Could HP disable the 'select / copy' function, to protect our work?

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   writeronlineposted 13 years ago

   I'm sure you all have visited sites (lyrics are a good example), where type can be selected and copied, others where that facility is disabled.
   
   Anyone wanting to steal a Hub at present has two simple ways to do it. One is as above, (applies to text, which for most of us is where our original work resides), and the other is by selecting ‘print’, then choosing ‘pdf’. No login required.
   
   Either way, downloading our content is as easy as pressing a couple of buttons.
   
   In, out, stolen. Gone in 60 seconds.
   
   Republishing it’s just as easy. The ‘select / copy’ function delivers unprotected type onto your screen, easy to change a couple of words, alter some sequencing etc etc.
   
   What’s worse, when the thief reposts it, you can anticipate receiving at some future stage, a Notice of Duplication Violation from HP. Just to rub salt into the wound..
   
   The difference between those too-easy methods of stealing, and having to laboriously copy-type content, is enormous. So enormous that to me, it would be a terminal disincentive to a ‘content thief’.  They’d be way more likely go elsewhere.
   
   Maybe it’s a cost issue for HP, I have no idea of the technology required.
   I do know that people who know how to, disable ‘select / copy’ on their online work as matter of course. Entire websites.
   
   So I’d like to ask HP to do it for us. Or tell us why not. (That sounds sarcastic – not meant to be. It may be a huge issue for them, I’d just appreciate knowing.)
   
   Anyone else think this has merit?

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   1. STAFF

      pauldeedsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      The copy prevention system that some sites use relies on javascript.  It's trivial to circumvent by simply disabling javascript in your browser (among other methods).  As such, it will only prevent copying by the most unsophisticated of thieves.   We believe the hinderance to legitimate uses of copy and paste, such quoting a few sentences from a Hub outweighs the benefit.
      
      There is really no way to protect text that is published and indexable on the web as HTML, though I'm sure there are some products that provide DRM (that we love so much when it's applied to music or video) for text using proprietary software.

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         writeronlineposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks for your quick response, Paul. I guess for me, it's still a question of 'degree of difficulty', in the same way that for example, a steering wheel security lockbar is a minor hindrance to a car thief who really wants your vehicle, but is enough to make an opportunist joyrider whose skills are limited pass your car by, and take something that's as easy to steal as, er, say unprotected text online...
         
         Again though, thanks for explaining HP's policy reasoning. Cheers.

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2. 78

   sunforgedposted 13 years ago

   It is trivial to disable those annoying anti-right click scripts.
   
   they make reading the and interacting with the site a pain also, you have never wanted to copy a term or product name to google real quick while reading?
   
   Most copy/scrape activities are done right through the page source and is done via software. The two manual methods you suggest are the least of your worries
   
   I do like the scripts that add on a url and a message when someone copies and pastes your content or segments of it

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3. 77

   thisisoliposted 13 years ago

   Yeah this would be a realy bad idea, makes navigatigna site MUCH more annoying and it does practically nothing to prevent copyright theft.

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