Comments on: Help! Someone has copied my website!

By: No copyright on web content?

No copyright on web content? — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 09:50:14 +0000

[...] Kathie M Thomas (http://vadirectory.net/blog/?p=149) [...]

By: Virtual Assistant - THE Blog About Our Industry » Providing Website Support to Clients

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:41:31 +0000

[...] did a post sometime ago about VAs whose websites had been copied. Today I want to discuss the other side – creating websites for [...]

By: Who’s stealing your web content? « Small Business Diva

Who’s stealing your web content? « Small Business Diva — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 20:03:29 +0000

[...] you would like to know more about how to protect your web content, have a look at this VA Directory blog. It has detailed information including several great resources that are invaluable if you want to [...]

By: Kathie Thomas

Kathie Thomas — Thu, 03 May 2007 02:36:13 +0000

Exactly what I thought. Thank you so much for letting us know Gary – this will be a very useful tool.

By: Garry Egan

Garry Egan — Thu, 03 May 2007 02:32:56 +0000

Hi Kathie
I am the owner of ArticleChecker.com and I wanted to let your users know that the tool we created was for the very purpose of finding out who was first to post your content.

Thanks for your review.

We maintain a near-ad-free model and are dedicated to helping protect your content.

By: Linda

Linda — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 23:48:45 +0000

Hi Kathie,

Again I have to say that your good and you do your homework. I am in the process of building my website and have checked out other sites on a comparison basis. But, yes, I have thought about how sites would be easily copied or downloaded, but I myself have not done it for that reason, I check out other sites just as a reference tool. I am glad that there are some ways that we can protect ourselves from this malicious on going lazy way to create a website thing that is going on in cyberspace right now…….as I have for myself have seen several sites with the same content as another site that I have visited. And let me just say that everyone’s vision is not quote on quote the same.

By: Gita

Gita — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 22:49:16 +0000

I found your Blog very interesting. I hadn’t even thought about copying the content of someone’s site direct from their Website to the hard drive. I always thought it would have to be retyped from the site or from a printout. This direct copying makes it too easy. So I tried it with yours and it worked beautifully (alas!!). Please note that I was only testing and I assure you that I have deleted it. All in the name of research. Productive research, I might add.

Then I did a quick search about making Web content “uncopyable” and came across Plone, a Content Management System. Their Website lists a number of sites that have used Plone. I tried copying content from those sites and couldn’t. Using CMS software may not stop content being copied but at least it will make it more difficult.

The site address is http://plone.org/
Lots of information plus downloads but no costs. So I started downloading the program to see if any costs were listed. Nothing came up so I’m not sure if the download is the full version. But it would probably be adequate for a Web Design enthusiast like you to try.
Then I read on Wikipedia that Plone is free since it is open source software.
Some comments from the user of another CMS software who provides a comparison.
http://www.ozzope.org/zopenews/Manila_Plone

Also look at the following forum where participants have done the hard work of sourcing alternatives.
http://www.thescripts.com/forum/thread468022.html

By: kathiemt

kathiemt — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 21:43:56 +0000

You should never have to change your logo or give your business a facelift to accommodate someone who has copied Tammie – doing it because you have been planning to is ok, but to do it because of someone else isn’t. I forgot to mention about Trademarks but that is really important too – I have my logo trademarked as well as my key phrase and business name.

By: Tammie

Tammie — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 21:23:31 +0000

Hi Kathie – this is a great post, thanks, with some really useful links. I have had two instances of some of my FAQs being copied, and I recently noticed another VA’s new logo that was almost identical to the one I’ve been using for years – very frustrating! I changed my logo and the business had a facelift accordingly, but it is very frustrating and just too difficult to prove. It’s definitely worth protecting our web pages as much as possible however, as I am aware of several training organisations for different professions which use comments such as “adopt and amend” to their students which, in my eyes, is a lazy way to create a website. I am all for researching other websites for comparisons etc, but copying, or even using something and changing a few words here and there, is just downright unnacceptable. Thanks again for the great post.

By: kathiemt

kathiemt — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 04:55:09 +0000

Tell us about DMCA notices Jonathan – I must admit I’ve never heard of them. Are they country specific or global?