User Comments

1. 

   6/04/09

   weblogian

   write to him in a legal manner that you are against using your photo.
   
   You must have TOS or Disclaimer. It will help you in time of legal matter. And I don't find one. Your so proclaimed registered logo could be a downfall in legal matters if it is not really registered.

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2. 

   6/04/09

   timethief

   @ leheria
   As the blogging phenomenon expands, copyright concerns become quite important. Technology makes it really easy to copy, modify and share information, whether we talk about text, images, audio or video. The problem is that the vast majority of people do not have a clear understanding of the Copyright Law, which might result in illegal and costly mistakes.
   
   The ignorance and misinformation about copyright and fair use has escalated as the numbers of content thieves and e-beggars has dramatically increased. Bloggers are expected to be able to sort facts from fiction, so if you are a newcomer becoming familiar with copyright law is part of the territory. Here is a link to a summary post I created for the BC New Users group on the subject: Copyright basics for bloggers
   www.blogcatalog.com/group/new-blog-catalog-users/discuss/entry/copyright-ba...
   
   Just as text is automatically under the copyright of the person who took them and cannot be used legally without receiving permission from the copyright holder, the same applies to images, podcasts and videos. It's not a legal requirement to post and copyright notice but posting one may deter theft.
   
   When it comes to images I advise that copyright holders watermark their images to deter theft. I also recommend that they use a service to register their copyright and make it visible on their blog(s).
   
   This post contains links to several free watermarking alternatives
   onecoolsite.wordpress.com/2007/10/19/watermark-your-blog-images/
   How to copyright your digital works
   onecoolsite.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/how-to-copyright-your-digital-works/
   
   What to do when your content has been stolen is found in this post which provides instructions for:
   (1) Initially directly contacting the thief and requesting the removal of your copyrighted material from their blog;
   (2) In the event the thief fails to respond to your direct request determining the web host and filing a DMCA notice with the web host to compel the thief to remove the content (a fill in the bland DMCA complaint forum is included);
   (3) Advice with regard to taking steps aimed at preventing future theft.
   Splog Off! Dealing with content theft
   onecoolsite.wordpress.com/2008/05/10/splog-off-dealing-with-content-theft/
   
   Determining whether or not someone has stolen your copyrighted material can be done through:
   copyscape www.copyscape.com/
   copygator www.copygator.com/
   
   Also note that Blog Catalog's Terms of Service does have sections on copyright as well, therefore if your are not successful in getting the member to stop this behavior using the means I posted above and the instructions in the post I linked to then you can report the member's behavior to BC Admin. www.blogcatalog.com/tos

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   1. 

      6/04/09

      timethief

      @ leheria
      A word of wisdom: When someone has stolen your content they have done so to generate hits to their blog. By posting the active link to their profile page and/or blog in the OP of a forum thread or anywhere else you wish to discuss this matter with other bloggers you are tempting others to click the link and witness or corroborate your claim, and that results in sending that person blog traffic.
      
      At BC we have an internal Blog Rank based on various factors that are all input into the BC Blog Rank algorithm. The BC Blog Rank determines in which position the blog will appear in both the Directory and in search results.
      www.blogcatalog.com/help/
      
      Among the factors contributing to the determination of BC Blog Rank are Profile Page View Stats, created when someone clicks through to a BC Profile Page, and BC Blog Hit Stats created when someone clicks through from a BC Profile Page to a blog by using the url for a blog on that page.
      
      As you have posted an active link if any other member(s) chooses to click it they will create a View Stat, and if they also choose to click the blog url then the member who stole your content will also receive a Hit Stat. In cases like these I would never post an active url.
3. 

   6/04/09

   trailofpen

   You need to watermark your images. Write him a letter that he is violating your copyright and to take down the images, or better yet, replace the images he is linking to with something raunchy like porn or something and that should teach them a lesson.

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4. 

   6/04/09

   kirewass

   The content seems to be copied too. Report to Google using Google’s Report A Spam Result page. The website you are dealing with has many Adsense ads. Report to Adsense by clicking on the “Ads By Google” link on the ads, scroll down to "Send Google your thoughts on the site or the ads you just saw"

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