Hunting Down Content Thiefs - Is It Worth It?

I wouldn't bother trying to hunt down these, they aren't going to rank before you anyway

If used correctly it would actually a pretty awesome way to get backlinks

If there is a comment box, I often leave a comment saying something like "this is a badly spun version of an article I wrote. This is the original article - www . originalarticlehere. com and include a link to the original article or to my site.

I usually issue C&D notices when my work has been uploaded to file sharing networks, and sometimes where the original article has been used in tact without the resource box. I rarely bother for the badly spun rubbish as I really don't see it's going to get many visitors. Some of them are good for a laugh though!

Probably not worth your time unless they start to affect you in any tangible way.

It kind of sucks that if you want to spend time tracking these people down, you'll be losing time you could have spent writing new content or building links.

I would personally spend my time and energy on creating new content for my subscribers / customers instead of putting my energy chasing the thieves around. There are always going to be a thief out there stealing our content but our time is better spent building our business, creating great content and focusing on viewers / customers.

Personally, when I have found my articles being used without permission I do send notices. If they don't have an easy to find email address, I inform their host instead. From there I just let it go. I don't really actively look for content thieves, but once I have noticed I don't like to just let it be.

For me, it's very worthwhile.

I benefit from it greatly.

But I know from many earlier discussions here, on this subject, that my primary objective in such instances seems to be different from that of many others. I don't want to get the content taken down: I want to get my backlinks added to it.

I'm an article marketer, and I submit my articles (among other places) to Ezine Articles. The purpose of doing that, of course, is to get them as widely syndicated as possible, by making them freely available for re-publication. That's what article directories are there for, after all.

So, when someone takes my articles without my resource-box and backlinks, I contact them explaining what's happened (they may well not know - such work is commonly outsourced), thanking them for syndicating my article, offering them more articles (if I can add them to my syndication network, so much the better, of course) and asking them please to be kind enough to ensure that my resource-box (attached) is appended to the article within 7 days.

I have a standard, pre-written, fill-in-the-blanks email to send to people, when this happens. It takes almost no time at all.

(It costs nothing to try, and if it doesn't work, then I also have a standard, pre-written, fill-in-the-blanks DMCA notice to send them a week later, with copies to their registrar, their host and Google. That takes the content away, 99% of the time.)

I always find it hard to understand why so many people apparently don't bother doing this. It's almost effortless, and the benefits from it can actually be considerable. It's not as if there's any downside.

I have just had a slight twist on this,have followed Alaxa's advice regarding putting original articles on my site first then when indexed - cached i then submit to ezine.

I'm platinum author over 250 articles on ezine no problems, then i submitted an article 3 days ago to ezine got an email from them next day my account suspended and they wanted me to explain why i submitted an article already submitted to them by another author.

WTH this was my original article,they gave me a link to the other article when i checked it had been submitted on the 14th same day i placed it on my site.They must have taken it and submitted it to ezine same day making me look like the article thief.

I emailed all details to ezine my account is still suspended and no word from ezine after 2 days.

Bloody furious!

I have found lots of sites that have grabbed my content, and mostly I wouldn't care, if they'd give a backlink. Sometimes they'll give me credit, but no link, sometimes nothing. I usually leave a sarcastic comment about integrity or something, but lots of those sites are fly by nite anyway... I try to just take it as a complement that they liked my stuff, but like you said it's probably mostly just automated and looking for keywords.. gotta let it go.. my two cents anyway

If them copying your content is damaging your business then you need to get a DCMA out to their webhosts and get the content removed. If the web host gets enough of these they'll get shut down.

I also posts comments stating they've stolen the content and where the original is as with some people that's enough to get them to remove it.

All the best

Jason

I have this problem regularly.

Last time I used this tool Google took action in a day. One time it was 12 hours.
https://www.google.com/webmasters/to...ashboard?hl=en

I use it sparingly, only for my biggest sites which get copied alot and only in cases where my copied content has been stripped of its links. If they keep my links, I usually ignore it and not waste my time.



Good luck.

It is a shame that people would copy content as opposed to doing it themselves, but it happens often. Hunting them down is simply too time consuming for most people, and even when you catch one another pops up right after, so it can become a never ending battle.

From my understanding however, Google will give credit to the first site who publishes it, which is a good thing for those who do publish original content.

You're too nice. To EZA. I have a very different take.

When EZA suspends your account and makes you wait to see if they correct THEIR erroneous suspension they are STEALING SOMETHING VALUABLE from you. They are stealing articles you have written and they are enriching themselves from your stolen property.

During the time they are deciding whether or not your article is yours or someone else's all the rest of your articles still appear on EZA pages. While they appear they attract clicks for the advertising on the pages which contain your articles. The undisputed articles in your account might also be picked up and syndicated. That syndication inures to EZA's credit -- that is, it enhances EZA's reputation as a repository of good articles. But you, the author get no credit because your account has been suspended.

I have better things to do with my time so I will not pursue my ideas to their natural conclusion: a lawsuit. If you have the time and resources look for a class action lawyer and sic him/her on EZA. FORCE them to clean up their arbitrary suspension policy. It's not only not nice it's downright criminal the way EZA steals work from relatively defenseless writers.