Are they all morons?
There are few things that are more frustrating than running your name through Google and finding your hard work posted on some website or blog other than the one you submitted your work. Finding this work is not always easy, and it is a time intensive project to get the content removed from the offending site. There are a few things that you can do to help you keep on top of potential thieves.
Creative Commons – For those who have their own blog, use a free Creative Commons license on your site. This license can be customized to advise users of what they may be allowed to do or how they may be authorized to use your work. This at least provides notice that your work is not public domain and that it should not be used.
Google Alerts – If you have not set up a Google alert for your personal name or your business name, this is a good idea. It is not a perfect system but it is helpful.
Notification on your site – It is also helpful to include a notification on your blog or website stating what people are allowed to do with your work. For example, one method of building links to your work is to allow people to clip a piece out of a blog post or article and then link back to the rest of the work. While those who are deliberately stealing your work will not heed this warning, it cannot help to put it there for those who are legitimately interested in quoting your work.
If your work has been stolen – Once your work has been stolen, do not ignore it. Immediately go to the Whois registry and find out who owns the domain that your work is being used on. Find out if there is a contact name in the registration form. Email the person responsible for the site and request the work be removed either in full or in part (providing attribution to you). Provide a deadline for removal. If they have not removed your work, then your next step is to file a DCMA complaint. Have some patience, this process could take as many as a couple of weeks. If the person is using Google AdSense for their blog or site and they have been stealing work, they will likely lose their AdSense account permanently.
Online does not mean free use!
There are a growing number of bloggers (and others) who believe if your work is online then it is in the public domain and they have every right to use it. Data mining, article mining and keyword searches to populate blogs for the sole purpose of making money could be costing you earnings in terms of lost revenue. Stay abreast of where your work is being displayed without your permission, the more that these unscrupulous blog owners are called out, the safer all of our online work will be.
Also read: What to do if someone has plagiarized your work
About Doreen Martel
Well-rounded freelance writer who contributes to various blogs, paid to write sites and revenue sharing sites. Doreen is legally blind and has worked at home for more than 10 years. She uses the lessons learned from this experience to enhance her writing and share information with others.
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