Stolen Site! Ranking In Google!

What is the next step?

[sandpetra]

My sites just been stolen in it's entirety and the mirror site now resides on a proxy server (I think) serving google ads with japanese writing on them.

I take it his is not only a cheek but bad for my sites ranking!

What's the next step I take and how do I prevent this from happening again?

[Dead_Elvis]

Most of the times that this has happened to me a quick Cease & Desist e-mail has fixed the problem.

Either play nice at first (some people do this, but not me,) or just threaten to inform Google's AdSense Fraud department, and they will usually take it down fast.

Your e-mail message doesn't have to be legally perfect or anything, just let them know that you are aware of what they are doing, and that they are in breach of copyright law.

Usually works like a charm... but not always :(

[edited by: Dead_Elvis at 7:20 pm (utc) on Aug. 23, 2006]

[Bewenched]

Honestly .. I wouldn't bother warning them. They'd probably just move it and it would be back in the results all over again. I'd tell adsense about it first .. then send the email to cease using your content.

[twebdonny]

Not much you can do, happens every day and Google
seemingly ignores any complaints about such practices
as I have seen. Before long the hijacked site
will take your ranking and Googlebot will incur a penalty
against your domain for duped content. Sad but true.

[jdancing]

Before long the hijacked site
will take your ranking and Googlebot will incur a penalty
against your domain for duped content.

depressing :-(

[twebdonny]

depressing :-(

Extremely

[tbear]

I'd suggest not using emails, contact via snail mail is far better in these circumstances....

[Dead_Elvis]

I guess I've just been lucky, or perhaps I'm really, really intimidating, because I've had a whole lot of sites copied, and they've all been removed after a simple, but rather stern e-mail.

At the very least you won't know unless you try.

[edited by: Dead_Elvis at 12:40 am (utc) on Aug. 24, 2006]

[goneinthesun]

anyone have a sample of email to use?

[sandpetra]

Thanks for this!

It is depressing!

200 pages built over 1 year - good serps.

Unforunately I cant contact them - It's my whole design! Even absolute URLS have been modified. There's no contact email. It looks as though they are duplicate in entiriety on a japanese server.

The only difference is the adsense.

But a funny thing happened to me last week. i got a phonecall from someone asking me how profitable my "niche "area was!

The cheek - possibly connected?

[netchicken1]

I have had a couple of successes at complaining to Google.

Afterall the site is up to get income from the adverts, so take the money away that the site isn't worth it.

[drall]

One of our sites was just ripped today in fact, this is about our 30th time dealing with this, as usual we sent a c&d and one thing we have found that usually works well as pointed out is bringing to there attention that you will contact adsense, that usually gets the ripped content down fast but as in all things nothing is perfect.

I wish you luck and will let you know how our new issue goes as well.

[Dead_Elvis]

sandpetra - chech the whois info, and you might be able to get the contact information you need.

Just plug their url into www.whois.net

Are they also hotlinking your images right from your server? If they are there are ways to make them wish they hadn't ;)

[edited by: Dead_Elvis at 7:40 pm (utc) on Aug. 24, 2006]