TrendNuMode Stop Stealing Blog Content!
So for the last few months a German blog has been stealing my content word for word without a link back or asking permission.
I have in fact contacted them and asked them to remove the content.
They never responded.
I asked their web hosting company to remove my content.
No response.
You might think, well no biggie Suzanne, they’re stealing everyone’s content, plus what’s the big deal? The deal is that I’m putting in the work and they are reaping the benefits. Google, Yahoo or other search engines won’t be coming to my blog first, it’ll go to theirs. It doesn’t help my blog or stats, it helps theirs. I won’t be gaining readers, they will.
There is such a thing at the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) which is aimed at protecting digital content however it isn’t valid outside of the USA. I’m based in Canada and they are based in Germany and have ignored all my requests for removal of my content.
Now I’m left throwing my hands up in the air and wondering what to do.
Each time I post a new blog entry I get another pop back notification showing me they’ve posted my content again on their website.
I’m frustrated.
Protecting copyright is hard enough within the country one lives in. Trying to protect it online in another country is quasi impossible.
Short of hiring an international copyright lawyer, which requires big bucks I’m not sure what to do.
If you’re a blogger, has this ever happened to you? How did you solve the issue?
I’m hoping that they inadvertently publish this on their own website. Ha! That’d be funny.
Linking up with Visible Monday, I Will Wear What I Like
This sucks, so so much. I hate thievery! The domain looks like it’s actually in Turkey and their home site is a huge mess. My tech genius is looking into it.
Have you tried this contact (“Registrar Abuse” via the WhoIs database): telephone (US number) 201-377-5952 and email is abuse-contact@publicdomainregistry.com. Since it is a dot-com it *should* be under US control. You may also want to try Googling “How to stop site stealing content” and there are some tips there – you’ve probably tried them already. Bastards!
xo
-Patti
http://notdeadyetstyle.com
Did you notice that I think they have some of your content as well Patti? Sylvia’s too.
I’m going to try the other link you gave me. It is super annoying. Let me know if your tech genius has any success!
aha! site is dead this morning! you are magical. xox
They seem to have taken some of Sylvia’s content, too. Copyright is actually protected by EU legislation, see this for starters
http://ec.europa.eu/ipg/basics/legal/notice_copyright/index_en.htm
The service provider should react to this and remove the material. Maybe you and Sylvia, and whoever else has been subject to this should see if you can do something about it together. The European Union website should provide some information on how to get started.
Yes, worldwide there are copyright laws however the only way to protect them is to spend the money and hire an international copyright lawyer. Otherwise people just ignore requests. I know, I’ve gone through similar battles with copyright on designs I created.
Hi Suzanne,
I just clicked the blog. It’s definitely not written by a native German speaker (I’m German). The language used is typical for working google or a comparable sort of translator. The person translating your posts into German has no clue of the real language and the use of it. People might click it for the pictures, but not for reading!!!
I’ve had something similar happen to me some time ago. The blog was from somewhere in Asia and there was nothing I could do about it. Since it only happened once I let it slip.
Good luck to you! 🙂
Thanks for letting me know that. I wondered if it had been Google translated since they have taken from so many other blogs as well.
oops!
It was supposed to read: “…for working with or using google or a comparable sort of translator.”
Hey Suzanne,
I was just reading about this on
http://www.bloggersentral.com/2013/04/prevent-people-from-copy-blog-content.html?m=1
when I was looking there for something else
Also, I remember when Handmade by Carolyn in Australia went through similar situation and how she handled it. Contact her, I bet she would be most helpful.
Good luck.
I’m going to contact Carolyn. Thanks for letting me know Pao!
Thanks for that link, Pao. Very useful.
Wow…what a**holes. As far as I know this has never happened to me…how did you find out? It’s sounds like you’ve gotten some pretty solid advice in the other comments. I agree that you, Sylvia and Patti should work together on this.
Debbie
http://www.fashionfairydust.com
I keep getting ping-backs even though they aren’t linking to me.
How upsetting!
As HappyFace313 said, the site seems to be using automated translation software and the person running it does not know German at all. In fact, no one who knows German would read it as it’ll give you a headache… But it’ll still hurt you of course if people end up on their site first and never make it to your site…I hope you’ll get somewhere with the link Patti provided as it appears the site is located in the US because of the .com ending…
I’ve never had full thievery but someone took my wedding photos from my Offbeat Bride feature and put them on their blog and was making fun to me and my tattoo. Jealous I guess. I also found a photo I took of my baby cousin on some kind of foreign cute kid website that also had some rather questionable photos of naked children (too old to be naked in pics) with shirtless men. Not child porn, but just enough to make you scratch your head and think, “Um, WTF?”
Good grief. The internet sure does bring out the weirdos.
Yeah that site is odd. What’s up with that?
I can’t figure it out. They just post everyone else’s content. It’s a wonder I’m the only one that seems upset about it.
What assholes! I was thinking you could get everyone to inundate them with nasty comments, but it looks like they have comments turned off. At least you watermark your photos. Maybe you could make a bigger watermark that says “Original material copyrighted to Suzanne Carillo.com only. No other sites have permission to use it in any language.” Good luck!
Oh how bizarre and I guess you can take it as a compliment? But I get your frustration since they are just stealing everything. I am too small potato for anyone to be stealing my content.
I hope they will respond to your request soon.
Alice
http://www.happinessatmidlife.com
Hope to see you Thursday for TBT Fashion link up.
I think it’s a compliment when they actually link back. Otherwise it’s just stealing.
BTW I’m a much smaller potato than you. I think the only reason they even found me was through Sylvia’s blog.
Well, that sucks. As far as I know this has never happened to me, so I’m not help in the advice area. Hope you’re able to get it resolved easily and quickly.
Oh no! That’s a nightmare for any blogger! I really hope there is some way to get the issue resolved. Sucks that sites like those remain up, and that they still manage to get visitors somehow??
That’s awful. Just awful. As noted by some others above, there are legal remedies outside the U.S. Consider them.
The cost of hiring an international copyright lawyer is turning me off.
Damn, dude. I know the frustration you’re feeling. Not that long ago, I discovered someone trying to profit off of my blog images on Poshmark. She was using my images to help sell the clothing items I had been wearing. I tried contacting Poshmark, but I got nothing but silence. I actually had to sign up on their ridiculous website, find the user, and leave her a number of public comments about the image. Eventually, she succumbed to the pressure and removed it, but not before telling me that she got it from Google Images. *ROLLSEYES* P
People just don’t understand *anything* about basic copyright infringement. Since I can’t be everywhere at once on the internet, I just always assume that there are people out there who are using my images and written content without permission. When I find them, I try to do something about it, but there will always be those who get away with it and go unnoticed. At least you know that the offending website is scraping your content and you’ve publicly called them out on it.
– Anna
http://www.melodicthriftychic.com
Oh that sucks! The nerve!
Yeah, I know people are using images and designs of mine and it is too overwhelming to control but stealing my content every single time I post is beyond annoying.
That is soooo frustrating! It sounds like Patti and some of the other commenters have made some good suggestions; hopefully you find something that works. It would serve them right if they put this post up without really knowing what it was about.
Our local art museum used one of my photos from my blog of a local artist in their newsletter with no photo credit and I contacted them to complain. I got a “sorry, was really busy, meant to ask for permission, blah, blah, blah” response, and they got a firm, but polite reply from me. There are probably other places on the Web where my content has been used, but not any that I’ve been aware of.
I hope you get this sorted out and that site gets shut down. Looks like there’s no one working on it that can generate any decent content of their own so they just steal everyone else’s. Losers!
They put up the post! On their website! Goes to show that they don’t even read what they’re posting.
Hahaha…that’s really funny! Stupid b*st*rds!
As I’ve joined in late, I just saw Patti’s last comment, so hopefully the problem is solve. I’m sure it was frustrating, to say the least.
But with that asie, let’s talk fashion and style because I’m in awe (and simply in want) with every item you have on. That red coat is the best staement piece EVER! And, there is no way we could find a new denim dress that even comes close to that one. Love the way you put the enitre outfit together.
You and I MUST go thrifting together : ) Bring along your fighting gloves!
Grrrrr!!!
I checked it again and it’s back up without this post. Scums!!! Although that’s insulting scum. They are lower than scum.
Maybe on every blog post you do for a while, you can include a very large jpeg at the bottom that says Stop Stealing my Content TrendNuMode! It might be too much work for them to delete it every single time and they’ll start to leave you alone. After all, they took down this post so obviously they don’t like being called out. And we as your readers must not visit that site and give them more traffic.
Smart idea, Melanie! It might work!
I can’t believe that! What utter twits!!!! Glad something (from the comments) has been done, that feels like a real violation and SO unfair!
Stealing is as old as the world. And anonymity makes the thief. I like Melanie’s suggestion. And I think that Patti was very knowledgable. What I don’t understand is how they stay alive if they just Google translate and their site is crapy. Who wants to read it then? I didn’t even click through to look as I didn’t want to give them another click.
Your outfit is beautiful. Great coat and dress. Love red paired with leopard.
Greetje
What a nightmare for you. And it’s so tricky, even impossible to stop it happening. At least the text is unreadable in German as some of the ladies have said but that’s only a crumb for you, I know. As you’ve said, it affects your stats and the bottom line is, it’s still stealing!
Maybe joining forces with Sylvia and Patti will produce some results.
On a happier note, I love the styling of the dress with the coat from top to toe.
http://petitesilvervixen.blogspot.co.uk/
Sorry to hear this has happened. It’s really like the Wild West out there, isn’t it? I discovered recently that someone had copied my entire blog and domain name too – they’ve just added a “1” at the end of my name (grunge-queen1.blogspot.co.uk). When you click on links, spam pops up. I just don’t have time to dedicate to doing something about it. You may want to go to my fake blog and find the user name as he (?) has a whole bunch of other websites under his profile that he appears to have also appropriated. Sorry if this adds to your troubles! Good luck! Xo
How funny and sneaky, hoping they will copy their own criminal activities on their site!
It’s an outrage that this is possible and that an individual blogger is so powerless against it.
Suzanne I truly find this incredible… Did I read that right in the comments, that they then copied this post too and then deleted it?!! If so what a bunch of utter losers!!!!!!
I haven’t clicked on the link to their site so as not to add to their traffic, but I just wanted to make sure you made it a no-follow link? At least it won’t then boost their SEO, etc. I hope you get this sorted out, I can’t offer any advice better than what’s already been suggested. Good luck!
Catherine x
They did copy this post and it is still there.
I didn’t make that a no-follow link. I need to figure out how to do that. Instead I just took out the link I had to their website.
Thanks for the tip!
What an incredibly strange thing that they even copied this post?! I also don’ understand how the site gets viewers since it seems to be badly translated and not very navigable. I like the suggestion though that this is probably a US controlled site with the “.com” so you may be able to contact someone about the violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Good luck!
it appears TrendNuMode *did* rip this article: http://trendneumode.com/stehlen-blog-inhalt-ich-bin-an-sie/ ironic as that may be, it really sucks that your site is getting scalped.(PS you may want to edit out that link if you make this comment public, no reason to give them a bonus)