This morning I had to send 5 emails to various websites and blogs and MySpace pages that have copied word-for-word posts from here without crediting me or the blog. It seems I have to do this every few days and it becomes tedious. The next time it happens I’m posting the offender’s email here and everyone can write to them to tell them to stop it. I average between 3000 and 5000 readers per day so if even a portion of those readers hits the infringer, they will have a swell time cleaning out their mail box. The next step will be (I’m a lawyer after all) court. I have a bar card (3 actually) and I’m not afraid to use it. The only other alternative would be to shut the blog down and I do not want to do that.
UPDATE 7/9/8
A reader alerted me to the fact that a post on another website basically rewrote When The Person You Love Doesn’t Love You and cited this blog as a “source.” This person also said that “a friend” said “reject the rejector” and she just happened to put it in. I say, uh uh. I am drafting the letter to this person in a legal way but I want to put this here.
When The Person You Love Doesn’t Loe You is one of the most popular posts on GPYP and has been lifted on several websites.
I pour my heart and soul into this blog and I have to post this:
All of the posts on this blog are original GPYP postings authored and copyrighted by Susan J. Elliott, Esq. The expression “Reject the rejector” is an original GPYP quote and the trademark application is pending. If you use this expression without crediting, it is a trademark violation.
If you take significant portions of this post, it is plagiarism. If you rewrite it in your words but still follow the same outline and sentiment it is PLAGIARISM.
If you repost it without crediting it to Susan J. Elliott, Esq., it is copyright infringement and is actionable under the laws of these United States. Please review my copyright policy. As an attorney, I will enforce my legal rights aggressively.
I try to credit the original sources when I quote them (Melody Beattie, John James, Stephen Levine, Lou Tice etc etc) and have asked people to let me know if I write something or say something that comes from someplace else and I have not credited it.
I expect others to do the same.
Thank you to alert readers!!!!
at least it’s the sincerest form of flattery!
And you better get ready for your book to sell like hotcakes…
Thanks Serenity. :)
What really annoys me is when they post it and they get comments about how brilliant it/they are and they don’t say it’s not their words. I have actually commented a time or two taht directs them back here but I’m a bit tired of that.
I use a lot of expressions that I have gotten mostly from others and always credit them. It’s not that hard. Most of my stuff is not original but the way it’s put together is original (which is why it’s copyrightable).
Thanks for being here!
Absolutely. I read papers at the end of almost every semester and grow very tired
of the laziness, if not outright unwillingness, to credit sources. The problem
has grown worse with the availability of information on the internet, but the internet
does not change the rules about crediting sources. Plagiarism is still plagiarism!!
It really isn’t that hard to give credit where credit is due. I make every effort to do that
and expect others to do the same.