Whole website stolen - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

AAPaint · 01-29-2007, 01:59 PM

Check out http://www.tampahousepainters.com and then check out the original linked in my signature.

Blatant copyright fraud, and I'm

off. How in the hell does someone get the idea that they can just rip off my whole website? The frickin idiot left things like where it says "aa quality painting" in a lot of the text.

This type of stuff warrants a serious a$$ whippin.

**Nathan** · 01-29-2007, 02:03 PM

yea, that is bad. He even left your phone number and copyright info on the bottom of the page

Take several screenshots of the page and save them in case you need them for some reason.

**Nathan** · 01-29-2007, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathan

yea, that is bad. He even left your phone number and copyright info on the bottom of the page.

Well, not on every page but on this one it is http://www.tampahousepainters.com/house_painting.html

AAPaint · 01-29-2007, 02:09 PM

I have saved every single page he has up there for future reference. I have called his number to tell him to take it down immediately, and I have called Aaron to see what he says. Next call, attorney.

The about us page, last paragraph still says

Quote:

At AA Quality Painting & Pressure Washing you'll find that we have a passion for painting, and always shoot for perfection in every aspect of our projects.

Dirty SOB, I am the one who wrote most of that content. There is no doubt it's mine. Aaron did the rest.

DerrickVWS · 01-29-2007, 03:47 PM

Wow, that is amazing!

Here is my best advice.

Send a "Cease and Desist" (C&D) letter in the mail, fax and email to infringing company.
If no reply, send it again.
No reply... maybe try contacting the Hosting company for the website and send same C&D letter.

Here is a good example of a Cease and Desist letter that you could use.
http://www.utsystem.edu/OGC/INTELLEC...ract/cease.htm

This link includes the name, email, and mailing address for the owner of that website:
http://who.godaddy.com/WhoIs.aspx?do...rog_id=godaddy

I contacted an Intellectual Property attorney (old college buddy) and he stated that C&D letters usually come from a law firm hired by a client, but he said it couldn't hurt to use the example letter above.

Good Luck!

**Ed the Roofer** · 01-29-2007, 03:50 PM

Did you compliment them on how nice their site looks? At least you can give them actual statistics on what they can achieve through their site.
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Just kidding! I hope you get this straightened out. Did you contact the design company listed on the bottom of the page you had as a link in your post?

Ed

Maybe you'l be too ticked off to appreciate the humor, so if that is the case, I apologize in advance.

DerrickVWS · 01-29-2007, 03:58 PM

Ed,

He might be too ticked to appreciate the humor... but you brought a smile to my Monday afternoon.

Thanks!

**Ed the Roofer** · 01-29-2007, 04:10 PM

I would be ticked off too. AA; Just do what you can do about it and contact the internet authorities for them to respond to the site designer and contractor, and then monitor the copy.

AA, how did you find out the content was copied? Did you just happen to do a search and bump into his/your site? Or, did you use some version of software that locates plagiarized web sites?

I'm sure that others who have paid for their creative designs would like to know, for preventative measures in the future.

Ed

Does anyone else have further contacts for him to pusue to get the other party to cease and desist or fined, or banned?

DerrickVWS · 01-29-2007, 04:17 PM

They changed the homepage! The old pages are still there, but the general public can't access them from the homepage at least. But I bet you can still find them on Google.

For example:
http://www.tampahousepainters.com/house_painting.html

Heck ya! I'd be pissed too! Creating intelligent content for a website is time consuming. There are a lot of people that could never create good content. AAPaint obviously can... they created such good content others wanted to use it.

AAPaint · 01-29-2007, 04:23 PM

I have called them and left a message stating to remove it within the next 24 hours or I will have an attorney contact them.

Yes, I'm laughing at this. When I talked to Aaron at FootbridgeMedia I asked if we should be flattered?!?!

I have noticed the home page is down and the rest are still up.

I found this because they did a poor job at copying my copyrighted material. Some of the links point to my website, so I guess someone clicked a link there and it took them to my site where my web tracking software picked it up. Thankfully, I check each and every visit daily to see where the link to me is on the page they come from. When I clicked that one I was thinking, darn, who do I know in Tampa that liked to me, then my own page popped up and I flipped a lid.

Anyway, they have until tommorow to get the rest down before I take further action.

AAPaint · 01-29-2007, 04:25 PM

Oh....the part that angers me most is I wrote a good bit of content on there personally, and I did the work you see in the photos. Someone else taking credit for my work makes me mad as a hornet. He should pray to his lucky stars he isn't in my local area.

gschwoyer · 01-29-2007, 05:39 PM

I hope you nail the lazy thieving bastard to the wall. How did you find the site that was stealing your content.

01-29-2007, 05:52 PM

That burns me up. What a lazy jerk!

Ben

Bill · 01-29-2007, 07:08 PM

I can not remember where I saw it at, but I do believe there is a place you can file a complaint. Try searching Google for internet fraud, Ill keep looking and see if I can find out where I saw it at

Bill · 01-29-2007, 07:10 PM

http://www.google.com/search?client=...=Google+Search
Try starting here and see if you can find something, good luck

**Ed the Roofer** · 01-29-2007, 08:11 PM

I searched for ways to track your own website content. I have no personal experience with this software, but the free version may be helpful to everyone here. copyscape.com

About Copyscape

Copyscape is dedicated to defending your rights online, helping you fight against online plagiarism and content theft. Copyscape finds sites that have copied your content without permission, as well as those that have quoted you.
Choose the service that best meets your needs:

The free Copyscape service makes it easy to find copies of your content on the Web. Simply type in the address of your original web page, and Copyscape does the rest.
The powerful Premium service provides professional grade coverage, plus an unlimited number of searches. It also includes integrated case tracking to manage your responses to multiple instances of plagiarism.
The advanced Copysentry service provides ongoing protection for your entire website. Copysentry automatically scans the web every day and alerts you to copies of your content. It also includes integrated case tracking.
The Global Web Rights campaign provides the tools and information you need to defend yourself against content theft and copyright violations on the web.

More information on Copyscape services is provided in the FAQs. Read reviews of Copyscape in the press, and testimonials from users like you. Copyscape is provided by Indigo Stream Technologies Ltd. We invite your comments and suggestions for improving the Copyscape service.

Terms and conditions of use
Use of Copyscape is subject to Google's API terms. Copyscape and Indigo Stream Technologies Ltd. are not affiliated with Google in any way.
Automated querying of Copyscape by any means is strictly prohibited. Failure to comply will cause searches for copies of your website to be permanently blocked. The free Copyscape service permits up to 20 searches per site per month - consider signing up for Premium if you require more.
The Copyscape service is not affiliated with any governmental or regulatory agencies and carries no formal legal authority. Indigo Stream Technologies makes no claims that use of the Copyscape service or inclusion of Copyscape banners on a web page have any legal effects. Indigo Stream Technologies does not provide legal advice or make legal recommendations. Indigo Stream Technologies is not liable for any actions or decisions taken by anyone based on results obtained through use of the Copyscape service. Indigo Stream Technologies does not endorse any external websites or copyright lawyers linked from the Copyscape site.
Copyscape's services are provided "as is" with no warranties whatsoever. Use of Copyscape is entirely at your own risk. Indigo Stream Technologies disclaims any and all warranties for all services and information provided by Copyscape. Indigo Stream Technologies is not responsible for use of Copyscape by others, nor does it certify the ownership of any content that Copyscape is used to protect. By using Copyscape, you understand that there may be copies of your site on the Internet which are not reported in the results. Indigo Stream Technologies is not liable for any omission or inclusion in the results provided by the Copyscape service. Copyscape uses the Google Web APIs to find copies of your site, so it may miss text contained in Flash animations, images such as JPEG and GIF, movies such as QuickTime, or other formats that are not picked up by the service. Copyscape may also miss new text on the Web that has not yet been indexed by Google.

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**Ed the Roofer** · 01-29-2007, 08:17 PM

The Global Web Rights campaign is dedicated to helping you defend your site against content theft and copyright violations on the web. Click on the topics below to learn more:

Defending Your Site with Banners
The first step in defending your site is warning potential plagiarists that they will be caught. You should place a Plagiarism Warning Banner on each of your web pages to deter potential content thieves. Some sample banners are shown below. Click to see the full selection.

Preventing Plagiarism
It is best to prevent plagiarism before it happens. This simple Guide to Preventing Plagiarism will help you prevent plagiarism of your site.

Detecting Plagiarism
Copyscape provides a free service that lets people easily search for plagiarism online and identify instances of content theft. You can use Copyscape to find sites that have copied your content without permission, as well as those that are quoting your site. Simply type in the URL of your original content, and Copyscape does the rest.
Your page:

Responding to Plagiarism
If you discover that someone has stolen your content, it is best to act quickly. This practical Guide to Responding To Plagiarism lists some of the actions you can take to track down the perpetrators and ensure that your content is removed from the offending site.

Understanding Your Rights
The Global Web Rights Resource Center will help you understand your rights and the laws that regulate online plagiarism. Since copyright laws vary from place to place, the list also includes links to copyright information for different countries.

Learning from Others
The Copyscape Forum provides a central place to share experiences, post questions and tips, and discuss how best to deal with web plagiarism with people who face similar issues around the world.

About Copyscape
Copyscape is dedicated to protecting content rights online and defending against the threats of plagiarism and content theft. The Web is built on the hard work of honest people who devote their time and energies to creating original content for the benefit of all. The global epidemic of content theft violates people's hard-earned rights and discourages the creation of new web content. Copyscape was created as a free public service to address this growing problem. For more information about Copyscape, click here.

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**Ed the Roofer** · 01-29-2007, 08:19 PM

If you discover someone has stolen your content, you should act quickly to have it removed. Since copyright laws vary from place to place, it is always best to seek professional legal advice from a qualified lawyer before proceeding. Here are some steps to consider:

Look for contact details on the offending site and send a polite message asking for the material to be removed. If there are no contact details available, try emailing webmaster@ the domain.
Use a Whois service to find out the website owner's name and telephone number and contact them directly. Enter the domain name in the search box and the contact information should appear towards the bottom of the page.
Contact the web hosting company used by the site and inform them of their customer's abuse. This information is also available through a Whois search.
Send a formal 'Cease and Desist' letter notifying the offending party that they must remove the stolen content from their site. Some sample letters are available on the web.
File a notice of Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) infringement with search engines such as Google and others to have the offending site removed from their search results.
If you need proof of infringement, you can use the Internet Archive to show that the content appeared on your site at an earlier date than it appeared on the offending site.

For some additional resources, click here. Indigo Stream Technologies does not provide legal advice or make legal recommendations. Indigo Stream Technologies is not liable for any actions or decisions taken by anyone based on results obtained through use of the Copyscape service. Indigo Stream Technologies does not endorse any external websites linked from the Copyscape site.

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Bone Saw · 01-29-2007, 09:03 PM

i feel your anger aa, I recently stumbled onto a site of a deck builder from Ill, to find half of his gallery containing work I "allegedly" did

George Z · 01-29-2007, 09:10 PM

It happens often, I do use the copyscape (as linked)
I have done the following and it works all the time:

Search their "who is" info by looking at their domain
Ask them nicely, someone could have done it for them
Ask them not so nicely
Ask their host to remove offending site,
or you are reporting both of them to Google

It works every time.