Comments on: What Would You Do if another Retailer was Copying Your Product Descriptions? http://startupprincess.com/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/ Mon, 21 May 2012 08:24:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: startup princess http://startupprincess.com/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/comment-page-1/#comment-8549 startup princess Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:15:37 +0000 http://startupprincess.com/wordpress/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/#comment-8549 Great job having the courage to stand up for your hard work and companies! Thanks for sharing and updating us on your action plans "the one who asked" and Heather too...anyone else bold enough to confront someone on this topic? Great job having the courage to stand up for your hard work and companies! Thanks for sharing and updating us on your action plans “the one who asked” and Heather too…anyone else bold enough to confront someone on this topic?

]]> By: Heather from Mom 4 Life http://startupprincess.com/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/comment-page-1/#comment-8545 Heather from Mom 4 Life Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:53:43 +0000 http://startupprincess.com/wordpress/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/#comment-8545 Dear "It Was Me who Asked":), You mentioned that you would like to know what I said to the person who had copied much of the wording from my about us page and what the outcome was. I said, "I came across your about us page and thought it was amazing how similar our stories are. You can find my story here http://www.mom4life.com/pages/aboutus.php" and left it at that hoping she would get the "hint". I have checked back a few times after that and she hasn't changed it:(. I don't know how big of a deal to make of it or how much to push it so I haven't done anything else yet. Dear “It Was Me who Asked”:),
You mentioned that you would like to know what I said to the person who had copied much of the wording from my about us page and what the outcome was. I said, “I came across your about us page and thought it was amazing how similar our stories are. You can find my story here http://www.mom4life.com/pages/aboutus.php” and left it at that hoping she would get the “hint”. I have checked back a few times after that and she hasn’t changed it:(. I don’t know how big of a deal to make of it or how much to push it so I haven’t done anything else yet.

]]> By: It Was Me who Asked http://startupprincess.com/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/comment-page-1/#comment-8472 It Was Me who Asked Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:53:17 +0000 http://startupprincess.com/wordpress/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/#comment-8472 Thanks to everyone who gave suggestions and resources on this copying issue. I am not very good with confrontations - but I have finally composed the email to be sent to these people. I hope it will be enough to get them to change the contents. I really don't want to think about what I must do next if they refuse. I'm curious what Heather from Mom 4 Life did/said to her copycatter, and how the outcome was. Entrepreneurship is hard enough by itself, can't everyone just get along and behave how one would want to be treated?! Thanks to everyone who gave suggestions and resources on this copying issue. I am not very good with confrontations – but I have finally composed the email to be sent to these people. I hope it will be enough to get them to change the contents. I really don’t want to think about what I must do next if they refuse.

I’m curious what Heather from Mom 4 Life did/said to her copycatter, and how the outcome was.

Entrepreneurship is hard enough by itself, can’t everyone just get along and behave how one would want to be treated?!

]]> By: Michal http://startupprincess.com/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/comment-page-1/#comment-7286 Michal Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:37:13 +0000 http://startupprincess.com/wordpress/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/#comment-7286 Thanks for all this info. What great timing too. A similar thing has happened to us, and after working so hard for so long to get our product out there, it is very upsetting to see another competitor take our exact wording quoted from our own children's therapists and other copying like that... i wasn't sure what to do. I am very appreciative of all the good websites and guidance you guys wrote about. Thanks. Michal from Baby Ktan Thanks for all this info. What great timing too. A similar thing has happened to us, and after working so hard for so long to get our product out there, it is very upsetting to see another competitor take our exact wording quoted from our own children’s therapists and other copying like that… i wasn’t sure what to do. I am very appreciative of all the good websites and guidance you guys wrote about.
Thanks.
Michal from Baby Ktan

]]> By: startup princess http://startupprincess.com/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/comment-page-1/#comment-7220 startup princess Fri, 08 Feb 2008 05:11:08 +0000 http://startupprincess.com/wordpress/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/#comment-7220 As a follow up...Craft Boom blog wrote more about this issue and found Heather and Sonya's comments about copyscape.com to be very helpful. This is the value of great comments, thanks so much. the link: http://emomsathome.com/craft-boom/copyright-ways-to-prevent-your-content-from-being-stolen/ As a follow up…Craft Boom blog wrote more about this issue and found Heather and Sonya’s comments about copyscape.com to be very helpful. This is the value of great comments, thanks so much.

the link: http://emomsathome.com/craft-boom/copyright-ways-to-prevent-your-content-from-being-stolen/

]]> By: Copyright - ways to prevent your content from being stolen | CraftBoom! http://startupprincess.com/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/comment-page-1/#comment-7161 Copyright - ways to prevent your content from being stolen | CraftBoom! Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:50:34 +0000 http://startupprincess.com/wordpress/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/#comment-7161 [...] a search on the web to see if your work is being copied - Carla showed me a post on Startup Princess which had a cool link (in the comments) to Copy Scape.  You can type in your page URL into the [...] [...] a search on the web to see if your work is being copied – Carla showed me a post on Startup Princess which had a cool link (in the comments) to Copy Scape.  You can type in your page URL into the [...]

]]> By: Sonya Neblett http://startupprincess.com/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/comment-page-1/#comment-7079 Sonya Neblett Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:26:23 +0000 http://startupprincess.com/wordpress/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/#comment-7079 I run into this same problem over and over, again. The retail website I market online is packed with content and buyer's guide information. I always send an email letter reminding the person who takes our content that it is protected by copyright and I always ask them to please remove it immediately. I usually get some kind of response back but always have to follow up to be sure the content is gone and sometimes they don't remove it at all. I use http://www.copyscape.com every so often for specific pages. But you have to pay for it if you want them to monitor where your content is being duplicated. If you just have a small site it's around 19.99/month and probably worth it - http://www.copyscape.com/copysentry.php. If you have a larger site, it can get expensive. The biggest thing is to let the person who has lifted your content know you are watching and aware of what has happened. Hopefully, that alone will dissuade them from doing it in the future. I run into this same problem over and over, again. The retail website I market online is packed with content and buyer’s guide information. I always send an email letter reminding the person who takes our content that it is protected by copyright and I always ask them to please remove it immediately. I usually get some kind of response back but always have to follow up to be sure the content is gone and sometimes they don’t remove it at all.

I use http://www.copyscape.com every so often for specific pages. But you have to pay for it if you want them to monitor where your content is being duplicated. If you just have a small site it’s around 19.99/month and probably worth it – http://www.copyscape.com/copysentry.php. If you have a larger site, it can get expensive.

The biggest thing is to let the person who has lifted your content know you are watching and aware of what has happened. Hopefully, that alone will dissuade them from doing it in the future.

]]> By: Jamie Bird http://startupprincess.com/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/comment-page-1/#comment-7025 Jamie Bird Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:07:43 +0000 http://startupprincess.com/wordpress/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/#comment-7025 Many of the items I carry are from local crafters, and I have noticed not only copying of the description but copying the idea of the item as well. Like you, I would not mind them contacting the vendor- at least then it would help out the original inventor- but copying the idea exactly bothers me. Sometimes it is hard to police because the wording is changed just enough that it is questionable. Unless is it verbatum, it seems like it would be hard to prove. I am wondering if maybe they do not know you wrote it? Hopefully contacting them will solve the issue! Many of the items I carry are from local crafters, and I have noticed not only copying of the description but copying the idea of the item as well. Like you, I would not mind them contacting the vendor- at least then it would help out the original inventor- but copying the idea exactly bothers me.

Sometimes it is hard to police because the wording is changed just enough that it is questionable. Unless is it verbatum, it seems like it would be hard to prove. I am wondering if maybe they do not know you wrote it? Hopefully contacting them will solve the issue!

]]> By: Heather from Mom 4 Life http://startupprincess.com/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/comment-page-1/#comment-6992 Heather from Mom 4 Life Tue, 05 Feb 2008 21:32:21 +0000 http://startupprincess.com/wordpress/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/#comment-6992 Thanks for the great resources mentioned so far! I think this is all great advice! I checked out the link that Lisa mentioned and found this website http://www.copyscape.com/ mentioned as a place that will search for content on the web that matches your own and found an eBay seller using some word for word content from my "about us" page for her own about us page LOL--oh my! Thanks for the great resources mentioned so far! I think this is all great advice! I checked out the link that Lisa mentioned and found this website http://www.copyscape.com/ mentioned as a place that will search for content on the web that matches your own and found an eBay seller using some word for word content from my “about us” page for her own about us page LOL–oh my!

]]> By: Kim Scoville http://startupprincess.com/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/comment-page-1/#comment-6981 Kim Scoville Tue, 05 Feb 2008 20:09:08 +0000 http://startupprincess.com/wordpress/grant-a-wish-what-would-you-do-if-another-retailer-was-copying-your-product-descriptions/#comment-6981 You own a copyright in original ideas you express in a fixed media (such as a written document). Your product descriptions on your web site qualify. You can simply contact the infringing site(s) tell them that they have used copyrighted reviews without permission and must remove them or (and this is up to you if you want to give permission) give credit to the owner by quoting the source. Unfortunately, copying on the Internet is done all the time, it is difficult to police it, but if you find it happening, that is all you have to do. If you have not already done so, make sure you put a (C) on the bottom of your web site pages with your name or company name, the calendar year (or years) you created the materials containted on the pages, and the phrase "all rights reserved" this is a type of no trespassing sign to help others understand they are not welcome to copy. Good luck Kim Scoville Fairy Godmother and IP Attorney Silvermark Services PC You own a copyright in original ideas you express in a fixed media (such as a written document). Your product descriptions on your web site qualify. You can simply contact the infringing site(s) tell them that they have used copyrighted reviews without permission and must remove them or (and this is up to you if you want to give permission) give credit to the owner by quoting the source.

Unfortunately, copying on the Internet is done all the time, it is difficult to police it, but if you find it happening, that is all you have to do.

If you have not already done so, make sure you put a (C) on the bottom of your web site pages with your name or company name, the calendar year (or years) you created the materials containted on the pages, and the phrase “all rights reserved” this is a type of no trespassing sign to help others understand they are not welcome to copy.

Good luck

Kim Scoville
Fairy Godmother and IP Attorney
Silvermark Services PC

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