Thieves are stealing our articles.What can we do?

1. 96

   chef-de-jourposted 10 years ago

   Thieves are stealing our articles.What can we do?
   
   Internet thieves are laughing their heads off,all the way to the bank in many cases. All they need do is copy content, sit back and enjoy the rewards. What can authors/writers do to help stop this blatant criminal activity? DMCA filing doesn't work. Complaints don't work. Copyrighting doesn't work. What can we do?

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2. 92

   LongTimeMotherposted 10 years ago

   I just read this interesting hub ...  http://hideki-ryuga.hubpages.com/hub/Ho … -for-Free#
   
   It doesn't have the answer to your question, but it gives hubbers tips about how to know when our articles have been stolen.

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   1. 82

      annartposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Great info; will have a look.  At the same time will have a look at your profile! Thanks

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   2. 96

      chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      The bottom line is - thieves can still copy and re-publish without anyone able to touch them.This is wrong. We need the techno wizards to invent a copyright button that sends a signal - any copies thereafter are suspended/deleted automatically. Angry

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   3. 73

      Abby Campbellposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, LongTimeMother. I appreciate you posting this hub. It has been helpful.

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3. 87

   Billrrrrposted 10 years ago

   I have not heard of this problem.   Have you any specific information about it?  How would I know if someone has stolen my content?

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   1. 96

      chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      There are forums ongoing about this awful situation.JudiBee a hubber has lots of info. I've seen 7 of my hubs on a tacky thief site this morning.I'm livid.How many more are out there? We need action fast.

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4. 82

   annartposted 10 years ago

   I too worry about this issue.  I had my site hacked into but could do nothing about it so I'll read that article from LongTimeMother with interest and will keep an eye on this question.  Good one!

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   1. 96

      chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That's good. Now my hubs are stolen I'm fuming and fed up. We need action from the techno wizards to clean up this criminal activity. Why bother writing when it can be taken, easily, and there's nothing we can do!!!!!! We need an answer.

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5. 90

   ChitrangadaSharanposted 10 years ago

   I have full sympathies with you and its a matter of great concern.
   Sometime back, I had reported this issue about two of my hubs. Now the copied number of my hubs has increased to two more. I located it while searching with my title. There may be more on sites other than Google, about which, I am not aware of.
   I followed the procedure of reporting, filing complaint as advised, but nothing came about. I have lost all views from those hubs and like you asked--'What can we do?'

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   1. 96

      chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I am so angry. I've been with HP for a year and this issue has been raging all that time, from years previous I bet. When is anyone going to do something about it? A techno wizard must be able to sort this mess. We're feeding thieves!!! Criminals.

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6. 86

   Jlbowdenposted 10 years ago

   I say we declare mutiny! And then file a complaint with DMCA

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   1. 96

      chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for the reply but read through the appropriate forums. Many have filed DMCAs but they're not effective in the long run. Thieves just change the domain or whatever and you're back to square one. Easy for the criminal. What can we do?

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   2. 86

      Jlbowdenposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Maybe one day they'll finally wake-up and think about how wrong it was to steal creative content from others, over a few measly bucks.  Don't worry...every thief eventually gets caught and crime doesn't pay!!  And their conscious will torment them.

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7. 76

   Escobanaposted 10 years ago

   What can we do you ask? I am aware of this problem since I joined Hubpages. Many Hubbers worry about this issue.
   
   My answer would be: Nothing much.
   
   If the website Piratebay is giving people all around the world the oppurtunity to download movies, music, games and other files the illegal way, our Hubs belong to the same world wide web of files.
   
   Thieves will get away with it, simply because there's not enough to gain for the police to go after them. There have been lawsuits for years to stop Piratebay and even though in some countries, their website is offline due to changes in the law, they still exist.
   
   Whether the boss of Piratebay goes to jail for a while or whether thieves who steel Hubs get caught, there are simply too many of them who'll go on with the illegal activity.
   
   It's like putting all your private pictures and stories on Facebook, thinking it's in good hands. Once you publish online, it falls in good hands and in bad hands. I simply accept it as part of this world and refuse to get all worked up about it.
   
   That's a loss of energy to me.

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   1. 96

      chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I understand. But surely the techno brains can get to work on a copyright infringement button/icon...why can't they do this? If I publish on the 14th June 2013 on Alien Carrot Juice and someone tries to steal this article on the 15th June?

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   2. 76

      Escobanaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      It has nothing to do with techno brains. Even if there are buttons and even if someone gets caught and punished, it won't stop the majority of thieves.
      Terrorism attacks have more priority. Try to relax because it's better for your health:-)

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8. 58

   C.V.Rajanposted 10 years ago

   Even original content writers are seldom able to make any worthy money by writing at web content sites. "Laughing all the way to the bank" is a distant dream to a huge majority of them! "Crying all the way to the money-lender" is a better reality! So, where is the scope for "internet thieves" to laugh all the way to bank?!
   
   Imitation is the best form of flattery. If somebody copies your content, be proud that you are such a great writer! Over and above nothing could be done!

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   1. 96

      chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, there's a point but the principle remains. I also think more and more thieves will latch onto this easy game - if it's of no use to the thieves then why do they do it? Thieves prosper when nothing is done. Come on techno wizards, find a solution

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   2. 89

      Doc Snowposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      "...if it's of no use to the thieves then why do they do it?"
      
      Right.  It *is* of use to thieves for the simple reason that it is much, much faster to steal than to create.  That said, do sleaze sites draw views?

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9. 41

   starstreamposted 10 years ago

   I just read all of these answers.  It seems like there isn't much anyone can do to preserve their own right to ownership to these hubs.  It is sad our world has come to this.

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   1. 96

      chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, you're right but I feel there are techno wizards out there who can find the solution. They can invent a true authorship icon which we as authors activate with a unique password...I hope someone can do this.

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10. 82

    mary615posted 10 years ago

    I've had several of my "best" Hubs simply copied and pasted right down to all my personal photographs I had included on the Hub.  I was successful in having that one particular article removed by filing a DMCA. 
    These thieves don't care if your work is copyrighted or not.  I use Copyscape, but they are not afraid of that.
    I wish I knew the answer to this problem, too.

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    1. 96

       chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       There must surely be a technobrain out there who can come up with a copyright infringement button/icon. I publish original on 14th June, 17.49, under my name. Thief copies and posts 17.51. Surely they can stop this happening?

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11. 87

    suzettenaplesposted 10 years ago

    You literally have to take legal action against them.  If your work is copyrighted this should be easy to do.  I have gone through an attorney to get a copyright, so if any one steals my work, they are committing a criminal act and will be held responsible.  In the past, members of HP have banned together and gotten some of these sights closed down.  Good luck to you in your quest for honesty.

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    1. 96

       chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Well done for the work but the thieves return like a recurring bad dream. Come on technowizards, get this issue sorted. Is it too great a problem to overcome - invent a copyright infringement icon, author clicks on it with unique password.Viola!

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    2. 79

       LillyGrillzitposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       The instant you publish unique content on the www, it is copyrighted under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

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12. 81

    molometerposted 10 years ago

    I have had several of my hubs copied too. They are on really poorly formatted sites, so I don't see that they would get much traffic.
    
    They are covered in ads for cheap knock off brands like fake Rolex and Cartier.
    Maybe we should contact Rolex etc let them know, that we are not the pirates?
    I would imagine that our online reputaions are being tarnished.
    
    Quite weird to see ones words, with these odd brand words just stuffed randomly into the text.
    I can't see them ranking very highly on Google. Maybe they will get the message sometime, that crap sites don't actually work.

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    1. 96

       chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for replying. Thieves in my experience only thieve when it's worth their while!! Crappy sites must work or why do they do it? Some techno wizard MUST have a clue about a copyright infringement solution to this awful problem. I hope!!

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    2. 58

       C.V.Rajanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Aha! How wonderful it would be if I really have an "on-line reputation" and it gets tarnished! What we write is actually read by an abysmal fraction of a fraction of Internet readers! May be 0.00000001 percent of those who seek info from Internet!

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13. 62

    CrescentSkiesposted 10 years ago

    You can report them to google, yahoo, yandex.ru, and bing and they'll remove the articles and all of their websites from search.

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    1. 96

       chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for the reply. This is only a temporary measure, the thieves will return in droves again. We need action from the web wizards to make copyright safe and beyond the reach of lowm life stealers.

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14. 85

    Billie Kelpinposted 10 years ago

    In 1985 I wanted to re-publish a card game, "Authors," that I played as a child.  That process cured me of EVER worrying about someone stealing any content of mine again.The reason? It's simply worth the worry and this is why.
    The original full-color game with beautiful artwork was over 40 year old, and out of print.  I went to a lawyer who told me all I had to do was to get a copy of the game, change ONE author and I could publish it.  I couldn't BELIEVE what he said.  I thought that was outrageously unfair to the original inventors of this game.  So I DIDN'T follow his suggestion. 
    Instead, I had a student draw new images, called it "American Authors" and published it, feeling that was only the RIGHT thing to do.  Of course, I couldn't afford a 4-color process and a local printer "jerry rigged" a merely passable game for me, but I was happy, feeling I had integrity. 
    Well, I went to Games By James at the Mall of America one day to see if my supply of "American Authors" was running low and THERE, sitting right next to MY little game was a BEAUTIFUL copy of the ORIGINAL "Authors" game, republished by a guy out east who's last name was ironically close to mine and who had the same idea at the same time.  Only HE listened to his lawyer and changed ONE author and picture of that game.  If you go to a game store and buy it, you'll see that the author, Poe, is decidedly different than the others. 
    That publisher went on to producing lots of games like this and I would imagine is sitting in a nice mansion somewhere while I am in a 940 sq ft. condo.
    The point is, that for me (and call me a defeatist cynic if you think it fits) your statement is right - "copyrighting really doesn't work". Someone can change features of your work and call it theirs. Even if they don't, it's really hard to monitor where your writing actually IS on the ubiquitous internet.
    It's a hard pill to swallow, but the solution is to be soooooo good, sooooooo prolific that someone will be AFRAID to steal your stuff.  No one's stealing Jason Segel's movie scripts. Until then, it's not worth the energy spent in worrying about it.  Use that energy to write, write, write.
    Signed: The Resigned Cynic Pushing Forward on to Fame.

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    1. 96

       chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Great story, with a twist. Thanks. The principle is the same, stealing. Some technobrain must invent a unique authorship button/icon. Author clicks on it, uses unique password, hey presto, article secure. Any resemblance to original is stopped.

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    2. 85

       Billie Kelpinposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I get it.  I'll get my software husband on that right away.  Who knows?  I'm being half skeptical, half-serious here.  He encrypts stuff for Fortune 5 companies, why not here, why not now?  We'll make millions!  (Well, now I went too far).

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15. 66

    skgraoposted 10 years ago

    I think if you can't do anything you can be happy that you have not lost anything but gained as your writing is so good people copy them.Your reputation is a gain.money wont make you happy ever.

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    1. 96

       chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       The principle - stealing by cheats. I'd like a techno wizard to invent a unique authorship button, with unique password to secure articles. Any resemblance to original is somehow stopped. Is this a pipedream/impossibility?

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    2. 66

       skgraoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Soft ware is copied so what can you do.I was told Windows itself is a copy of some one;s work.

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16. 89

    Judi Beeposted 10 years ago

    Your first line of defence is to be vigilant.  Don't rely on the HP system to keep you informed about your hubs being stolen; half my subdomain is currently copied and neither in this particular case, nor in any of the other cases when I've had hubs stolen, have I ever had a notification on my stats page.
    
    Keep an eye on the forums for threads about stolen/scraped hubs.
    
    Set up a spreadsheet with a few sentences copied from each hub.  Periodically, copy these sentences into the Google search bar, with quotes around them; if only your hub comes up, you're good to go.  If anything else comes up, you've found a thief.
    
    If you find a thief, ask him/her to take the hub down - some will.  If there is no response, use whoishostingthis.com to find their host.  Send the host a DMCA (save a template on your computer). 
    
    If no luck, file a DMCA with Google etc. 
    
    Make a complaint to Adsense if appropriate. 
    
    Make a complaint to Amazon if appropriate.
    
    Some people aren't concerned about these low-quality sites and I have some sympathy with that view - in most cases they won't outrank your hub.  However, I do worry that Google quite unfairly down ranks the original (I've got no evidence of that, but I usually spot that a hub has been copied when its traffic falls - it often never recovers, even if the copy is taken down).

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    1. 96

       chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Full of great content your answer. I'm barking up the wrong tree thinking that a technobrain can invent a true authorship button to validate origianl work,with a unique password for the author.How do the secure pin number things work for banks? Help.

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    2. 89

       Judi Beeposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Every time this issue comes up, people ask about prevention in the form of software or similar.  No one ever has an answer.  I guess if someone did, they'd be marketing it and we'd all be subscribing to it

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17. 69

    pinto2011posted 10 years ago

    a) Ask them to delete the article from their site.
    b) If they do not follow, file a DMCA complaint with hubpages.

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    1. 89

       Judi Beeposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       You wouldn't file a complaint with HubPages - they have your original.  You file with the host of the plagiarist or, failing that, Google.

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18. 89

    Doc Snowposted 10 years ago

    To my knowledge, I've only ever been copied once.  It was distressing, and I lost a bit of traffic early on because HP pulled it pending verification that mine was indeed the original.  But the copy quickly sank without a trace.
    
    I did ask several times that the copy be taken down, but without response.  I didn't file a DCMA because it would have taken some time to find out where it needed to be served to, and by that point it was obvious that there was no payoff for the energy it would have taken.

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    1. 96

       chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I see. I think this is an issue causing too much strife and damage. We need a technical solution involving copied material, or resemblance issues. Techno wizards please come forward, secure our original articles with a unique password and icon or?

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19. 74

    d.williamposted 10 years ago

    Since i do not get paid anything substantial for writing anything on this site i really don't care if someone else steals my articles.  If they do, then it is a form of flattery that they think what i write is worth something to someone.
    Since my audience is limited to hub pages, if someone takes one of my articles in total, or in substance, and the intent of that article is passed on to more people than those who read them here, i am OK with that.
    I would think that having proof that you wrote something before someone else did you might have their versions removed from wherever you find them published.
    I digitally sign and date everything i write on H.P. and when you click on your statistics they are all listed with the original dates published and the dates they are updated or changed.
    Where does one look to find out if their articles are being plagiarized?

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    1. 89

       Judi Beeposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Our current thief is using scraping software to scrape HP content daily to spread across his 16 sites in an attempt to make money from hubbers' hardwork.  There is no discernment, simply industrial scale plagiarism.  I'm anything but flattered.

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    2. 74

       d.williamposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       can you tell me who it is, and where they are publishing,  so i can investigate it more?

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    3. 89

       Judi Beeposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       The scraper is based in China.  This is the thread I put up originally - note that more sites were added http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/111298

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20. 59

    jaydeneposted 10 years ago

    this whole issue is somewhat confusing,  all i know about is where google has a copy check  that you can do a search for to see if your own sentence or paragraph has  been produced somewhere else.   
      copy scape or something.?   
    it's kind of like when k tel hits the market on a hot product. then thousands of reproducers make it and sell it for  one dollar. 
    I am really lost on how to protect anything in this world. lol   
    cept for our day today, and hope we lived it well.
    I love writing so I can't give it up. but lawsuits are too expensive unless we make the best sellers list and can  afford to take the financial hit.

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    1. 96

       chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Stealing articles is a normal every day activity on the internet. I'd love to know the exact number being thieved and set up for traffic and reward which ought to be heading the author's way. Bad,bad. Technowizards please devise a true way forward.

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21. 72

    brakel2posted 10 years ago

    When people stole my articles a year ago  it was easier to bring them down. Today, thieves have found ways to beat the system. I still go after them, but it is time consuming.   If it becomes worse, the entire procedure could be revamped by Google. If not, writers may not have time to spend  filing  complaints.

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22. 58

    AUPADHYAYposted 10 years ago

    The basic ingredient of the act of stealing anything is that either the thief is not capable to acquire it from his hard work or the said thing is too pretty to be stolen. Anything as mentioned here is in respect of any physical object or an intellectual property created by the mind power. We live in the circumference of the tendency of stealing the things. Even it effects more or less in every person. No one in this world is perfect honest. Even an idea for doing this act is also treated as the same sin as it is performed actually. We, in my opinion, should keep the things in such a manner that it may be most valuable but must be looked like an ordinary object or thing.

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    1. 96

       chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for the comment and visit. Please look after your content, the fruits of the mind, and do what you can to deter the thief who cares nothing for us as human beings.

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23. 60

    LensMan999posted 10 years ago

    Think why they try to steal our articles. It's because the articles here are very good and of high standard. This action of theirs itself reveals the greatness of our articles.
    Let them enjoy those rewards, but they won't give them the satisfaction we do get after writing an article.
    But something has to be done on this issue.

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    1. 96

       chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for the visit -  Yes - we must deter these thieves as much as we can. Put copyright on articles, copyscape and any other tool/device to thwart the low life.

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24. 80

    cyoung35posted 10 years ago

    Maybe someone can invent a software that scans for copyright infringement and automatically report it to the correct authorities to shut the site down. It should be able to scan the web I an automated way. For example many of us with websites have the hacker safe badge where there is screening every 15 minutes, so when the hackers see this they don't want to spend their time hacking the site when they know it will be detected right away. They will most likely move on to the next site. This can work with articles as well. If a thief knows as soon as they post the copied content that it will be detected and reported to shut them down then they may move on to the next article that doesn't have any protection. That is my million dollar idea but since I'm not a techy I have no idea how to start engineering a program like this.

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    1. 96

       chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       The hacking prevention scan sounds great and will be a deterrent to those who seek to do damage. If you could create similar scanning software for articles thieves would be put off!! Thanks for the comment.

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    2. 76

       Escobanaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Even if this would exist and even if they would shut one down, they'll enter the internet through another way and copy content again. A hacker safe badge on each article will probably be so expensive that no engineer wants to lose money on this.

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25. 58

    lumen2lightposted 10 years ago

    Just like the majority have stated, while thieves steel content and make a bit of cash, there is not a lot that we can do to stop it. However, by publishing on hubpages, or any other site, your copyright is protected and dated, and with lots of witnesses.
    In the event that someone actually does make a lot of money from stealing our work, we have a very good case to sue (and win) all the royalties and profits.
    In some respect, the thieves actually could promote our work and as long as we are vigilant, we can still claim the rewards.

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    1. 96

       chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Many thanks for the visit. It would be great to have a genius invent software that guarantees absolute safe publishing. One day it will happen but not in the foreseeable future!

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26. 50

    erorantesposted 10 years ago

    There is a way to stop it . Involves a lot of work.  Hub pages know of that problem. They have records. Your idea is first on the hub pages's computer . You get the credit. The other idea is just a copy. If you know someone doing it. You can report the problem to hub pages.

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    1. 96

       chef-de-jourposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Many thanks for your visit and comment. Yes, we have to do all we can to prevent stealing. The more we deter the more success we'll enjoy.

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27. 79

    LillyGrillzitposted 10 years ago

    In my opinion the full scale theft of the entire HP site by Rank08 is grand enough to warrant Justice Department involvement. I think it would be considerate of HP to become more proactive in at least notifying authors that their content may have been compromised, but in the forums if one mentions this, a smarmy couple of smart alecks will shoot you down, so I have filed complaints with my local FBI. If enough complaints are filed the DOJ may look into dashing these pirates to the rocks. This quote http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quote … 77528.html by Edmund Burke says it all for me. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing " when our hosts refuse to get involved it puts a bad taste in my mouth. Good luck to all the good writers out there who have been ripped off, I hope we have solutions soon.

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