Websites and pilfering

[ponygirl]

Does anybody else get annoyed by people who copy their website language, thoughts and idea? Sometimes even down to the specific language and phrases? I'm not talking about "Stallion X jumped clear rounds" or the basic blurbs that we all use about a particular stallion. I'm talking about the customized content that we develop ourselves to describe our programs. I know nothing about copyrighting and it seems like a colossal PITA, but is there any other way to stop the pilfering?

It's one of the reasons I've not gotten around to putting mine up. I see what is happening to various friend's farm websites and it has to be frustrating. Anyone else have this problem and if so, how are you handling it? I know "imitation is the highest form of flattery" but doesn't a line need to be drawn?

[Woodland]

Seriously you are worried about "words" And people using the same words to describe common horse/horse related activities :confused: Could you offer some better examples please? I mean either a horse can jump a round clear or he can't! And this has prevented yoy from launching your web site :confused: Seems rather odd too me but hey my web site was launched years ago - I wonder if i have been "pilferered"? :eek: Other web sites could also say they offer boarding lessons and training - scary! :eek:

[equineartworks]

Ponygirl, I do understand where you are coming from.

Over the past 6-7 years I have had not only my website text taken, but on more than a dozen occasions I have also had them take my images too!

I am an artist as well as a designer. I got through this at least 6 times a year..and we aren't just talking text...I even had someone steal my BIO including my dogs!

[ponygirl]

Seriously you are worried about "words" And people using the same words to describe common horse/horse related activities :confused: Could you offer some better examples please? I mean either a horse can jump a round clear or he can't! And this has prevented yoy from launching your web site :confused: Seems rather odd too me but hey my web site was launched years ago - I wonder if i have been "pilferered"? :eek: Other web sites could also say they offer boarding lessons and training - scary! :eek:

I think you misread my post. I'm not talking in generalities. I'm talking of specific phrases describing their personal breeding program/philosophy/etc. If written work in school, it would be considered plagarism.

[ponygirl]

Ponygirl, I do understand where you are coming from.

Over the past 6-7 years I have had not only my website text taken, but on more than a dozen occasions I have also had them take my images too!

I am an artist as well as a designer. I got through this at least 6 times a year..and we aren't just talking text...I even had someone steal my BIO including my dogs!

Yes, this is what I'm referring too. I can't believe they stole your bio. wowzers!

[Nes]

That sucks, but there really isn't anything you can do other then politely asking them to change it. They probably won't, don't start a fight over it - sorry. The only thing you can really do is try to re-word your own again.

It's very common for people to have their images stolen off their website. A both a person who used to do that (sorry, I was little and the pictures were pweety!) and now as an artist that wants to prevent that can I offer everyone a suggestion?

- Do not prevent people from right-clicking on your page, it does nothing and is annoying. So are threats that you will track people down and beat them, very unfriendly.

- If I went to your website right now I could take your images & there is nothing you can do about it. NOTHING. If you think you can stop people you are deluding yourself and obviously don't know enough about the power of the hacker-tool. However, NO ONE is going to spend hours & hours deleting water marks off your images*. If you're having a big issue with people stealing your images, which are professionally done & cost you allot of money, add a small watermark with the horse's name, maybe registry number, and your website. It's allot harder for people to steal your images when it's there in gray & white that this is not their horse.
*This is a big issue for professional artists, in which case you need to look into putting up low quality images of your work, but everyone already knows that.

- Don't loose sleep. It's not the biggest deal in the world, I understand when you pay allot for those pictures you don't want people taking them. However, if you try politely contacting them and asking them to take them down or (even better) add a link to your site you're going to have much better luck then stomping around throwing a fit about it. Honestly idiots who steal photos like that usually don't have the energy to upkeep a fake website for very long, it will be gone in a few months.

That really sucks that someone tried to steal your bio EAW - I think I would have been laughing too hard at them to do anything about it! :lol:

[mroades]

How does one "dilute" themself?
I think you meant "delude"....but I digress...It is rude and just shows people are too lazy to come up with an original thought.

[equineartworks]

That really sucks that someone tried to steal your bio EAW - I think I would have been laughing too hard at them to do anything about it! :lol:

OMG...you have no idea...

When I first found it I thought "you're kidding right?!?!? "

How many people have a wacked bio like mine? Why would you want it? lol! Get your own neurotic life!!! lol!

[cowgirljenn]

It happens all the time with the rescue. They take our forms and contracts (and leave them the same except to change the logo. Sometimes they change the logo anyway). They take the content off the page. They take the freaking mission statement. Someone told me 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'. But I'm not flattered, I'm just annoyed.

[ponygirl]

How does one "dilute" themself?
.

By adding a liquid libation or many liquid libations? :)

[Nes]

CJ - you might be able to slow people down a little if you use .pdf; it's harder to copy unless they are going to write things out word for word, and these people are lazy.

How does one "dilute" themself?
Beer.

[Lori B]

It is annoying, but I really wouldn't let the fact that it happens deter me from using the web as a medium for communicating about my business.

Watermarks on professionally shot photos are a very good idea. If you see something egregious, you can notify the thief if it makes you feel better. But it is unlikely to change their behavior.

I don't think you have to do anything dramatic to declare that your own site is your own work and not to be used by others without your permission. I've always just put a copyright at the bottom of the footer of all the websites I've built for others.

Honestly, I see such a vast wasteland of disastrously unusable, unprofessional, unattractive, broken, mis-spelled websites out there, the fact that a few delusional nutters try to copy your stuff is small potatoes, even though annoying to you.

It will be apparent pretty quickly when other folks deal w/ the thieves that they are all hat and no cattle.

[Lori B]

Don't put all your site content into PDF files. That defeats the purpose of the web, which is to make content available to users without having to open other programs. Don't let your frustration at a handfull of knuckleheads drive you to design decisions which will cost you site visitors and therefore customers.

PDFs are for things like forms that need to be printed with a predictable layout, or other thngs that need to be printed out, not just viewed.

[Nes]

Who doesn't know know to use/have adobe reader? I find viewing pdf files FAR easier then word and it takes half the time to open. Plus with word you're going to have issues with non-pc users. Plus with reader there are for more options for people with accessibility issues (such as the voice reader and zoom options).

[equineartworks]

It is annoying, but I really wouldn't let the fact that it happens deter me from using the web as a medium for communicating about my business.



That is exactly right.

I save the hell wrath for those who go so far above and beyond in the theft of intellectual property that it creates a significant financial loss. My design work is very distinctive and my clients work with me for that reason...they don't appreciate having something that is unique to them stolen either.

But the truth is, they wont get very far before someone catches on. Like Lousie B said...those who do it are usually gone before it makes any difference to your bottom line.

[equineartworks]

Who doesn't know know to use/have adobe reader? I find viewing pdf files FAR easier then word and it takes half the time to open. Plus with word you're going to have issues with non-pc users. Plus with reader there are for more options for people with accessibility issues (such as the voice reader and zoom options).

If it isn't in PDF form...I don't open it.

[twofatponies]

It's lame and unethical but I wouldn't let it stop me putting up a website. I think there's some of it done because people are lazy, and some of it because people really don't get the idea that they can't copy other people's work and pretend it's their own (I taught college classes - there were always some really lame papers turned in with whole sections exactly like another student's, or cut and paste from encyclopedias.)

I worked for a web design/software company ages ago, and one day one of our employees came across a company in Hong Kong that had stolen our entire website - logo, name, all the pages and all the text, everything - and put it up under their own URL. I think the lawyer sent a letter, but I don't know if it ever got taken down.

If I did find something I'd written copied exactly somewhere, without the appropriate links and references back to me as the source, I'd send them a scoldy email, but otherwise not worry about it. Unless it was extreme, like they were listing my horses for sale, or pretending to be standing my stallion or something (just an example, I don't have a stallion).

[Lori B]

I was talking about making too much content into PDF. Of course you shouldn't use Word for stuff on a website. Everything should be in html unless it absolutely has to be PDF, or a video, or something.

I wasn't recommending leaving documents in Word. ???