MSN Groups

Copyright infringement complaint procedures

[helleborine]

I have found several MSN Groups that were posting copyrighted images from my site.

Because I have a "widget plan" website, the graphics are in fact the content. My pages are nearly without text.

Contacting managers directly was next to useless. Some didn't acknowledge my request, some argued that I should mind my own business and the whole web was free, and others complied.

Therefore, I decided it might be best to contact MSN directly, and give them the whole mess to care care of, including the follow ups and the arguments with the Managers at fault.

I wanted to share my experience dealing with MSN in requesting to have the content removed.

The instructions are daunting, and are buried with small print navigation. You may find it here:
microsoft.com/info/cpyrtInfrg.htm - I hope it's OK with the moderators, if not sticky mail me.

Use this template letter:

Please take appropriate action on the violation of my copyright:

On this page:
(page URL)
This/these image(s):
(image URL)

Has/have been taken from my books/publications/websites: (list).

I am the copyright owner and do not authorize this use.

The information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, and I am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

Sign
(INSERT your address)

Important: include a scan of your signature as an attachment.

What happens next? It all happens quickly. The Managers are contacted very soon after the complaint is received and given 48 hours to remove the copyrighted material on penalty of seeing the group closed down. The SOP seems to be a request to remove the content of the entire offending page, perhaps to protect the anonymity of the complainant, but I'm only speculating on their motives.

They are efficient and professional, as they should be. Ultimately, it is MSN that profits from advertisements shown on the pages where your copyrighted material is being displayed.

[stapel]

I can second your experience. When I found my content being used as online instructional materials presented through an MSN group, I contacted MSN, and the group was disabled almost immediately.

Eliz.

[TomWaits]

This might be besides the point, helleborine, but didn't you post the other day about competitors clicking your AdSense ads? Your industry sure sounds like something to steer clear of.

[helleborine]

My "industry" has several MSN Groups. One of which is headed by the lunatic.

Four of the groups were stealing my content - and many other people's, as well.

MSN only closed down one of the groups. The smallest one, the one that had the largest number of my "widget plans," and whose Manager had ignored my requests in the past.

BTW, I'm living in fear that they might do invalid clicks, but there are no signs that there have been any, as far as I can tell.