Constant Content

Posted: **Sun Dec 18, 2005 9:02 am**

Hi All,

I just wanted to allow everyone to learn from my mistake. Since a post awhile ago that said that longer "long summaries" help articles sell better, I've been putting almost my whole article in the long summary when I upload articles for submission.

However, after a recent Google search, I've found some sites that have been using my articles without paying for them--just by copying what I have in the long summary. This, as I'm sure you'll understand, is very frustrating and disheartening. Those articles will be no good to anyone who wants to buy them for exclusive or full rights price--or even usage price (why, when you can just get them for free?).

I thought I might just put some sort of gibberish where essential facts would be.

For example, "Ferns can live to be ## years old. For example, ferns from #### have known to live as long as ##!"

Does anyone have any other suggestions about how to protect against this sort of "theft"? I hope no one runs into this sort of thing . . . I feel really naive not having considered this before.

DE

Posted: **Sun Dec 18, 2005 9:14 am**

I had considered that and decided to take the risk but what I hadn't considered was the fact that other buyers wouldn't want it for exclusive use if this happened. Of course, that makes perfect sense. I'm not sure what to do about it. I usually try to put just enough in the summary to give them a good idea of my style and content and hope they want to read more...as we often say about each others' articles here.

Hmmm, now I feel the need to google.

Posted: **Sun Dec 18, 2005 12:25 pm**

Yikes. I, too, am feeling the need to google some phrases from my articles to see if they pop up...

Posted: **Sun Dec 18, 2005 3:28 pm**

I suggest that everyone follow the Writer's Guidelines and only copy and paste 1/3 of the article into the long summary feature. You might want to write "excerpt" at the top and then put two or three excerpts from the article into the long summary. This will prevent anyone from stealing your articles, as there will only be bits and pieces there.

Article Admin

Posted: **Sun Dec 18, 2005 5:49 pm**

We contacted the sites in question... We asked them to remove the article or purchase it. If people are going to steal they will steal the summery not matter if its the entire article or a portion.

Posted: **Sun Dec 18, 2005 7:00 pm**

Thanks very much for doing that.
I know that's all you can do. Anyway, it was a lesson for me and now I'll know better from now on. Hopefully others won't make the same mistake.

DE

Posted: **Sun Dec 18, 2005 7:12 pm**

I don't think you made a mistake, I think those that are stealing content are going to steal it no matter what. But in this case they user may have thought that your article was for free since the whole article was displayed. Your name was on the articles so this was probably the case.

Posted: **Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:14 am**

This is the response I recieved back from blogger.com

Hello,

Thank you for your note. Blogger is a provider of content creation tools, not a mediator of that content. We allow our users to create blogs, but we don't make any claims about the content of these pages. In cases where contact information for the author is listed on the page, we recommend working directly with this person to have this information removed orchanged.

Sincerely,
Blogger Support

This shocked me.. They are saying they are not responsible for the content on their own website. What if a large bunch of writers got together for a class action lawsuit because people were creating blogger accounts and posting stolen content. I haven’t gave up yet... Still in contact with them as well as others.

Posted: **Wed Dec 21, 2005 3:42 pm**

Update... after a second email that made mention of a cetain copyright law I recieved another response and thought I would share it. Looks like a cookie cuter response when someones mentions the DMCA act.

It is our policy to respond to notices of alleged infringement that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (the text of which can be found at the U.S. Copyright Office website: http://lcWeb.loc.gov/copyright/ ) and other applicable intellectual property laws, which may include removing or disabling access to material claimed to be the subject of infringing activity.

To file a notice of infringement with us, you must provide a written communication (by fax or regular mail, not by email) that sets forth the items specified below. Please note that pursuant to that Act, you may be liable to the alleged infringer for damages (including costs and attorneys' fees) if you materially misrepresent that you own an item when you in fact do not. Indeed, in a recent case (please see http://www.onlinepolicy.org/action/legp ... v_diebold/ for more information), a company that sent an infringement notification seeking removal of online materials that were protected by the fair use doctrine
was ordered to pay such costs and attorneys fees. The company agreed to pay over $100,000. Accordingly, if you are not sure whether material available online infringes your copyright, we suggest that you first contact an attorney.

To expedite our ability to process your request, please use the following format (including section numbers):

1. Identify in sufficient detail the copyrighted work that you believe has been infringed upon. This must include identification of specific posts, as opposed to entire sites. Posts must be referenced by either the dates
in which they appear or the permalink of the post. For example, http://example.blogspot.com/archives/20 ... ml#2104575.

2. Identify the material that you claim is infringing upon the copyrighted work listed in item #1 above.

YOU MUST IDENTIFY EACH POST BY PERMALINK OR DATE THAT ALLEGEDLY CONTAINS INFRINGING MATERIAL. The permalink for a post is usually found by clicking on the timestamp of the post.

3. Provide information reasonably sufficient to permit Blogger to contact you (email address is preferred).

4. Include the following statement: "I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials described above on the allegedly infringing web pages is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law."

5. Include the following statement: "I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner or am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed."

6. Sign the paper.

7. Send the written communication to the following address:

Google, Inc.
Attn: Blogger Legal Support, DMCA complaints
1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy
Mountain View, CA 94043

OR Fax to:

(650) 963-3255, Attn: Blogger Legal Support, DMCA complaints

Sincerely,
Blogger Support

Posted: **Wed Dec 21, 2005 5:48 pm**

Wow--thanks for sharing that, Chris. It sounds like they want to make it difficult for anyone to actually act. But then, I guess less can't be expected from a Google-owned company.

DE

Posted: **Thu Dec 22, 2005 9:44 am**

Is it not more to do with the fact that they're a blogging company.

In theory, that's like owning a web hosting company in a way. The content of the blog is down to the blog owner not blogger.

That's my opinion, anyway.

Constant Content

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