Whenever a person creates an original piece of content - be it a photo or written materials - copyright is automatically held by the creator. Posting this content on the web can be lucrative, but it also comes with its down side, most notably being subject to content thievery. For entrepreneurs and freelance writers concerned about having their copyright violated, this how to explains start to finish what to do.
Find the Copyright Infringement
There are several ways to find out whether or not content has been stolen; many entrepreneurs use Google Alerts or rely on their readers or customers to inform them of copyright violations. A more reliable (and less stressful) approach is to use a free service such as FairShare, which takes the RSS feed of a website and provides a daily or weekly output into another RSS feed, showing content owners who is reusing their work, how often, and by how many words.
Write a Letter to the Copyright Violator
In most cases, copyright violators don't realize what they've done is wrong. Therefore, the first step in most cases is to send a short and sweet letter outlining the copyright violation, and as the copyright owner, outline what is required. Here's a sample copyright infringement letter with capitals used where specific information needs replacing:
Dear Sir/Madam,
The content written for MYWEBSITE, and copyrighted to PERSON NAME is currently posted on YOUR SITE. Please remove this content as it is copyrighted material Should your company be interested in purchasing this content, please contact PERSON NAME at EMAIL.
LIST URL(s) OF ORIGINAL COPY
LIST URL(s) OF COPYRIGHT INFRINGING COPY
Your prompt attention is appreciated,
PERSON NAME.
Depending on the website, content owners may need to either post a comment on the copyright violator's blog, send an email or post a reply in a forum.
Usually, the copyright owner will receive an email response in 1-2 days with an apology and removal of the content from the infringing website. If after one week no response has been received, its time to move on to the next step of the copyright infringement process.
Contact the Content Thief's Hosting Provider
Use a site like WHOIS.net or WhoIsHosting.com, and find out what company is hosting the website. Then, send them a similar note to the one above. Wait another week for a response - or go straight to the next step depending on the severity of the situation. 97% of the time, this step will eradicate all traces of the copyright infringement, and oftentimes the actual website in question as well.
Use AdSense to Report Copyright Infringement
Many content thieves use ads as a means to make money from a copyright owner's work. If this is the case, report the offending website to any advertising companies that are shown on the offending website. Google's AdSense program is one of the largest of such companies, and accepts copyright violation reports online.
For more information about content creation for entrepreneurs, try Sticky Web Site Content, Article Writing For Web Traffic and Keyword Tactics for SEO Results.
Bonny Albo - Bonny offers 20 years of writing experience to her readers. CNN, MSNBC, The LA Times and Macleans all reference her for expert advice.
