Recently, I wrote a post thanking a few individuals who had tipped me off to some potential problems this website was having. One of the problems was a plagiarism issue — a website had gone and copied a page right off of maxpower and posted it on their own site chocked full of ads (images and all). I contacted the owner of the site, requested it be taken down and got a quick reply and apology and it was removed. Problem solved right?
Wrong! The post is back up, same address as before. This is both shameful and stupid! Imagine for a moment you got caught red handed stealing. You say sorry, but then go right back at it again — only this time with more vigor! The plagiarist learned nothing so its time to bust out a lesson plan…
Consider what would happen if I were to publish the details here on MaxPower including name, website, screencaptures of what has transpired, the emails, all for the world to see (and index) how the content thief operates. Google is all knowing and not very forgiving. Future employers searching this prospective employee’s name would in all likelihood find the maxpower page at the top of the list (dare we term this idea… pagespank?). All for a little adsense scratch. Stupid.
Then again, I should have suspected this was going to happen. Here was the thief’s original reply to my request to remove the stolen pages:
ok i do it
That’s the entire email, word for word.
[more to follow as it develops]
25 Oct 06
7:59 pm
The good news is that, in my experience, repeat plagiarists are rare. Very rare. Out of my 500+ cases I’d say less than 1% repeated. Only one was stupid enough to use the same address. I believe you have a true freak on your hands.
Personally, I’d nuke the site and send him looking for a new URL. Of course, it could be funny to see what happens if you do post the information. I don’t do that myself, but I don’t fault others for doing it.
Anyway, good luck with this, feel free to write me if I can help. You know the address!
25 Oct 06
8:41 pm
Technically, I never said I would publish the details, “Consider what would happen if I were to…” However, at this point I don’t see why not. But don’t worry, I’ve got many different logs on the fire.
03 Nov 06
3:24 am
[...] There are no Internet police so the only thing content creators can do to protect themselves from the content thieves is attack their source of income, their hosting, and then publicly shame them for their actions. With repeat offenders this shaming is especially warranted and becomes that much more effective with time as the Google pagespank factor is uncontrollable. Future employers, friends, family members, anyone that searches for the name of the shamed on the Internet may find themselves at a page designed to humiliate the plagiarist. This shaming is an acute example of how a person’s online activities can translate into consequences in the real world. And long into the future as well. [...]
10 Nov 06
11:44 am
[...] One of the two notices was sent regarding a website I had previously caught plagarising. I had emailed the guy, who said he would remove the post (and did). However, at some later date he put it right back up. I didn’t bother with a followup email this time. Not a bad result for my first DMCA notice. Note to self: sign the printed documents before your fax them in… [...]
14 Feb 07
3:50 pm
quote: “ok i do it”
That’s the entire email, word for word.
—–
LOL, I almost suffocated from laughing when I read that.
18 Apr 07
8:05 am
[...] MaxPower’s article on PageSpank [...]
23 Nov 08
10:35 pm
[...] of the two notices was sent regarding a website I had previously caught plagarising. I had emailed the guy, who said he would remove the post (and did). However, at some later date he [...]