Comments on: What If Someone Steals Your Content

By: Emily Erickson-Sandstrom

Emily Erickson-Sandstrom — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:12:03 +0000

Chris, it is the language that constitutes plagiarism, not the idea. My blog is extremely original because it is reporting on what a spread of Rider Waite Tarot cards have to say, and because I am original anyway.
You could take an idea appearing in my work, and write about it yourself – same opinion – and it would not be plagiarism.

By: Emily Erickson-Sandstrom

Emily Erickson-Sandstrom — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:07:47 +0000

A dozen sites appeared under my trademarked company name’s url, TarotVerbatim.com. Many of them had full articles or more than one – no attribution whatsoever, carrying ads of competitors, ads for large companies. One even had my entire web site scrolling on it. I even found one listed under tarotverbatim.com that had an operating SelfGrowth.com web site. Yahoo itself has ‘Other Sponsored Sources tarotverbatim.com’ and it’s not me. Yes, Yahoo! And they did not remove it. I called advertisers, I wrote nice professional emails, followed up by insane nasty emails. One of the offenders is a large advertising company. A crank email from me has slowed them down. Two sites are currently there.
So this can be a huge problem. And you don’t have to be ‘big’ to have a bunch of crooks latch onto your site and your work.

By: Zoe

Zoe — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 00:47:10 +0000

You know, I was researching Jean Henri Farbe’s experiement with processionary caterpillars, to use as analogy on another topic after having heard Zig Zigler use it on a video. So, not only did I find the exact paragraphs from one source to another it is very difficult to discern where the first literary reference was made…all to say, yes people are theives out there!

Recently, I composed a marketing approach on a new product line using an entirely new target audiance; sent it up my ladder only to have the person above me return it with very minor edits; I am talking maybe 3 sentences at most, and sign it with his name! Today he sent me a pdf of same with a copyright, created by tagline on it….I am so upset right now it is hard to concentrate…

Two in one day!?! See why I am reading your blog? Thanks I feel better now.

By: christine

christine — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 11:18:37 +0000

Hi Sean,
I have always wondered about this. Thank you for the advice.
Christine

By: geoff harnden

geoff harnden — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:37:46 +0000

“What if someone steals your content” is a very good, and timely for myself, article Sean.

And Chris.. your comment sums my (similar) position up well.

Great to read your response Sean.
As you say, it is almost impossible NOT to find something, somewhere, on the web today,
about any subject you could possibly think of…
So, as you have taught us in the Learn and Earn competition, use some of it if is good but write it better, and with integrity.

This is good for me. Thanks to you both.