martinibuster - 4:29 pm on Nov 19, 2012 (gmt 0)

What if I didn't know the content was being copied for YEARS.

This is happening to pretty much everybody who ranks for keyword phrases. Most people don't search snippets in search of content theft and are going about their business unawares.

IF copied content led to Pandalization, then the collateral damage would be massively widespread. Clearly, stolen content does not lead to Pandalization.

It is common for content thieves to outrank the original site for snippets, even when the original site ranks well for keyword phrases.

So in my opinion what you are seeing is not the cause of your troubles. It is just a symptom or side-effect of it. Don't confuse a side-effect with a cause. That will lead to confusion.