How To Protect Your Copyright on the Internet

The information provided in this article is specifically for authors. However, creators of Internet graphics, software, and other online intellectual or patented products can also utilize many of the tips.

1. Your copyright statement is important. Protect your work by including a copyright notice at the end of every article, short story, poem, etc. that you create.
2. Avoid using the copyright symbol. Instead, opt for (c). Some online sites will experience problems displaying special symbols or foreign language characters.
3. Do not waste a lot of time searching for violators' contact information. Thieves will do their utmost to remain anonymous. Trying to locate an e-mail address or other contact information for someone who has stolen your work is usually difficult. These reprobates are good at hiding their tracks, and they are often from foreign countries.
4. Search for the company that hosts the violator's site. You can do a whois lookup. Print out the information, and then do a whois hunt for the domain servers by scrolling to the bottom of the first results page. For example, if you see something like

   ns1.website.com
   ns2.website.com
   ns3.website.com

   do a whois lookup for website.com and contact website.com as well.

5. Contact the hosting and name server companies via e-mail, fax, telephone, or online contact form. This step may take some detective work, but it is well worth the time if you can get the violator's website shut down. (See the sample document in Step 8.) If you are unable to locate anything specific, try sending an e-mail to addresses like: abuse@domainhostingcompany, info@domainhostingcompany, webmaster@domainhostingcompany, etc.
6. Determine who is financially compensating the violators. In the vast majority of cases, your intellectual property will be published on a site that earns its income from programs like Google AdSense.
7. Contact the financially-compensating site. (See the sample document in Step 8.) Google has a zero tolerance for publishers who abuse the AdSense system. They constantly change their fraud algorithms, and welcome input from the public. Google's page on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act provides further information and resources.
8. Create a document similar to the one below and fax or mail it to the hosting and name server companies as well as the financially-compensating entity.

   --- BEGIN COPYRIGHT VIOLATION EXAMPLE DOCUMENT ---

   All of the articles on the following Internet pages are a violation of my intellectual copyright and the copyright of the article site from which they were obtained:

   (First Internet URL)
   (Second Internet URL)
   (Third Internet URL), etc.

   The articles were copied and pasted via this page:

   (Link to author's summary in Internet directory from which your articles were stolen)

   The copied text clearly violates the directory's terms of service, linked to prominently on the above page:

   (URL for terms of service page of the Internet article directory)

   Every article is an exact reproduction of my work from the above site, without the appropriate copyright notice and active links, as required in the above-mentioned terms of service.

   I hereby avow, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in this notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner.

   Print or type your name here.

   Your written signature.

   --- END COPYRIGHT VIOLATION EXAMPLE DOCUMENT ---

9. Be sure to include your contact information on the copyright violation document, including your full name, e-mail/postal addresses, and telephone/fax/cell phone numbers.

Working together, perhaps we can turn the Internet into a better place for the entire world!

(c)Copyright Kathy Steinemann