Plagiarism

1. 87

   TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years ago

   I know that many of you here are as tired as I am of having people copy our work, post it and then earn from it while at the same time depleting our own earnings.
   
   This just happened again, and it is SO irritating!
   
   I always file DMCA complaints and eventually copied work gets removed, but what upsets me beyond all of this is this:
   
   If people are not smart enough or talented enough to produce their own work,  why do they think it's OK to steal from others?  Why don't they just get a job and be done with it?
   
   As you know, filing DMCA reports takes time and the whole concept of being robbed is upsetting.
   
   Those who think this is a form of flattery are dead wrong.  These people are stealing.  Stealing is wrong,and it is hurtful.
   
   Rant over.

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      sallybeaposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Agreed!  A few I had stolen a few years ago and to this day I have never been able to rid my accounts page of that little red (c).  One strike off and they should be banned from writing (copying) another article on the internet.

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         TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Off with their heads!!!

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   2. 92

      robhamptonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Has anyone ever sued for copyright infringement? Or do we just have to keep filing dmca complaints

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      1. 88

         Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Suing for copyright infringement would cost a fortune!    It would take ages, too.  DMCA complaints are the way to go.   It's just a case of understanding how to go about filing them.   
         
         Many people don't even bother contacting the website itself, they file a DMCA direct with the hosting company.   That way, there's a chance the whole website will get closed down.

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         1. 92

            robhamptonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            I've filed many. Some with success, some not. It just gets cumbersome. (Dmca complaints, that is)

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            1. 88

               Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

               Are you submitting to the website or the hosts?
               
               I must admit, nine times out of ten I don't even bother contacting the website any more.  I go straight to the hosting company.
               
               One tip I've found important - many hosting companies require you to use a special form or follow a particular process.  So before submitting, always Google to find it (e.g. Google  "GoDaddy abuse" or "Hostgator DMCA").   When I do that, I have 100% success.   Where I fail is when it's a Chinese or Russian site, not much you can do about them.

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2. 92

   poppyrposted 6 years ago

   I agree. It's lazy, immoral, and should be criminalised.

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3. 40

   ChristinSposted 6 years ago

   I have never understood that "flattery" mentality - If someone came into my home and stole something and used it - I wouldn't compliment them on their exquisite taste, I'd press charges.  It is theft, it is immoral and people seem to think that if it's on the internet it's free.  I agree it is irritating.

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4. 95

   chef-de-jourposted 6 years ago

   Beyond annoying. I would have plagiarists punished - they must sit down in a corner and write out stolen content 1000 times with an old ink pen and some blotting paper.

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5. 95

   Shesabutterflyposted 6 years ago

   Agreed! I have had several of my articles used for student's own college papers or used on college sites where people can buy other people's work. One girl used my entire article for her thesis paper! Using my own ideas as her own. I think she only had one short paragraph of her own thoughts, and that was basically a rewording of my original thoughts and ideas. So frustrating, as that is not what my articles where intended for! Was not happy to find out other people where trying to sell my work to other college students. I've had to file more DMCA's than I ever thought I would need to. And it takes months sometimes for people to take the plagerized work down. I still have one article with that little red (c), because I can't figure out how to file a DMCA as I am having a hard time figuring out what exactly they copied, because the English is so terrible and my work is broken up in between whatever random ramblings the "author" created.

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   1. 94

      sallybeaposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      I hope that all the pupils who stole your work did not receive a diploma or degree for 'your effort'.  I believe that colleges and universities have software which detects whether pupils are copying text from the internet.  I hope so.

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      1. 87

         TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

         I doubt it.  They have neither the money nor the manpower to do this, and the students know it.

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         1. 95

            Shesabutterflyposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            I agree. If they had the software these types of sites would not be as popular. Although new ones are constantly being made, so maybe some schools have better resources than others and can better monitor their students work.

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   2. 87

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

      You can file a DMCA even if they only copied a few words or sentences.  Maybe that will help you with this one.  Also, I would definitely report the student who used your work for her thesis.

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      1. 95

         Shesabutterflyposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         I definitely filed a DMCA for the thesis. It was for a Christian college too that was showing her thesis online. That was the fastest DMCA complaint removal I had ever seen! I will file a DMCA then for the last one. It is also on a college paper site, so I really didn't know if I'd be able to file if I couldn't fully follow my article even though I know it's in there.

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6. 90

   Angel198625posted 6 years ago

   If possible, I send them an e-mail with a link to the original article, let them know it was copied, and then offer to sell it to them for $500. I've never had to file a complaint.
   
   Alot of websites hire content writers to write their blogs for them, so they may not know it was stolen. I know that doesn't really help, but sending them an e-mail might get it taken down quicker for you.

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   1. 87

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

      I have had no response so far, so have "upped" the complaint to Google.  This article is the second one of mine the same writer has plagiarized.  He writes on Wordpress.org, which means they have no responsibility for what he does.  However, I contacted his host.  Did the last time, and he removed it.  This time he's not responding.  Google will remove it in time, but it really irritates me that the host is ignoring my request.  Plan to call him later today.

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      1. 87

         TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Update:
         
         I called the host who claimed he never received my complaint.  He says he needs a week but will get the article removed and if the writer does this once more, to call him and he'll banish him from the site.  Personally, I think he should banish him now...he's already done it twice just to me!

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      2. 87

         TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Update:
         
         Google responded that they could not proceed without further information because they could not tell who owned the copyright for the article!  I responded that I was and could prove it and that I felt their form was a bit confusing but also told them it was now a moot point because the article had finally been removed by the host.
         
         I think they've changed the Google form, so if you use it, be careful.  Make sure you find a place to input your copyright date....and always put a copyright stamp on your hubs.  I do, but they can't see that.  Anyhow, the issue has been resolved.

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7. 0

   pen promulgatesposted 6 years ago

   Can't you ask the host to give the contact details of the stealer and talk directly? Ask him for explanation twice. Let's see what he says!

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   1. 87

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

      He won't do that.  Insisted that he should talk to him...which is actually a good thing because he's the one who can remove the article from the web.

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