Internet Content Stolen - Does Anyone Actually Give a F

[mc_blue]

Hello all,

I don't claim to have the most attractive website in the world but most of my site's content is well written and I built it myself, I've invested a lot of my time in it and I'm getting pissed off with numerous companies stealing chunks of text and gif animations. I've done something about the gifs already.

I’ve done some research and numerous sites suggest reporting to the other companies' web hosts and search engines. I'm sure I can prove that my content is original but will anything actually be done considering I don't work in the biggest company in the world and my web presence isn't massive?

I don’t want to come across as a miserable little shit but what I’ve written is my intellectual property and it has been stolen.

Any advice?

Many thanks

Edited by mc_blue on Thursday 1st November 22:48

[rpguk]

Hmm a tricky one really as it's going to be difficult for you to prove they stole the content as it's really your word against theirs (and they are a paying customer). Taking them to court is going to be expensive if they are overseas.

Have you tried contacting the sites themselves. It's hard to be more specific without seeing the context in which they have been used but most webmasters would probably use a few pages or icons rather then face hassle from you, especially when in the wrong.

Perhaps sending a firm letter direct, one pre-written http://www.legalpulse.com/site/legalweb.nsf/DocView/D4A0ABF0CCC0FC1D80256DD400614DA6 for a few quid, might be a good way to start.

[jamesuk28]

If its straight forward copy and pasting content (text / words) then they are in breech of Copyright. However just simply changing the odd word hear and there is usually enough to get around that.You could Send a cease and desist order to the webmaster and web hosting provider but dont hold out to much hope. So there is not really a lot you can realistically do, take it as a compliment if you can. To see if your content has been nicked try this free service http://www.copyscape.com

[GreenV8S]

What do you want to happen? It sounds as if all you're thinking about at the moment is stopping anyone else using your material. If they're using it, it's obviously worth something to them. This may be an opportunity for you to license/sell your material or get paid to produce more of it, if that's any interest to you.

[shadowninja]

Is it in your Beech Recovery site? As far as many businesses in the world are concerned, none of your info is copyrighted.

The correct format to cover your arse globally is:

Copyright © YYYY YourCompanyName. All rights reserved.

eg

Copyright © 2007 StopCopyingMyContent Ltd. All rights reserved.

Most websites in the UK are copyable if you're in the right country. Yep, even our beloved PistonHeads could be copied outright in Paraguay or something.

Edited by shadowninja on Friday 2nd November 10:55

[mc_blue]

Cheers guys - as I assumed then. Oh well I suppose that's one of the limitations of the internet.