When asked for permission to republish or quote us by legitimate sources such as The Washington Post, Forbes Magazine, NY Times, etc... we have done so and the appropriate credit was given.
We have never really checked to see if people were stealing this content for their own gain but after reading a post here and doing some quick research I found several. We always assumed that since our pages where published long before anyone else, the proper credit would be given by Google.
BTW: They are really not a direct competitor since we are national and they are in Texas, but when they gain a PR of 5 (matching us!), it just pisses you off, ya know. Who else has gained from our hard work?
What is the best process for having these removed? Does this hurt our rating? Can you "date" your pages so SEs have a date to go by? What is the best way to find copied content?
Our rating dropped from a 6 to a 5 over the past few months and our business has suffered. I wonder if this could be one reason why.
Well... The first thing you probably want to do is make their life difficult by making sure your images and links are referenced with absolute urls...
Then you can run a script which randomly turns on image hot linking protection for a few minutes at a time during peak business hours... Or you switch the images out for some good stuff...
Also you could try "frame busting" javascript techniques and plant script in your text content... Probably won't do much really except act as a minor deterrent ...
But really... If your up against something like a scraper site there isn't much you can do except file a complaint under the Digitial Millenium Copyright act... but I think your going to need to find some good lawyer friends if you take that route... not sure...
Absolute urls...
I don't think other people copying your stuff is going to get you to fall from grace as much as people linking to the content which was stolen from you more than you... just guessing...
Maybe you could offer your articles as syndicated feeds and plant absolute urls in the content so it points back to you... make it hard for them to steal it... but make it really easy for them to get it "your way" for free...
> Our site provides a great deal of original content since 1999 written > mostly by my wife who is a RN. Gobs of pages and articles all about > elder care.
> When asked for permission to republish or quote us by legitimate > sources such as The Washington Post, Forbes Magazine, NY Times, etc... > we have done so and the appropriate credit was given.
> We have never really checked to see if people were stealing this > content for their own gain but after reading a post here and doing > some quick research I found several. We always assumed that since our > pages where published long before anyone else, the proper credit would > be given by Google.
> BTW: They are really not a direct competitor since we are national and > they are in Texas, but when they gain a PR of 5 (matching us!), it > just pisses you off, ya know. Who else has gained from our hard work?
> What is the best process for having these removed? > Does this hurt our rating? > Can you "date" your pages so SEs have a date to go by? > What is the best way to find copied content?
> Our rating dropped from a 6 to a 5 over the past few months and our > business has suffered. I wonder if this could be one reason why.
There is nothing you can do but you could try putting a footer credit in articles that have a link back to your main site, a lot of scrapers use automated tools so the link will appear.
Google most likely looks at time/date stuff so it is good to also have a sitemap and use Google Webmaster Tools.
> Our site provides a great deal of original content since 1999 written > mostly by my wife who is a RN. Gobs of pages and articles all about > elder care.
> When asked for permission to republish or quote us by legitimate > sources such as The Washington Post, Forbes Magazine, NY Times, etc... > we have done so and the appropriate credit was given.
> We have never really checked to see if people were stealing this > content for their own gain but after reading a post here and doing > some quick research I found several. We always assumed that since our > pages where published long before anyone else, the proper credit would > be given by Google.
> BTW: They are really not a direct competitor since we are national and > they are in Texas, but when they gain a PR of 5 (matching us!), it > just pisses you off, ya know. Who else has gained from our hard work?
> What is the best process for having these removed? > Does this hurt our rating? > Can you "date" your pages so SEs have a date to go by? > What is the best way to find copied content?
> Our rating dropped from a 6 to a 5 over the past few months and our > business has suffered. I wonder if this could be one reason why.
The issue of copyright centers around whether the work is sufficiently original and unique to qualify for copyright protection. If someone copys and pastes 100% of your work then that is a clear violation. What is not so clear is when someone alters the original work. A lot depends of the degree of the alteration and whether objectively it could be classed as a new work or a copy. With images for example, merely changing the background colour from red to blue will not create a new work. Cropping the image will not either however making material changes to the subject of the image can create a new work e.g. changing the face of the central character. With words a few small changes generally will not escape copyright infringement however changing some of the meaning and substance of the text could avoid copyright. There is no clear black and white guidance of what is and what is not a substantial change. It has to be looked at objectively as to whether a reasonable man would construe the text as being in essence the same as the original text. For copyright violations goggle helps with its DMCA procedure however legally enforcing copyright through the courts is a very expensive minefield.
I have placed absolute urls in each article linking back to "about us" page with the title: "By: Clare Absher RN, BSN".
They just delete that part. They just copy/paste the articles, then reformat them for their page, editing out anything they don't want. Even if they just referenced the source that might be okay.
> Well... The first thing you probably want to do is make their life > difficult by making sure your images and links are referenced with > absolute urls...
> Then you can run a script which randomly turns on image hot linking > protection for a few minutes at a time during peak business hours... > Or you switch the images out for some good stuff...
> Also you could try "frame busting" javascript techniques and plant > script in your text content... Probably won't do much really except > act as a minor deterrent ...
> But really... If your up against something like a scraper site there > isn't much you can do except file a complaint under the Digitial > Millenium Copyright act... but I think your going to need to find some > good lawyer friends if you take that route... not sure...
> Absolute urls...
> I don't think other people copying your stuff is going to get you to > fall from grace as much as people linking to the content which was > stolen from you more than you... just guessing...
> Maybe you could offer your articles as syndicated feeds and plant > absolute urls in the content so it points back to you... make it hard > for them to steal it... but make it really easy for them to get it > "your way" for free...
> Wish I could be more helpful...
> On Feb 20, 8:21 am, jeff absher wrote:
> > Our site provides a great deal of original content since 1999 written > > mostly by my wife who is a RN. Gobs of pages and articles all about > > elder care.
> > When asked for permission to republish or quote us by legitimate > > sources such as The Washington Post, Forbes Magazine, NY Times, etc... > > we have done so and the appropriate credit was given.
> > We have never really checked to see if people were stealing this > > content for their own gain but after reading a post here and doing > > some quick research I found several. We always assumed that since our > > pages where published long before anyone else, the proper credit would > > be given by Google.
> > BTW: They are really not a direct competitor since we are national and > > they are in Texas, but when they gain a PR of 5 (matching us!), it > > just pisses you off, ya know. Who else has gained from our hard work?
> > What is the best process for having these removed? > > Does this hurt our rating? > > Can you "date" your pages so SEs have a date to go by? > > What is the best way to find copied content?
> > Our rating dropped from a 6 to a 5 over the past few months and our > > business has suffered. I wonder if this could be one reason why.
I do credit the author in each article with a url, but they just delete that.
Maybe your suggestion regarding a sitemap might help. I use Google tools but have yet to submit one. With 100,000 pages or so I haven't figured out exactly how yet. Many are generated from our database of facilities and stuff. If I leave them off, will Google ignore anything not in the site map?
> There is nothing you can do but you could try putting a footer credit > in articles that have a link back to your main site, a lot of scrapers > use automated tools so the link will appear.
> Google most likely looks at time/date stuff so it is good to also have > a sitemap and use Google Webmaster Tools.
> Anything you can do to notify Google right after you post future > content helps, think of it as ID'ing what is yours...
> On Feb 20, 8:21 am, jeff absher wrote:
> > Our site provides a great deal of original content since 1999 written > > mostly by my wife who is a RN. Gobs of pages and articles all about > > elder care.
> > When asked for permission to republish or quote us by legitimate > > sources such as The Washington Post, Forbes Magazine, NY Times, etc... > > we have done so and the appropriate credit was given.
> > We have never really checked to see if people were stealing this > > content for their own gain but after reading a post here and doing > > some quick research I found several. We always assumed that since our > > pages where published long before anyone else, the proper credit would > > be given by Google.
> > BTW: They are really not a direct competitor since we are national and > > they are in Texas, but when they gain a PR of 5 (matching us!), it > > just pisses you off, ya know. Who else has gained from our hard work?
> > What is the best process for having these removed? > > Does this hurt our rating? > > Can you "date" your pages so SEs have a date to go by? > > What is the best way to find copied content?
> > Our rating dropped from a 6 to a 5 over the past few months and our > > business has suffered. I wonder if this could be one reason why.
You can do several other things. You should first contact the webmaster of the offending site and demand that he stop stealing your content. Many times this is ignored, but many times a simple warning that the thief has been spotted is enough to send him scurrying back into his rathole. If the thief ignores you, contact his hosting service - tell them that there's a copyright infringement on their service and demand that it be removed. If the company is in a country where these laws might actually be enforced, there's a good chance that they will demand that the webmaster remove the material and threaten him with being shut down. Finally, you can file a DMCA report with Google and if they are convinced that you are the copyright holder, they will act to remove the copied material from the index. This is all a lot of work that will not have an immediate effect, but should eventually get some results. But you have to start with contacting the webmaster. Good luck!
> I do credit the author in each article with a url, but they just > delete that.
> Maybe your suggestion regarding a sitemap might help. I use Google > tools but have yet to submit one. With 100,000 pages or so I haven't > figured out exactly how yet. Many are generated from our database of > facilities and stuff. If I leave them off, will Google ignore anything > not in the site map?
> I will continue to look into that.
> Thanks, Jeff
> On Feb 20, 8:49 am, Admin Aaron wrote:
> > Looks like Google knows you originated the article here:
> > There is nothing you can do but you could try putting a footer credit > > in articles that have a link back to your main site, a lot of scrapers > > use automated tools so the link will appear.
> > Google most likely looks at time/date stuff so it is good to also have > > a sitemap and use Google Webmaster Tools.
> > Anything you can do to notify Google right after you post future > > content helps, think of it as ID'ing what is yours...
> > On Feb 20, 8:21 am, jeff absher wrote:
> > > Our site provides a great deal of original content since 1999 written > > > mostly by my wife who is a RN. Gobs of pages and articles all about > > > elder care.
> > > When asked for permission to republish or quote us by legitimate > > > sources such as The Washington Post, Forbes Magazine, NY Times, etc... > > > we have done so and the appropriate credit was given.
> > > We have never really checked to see if people were stealing this > > > content for their own gain but after reading a post here and doing > > > some quick research I found several. We always assumed that since our > > > pages where published long before anyone else, the proper credit would > > > be given by Google.
> > > BTW: They are really not a direct competitor since we are national and > > > they are in Texas, but when they gain a PR of 5 (matching us!), it > > > just pisses you off, ya know. Who else has gained from our hard work?
> > > What is the best process for having these removed? > > > Does this hurt our rating? > > > Can you "date" your pages so SEs have a date to go by? > > > What is the best way to find copied content?
> > > Our rating dropped from a 6 to a 5 over the past few months and our > > > business has suffered. I wonder if this could be one reason why.
Good advice. Realistically however, neither my wife nor I have the time or energy to chase down all the offenders. It's too bad there wasn't something in place ages ago that would account for "original" content since that seems to be a driving force in search engines. Oh well.
I really do appreciate all the feedback. Thank you again.
> You can do several other things. You should first contact the > webmaster of the offending site and demand that he stop stealing your > content. Many times this is ignored, but many times a simple warning > that the thief has been spotted is enough to send him scurrying back > into his rathole. If the thief ignores you, contact his hosting > service - tell them that there's a copyright infringement on their > service and demand that it be removed. If the company is in a country > where these laws might actually be enforced, there's a good chance > that they will demand that the webmaster remove the material and > threaten him with being shut down. Finally, you can file a DMCA > report with Google and if they are convinced that you are the > copyright holder, they will act to remove the copied material from the > index. This is all a lot of work that will not have an immediate > effect, but should eventually get some results. But you have to start > with contacting the webmaster. Good luck!
> On Feb 20, 7:21 am, jeff absher wrote:
> > Thanks Admin Aaron,
> > I do credit the author in each article with a url, but they just > > delete that.
> > Maybe your suggestion regarding a sitemap might help. I use Google > > tools but have yet to submit one. With 100,000 pages or so I haven't > > figured out exactly how yet. Many are generated from our database of > > facilities and stuff. If I leave them off, will Google ignore anything > > not in the site map?
> > I will continue to look into that.
> > Thanks, Jeff
> > On Feb 20, 8:49 am, Admin Aaron wrote:
> > > Looks like Google knows you originated the article here:
> > > There is nothing you can do but you could try putting a footer credit > > > in articles that have a link back to your main site, a lot of scrapers > > > use automated tools so the link will appear.
> > > Google most likely looks at time/date stuff so it is good to also have > > > a sitemap and use Google Webmaster Tools.
> > > Anything you can do to notify Google right after you post future > > > content helps, think of it as ID'ing what is yours...
> > > On Feb 20, 8:21 am, jeff absher wrote:
> > > > Our site provides a great deal of original content since 1999 written > > > > mostly by my wife who is a RN. Gobs of pages and articles all about > > > > elder care.
> > > > When asked for permission to republish or quote us by legitimate > > > > sources such as The Washington Post, Forbes Magazine, NY Times, etc... > > > > we have done so and the appropriate credit was given.
> > > > We have never really checked to see if people were stealing this > > > > content for their own gain but after reading a post here and doing > > > > some quick research I found several. We always assumed that since our > > > > pages where published long before anyone else, the proper credit would > > > > be given by Google.
> > > > BTW: They are really not a direct competitor since we are national and > > > > they are in Texas, but when they gain a PR of 5 (matching us!), it > > > > just pisses you off, ya know. Who else has gained from our hard work?
> > > > What is the best process for having these removed? > > > > Does this hurt our rating? > > > > Can you "date" your pages so SEs have a date to go by? > > > > What is the best way to find copied content?
> > > > Our rating dropped from a 6 to a 5 over the past few months and our > > > > business has suffered. I wonder if this could be one reason why.
> Good advice. Realistically however, neither my wife nor I have the > time or energy to chase down all the offenders. It's too bad there > wasn't something in place ages ago that would account for "original" > content since that seems to be a driving force in search engines. Oh > well.
> I really do appreciate all the feedback. Thank you again.
> Jeff
> On Feb 20, 11:34 am, RainboRick wrote:
> > You can do several other things. You should first contact the > > webmaster of the offending site and demand that he stop stealing your > > content. Many times this is ignored, but many times a simple warning > > that the thief has been spotted is enough to send him scurrying back > > into his rathole. If the thief ignores you, contact his hosting > > service - tell them that there's a copyright infringement on their > > service and demand that it be removed. If the company is in a country > > where these laws might actually be enforced, there's a good chance > > that they will demand that the webmaster remove the material and > > threaten him with being shut down. Finally, you can file a DMCA > > report with Google and if they are convinced that you are the > > copyright holder, they will act to remove the copied material from the > > index. This is all a lot of work that will not have an immediate > > effect, but should eventually get some results. But you have to start > > with contacting the webmaster. Good luck!
> > On Feb 20, 7:21 am, jeff absher wrote:
> > > Thanks Admin Aaron,
> > > I do credit the author in each article with a url, but they just > > > delete that.
> > > Maybe your suggestion regarding a sitemap might help. I use Google > > > tools but have yet to submit one. With 100,000 pages or so I haven't > > > figured out exactly how yet. Many are generated from our database of > > > facilities and stuff. If I leave them off, will Google ignore anything > > > not in the site map?
> > > I will continue to look into that.
> > > Thanks, Jeff
> > > On Feb 20, 8:49 am, Admin Aaron wrote:
> > > > Looks like Google knows you originated the article here:
> > > > There is nothing you can do but you could try putting a footer credit > > > > in articles that have a link back to your main site, a lot of scrapers > > > > use automated tools so the link will appear.
> > > > Google most likely looks at time/date stuff so it is good to also have > > > > a sitemap and use Google Webmaster Tools.
> > > > Anything you can do to notify Google right after you post future > > > > content helps, think of it as ID'ing what is yours...
> > > > On Feb 20, 8:21 am, jeff absher wrote:
> > > > > Our site provides a great deal of original content since 1999 written > > > > > mostly by my wife who is a RN. Gobs of pages and articles all about > > > > > elder care.
> > > > > When asked for permission to republish or quote us by legitimate > > > > > sources such as The Washington Post, Forbes Magazine, NY Times, etc... > > > > > we have done so and the appropriate credit was given.
> > > > > We have never really checked to see if people were stealing this > > > > > content for their own gain but after reading a post here and doing > > > > > some quick research I found several. We always assumed that since our > > > > > pages where published long before anyone else, the proper credit would > > > > > be given by Google.
> > > > > BTW: They are really not a direct competitor since we are national and > > > > > they are in Texas, but when they gain a PR of 5 (matching us!), it > > > > > just pisses you off, ya know. Who else has gained from our hard work?
> > > > > What is the best process for having these removed? > > > > > Does this hurt our rating? > > > > > Can you "date" your pages so SEs have a date to go by? > > > > > What is the best way to find copied content?
> > > > > Our rating dropped from a 6 to a 5 over the past few months and our > > > > > business has suffered. I wonder if this could be one reason why.
