Have you dealt with stolen content online or off?

by Marguerite Granat on January 31, 2010

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Has anyone taken your ideas verbatim and claimed them as their own?

I’ve had conversations with several bloggers who told me that someone had  the nerve to copy and paste their content straight into another blog, making it their own without giving them credit. I believe that this is unfortunate and it shows complete lack of integrity.

Duplicating the work verbatim somewhere else on the web is not only unethical but it may cause harm to the blog’s rankings due to meta-tag issues. This is not a post about the ins and outs of how to go after or prevent blog content theft.  Regardless, I wanted to share with you a quick tip on how to check whether someone has copied your content:

  1. Go to http://www.copyscape.com
  2. Type your blog’s URL in the search box
  3. Search results will show you copies of your content with location

The Internet is the new wild west because the laws have not really caught up with it yet. It’s also extremely time consuming to go after someone who has committed an offense against you whether it’s on the Internet or off line.

And time consuming it was for Robert Kearns who dedicated the later part of his life and resources to fighting the large automakers for infringement on his patent. Robert was an inventor who came up with the idea of the intermittent windshield wiper. He initially approached Ford Motor company who was interested in developing the product. Bob wanted to manufacture the windshields himself. There were talks about supplying the wipers to Ford but the deal fell through.  Soon after,  Ford and Chrysler started producing the exact same windshield wipers on their cars without giving  Bob credit.

He became obsessed with fighting these giants and dedicated most of his time from that moment on to bringing the auto makers to justice. He even lost his wife to divorce because of his single minded focus. A story about him was written in the New Yorker which inspired the movie Flash of Genius.  He was more concerned about getting his well deserved credit than the quick financial rewards of a settlement.  This fight was tremendous and I’m not sure if the sacrifice paid off in the end.

Your Thoughts and Insights

  • At what point does fighting someone who has wronged you become an obsession?
  • What is the right balance between going after someone who has taken your ideas and moving on with your life?

Photo credit, Biggles1067

Please Share!

    Tagged as: Innovation, Success

    • http://www.sanerapdc.com/ Alicia Arenas (@AliciaSanera)

      Unfortunately, someone recently stole one of my blog posts, almost word for word. I was angry beyond belief and felt violated.

      Your question about where to draw the line is a tough one. I’m a big advocate of clarifying our boundaries and telling those who wronged us that what they did is not okay. I don’t believe in taking things to a personal level, insulting the person vs. addressing the behavior. I also don’t think it’s healthy to let the drama of a situation steal our joy. But how long and how hard I fight something depends on each situation. I ask myself who has been wronged and to what extent? Will my voice and my actions solve the problem or bring it to the attention of someone who will?

      It’s a nebulous question. I’m glad you brought it up.

      • Marguerite Granat

        Alicia, BTW, what happened to you inspired me to write this post. After seeing the movie Flash of Genius, I started pondering on the question of how hard do you fight when someone has wronged you. I’m wondering what would have happened if Bob Kearns would have spent more time continuing to invent rather than fight the automakers. Maybe his mission in life became to become a voice of the underdog. You are right, it’s a nebulous question. Seeking justice is important but at the same time making use of your talents to your fullest is what life is all about. What do you think?

    • http://www.careertrend.net Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter

      Hi Marguerite,
      Indeed, this is a timely topic! As you say, the Internet is the new Wild West, so it’s often difficult to monitor and battle against such issues of copyright infringement.

      However, I’ve had two friends / colleagues in the past few months respond directly to people who have infringed upon their blog posts … and get results (retractions, revisions, etc.). It’s infuriating and draining to deal with, initially, but worth the effort if there’s a sense of resolution.

      As well, I’ve seen the movie “Flash of Genius,” and I had mixed feelings: loved Robert Kearns’ passionate fight to the end, in some ways, but was saddened by the tremendous sacrifices he made to his personal life.

      My bottom line feeling on all of this is to be aware, to tap resources, such as the great copyscape.com site you provided (thank you!) and to maintain one’s own integrity, mirroring for others the values you expect and maintain.

      Thanks for this thoughtful blog post!

      Jacqui (@ValueIntoWords)

      • Marguerite Granat

        Jacqui, it’s great that your friends were able to get results when contacting the people directly. I also felt saddened when watching Bob Kearn fight the automakers while sacrificing so much of his personal life. It’s important to be aware of what’s going on without becoming too absorbed with it.
        Great to have you visit!
        Marguerite

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