Filing a DMCA complaint with Google - Repeated success

1. 68

   Dale Hydeposted 11 years ago

   I wanted to share an email that I received four days after filing a DMCA complaint against copied material I found upon searching.  This is not the first positive result I have had from various DMCA complaints filed with Google.  It is not hard, does not take a lot of time and you get quick results.  I had results in just four days as mentioned.  Considering how many complaints worldwide that Google gets, that is amazing I think.
   
   I am sharing this because I know that people get very upset, frustrated and disappointed when they find their material has been copied by others without permission, therefore creating duplicate content on the web.
   
   This is where you start the filing process: http://support.google.com/bin/static.py … page=ts.cs
   
   Below is the email that will show both my complaint (at the bottom) with Google's response at the top.  Feel free to click the links to verify what Google has accomplished. (please note the spacing I have created in the URL "http: //" so we are not creating a backlink to the site. You will have to correct that should you copy/paste the urls.
   
   Hello,
   
   In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, we have completed processing your infringement notice. We are in the process of disabling access to the content in question at the following URL(s):
   
   http: //googlechromecrashingsolution.blogspot.com/2012/05/since-i-began-using-windows-7-64-bit.html
   
   The content will be removed shortly.
   
   Please let us know if we can assist you further. If you would like to file additional requests, we ask that you contact us by using the online forms at: www.google.com/support/go/legal as we do not accept add-on requests.
   
   Regards,
   
   The Google Team
   
   On 02/16/13 18:15:28 dalehyde@att.net wrote:
   
   
   AutoDetectedBrowser: Google Chrome
   AutoDetectedOS: Windows 7
   IIILanguage: en
   IssueType: lr_dmca
   Language: en
   agree1: checked
   agree: checked
   companyname: A Rainbow of Spirituality
   country_residence: US
   description_of_copyrighted_ work: The work that was copied is a complete
   copy/paste of my article. I found this by putting, in the quotation marks
   on Google search, "I have researched this extensively and visited well over
   40 forum complaints on the Google forum site. All unresolved."
   full_name: Dale Hyde
   geolocation: US
   hidden_category: text
   hidden_ctx:
   hidden_product: blogger
   location_of_copyrighted_work:
   http: //dalehyde.hubpages.com/ hub/Google-Chrome-Crashes-In- Windows-7
   represented_copyright_holder: Dale Hyde
   signature: Dale Hyde
   signature_date_day: 17
   signature_date_month: 2
   signature_date_year: 2013
   url_box_1:
   http: // googlechromecrashingsolution. blogspot.com/2012/05/since-i- began-using-windows-7-64-bit. html

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2. 68

   Pearldiverposted 11 years ago

   Congrats Dale... it's always good to see this result and I hope people will seriously take your advice and follow through like you did and not give up!  Small gains, huge relief... thanks for the share...

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   1. 68

      Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      You are most welcome!  There is even better news, I had a second email come in tonight and Google took the same action yet another hub here.
      
      It is well worth the little time and effort to resolve the issue through Google.  I did not attempt to contact the website owners as I have never had any results that way.  Most of these types of sites will not post a way to contact them anyway.

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3. 70

   brakel2posted 11 years ago

   Thanks Dale.   Yay. Google is getting more timely with DMCA. Everyone will appreciate this post and all that you have done. This work makes our site better, one step at a time. I have one pending removal. Keep up good work.

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4. 63

   Gail Meyersposted 11 years ago

   I am glad to hear a success story!  Unfortunately, I had to file two of these recently.  Google responded to both saying they were in the process of removing the copyrighted material.  So, the offending blogger made her blog "by invitation only," started harassing me on HubPages and making remarks on my hubs that there are copyright violations where there are none.  These hubs that were previously ranking lost 90% of their traffic, are mostly not even indexed anymore, but the scraper's identical (even the ads and comments) stolen versions of my hubs are still ranking.  Then I responded to one of her comments on one of my hubs with her IP address.  HP unpublished the hub for "hate speech."

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5. 63

   Gail Meyersposted 11 years ago

   In the response with her IP address, I told her she is now an internet stalker in addition to a scraper.  A statement of fact that is hardly "hate speech."

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   1. 68

      Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      That is one reason I don't try to even deal with such folks.  If the blog is now private and behind a password, chances are that Google will not be able to see it.   I know Delphi Forums has that happen.  The only way you can see anything on the page is to create a user account and such.  I have had stuff there for years that has never shown in searches.
      
      You may have to go back and file again if the articles are still showing in searches.  Google should remove it entirely from searches including cached copies.,
      
      Good luck, and sorry that you have had a difficult time.

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      1. 63

         Gail Meyersposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I appreciate your response, Dale.  They may just not be out of the search results yet.  I am just astounded at the nerve of this person.  They steal my hubs, as well as several others by different authors on HP.  They end up being reported, but instead of the slightest bit of remorse or apology to anyone for all of the time and trouble they caused, they start harassing the authors they stole the material from in the first place!  I know other authors reported this same blog, so hopefully Goggle with take it down.  There was just one hub after another copied and pasted on it.

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6. 86

   Marisa Wrightposted 11 years ago

   Bear in mind that Google doesn't "take down" the content - it just removes it from its search engine results.
   
   That's better than nothing, but it can still be found on Bing and Yahoo!, and people can still find it through links.   So it is still better to try the other processes first (or as well as).
   
   I think it's probably a good idea not to deal direct with the site owner if it looks like they're a flagrant thief.  The other options are
   
   (a) report them to Adsense if there are Adsense ads on the site. 
   (b) report them to their host - Blogger if it's on Blogger, or if not on a blogging platform, look up Whois to find out who their host is. 
   
   Both those options can result in the offending post being removed altogether.  Repeat offenders may lose their Adsense account or have their blog closed down.  Personally I find that far more satisfying than just getting it removed from search engine results

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   1. 63

      Gail Meyersposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for your response, Marisa.  Here are the responses from Google, saying they are "disabling" the violating content.  They did more to the other links than just remove them from the search engines, they disabled the page and it had an error message.  It also states right on the page that repeated offenses will result in the Blogger blog (a Google service) being disabled. 
      
      Hello,
      
      Thanks for reaching out to us.
      
      
      
      
      In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, we have completed processing your infringement notice. We are in the process of disabling access to the content in question at the following URL(s):
      
      http://bpsdofadaughterofanarcissisticmo … lific.html
      
      http://bpsdofadaughterofanarcissisticmo … sists.html
      
      The content will be removed shortly.
      
      Please let us know if we can assist you further. If you would like to file additional requests, we ask that you contact us by using the online forms at: www.google.com/support/go/legal as we do not accept add-on requests.
      
      
      
      
      Regards,
      The Google Team
      
      
      
      Hello,
      
      Thanks for reaching out to us.
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      In accordance with Google Inc.'s policies concerning content removal, we have completed processing your request. We are working on disabling access to the content in question at the following URLs:
      
      
      http://bpsdofadaughterofanarcissisticmo … ality.html
      
      http://bpsdofadaughterofanarcissisticmo … ic_23.html
      
      http://bpsdofadaughterofanarcissisticmo … dered.html

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      1. 86

         Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         If it's a Blogger blog, that is a Google service, so they can do something about it.  I recalled there was a different form to use to report Blogger issues, but maybe that's changed.
         
         If it's on a blog that's not on Blogger, Google can't do anything to get it removed.

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   2. 68

      Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Both of these pages appear to be taken down by Google.  They display the same page.  If you follow the link provided you will see the page.  The second one that I mentioned goes to the same page and is from a totally different domain somewhat, but appears to be a Google blog as well.
      
      For me, I have chosen the simplest and less time consuming manner to combat these thieves.  I have limited time to pursue these infringements, and Google seems to be the best for me.

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      1. 63

         Gail Meyersposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, that is the option I chose as well.  However, some of the pages were still up a couple of weeks later.  I have not checked this morning, but they were still up yesterday.  Even so, I agree with one of your original statements that Google does an awesome job especially when you consider how many complaints they must get.  I do not know what you mean that one of the links is from a differerent domain.  All of the links were from one blog on one domain.

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         1. 68

            Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            I didn't post the second email and link, as it was pretty much a duplicate email with just the different links in it.  I just mentioned it above.

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      2. 86

         Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         That's because this particular blog was a Blogger blog, and Blogger is owned by Google, so they do have the power to take it down.  For any other sites, they don't have that power and can only remove it from their search results.

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         1. 68

            Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Search as well as cache results.

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            1. 86

               Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               ...but even if the offending article is removed from Google's results and their cache, it still exists and can be found via Bing and Yahoo, and by any links the thief creates on other sites, or emails to his friends, or "Likes" on Facebook/Twitter.  That's the point I was making.

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               1. 68

                  Dale Hydeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  That is truly valid, Marisa.  However, Google does get like 67% to 68% of the search traffic.  So at least 2/3rds of the folks searching, won't find the hub or stolen material.  I guess that is better that 100% being able to find it.

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7. 68

   Charles Jamesposted 11 years ago

   Go for the Host!
   The Host may also take down an entire site if there are enough complaints.
   Well done for standing up for ypurself!

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   1. 63

      Gail Meyersposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, Charles!  I will do that if the scraper continues in this.  I sent HP an email explaining the situation.  They put the hub back in published status within hours.

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   2. 63

      Gail Meyersposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Charles, you are exactly right.  The DCMA report goes to the host of the offending blog or website, be it G or another.  The host is the one with power to remove the offending page.

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