Same Footer - Multiple Domains

Does this have undesired affects on rankings?

[Cloaking]

I'm in the process of creating several websites (up to 15) on different domain names of which are intended to be run as an interconnected network of sites from a central domain name. They will have a unique IP address (not each, but as a whole), and aren't annoying doorway pages or 'niche' sites offering nothing of any use to anyone. All of the sites will be related, but cover individual, somewhat more targeted fields of a very broad topic.

Anyway, I intend to use an identical (or at least very similar) footer on each page of each domain name - something simple, along the lines of 'Copyright © 2006 Company Name', with a link to the central domain name. I'm no SEO expert, but I know a little and have read a lot, and it's my understanding that content generators which spew out useless information with the only intention being to attract search engine traffic can be identified by the more 'intelligent' search engines (such as Google) by unique but consistant similarities in the layout or content that the script or program generates. So I'm wondering if having the same footer on more than one top-level domain name is going to have any adverse affects on any of the site's rankings, or have them dropped from certain indexes all together, especially considering they will all link to the one central domain name. The primary domain links to all sites, and, at least on the public level, acts as little more than an index of the overall network, but not in attempt to boost rankings or anything. Because it's not of major importance, I'm not overly concerned with the rankings of the central domain name, but, like every other website owner on the planet, would like to do everything within my power to earn the other sites the best rankings possible.

I have no intention of employing any 'blackhat' SEO techniques. All of the sites will have an absolute minimum of on year 'trial' period, whereby I can measure their success 12 months after the initial launch to determine which should be continued, which require more work, or which should be dropped. I think longevity will work in my favor in the long run, but for now, I'd just like to know whether or not an identical footer on all domain names is going to work against me at all.

I'd rather not disclose specific website details (as the overall project is far from complete and I want to keep it 'on the low' for now), so please don't ask.

Thanks.

[Rani]

Do a Google search for "page similarity checking tool"

[Cloaking]

Uh, thanks for the tip, but that doesn't exactly help in what I'm looking for. I know that having the same body content is likely to result in being dropped by the search engines that matter, but I'm more interested in finding out whether the same footer is going to make some search engines think the pages are being generated by some automated tool.

[Kufu]

It is not the same footer that will get you in trouble but the way you are linking the sites to one another.

[Cloaking]

Hmm, ok, thanks. I didn't really consider that.

Do you have any suggestions as to what may be a better idea?

[wmuser]

First search for free page similarity checking tools
Second footer wont does much matter but cross links would