If someone duplicated your content without your permission, you are entitled to request that they delete the page, remove the search terms and remove the entry from the Search Engines. We had this occur to some of our content recently where the stolen content was replicated word-for-word including the image links to our site. The website owner subsequently removed the content but the search engines were recognizing the duplicate content as well as the duplicated content checkers. Here is the process we used.
How to Check for Duplicate Content
Copyscape
a) We used the Copyscape Free Service and entered the website address of our page at www.copyscape.com – Check for Duplicate Content
In our case, Copyscape returned a website that had copied our exact content and even included direct image links to our website.
Other info
- ArticleChecker.com – www.articlechecker.com – Check for Duplicate Content
- Copyscape – they offer a Premium service at 5 cents per page for detecting duplicate content
- DMCA.com – they provide a subscription service for $10 per month with plagiarism scanning, image watermarking and a DMCA Takedown guide.
How Remove the Duplicate Content
b). Find the Website Contact Information
- Search the WHOIS Records using the NetworkSolutions.com site – Click Here to Search the WHOIS Records
- Write down the Current Registrar: (in our case it was GoDaddy.com)
- Write down the IP Address:
- Write down the Registrant Name and Address:
- Write down the Administrative Contact Name:
- Write down the Administrative Contact email address:
- Write down the Administrative Contact Phone and Fax Number:
- Go to the website: https://www.arin.net
- Enter the IP Address in step 3 above.
- Write down the email address of the Point of Contact:
d) Write and Send a Cease and Desist Letter
- Stock Letters – Click Here – Sample Stock Cease and Desist Letters from www.plagiarismtoday.com
- We sent our Cease and Desist Letter in an email.
Sample Cease and Desist Letter
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to you to avail myself of my rights under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). This letter is a Notice of Infringement as authorized in § 512(c) of the U.S. Copyright Law. I wish to report an instance of what I feel in good faith is an instance or Copyright Infringement. The infringing material appears on the Service for which you are the designated agent.
You are registered with the U.S. Copyright Office as the Designated Service Provider Agent to receive notifications of alleged Copyright infringement with respect to users of the Service for which you are the Designated Agent.
1. The material which I contend belongs to me, and appears illegally on the Service is the following:
<<TITLES OF WORK>>
2. The material appears at the website addresses:
<<ADDRESS OF INFRINGING WORK>>
3. The material appears on my Web site at these addresses:
<<ADDRESS OF ORIGINAL WORK>>
4. The infringing material is available through the following search results and links
<<SEARCH TERMS AND LINKS TO SERPS>>
5. My contact information is as follows:
<<NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL>>
6. I have a good faith belief that the use of the material that appears on the service is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or by operation of law.
7. The information in this notice is accurate, and I am either the copyright owner or I am authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.
I declare under the perjury laws of the United States of America that this notification is true and correct.
Signed: <<YOUR NAME>>
Source: Licensed under Creative Commons License from www.plagiarismtoday.com
How to Report Copyright Infringement – Websites
e) We reported the copyright infringement to:
- The Website Owner Email Address
- The Hosting Provider Email Address
- Google DMCA Copyright Reporting Link
- GoDaddy.com Copyright Claims Department Email Address- copyrightclaims@godaddy.com
You can contact us if you need assistance in getting duplicate content removed from third party websites.