from stealing your articles, put a link into it that leads to a page that says "If you are not viewing this article on (your website), it has been stolen. Please click here to report it." The click here link would be to a special email set up just for this. Believe it or not, there are a lot of people who will let you know. I know I would.

    When I used to do graphics, I would rename them weekly, and in their place, put a "This Graphic Was Stolen from My Name" picture. It was funny when someone would write me to say they saw that on some web site.
     
    frugalwench, Aug 2, 2008 IP
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  20. himoacs

    himoacs Peon

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    #20
    First of all i would like to thank you all for providing me with so much useful info that I never knew about.

    I am a simple guy so i don't want to go to a lot of extent with this thing. I have emailed google and it would be enough for me if the site gets removed from google results.

    I did notice that the guy is stupid enough to copy all the images and links with the text...so i always link one of the images to the original post so that if someone does click on the image then they can be directed to the original content.

    The extension is created by Zacharyfox and I needed to credit him for his wonderful extension. That's why I included his link in the original article.

    I will now wait to hear what Google has to say. I am sure it will take some action. If it does not then I guess i will file a DMCA complaint.
     
    himoacs, Aug 2, 2008 IP