I've just had to write to three UK-based virtual assisants who are in breach of copyright, i.e. they have duplicated content word-for-word from my website to their website. I had to do the same about two months ago.

One of them has taken pretty much the whole of my About Us page and just put her details in.

One had copied the part about our experience—I find it doubtful that she had experience in exactly the same industries as me and my partner put together, yet she was happy to tell her prospective clients she had. ut:

I have a copyright statement at the bottom of each of my web pages, so I'm slightly confused as to why these supposedly business-savvy virtual assistants are being so unimaginative and playing it free and easy with the copyright laws.

Stock photo/image services who find people posting their images without permission will immediately charge the offender—no ifs, not buts—and it's usually quite a high fee. It is a policy I am thinking about introducing at Freelancealot.co.uk.

It's okay to get ideas and concepts from what other people write, most of us do it, but if you can't turn that into your own words then please don't plagiarise. Either contact the owner of the content and ask for permission to reproduce it, or hire someone to copywrite your web content.

Thanks for listening...

Cheers,

Tracy

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Partner, Freelancealot.co.uk
Think Smart, Think Virtual Assistant.

Tracy,
Very sorry to hear. I had an issue like this myself. We resolved it quickly, without any problems though.
We all look to other websites for inspiration, but just copying and pasting is really bad.
Hilde

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Hilde
www.vbbassociates.com

I can't believe people do it....

(As in it's terrible that they do, thought I'd better add that in!!)

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Bridie's Typing Services - specialising in transcription services
The professional's choice

Sorry you are having such a hard time with this. I'm having a hard time understaning why you would copy, word for word, but the About page is especially throwing me off.

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Amy
www.porterofficesolutions.com

I find it odd too. I know that there are only so many ways for all of us to describe what we do, or what services we provide, but the About page is different. I had someone who was probably "inspired" by my about page. One of her paragraphs was pretty close to my own with a few words changed. And from my own looking at other VA sites, I know this paragraph is not out there much. I think the only places I've seen it is mine and this one other site.

Word for word copying is plain lazy and crazy.

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Teressa@Reese Virtual Assistant
www.reeseva.com

At the end of the day, if you can't come up with something original then pay someone to do it for you. I'm in the process of a website revamp, part of which included getting a professional copywriter to re-do the content. It wasn't that expensive either, so there's really no excuse for ripping off other people's work.

Take heart in the fact that what goes around, comes around - they'll get theirs!

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Bridie's Typing Services - specialising in transcription services
The professional's choice

This is such a frustrating issue - and there are more than a few threads here on the boards with similar stories. So sorry to hear you are dealing with this. The sad thing is, if your content is any good it will likely happen again, and again...

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If the idea is not original and taken from someone else, even if it's put into your own words, it's still plagiarism. The fastest and easiest thing to do, beyond simply placing a copyright notice on your site, is to copyright your site with your national copyright office. In the US, we file things to be copyrighted to the US Copyright Office. I would suggest you do the same and then file a complaint with that office once someone infringes upon your copyright. This also prevents them from challenging your copyright claim.

In the US, this gives a person or organization legal standing. Years ago, when people couldn't afford to copyright something, they would print it out and mail it to themselves. This was known as the "poor man's copyright" as the date printed on the envelope by the US Postal Service was legally acceptable as proof. This has been challenged so many times in court that the easiest thing to do is to copyright it with your government.

I hope this helps.

-Damon

Hi,

Thanks for all the comments.

Today I have been utterly appalled at the way these two virtual assistants have reacted to my request for them to remove the copied text.

The first kept insisting she had written the text, then said her IT company may have put it on, then said she worked for a legal firm, then said she wasn't up and running yet anyway, then said that having a copyright statement on my website didn't mean anything...then rang off when I said I was going to start to record the converstation. I have contacted the named registered owner of the domain to deal with it.

The second has said she has removed the text but has accused me of hacking her site as she believes it's not online ut: -- PM me if you would like to see her site online, and to see her site appear in a Google search!. And just to compound her ignorance, she told me to never visit her site again.

Here is a snippet:

"My site is not up and running, so I do not know how you got on to it.
So PLEASE DO NOT GO NEAR MY SITE AGAIN.
If you do I will not only take action but I will let other virtual assistants know that you hack sites. I have never heard of you, and until now I have never seen your site, the copyright you are talking about was given to me by another site who said I could use it. It looks like you have copyrighted another site, and when I find the site I shall let them know."

I have responded politely to let her know her site is online and viewable by everyone and have asked her for the details of the person/business who gave her permission to reproduce our text. [This is probably where the other four virtual assistants got it from.] Although, her logic seems a bit flawed there. She says she was given permission, and then says she has to 'find the site' that gave her permission!

If anyone accuses me in the public arena of hacking websites, I will take immediate action. And I would appreciate it if virtual assistants on this forum report any such occurances to me directly.

It is a sad day ...

Tracy

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Partner, Freelancealot.co.uk
Think Smart, Think Virtual Assistant.

Wow, this is pretty outrageous. I know that in my cumulative research to launch my Web site, I looked at many, many VA web sites. In particular, I was trying to figure out what was the "NORMAL" rate/fees to charge a client -- I literally had no idea. However, it just took a little bit of math and a calculator to figure it out -- how much I needed to earn and what I felt was a fair, competitive price. But in general, I think a lot of up-and-coming VAs research Web sites to get an overall idea of what is out there and how to portray themselves -- definitely not to copy or mimic anyone else's business.

However, it's a whole other story if someone literally copies your content. I think I would be furious as well, because I know how much work goes into the writing of your text and so forth. My Web site has taken me months to get going -- and it would not be cool at all for someone to just copy my hard work. I don't have anything copy-written, and I almost find it silly at this point to consider that.

I am just writing not necessarily to offer any advice, but just to voice my opinion that I agree with you -- copying someone else's hard work is very, very unprofessional. Just way off limits.

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Patty