Copyright infringement judgement call

[Chris htbc]

Okay, so someone had something I'd written up on their website. I asked them politely to take it down for a while, then finally sent a DMCA notice to their host.

So did the offending site take my content down? No, they basically rewrote it as if it was their own. They injected their own little pieces of stock advice, dropped some of my specific points, rearranged the order of things, and wrote it in their own style.

Part of me doesn't care. They took down my content and the rearranged version is just different enough (in a diluted, bland way) that it's not worth making a big deal over. It's sort of to the point where the other site almost wrote their own version using my stuff as a research source. All in all it won't have any real practical effect on my site from now on.

Another part of me is peeved. It's still my ideas that they're using for their own benefit. When faced with the DMCA notice they took what I see as a sleazy way out of it. One day people may be linking to their article as if the ideas originated with them, when really they just hastily rewrote something they had no right using when faced with a take down notice.

Part of me wants to go after them further out of pure spite and over the principle of it all. But like I said, another part is content to drop it because in the grand scheme of things it's not a huge deal.

What would you do?

[Tasaio]

I would pity the infringers, and their need to steal others' work, and move on.

More, I would take a 30-day-trial to avoid their website, and focus on my own projects.

I hope everything works out.

[Breakaway]

Well atleast you got them to change their site.

Has Steve Pavlina wrote anything about people copying content? I'm sure he would have some wise words regarding this but I have yet to read any.

[bellbird]

Dear Chris htbc, I understand you feel peeved off. I would suggest hammering a boxing ball and uttering a few loud words to get it out of your system The thing is: eventhough they copied your ideawork and rephrased it; it's not the same thing as what you do. (You could actually say that the fact they did copy your wording is a sign of admiration.) At the end of the day your work will sustain because what you do is genuine and what you offer is good. That is what people go for, a copcycat will not last if they're crap and casn't be original anyway. Word gets around etc. Sooooo.... focus on your work and making it blimmin excellent! Then you never go wrong (niche/specialty, good articles, great ethic, positive contacts and all that). Fair enough?

[Dani]

<ShamlessAd>Even better than a boxing bag, go have a rant on my rant site and let it go! </ShamelessAd>

On the serious side, stop burning your energy over this. Put it into making more great content instead. Make more than they can copy and rewrite! If they keep it up, just point it out on your site and shame them into stopping doing it.

Like the guy above said, take it as a compliment.

To be a bit anti supportive, truly original ideas are tough to come by. Everything you write today is a product of everything you have learnt from other people in the past.

So even though you 'wrote' it now, if you had grown up in a different country with a different upbringing you wouldn't have been the same person and wouldn't have written that article.

So you owe credit for that article to everyone you have ever learned anything off in the past. It isn't solely yours to begin with.

So don't get too uptight about someone learning from you even if it is word for word.

Use the energy productively instead. They won't be able to keep the facade up forever but you can because you are producing original work.

[Dan.Linehan]

I think Steve did have an issue along these lines..

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/200...lished-author/

[eternomi]

Originally Posted by Chris htbc

They took down my content and the rearranged version is just different enough (in a diluted, bland way)...

If you think Steve's content is new, think again! There is nothing new here either except for his own personal experiences (which are probably not new or unique either). Others have written about these concepts under various names and labels throughout history.

My point is, if it is not outright stealing (word for word), learn to live with it, move on and create new unique content...

[dor]

chris,
as others have said i'll put less delicately...did YOU think of all of those ideas yourself? Even Shakespeare re-regurgitated plots from from italian folk tales and such...mozart and beetoven tweaked (masterfully) old german folk songs.


one of the tiresome things about people like james ray is that they just repeat and repackage the same things other people have said. its all in the presentation if all self help people are saying the same thing....what makes the successful ones different..why was the secret able to become a phenomenon ?

and as others have said, look where you put all your energy. all your posts here have involved asking for help going after this guy.....you could have just asked them to credit and link to you thus promoting your site

also keep in mind there's something called fair use - if they were a little more clever they could practically repost the whole thing without your consent.

[radeldudel]

Don't waste energy on them, it's just not worth it.

(my 2 cent)

[Scott H Young]

I've had some people grab entire articles off my website before.

Although it can be a bit irritating, you really have to ask yourself whether it is worth your time beyond sending a notice. Often these websites are small fries who have relatively little viewership and traffic.

Yeah you can go on about how you have to defend it on the principle of the thing, but other times you simply need to issue a warning and let it drop. If the website was large enough that I felt it was seriously deceiving search engines and a lot of viewers that the content wasn't mine, it might be a good idea to go further.

Don't get peeved about people stealing your ideas. Basically rewriting your content without attribution may be a little tacky, but the whole point of creating content is so that your ideas will spread. You can't treat ideas like a commodity you have authority over.