Copied Hub

1. 97

   Jean Bakulaposted 6 years ago

   I was notified by HP that one of my hubs may have been copied, one called The Twelve Houses of Astrology. The URL of the site is http://astrocabinet.com, and it's a Wordpress.com blog.
   
   It looks like it has numerous places to log in and comment and lots of links. But it won't allow anyone to log in or comment on any of their stuff. It has a place which says you can use if you forgot your password, but it doesn't allow you to Log in to even start an account.
   
   The hub is about 3 yrs. old, and they took it word for word, but added a little of their own stuff to it. I've been trying to get further for over an hour now. There is no way to comment, all the categories are "closed." I guess I'll just leave it. But I have concerns that I may have to delete my HP account if this keeps happening. I can't ask them to take it down, there's no way to comment or log into the site.

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      Matthew Meyerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      When you find that you content has been copied and the site doesn't provide any means to contact, you can lookup the WHOIS information for the domain and see the various contact and owner information as well as hosting and other details.  If contacting the owner of the domain is not fruitful, then you can also contact the web hosting company.
      
      You can find details for that specific domains here.
      http://reports.internic.net/cgi/whois?w … ype=domain

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      Writer Foxposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      It's not hosted by WordPress.  It's hosted by Unified Layer.

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         Jean Bakulaposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks Matthew.
         
         Writer Fox, how do you know it's hosted by Unified Layer. I didn't see that and I've been searching for a while now. Thanks though.

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            Writer Foxposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            http://www.whoishostingthis.com/astrocabinet.com

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               Writer Foxposted 6 years agoin reply to this

               They have a new server.  File DMCA here:
               By email
               legal [at] oversee [dot] net
               By mail
               c/o DomainSponsor.com
               515 S. Flower St., Suite 4400
               Los Angeles, CA 90071

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            2. 97

               Jean Bakulaposted 6 years agoin reply to this

               I know the piece is on Astrocabinet. But any link they have does not work, and any attempt to comment has closed threads. I got a live chat going with Fast Domain.com, the host of Astrocabinet. But they told me to go somewhere else who told me to complain in another place. That turned out to be the Better Business Bureau. I really think Hubpages could do a better job protecting it's writers who they don't pay much as it is. I'm pretty fed up. The three other times this happened I was able to contact the individual bloggers, and when accused of plagiarism they voluntarily took my work down. I don't have time for this now. And I would like those stupid red circles taken down on the three pieces stolen that I worked out myself a year ago. I do understand you are trying to help Writer Fox, but this has been an ongoing problem for well over a year now, and this site should have a better way to help us protect our writing when it benefits from it so much.

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                  Writer Foxposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                  Fast domain is the domain registrar, not the hosting service.

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                     Jean Bakulaposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                     Deleted
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                        Writer Foxposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                        Fast domain just registered the URL.  It can't do anything about stolen content. WordPress is not hosting the site and is not involved at all. The server (hosting company) for the website is:
                        http://www.oversee.net/contact

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                  2. 97

                     Jean Bakulaposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                     Writer Fox,
                     Thanks for the info. I'll write or do it by email when I have more time. I just think this shouldn't be happening. Colleges all have plagiarism software so they are aware of this type of thing immediately. HP has enough content given to them and doesn't pay the writers for about a year, I don't believe the writers should have to individually track work down that we have voluntarily let this site use.
                     
                     I do appreciate your efforts in helping me know where to complain. Have a Merry Christmas if I don't get around to this until later.

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      Hummingbird5356posted 6 years agoin reply to this

      People steal hubs all the time.  I had someone take a couple of mine, a friend of mine discovered them and the person who had taken them told me that they were for his college work.  He had other people's work on his site too. 
      
      I know it is bad and I don't like it but that is a problem with publishing work.  Others take it and present it as their own.

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2. 96

   Suzanne Dayposted 6 years ago

   Just a thought, if you couldn't contact the hosting company, I thought someone mentioned previously that you could report the site to Google for stolen content? Not sure where or how, but maybe someone might know more about this....?

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      Matthew Meyerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Reporting to Google only has an impact on Google SERPs.
      It has no impact on the Hub actually being published.

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         Suzanne Dayposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         OK thanks Matthew. As a massive coincidence, after reading this post, for the first time, I've actually just received notice of a copied hub myself in the Copied Hubs section of my account. I followed the instructions and filed DMCA on Google's page for blogspot here: https://support.google.com/legal/troubl … &rd=2.
         
         Hope this was the correct procedure.
         I think that Copied Hubs section will come in very handy!!!

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            Matthew Meyerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, in the case of Blogspot Google is the host.

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            1. 96

               Suzanne Dayposted 6 years agoin reply to this

               Thanks Matthew. Just followed the Copied Hubs section link and advice. Marvellous tool, thank you to Hubpages for providing it. Just a question - does it pick up on all copied content on the web, or just some? In other words, shall I rely on it solely or use something like Copyscape as well?

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                  Jean Bakulaposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                  Writer Fox,
                  Thanks for explaining, this is very confusing for me. My stolen work was on astrocabinet.com, which has no way for anyone to comment. It seemed to me it was a Wordpress blog. Apparently I'm wrong, but am still not understanding how we got to Unified Layer.com. I got all blockages with them too.
                  
                  I wrote to one of the addresses, maybe the BBB, but then my complaint ended up in my son's Facebook page. I will wait until tomorrow to revisit this with some help from my side.
                  
                  On another note, once we have the plagiarist take down the stolen work, do we need the red C on our work forever?

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                     Writer Foxposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                     The Better Business Bureau cannot help you at all.  They only reply to complaints from a business's customers.  (You never did business with the plagiarist.)
                     
                     The site where your Hub was copied has just changed hosting companies.  I tracked the server information and it is now hosted by Oversee.net.  It looks like a reputable hosting company and all you have to do is send the email below to these two addresses:
                     
                     legal [at] oversee [dot] net
                     info [at] oversee [dot] net
                     
                     SUBJECT: Copyright Infringement - DMCA
                     
                     Pursuant to 17 USC 512(c)(3)(A), this communication serves as a statement that:
                     
                     I am the exclusive rights holder and author of the following article, posted on www.HubPages.com:
                     
                     [URL of your Hub]
                     
                     These exclusive rights are being violated by material available upon a site you are hosting, which has plagiarized my article at the following URL:
                     
                     [URL of the exact webpage where your Hub appears on the copied site]
                     
                     This is my contact information:
                     
                     [your name]
                     [mailing address]
                     [phone]
                     [your email address]
                     
                     I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials described above as allegedly infringing is not authorized by me, the copyright owner, its agent, or the law. I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
                     
                     I hereby request that you remove or disable access to this material as it appears on astrocabinet.com in as expedient a fashion as possible.
                     
                     [your name, exactly as you wrote it above]

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                  Matthew Meyerposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                  We try to provide the best information we can, but it isn't possible to catch all copied content online as some is behind login or paywalls, etc.
                  Using additional tools like Copyscape may catch some additional content.

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                     Suzanne Dayposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                     Thanks.

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                  Writer Foxposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                  I file DMCA requests every week and I have never had HubPages identify my plagiarized content.  Don't rely on receiving a notice from HP.

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                     Jean Bakulaposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                     Hi Writer Fox,
                     I don't add any new content to HP anymore, and only made an exception for my third anniversary hub. I am sure if I looked, probably most of my Astrology hubs would be plagiarized, because they are correct and well written. I have 37 years worth of experience. I write in too many places now and have enough of a following and people who come to me for readings, and can't worry about this.
                     
                     It is annoying though. I have been able to trace my own before, and usually the plagiarist took the work down just by my asking them. I appreciate that you took the time to walk me through this one, I think my mind is too scattered with Christmas stuff right now. I'm in the middle of making Christmas Eve dinner, and just doing this because I'm sick of these copy cats! I have sent the form letter you gave me.
                     
                     It was very kind of you to reach out, you are very nice and a great help to me. I hope you have a great Christmas or any other holiday you celebrate. Best of everything in the New Year.

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                        Writer Foxposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                        You're welcome, Jean.  Best wishes to you.

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