Forum Moderators: not2easy
Recently though I have found two blogs that just scrape my content and make it theirs, with nothing else but my blog posts as the blogs content. Right now neither of these blogs are ranking well but how am I to be sure that the content they have taken will not look like their own instead of mine at some point?
I have a blog that has a creative commons commons license that allows others to use my content. The way that I look at this is that if someone wants to copy my content they can go ahead but really I would hope that people would at least link back to me.
Do you require a link as part of your Creative Commons license?
Recently though I have found two blogs that just scrape my content and make it theirs, with nothing else but my blog posts as the blogs content. Right now neither of these blogs are ranking well but how am I to be sure that the content they have taken will not look like their own instead of mine at some point?
Have you filed a DMCA report with Google? I wonder though if the Creative Commons license may make it harder for you to enforce your copyright.
If you specifically let others use your content, even with any restrictions your Creative Commons license may put on it, I think you're opening Pandora's box. I'm sure people with Creative Commons licenses may think they're doing the world a favor, but I think it may just look like they don't value the content they create.
In other words, slapping a Copyright notice on your site says "MINE! I value this! Don't copy my hard work!" A Creative Commons license seems to say "Go ahead! Freely copy this! I don't care. Oh, but read the fine print, pretty please." Unfortunately, people stopped reading somewhere between "Freely copy this!" and "I don't care."
If people want to use your content, let them quote you and link back to your site for the full article. Why risk duplicate content penalties?
If they claim to be using the license as the reason that they are copying the work, then they are bound by the limitations under contract law. If they don't abide by the terms of the license, they are liable under both contract AND copyright law.
If they are not claiming that their use is acceptable under the license, then they are liable under copyright law.
Either way, the only rights you are giving up at any time are those you allow in the license if they follow all the terms. If they violate the license terms, your case might even be stronger than if you didn't have the license in the first place.
Carefully read the license that you have put on your content. Are they following all the terms of the license that you've chosen?
If they have, then deal with it and possibly choose another license.
Only if they have not followed the terms of the license should you file a DMCA, otherwise YOU will be liable for damages.
