Someone copied my content

They even left my site name in the text!

[TimmyMagic]

I have an affiliate program for my website. I was just mucking around on google and typed in 'my domain affiliate'....and up comes a web site. They copied my content for my affiliate program word for word.

It took me hours to write the content and it's a bloody cheek. They were so lazy that they even left a mention of 'my domain affiliate program' in the text.

The site is on exactly the same subject as mine. Although their site is pretty lame. I've not contacted them yet, but what should I do?

Any advice appreciated.

Regards,

Tim

[hunderdown]

Search this forum for procedures to follow to get that taken down. If you take the right steps, their web host will take them offline.

[photon]

You can also look in the library of this forum (link is just above the forum name) for this [webmasterworld.com] post and others like it.

[leliphent]

did you have a disclaimer in the script?

[alika]

We just had a similar problem with another website copying our homepage. They were also lazy that they left out our name on their page. This laziness can be a big boost for you as it proves that they really copied. Here are the steps we did:

1. We first filed a DCMA complaint with Google. G however took more than a week to respond, and by then the page was already taken down

2. We sent the DCMA complaint (not just an email but the formal legalese) to the web host -- a much quicker route to resolve the issue. It took them only 24 hours upon receipt of the DCMA complaint to take down the offending website.

Good luck!

[prairiedweller]

I wish I had a buck for every time I've found my words, html and pics on other's sites.
I first take a snapshot of the page in question, then look them up in whois and gather all information
(admin contact, tech contact, host yadda yadda..)
I then send out a form email stating what was copied and demand they remove it within 48 hours or I will report them to their hosting company and any other web based affiliations they have whose TOS (terms of service) prohibits copyright infringement.
Normally they jump right on it. If no compliance, I will also add them to a webpage a friend and I put together to publicly list plagiarizers. When a search is done on them, we come up right there with them with a full explanation of their crime. Honestly, that seems to be more effective than anything else. A little humiliation goes a long way.
Out of all the sites guilty of doing it to me, only one had refused to take down my work. Not only did she take my pics, but altered them and made them into the site template...1 yr later, still there. I come up #1 under her company name though, so it's a warm feeling in all :)

[Kuyler]

Very interesting topic. I'm just curious whether more people favor PD's approach (i.e. warn the plagiarizer first) or alika's (i.e. go straight to their web host). My gut reaction is to do it alika-style, so as to give them less time to prepare their case! :) But I'll agree that PD's method is more considerate...

[ElvisFan]

Okay.... I have just found several sites that have balantly copied my interviews and even stole my images

One site just post a whole page of mine...

Can someone please let me know how do I have do I find their host... as I have idea where to go or look... even after I emailed all of them... no action was taken.

thanks,

[KenB]

My post (message #4) in [webmasterworld.com...] provides the format that is needed to file a complaint under the DMCA. If you file a complaint to the ISP that hosts the site with the offending page, the ISP will take the offending page/site down within a matter of days (provided the ISP is in the U.S.). I have found that while they are not bound by the DMCA, foreign ISPs will often honor copyright complaints filed using the DMCA format I explain in the above post.

[stapel]

I'm just curious whether more people favor PD's approach (i.e. warn the plagiarizer first) or alika's (i.e. go straight to their web host).

I've tried the "ask them nicely" approach, and it's almost never worked. But the "get formal and officious with the web host" thing works nearly every time, and generally quite quickly.

In an ideal world, a gentle reproof to the site-master would be successful, but then, in an ideal world, he wouldn't have stolen from you in the first place.

Eliz.

[alika]

We tried the first approach for several times with the same result -- stone cold silence from the other party. We usually gave them a couple of days to respond, and when we don't hear anything, we send it to the webhost. Once the webhost pulls the plug, the thief suddenly springs to life and reply to our email. Alas, too late the hero ...

[etechsupport]

You should have a copyright notice along with terms of use on your web site as a reminder; it’ll give yourself additional protection in case of a copyright dispute and infringement.

It is highly recommended to register your work by visiting the site of copyright.gov online to protect your design work and contents.

[Kirby]

>...remove it within 48 hours or I will report them to their hosting company

I have much better success sending an email to the hosting company notifying them of the DMCA complaint to be sent the following day. I cc the thief. More often than not I dont even have to deal with the thief. I grew weary of the lame excuses.