Plagiarism

1. 91

   Jean Bakulaposted 10 years ago

   A site called Zetaboard.com has several of my hubs on it. I can't find out how to get in, I tried to register to ask them to take my work down. Two or more hubs are copied word for word. I keep getting blocked from the simplest way of registering to a site, just to go in and comment, and look for more of my stuff. They don't send me the link I need to authenticate my registration, and if I try to log in, they say my name is already taken. What should I do? I have had several pieces taken down on other sites just by asking.
   
   It's so frustrating. I would like to return to HP to write more hubs, but feel that they will only be stolen. Much of my work has been up a long time, so I'm not as upset about the pieces as I should be, but it does hurt to see an article that took years of experience to study, and hours to write, just copied and pasted. Plus my score keeps going down, though my quality of writing didn't change.

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      poppyrposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I'm so sorry that happened to you.  Is there any way you can comment on the articles themselves, provide the link to the original work, and somehow go that way?  Though you've probably tried that already by the sounds of it.  I'm so sad to hear that happened to you.
      As for your hub scores, I think they can go down if you don't get a lot of traffic to them for a while.

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      1. 91

         Jean Bakulaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Hi poppyr,
         Yes, I haven't been really active here, so the drop in score is OK. I do think 85 is a high threshold for no follow links though.
         
         I've tried all kinds of ways to get into Zetaboard.com just to comment, and can't get in. In the past I have commented on the articles themselves on other stolen works, and said they were mine, and sites have taken them down. It's too discouraging and time consuming to trace who hosts all these sites. As far as the ones in other languages, I don't feel they can hurt me as much. The plagiarists even copy and paste my blog address which I have on each hub, and it's helped my personal blog!

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   2. 70

      Matthew Meyerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I checked some of your Hubs and the URL it reports on zetaboards is accurate and live.
      If they have used your copyright material without your permission, then you will likely want to issue a DMCA notice of infringement to the site.
      
      Look up the site information via WHOIS and send the notice to the hosting company (not the registrar).
      
      Here is the WHOIS information for that domain.
      http://who.godaddy.com/whoisstd.aspx?do … WxTsQfy5xp
      
      The Examiner-1 added this helpful link below as well.
      http://www.zetaboards.com/dmca/
      
      As Relache mentioned, here are instructions for making a DMCA complaint.
      http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/how- … -complaint

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      1. 91

         Jean Bakulaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks for the info Matthew.

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         1. 91

            Jean Bakulaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            I began filing DMCA's, and started not with Zetaboard, but with the first of my pieces that was copied on Tumblr.com. That was the one that hurt the most, since it was the first one I realized was stolen from me, when I was really high on writing when I first came to HP.
            
            I used all the info in the "Copied Hubs" section, filed the DMCA, contacted the person who took my piece, and think I did all I needed to, as I await an answer. When does the "File" and other info go away from my page? After I tell you I got results?
            
            Thanks Matthew and Relache, I haven't written here in a long time and wasn't following the process, though when I came on the forums, I knew it was happening. I didn't realize how much of my work was plagiarized until a short while ago.

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            1. 70

               Matthew Meyerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               The system re-checks copied material every 30-60 days after the initial check.
               If you know that the copied material has been removed, you can disregard the copied notice and it should go away in 30-60 days.

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               1. 91

                  Jean Bakulaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  Thanks Matthew,
                  I'm mad now, and I'm on a roll. I can't believe the nerve of these people.
                  Two of them aren't cut and pasted word for word, they just took snippets of sentences, so I guess I can't really prove that.

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2. 94

   weezyschannelposted 10 years ago

   Have you clicked on report abuse at the bottom of the page? There's also a contact link

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3. 67

   relacheposted 10 years ago

   You need to file a notice of infringement according to the guidelines laid out in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. 
   
   http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/How- … -Your-Hubs
   
   http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/how- … -complaint

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4. 49

   stbriansposted 10 years ago

   plagiarism is a vice what fighting

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5. 79

   Annie Wrightposted 10 years ago

   Hi Jean,
   
   I'm new to Hub Pages but I've done a lot of researching on internet crimes as I'm a student.
   
   Good Luck
   Annie (Pen Name Annie Wright)

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   1. 70

      Matthew Meyerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      In the case of copied content please see the process for issuing a DMCA notice of infringement above.
      http://hubpages.com/forum/post/2609342

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      1. 79

         Annie Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you for the information, I'm new here, still learning

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   2. 91

      Jean Bakulaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Annie.
      I see another one where the person did copy and paste a whole piece of mine on a site that deals with one of my topics, but did use my name as a source. So although I'm not happy about it, she didn't have to copy the whole thing, she did give me credit. As I go through them, many of the cases are not so cut and dry and a simple copy and paste job. If they credit me I can't do anything, and if they used only snippets of words that sound just like me, and are in fact my words, I can't do much either. It's frustrating, but I feel I am making some progress. I didn't see anyone using my name on my work yet. I appreciate your feedback.

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      1. 67

         relacheposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         That's not true. 
         
         But if you want to just not put any effort into your own copyrights defense, that's a choice some authors pick too.

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         1. 91

            Jean Bakulaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            No, Relache, I want to protect my work.
            But if the person says at the end that I wrote it, isn't that legal? They did give me credit for what I wrote. I also found fragments of sentences that were mine in two pieces, but was unsure if I could prove anything, since not all of this copying is just word for word. Those seemed dicey, they changed what I wrote around and put some of their own stuff in, and it isn't a straight cut and paste job. I wasn't sure of my rights there.

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            1. 91

               Jean Bakulaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Also, I just got an email from GoDaddy.com where I reported the plagiarism on S1.zetaboards.com. They say they are no longer the host provider, that the current HP has the IP address of 173.193.159.123 and is SoftLayer Technologies, Inc. So far the only one that was taken down was the one on Tumblr.com.

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            2. 67

               relacheposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Are you saying you believe that content thieves can steal a person's work and just by putting the original author's name on the page it makes it "legal" for them to use the content however they want?
               
               I think you need to go read about what copyrights really mean, and how they work.
               
               http://www.copyright.gov
               
               If you fear legalese (which is understandable) Wikipedia should be able to clarify the basics,
               
               http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright

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            3. 97

               LongTimeMotherposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Hi Jean. Adding a small link at the bottom of a big slab of your text is not an excuse for copying your work. You can still file a DMCA.
               
               I guess this is one of those times when you miss having your husband around to talk the matter over with. Keep asking your questions here until you get the answers you need. I'm sure you'll manage to sort it out.

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6. 62

   The Examiner-1posted 10 years ago

   Jean Bakula,
   Try this: Contact Us - Copyright Infringement (I do not know if it is only for insiders)
   http://www.zetaboards.com/dmca/
   
   They also have this page if you are on Facbook: https://www.facebook.com/zetaboards

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7. 83

   nifwlseirffposted 10 years ago

   Matthew - what can you do when the content of the hub is in the *source* code of a page, but not visible to 'humans' looking at the page in a browser?
   
   I've filed multiple DMCA takedowns with both the host, and removals from Google search for my health articles which are all copied into a bunch of sites' *source code*, but the human responses were that they could see nothing wrong.
   
   Thanks!

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   1. 79

      Annie Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hi,
      I just can't figure out why some people would even want to take another person work. It makes me wonder, when they were in school, did they also steal other students work or cheat on test? When I write, I want to be able to say that is my work and proud of my writing. Then I wonder when they steal other people work do they get in trouble or charged with any crime, as I would think they should be. This is one topic in my studies that hasn't been covered but with a small amount of information. When writing a paper for class I always use the APA format. I wish you luck in solving the problem. Just remember to keep on smiling that in the end it shall work out, may take a little time.

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   2. 70

      Matthew Meyerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      If your text is in the non-rendered portion of a site without your permission, then a DMCA notice of infringement should still be appropriate.
      
      It could be that the site that is actually hosting the material is obfuscated.
      
      In my experience, the URL that shows for your copied content should be accurate, so send it to the host for that domain.
      
      Let me know if you have a specific example of a Hub that I can look at.

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      1. 83

         nifwlseirffposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Matthew: I'd have sent titles/links privately, but I can't for the life of me, figure out how to contact a writer through their profile!
         
         Ed. choice hub, Fibromyalgia-at-work The content has been 'hidden' in the source code of 13 'different' pages on two sites.
         
         Thanks!

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         1. 91

            Jean Bakulaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks everyone for your help and comments.
            
            The piece that was stolen 3 days after I wrote it on 1/1/11 didn't show up with a "c" on my account page for about 2 or more years. Relache wrote about that in her post. We have to be vigilant on our own.
            
            I never thought of checking by the photos, good idea. Some people are so lazy, they copy the photos and even my ad for my own blog, which seems to have resulted in more traffic to it! Of course, I have to watch to see if they are stealing my work there too. It's more of a website, and I wrote fictional pieces about my topic.
            
            Then there's the issue that if I go to the person's blog or wherever they copied the work, and it's really small and has no traffic, is it worth it? I'd rather be writing than filing right now, I'm trying to keep mentally active as it is a hard time in my life. So many choices.

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8. 80

   VictoriaSheffieldposted 10 years ago

   How can I find out if anyone has copied my work? I am sorry to hear this has happened to you!

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   1. 91

      Msmillarposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      If your work was copied from Hubpages you will have the red, circled, copyright C after the title of your hub on the Your Account page.  You can click on that hub and additional information will be available at the very top indicating where the copied material is posted and a sample letter for reporting to the DMCA (This information is not on the public view. It is FYEO (for your eyes only)).
      Reporting can be irritating.  You personally have to put in time and effort to make contact, and if they don't respond, you have to look up the registrar and contact them, and then wait for them to answer you, in which case they may not be the correct, or current registrar, etc, etc.  You'll put in more time with locating, waiting and responding than you did creating the hub in the first place, but when the copied material is taken down and the copyright C is gone from your account, you'll want to jump for joy! Plagiarism is a sign of a lazy, uninformed person. Fortunately with the assistance of Hubpages we can weed them out and retain our good name. Thank You Hubpages!!!

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         LongTimeMotherposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Unfortunately it is not that simple, Msmillar. I have never had a red C on my account page, yet my work has been copied many, many times. It is important to manually check for plagiarism as part of hub housekeeping.

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         1. 91

            Jean Bakulaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            relache,
            Thanks for the link, I wasn't really sure if it was copyright infringement if the person did attribute the work to me. I will investigate more.
            
            Thanks LongTimeMother, I get the red C and HP really does give us a lot of info to work with to get started to find these thieves. I have been too busy readjusting to my life as it is now to worry about this, but my husband didn't really involve himself in my writing, we had different interests, and writing is a solitary pursuit anyway. I appreciate your kind thoughts though, I've been so busy just fixing the house ( I am able to keep it) and finding some stabilization. I lost my doctors and have been spending much time at the new ones, as I'm fighting a permanent disability battle. My son has also been sick, so it's been one thing after another.
            
            Msmillar,
            I didn't have time to pursue these people before, but as I'd like to write again, have begun to go after them. It is very time consuming. I've had one piece taken down so far. Two have been so fragmented and changed around I still don't think I can file a DMCA, and the site had such little traffic I wonder if it's worth it. The surprise I got was that the piece I was bothered most about being stolen was stolen 3 days after I wrote it, on 1/11/11!

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         2. 91

            Msmillarposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            LongTimeMother - I don't see the word easy anywhere in my comment. 
            Jean Bakula - Have you tried the reverse image search on Google?  It reveals unauthorized copies of your photos online. Another way is in Chrome.  If you use Chrome simply hold S and right click on any image and Chrome will automatically open a new tab with the search results. Good luck to you.

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               LongTimeMotherposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               lol. I don't see the word easy in your comment either, Msmillar. I was simply pointing out that an absence of a red C doesn't mean a hubber's hubs have not been stolen. I don't know how long it takes for the C to appear, but I've never seen one on my account ... yet I've filed many DMCAs. So, for other hubbers who think they're safe if they don't have a red C marker, I'm suggesting it is 'not that easy' to keep on top of stolen content.
               
               Hope that makes more sense to you now.

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9. 97

   LongTimeMotherposted 10 years ago

   Jean, I'm pleased you get to keep your lovely house. Yay! Hope you get the other issues sorted soon.
   
   Just out of interest, how long do you think it took before your red C appeared next to that hub stolen in 2011? Had you been ignoring it for the past 3 years?

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10. 67

    relacheposted 10 years ago

    The feature by which HubPages identifies copied content does not seem to run with regularity, and it only seems to be run on a percentage of higher-traffic Hubs, and not the entire site.
    
    You can have something stolen within hours of it being published and not have HubPages report finding the other copy or copies for a year.  Or ever even.

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11. 68

    S T Alvynposted 10 years ago

    The burden falls unfortunately on the writer to prove they wrote it and is protected, but you can only pursue action if it is registered. As you say, is it worth it? Trust in karma.
    I studied IP and it can be a minefield for authors, scriptwriters etc. I copyright everything just in case and for some articles in the spirit of sharing information I allow use with credit.
    Ultimately, the only recourse it to get the item removed and compensation.. first they may not have any money and then you have costs to pay (and your time) and these cases take time. Thats what is involved in copyright infringement.
    I am not familiar with zetaboards, but I would set up a forum and out the culprits!

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    1. 91

       Jean Bakulaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I like the trust in karma. Zetaboards wasn't hosted by GoDaddy after all, and those two hubs were used, but only fragments of sentences and the writer/thief added a lot of their own material. It seems like too much work for me to bother. I am reviewing my stolen hubs and deciding on a hub by hub case if it's worth putting the time in. It is wrong and I don't like plagiarism, but I have more important fish to fry right now.
       
       I've been at HP for 3 yrs. but was only active the first one. So much of my material is older and I'm not as attached to it anymore. My husband of 39 yrs. passed on in January, and having little family, my life is so busy and I still have so much to do, I want to write, and not waste time tracking down things from my past. I am mostly looking for my creative outlet back.
       
       I have enough hassles and am not really looking for fights with copiers. I just want to do something that makes me feel good.

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