copy-stealing detector

[crobb305]

Someone here has menioned a script that can detect when someone uses the mouse to copy text from a website. Can someone sticky me info on where to find this script? Does it really exist?
Thanks
c

[rogerd]

There are scripts that prevent highlighting, though I haven't heard of one that logs such attempts. What are you trying to accomplish (other than irritating visitors)?

[Import Export]

Using Java to stop users from stealing your text is not going to stop people. If they want the content, there are countless other methods they can employ to take it.

[blackhole]

First find some homepage you want to violate:

Internet Explorer (6.0):
Click on "View", then "Source" and now copy all the content you want without any problems.

Netscape (7.1):
Click on "View", then "Page Source" and now copy all the content you want without any problems.

Opera (7.21):
Click on "View", then "Source Code" and now copy all the content you want without any problems.

Think about the accesibility instead of using too many javascripts that some browsers canīt execute!

Blackhole

[blackhole]

But donīt violate (itīs wrong) - follow your heart and create your own stuff...

[alika]

we tried using scripts to avoid copying of our content. of course, they failed - there are always ways to go around them. funny thing is, once these slimy folks are successful in getting around the script, they send us feedback to say that we are fools to even attempt to prevent our content from being copied.

it's a frustrating scenario for web publishers. i don't mind our users copying our content for their personal use. but i see our content ripped off and posted in other websites. in one, the byline even was retained:

PERSON'S NAME
PUBLISHER

making it appear that PERSON'S NAME is the publisher of the slimy website. arrrghh :o(

we gave up on scripts and just became more vigilant as to where our content are being used

[mifi601]

my attitude is, if someone steals my content, I am doing something right :)

"viel feind viel ehr'"

[rackaid]

My clients ask about this all of the time. Here's my nutshell answer:

If you post information on the internet and do not require authentication to access it, then anyone can copy it. You can make it more difficult for them but the fact you display the content on their system means you have sent them the data. This is true for graphics, streaming media, text, etc.

Do not waste your money or time beyond a simple right click prevention scipt. A determined indvidual will get the content.

[Harry]

Rack, I wouldn't even lock the right click.

I find that I highlight contents all the time. I'm not copying it, it's just something I do. Like when people highlight things in a book. It's a normal reflex. Sometimes, I select contents to search related material in a search engine. There are many ways people use contents, and blocking everything outright makes your site less user friendly and usable. That's as important as protecting your rights. The more useful and friendly your site is, the more people will come and recognize you as an authority, the more you'll make money.

As for people stealing contents, it's easy to check online, but it seems that many students now copy stuff for school papers. Although I hate plagiarism, do students really use the contents once they submitted to their professors?

If they copy, it's probably to get rid of an assignement. Sure, they'll learn nothing and become bad employees, but is it worth wasting time going after them?

[EileenC]

My husband is a professor and has caught several students stealing stuff from the web and trying to pass it off as their own. He flunked them. :) The scoundrels don't always get away with it. I'm a copywriter, and a passionate advocate of intellectual property rights. One of my clients stole his web content from all his industry competitors, and then tried to get me to rewrite it without telling me it wasn't his to begin with. It was so good, there was nothing to rewrite. I got suspicious, googled unique phrases of the content, and exposed him for the thief he was. I told his web master the content wasn't his, and I told him if he posted it, I'd tell the people he stole it from.
Then I fired him as my client. He never did post the stolen material. Lesson: sometimes you can do something about it after all.

[trimmer80]

>>>>Then I fired him as my client<<<<

oohhh that sounds fun

[corey123]

I'm a small business owner who is a very unqualified webmaster. I really would like to protect the content on my website. From the posts I read on this board, there is no foolproof way to do it, but I would like to stop as many people as possible, even if it is merely code to disable right clicking. Where can I find this code, or can someone provide better ideas (including the code)?

[Harry]

I think disabling the right click is a bad idea in terms of usability for your site's visitors. As you say, there are no foolproof solutions, so why even waste energy on a losing proposition?

Concentrate on making the content good and written in your own voice, or that of your company. Add clear copyrights notices around your work to remind copiers that the stuff is yours.

I'm not one of those person who says that if it's on the Web, it must be free, but I am definitely not one to advocate trying to control how people use your contents. Inviting them to ask for permission is in the end the best mechanism along with clear rules on usage.

And if putting stuff on the Web worries you so much, just don't put anything and deal with the consequences.

Only a minority of people copy and steal. Most people are honest and fair. Spend your energy on those people instead of those who wouldn't buy your contents anyway.

[blackhole]

The only thing that can be a little bit useful, is an alert message about the copyright of your content!

Go to:

[javascriptkit.com...]

and simply copy the code into the HEAD section of your page...

This should do it..!

[rogerd]

Hmmm, I'd get some user feedback before subjecting everyone to a warning popup when they visit your site... Corey, if you search Google for "disable right click", you'll find both links to scripts and an equal number of links to pages that tell you why disabling right clicks is a bad idea. :)

[corey123]

Guys, thanks for your assistance. I guess that after naerly 10 years of right-clicking other people's sites, I don't really deserve a foolproof way for protecting my own.

[blackhole]

I forgot this..:

You can protect your content with a login-system and then force visitors (after they have typed in some personally information about them selfes) to say "Yes, I accept the rules" before they enter your stuff...

Maybe...

[paybacksa]

IMO, you are wasting your time and increasing your overhead costs by trying to use technology to prevent copying of your published web content. That is simply not how this Internet thing is designed.

[anallawalla]

I agree with the "don't bother" sentiments here, but someone has a script out there that encodes the page content if you look at the source. The header contains a Javascript that decodes it to the viewer.

[Harry]

A good way I've found to stop people from copying your pages is to use a program that puts all the code and texts on one line.

It will stop all but the determined to use your pages' structure. It also improves the size of your pages and overall, you save bandwidth. They can still copy the text from the regular page though.

[pakopmaat]

I'm not totally sure about this but post it anyways:

If a program puts all the code and texts on one line, isn't it easy to just put the text by selecting all in notepad to then perform word wrap?

[Harry]

Yes, it's possible, but it's not elegant nor practical. The poor sob who wants to copy your stuff will have to work before he can use your stuff. At that point, many will just give up.

Like usual, no solution is 100% full-proof. At the very least, it will not affect how the page looks to real users.

[raptorix]

Disabling right clicks or view source protection is useless, every script can be hacked with:

javascript:document.write(this.document.body.innerHTML)

[JohnHeart]

I know 1 site that uses the redirecting method so that the webpage code will not be copied. He is really tricky. It's very simple and doesn't need any scripting.

JohnHeart