How to Guard Against Plagiarism of Web-Based Information

Protect your site from virtual thieves.

When you create a website, you're putting everything out there for the world to see. Some people believe that if it's on the Web, it's free for the taking; consequently, there's a chance that someone will plagiarize your content at some point. But you have several options for guarding against plagiarism of Web-based information.

Instructions

1. Cover your tracks legally. If you don't have a copyright logo on your website, someone may think that the information is not protected by copyright. Simply putting the symbol on all of your pages may deter thieves, but you should go the extra step and register your site with the U.S. Copyright Office. You should also file for a trademark if you have any product names that are proprietary.

2. Set up a Google Alert on your text. A Google Alert will send you an email whenever someone uses a specified word or phrase on a website. If your website has only a few pages, you can select a sentence or two from each one and set up the Google Alert for it. Choose a sentence that does not use your company name, as a thief is likely to change your company name to his company name. This method may be impractical if your site has several hundred pages, however.

3. Use a professional service to monitor for plagiarism. Several such services are available and can be found online. Some of them allow you to put their logos on your site, which may discourage people from stealing your content.

4. Contact a site owner if you find that your site has been plagiarized. In some cases, the site owner may not be aware of the problem---he may have outsourced copywriting to a writer who stole your work. You should send the owner a "cease and desist" letter telling the owner that he must remove your content immediately. In most cases, this will solve the problem.

5. Talk to the site owner's hosting company if you don't receive a response from the owner. Most hosting companies take plagiarism seriously and may disable the user's account.

6. Take legal action if the content is still online after you've contacted the site owner and hosting company. Hire a copyright attorney to help you take the matter to court.

References

• Microsoft: 5 Ways to Guard Against Web Site Content Theft
• Loose Ends: Your Content Without Consent---How to Guard Against Internet Plagiarism