Prevention is Better Than Cure

[PowerUp]

Hi Seniors,

I'm about to start developing a website. Content will be from my own research, documented using my own understanding and also based on my skills/experience in this field. I am worried that others might just copy my site and upload as their own original content.

I've read some threads here about the steps to be taken once the webmaster finds out that his site has been plagiarised. But what I'd like to do is to avoid my site being plagiarised in the first place, if possible. Any advice? Reason I am asking this is so that I can incorporate these ideas during my planning and programming stage.

Example,
1) Register copyright. Well, If I always update my content, then how can I file for a copyright?

2) Instill fear. Maybe I can put a note somewhere on my site claiming that any copycats will be punished and legal action will be taken to the highest level?

3) Deactivate right click select copy, deactivate text selection, Or make all my links open in a browser that deactivates the Menu-Edit-Copy.....

4) What's Carbonscape or Copyscape?

5) Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance.

[stapel]

PowerUp said: If I always update my content, then how can I file for a copyright?

What does the one have to do with the other? File your copyright on what you've got now. In six months or a year, file a copyright on the new stuff.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

PowerUp said: Maybe I can put a note somewhere on my site claiming that any copycats will be punished and legal action will be taken to the highest level?

You might want to have a "Terms of Use" or "Linking" page, explaining appropriate use. My TOU [purplemath.com] page is drawn from personal experience, and includes a discreet note to the effect that plagiarism will be found and dealt with. I don't think you need to be "in your face" with the issue, since -- presumably -- most of your users will be legitimate visitors, not scrapers.

That said, having the Copyscape [copyscape.com] logo on my pages has been astoundingly helpful. (But you will need to follow up. Don't assume that posting the logo, without using the service, will protect your content.)

PowerUp said: Deactivate right click select copy, deactivate text selection, Or make all my links open in a browser that deactivates the Menu-Edit-Copy.

Sad to say, the "no right click" and "no highlight" scripts are astonishingly effective in stopping many scrapers. It won't stop the whole-site scrapers, of course, but the losers who want "just a little" of your site are often stopped dead in the their tracks. In a way, I guess that makes sense. Morons who are too stupid to write their own content are usually too stupid to figure a way around such simplistic "security" measures.

That said, the "no right click" thing can be very annoying for those of us who are aware of the resources available through right-click menues. And "no highlight" scripts can cause unexpected problems. I added a "Search" box to each content page, and then noticed that I couldn't change my search terms by highlighting and starting over. That got annoying.

PowerUp said: What's Carbonscape or Copyscape?

It's just what the site says it is: An interface for finding duplicate (or potentially duplicate) pages in the search engines. Just follow the instructions on the page to see how it works.

Eliz.

[PowerUp]

What does the one have to do with the other? File your copyright on what you've got now. In six months or a year, file a copyright on the new stuff.

does it cost any money to register a copy right?

[stapel]

PowerUp said: does it cost any money to register a copy right?

Yes.

For specific information, consult with your lawyer or copyright-filing service (if you're going to have somebody else file the paperwork for you), or with the site of the copyright office for your country (if you're going to file the registration yourself).

Eliz.